Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the most common health conditions that affects million of people around the world. Uncontrolled blood pressure can have negative consequences such as heart attack, stroke, and more. When the blood pressure is high, the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood. Why? Because the force with which blood is pushed against the artery wall is too high.

Many medications are recommended for hypertensive individuals, and let’s face it: every medication has a side effect and blood pressure medicine is no exception. Some people have high and others have mild side effects. Therefore, it is important to visit the doctor before you start consuming BP medicines.

Uses of Blood Pressure Medications

BP medicines are of great help especially when the BP shoots. Many people are prescribed to take these medicines every day depending on their underlying conditions. But how do BP medications help a hypertensive person?

1. Blood pressure medicines help your body to get rid of extra water inside and normalize the amount of salt and water in your body to a healthy level. This is how the medication helps in lowering high BP.
2. The use of BP medications enables the heart to beat with less force by reducing the extra work to pump blood.
3. Blood pressure medicine relaxes blood vessels and allows the blood to pump smoothly.
4. One of the major health benefits of BP medicine is that they keep the blood pressure level in a healthy range and reduces the risk of cardiac arrest, stroke, or any other heart disease.

Types of Blood Pressure Medications

There are many types of blood pressure medications, each is developed with different formulas. Your healthcare provider decides which is the right option for you. Each of them is available in the market with different brand or generic names. So, below we are going to list down the types of medicines that treat blood pressure and their formula and brand names. Take a look.

1.     Beta-Blockers

Beta-blocker helps reduce heart rate by blocking hormones such as epinephrine. By blocking these hormones, the nerve impulse slows down and as a result, the heart rate slows down and pumps blood less forcefully.

• Betaxolol (Kerlone)
• Acebutolol (Sectral)
• Propranolol Hydrochloride (Inderal)
• Nadolol (Corgard)
• Metoprolol Tartrate (Lopressor)
• Pindolol (Visken)
• Atenolol (Tenormin)

2.     Alpha-Blockers

Alpha-blockers allow the smooth flow of blood by reducing nerve impulses to blood vessels. As a result, blood vessels relax and blood pressure lowers.

• Terazosin Hydrochloride (Hytrin)
• Doxazosin Mesylate (Cardura)
• Prazosin Hydrochloride (Minipress)

3.     Diuretics

Diuretics allow the body to get rid of extra sodium (salt) and water inside which helps control blood pressure. These medications flush out the fluid and sodium through urine. Examples of diuretics are as follows

• Furosemide (Lasix)
• Spironolactone (Aldactone)
• Bumetanide (Bumex)
• Amiloride Hydrochloride (Midamar)
• Chlorthalidone (Hygroton)
• Chlorothiazide (Diuril)
• Indapamide (Lozol)

4.     Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs)

These blood pressure medications prevent calcium from going to your heart, muscles, and blood vessel cells. The blood vessels dilate and reduce the amount of calcium in cells. Some of them also calm the fluctuating heart rate. Some of the CCBs are

• Amlodipine Besylate (Norvasc, Extor)
• Felodipine    (Plendil)
• Isradipine     (Dynacirc)
• Nifedipine    (Adalat CC)
• Verapamil Hydrochloride (Calan SR)
• Diltiazem Hydrochloride (Cardizem CD)

5.     ACE Inhibitors

ACE stands for Angiotensin-converting enzyme. ACE inhibitors enable the body to produce less angiotensin that allows the blood vessel to relax ultimately reducing blood pressure.

Angiotensin is a chemical that makes the arteries narrow in the kidneys and throughout the body. Some of the ACE inhibitors are as follows

• Captopril      (Capoten)
• Enalapril Maleate     (Vasotec)
• Fosinopril Sodium     (Monopril)
• Lisinopril      (Prinivel)
• Moexipril     (Univasc)
• Perindopril   (Aceon)
• Quinapril Hydrochloride (Accupril)
• Ramipril (Altace)

6.     Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers

These drugs provide a shield to blood vessels from angiotensin. They allow the blood vessels to open resulting in reduced blood pressure. Some of the common ARBs are

• Losartan Potassium  (Cozaar)
• Candesartan (Atacand)
• Eprosartan Mesylate (Teveten)
• Irbesarten    (Avapro)
• Telmisartan (Micardis)
• Valsartan     (Diovan)

7.     Blood Vessel Dilators (Vasodilators)

Blood vessel dilators or vasodilators help the muscles in the walls of the blood vessels to relax and let the muscles dilate. This allows smooth blood flow and reduces blood pressure. Some of the vasodilators include

• Hydralazine Hydrochloride    (Apresoline)
• Minoxidil      (Loniten)

8.     Combined Alpha and Beta-Blockers

Combined alpha and beta-blockers are used for critical hypertensive cases. They are used in an IV drip and prescribed for patients having high blood pressure and are at risk of heart failure.

• Carvedilol    (Coreg)
• Labetalol Hydrochloride (Normodyne, Trandate)

Side Effects of Blood Pressure Medications

As there are various types of blood pressure medicine so each of them has different side effects. Some are mild and some may go away with time. Some of the common side effects of blood pressure medications include

1. Feeling tired
2. Cough
3. Lack of energy
4. Dizziness
5. Diarrhea
6. Constipation
7. Skin rash
8. Weight loss or gain
9. Nausea
10. Drowsiness
11. Sleep problems
12. Depression
13. Asthma
14. Cold hands and feet
15. Depressions
16. Erection problems
17. Loss of taste
18. Swollen ankles
19. Palpitation
20. Anemia
21. Dry mouth and eyes
22. Fever
23. Weakness
24. Heartburn
25. Joint pain

Other Methods to Lower Blood Pressure

Blood pressure levels depend on a lot of factors such as family history, lifestyle, eating habits, weight management, physical activity, stress, salt intake, and more. Apart from medicines, you can use other methods to control your blood pressure such as

1. Eat healthy food, especially fruits and vegetables.
2. Try to incorporate physical activity such as walking or exercise in your routine.
3. Avoid smoking as it increases the risk of hypertension.
4. Obesity results in the heart working harder to pump blood and oxygen which increases blood pressure. Therefore, keeping a healthy weight is very important.

The Bottom Line

With different blood pressure medicines come different side effects. However, in some cases, they may not occur at all. If you experience any hypertensive symptoms, you must visit the doctor and refrain from taking BP medications on your own. Never stop these medications unless you have been prescribed by the healthcare provider and avoid adhusting the doses without their approval.