Taking your high blood pressure medications properly

What do medications do for high blood pressure?

Medicines control but do not cure most cases of high blood pressure, so you will need to take them for the rest of your life. Medicines used to treat high blood pressure work in various ways and are used in different combinations.

• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors block an enzyme needed to form a substance that causes blood vessels to narrow (constrict). As a result, blood vessels relax and widen (dilate), making it easier for blood to flow through the vessels, which reduces blood pressure. These medicines also increase the release of water and sodium to the urine, which also lowers blood pressure.
• Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) block the action of a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow. As a result, blood vessels may relax and open up. This makes it easier for blood to flow through the vessels, which reduces blood pressure. These drugs also increase the release of sodium and water into the urine, which also lowers blood pressure.
• Beta-blockers lower the heart rate, the amount of blood the heart pumps out with each beat, and the force of the heart beat, all of which lower blood pressure.
• Calcium channel blockers work by reducing the amount of narrowing of the blood vessels caused by high blood pressure. This makes it easier for blood to flow through the vessels and lowers blood pressure.
• Diuretics cause the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body. This decreases the volume of blood circulating through the body, which lowers blood pressure, especially systolic blood pressure. These drugs may also have a direct effect on blood vessels, causing blood pressure to decrease. Diuretics are often combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Test Your Knowledge

1. Medicines can cure most cases of high blood pressure.

1. True
2. False

2. I may need more than one medicine to control my high blood pressure.

1. True
2. False

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Author:	Carrie Henley Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: July 30, 2007
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition
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