Blood Pressure Medicines

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Summary

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, usually has no symptoms. But it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. If you cannot control your high blood pressure through lifestyle changes such as losing weight and reducing sodium in your diet, you may need medicines.

Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Some remove extra fluid and salt from the body. Others slow down the heartbeat or relax and widen blood vessels. Often, two or more medicines work better than one.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• High Blood Pressure: Medicines to Help You (Food and Drug Administration)
• Medications for High Blood Pressure (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• What Is High Blood Pressure Medicine? (American Heart Association) - PDF
• What You Should Know About High Blood Pressure and Medications (American Heart Association)

Related Issues

• Blood Pressure Medications: Can They Raise My Triglycerides? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Calcium Supplements: Do They Interfere with Blood Pressure Drugs? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Can Beta Blockers Cause Weight Gain? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Can Diuretics Decrease Your Potassium Level? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Can Weight Loss Reduce the Need for Blood Pressure Medication? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Choosing Blood Pressure Medications (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Diuretics and Gout: What's the Connection? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Herbal Supplements May Not Mix with Heart Medicines (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• How Do Beta Blocker Drugs Affect Exercise? (American Heart Association)
• Managing High Blood Pressure Medications (American Heart Association)

Specifics

• Alpha Blockers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Beta Blockers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Calcium Channel Blockers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Central-Acting Agents (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Diuretics (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Types of Blood Pressure Medications (American Heart Association)
• Vasodilators (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Statistics and Research

• Blood Pressure Drugs and AMD (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
• CDC Vital Signs: Blood Pressure Control -- Helping Patients Take Their Medicine (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Antihypertensive Agents (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Spironolactone is superior to hydrochlorothiazide for blood pressure control and...
• Article: A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Blood-Pressure Reduction in Black Barbershops.
• Article: Tianma Gouteng decoction for essential hypertension: Protocol for a systematic...
• Blood Pressure Medicines -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• High Blood Pressure Treatment in Children (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)

Patient Handouts

• ACE inhibitors (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• High blood pressure medications (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish