by Christian Goodman
Hypertension Drug Side Effects
Stroke! Heart Attack! Huh? This is what I caught while only kind of paying attention to an commercial the other night. I hit rewind to see what they were talking about. You guessed it. Potential side effects of hypertension drugs.
I regularly receive emails from people who are also desperate to avoid these side effects and others due to the medication.
Many people have provided specific names of the medications they have been prescribed which led to additional research on side effects. While this is not new information, I was rather surprised again to review just how serious the side effects can be.
140 over 90 is Typically Considered High Blood Pressure.
The problem is that it can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and weakened arteries. Other organs can also be affected such as the eyes, kidneys and brain.
High blood pressure can also lead to insomnia, erectile dysfunction and sight loss. Since the symptoms can be very subtle or even non existent, it has earned the name "silent killer."
What are the Symptoms?
Some symptoms though are noticeable by people. Blurred vision, headaches, sweating and nausea are hard to ignore. You need to actually measure your blood pressure to be sure hypertension is present.
One elevated reading does not necessarily indicate chronic high blood pressure. Regular checks are necessary.
Review of Four Types of Side Effects
You do want to be aware of possible side effects if you are prescribed medication. Four types I'll review today are ACE Inhibitors, Beta Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers and Diuretics.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors help blood vessels relax by blocking the production of angiotensin II. Some commonly prescribed ACE inhibitors include: benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) ,quinapril (Accupril, Mavik) and ramipril (Altace).
Side affects associated with ACE inhibitors are lingering cough, headaches, chest pains and even kidney disease.
Now let's look at Beta Blockers. These drugs reduce nerve signals to the heart and blood vessels which causes the heart to beat slower reducing blood pressure. Commonly prescribed beta blockers include: acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), carvedilol (Coreg), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), penbutolol (Levatol), propranolol (Inderal) and timolol (Blocadren).
Dizziness, impotence, memory loss and fatigue can occur with beta blockers.
Calcium Channel Blockers block calcium from entering heart and blood vessel muscle cells which prevents the blood vessels from constricting and lowers blood pressure. Some of the beta blockers are amlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR) felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), and verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan).
And the side effects of these can include heartburn, difficulty swallowing, sexual dysfunction and even stroke and heart attack. These are problems the drugs are actually supposed to prevent!
And finally diuretics. The body flushes fluid and sodium which helps to lower blood pressure. Some of the common ones are hydrochlorothiazide, furoseminde and chlorthalidone.
Electrolyte imbalances, impotence, breast enlargement in men (gynecomastia), gout, menstrual irregularities, increased blood sugar, blurred vision, and fever.
It's no surprise that people either want to avoid high blood pressure medication or get off the drugs altogether. I do however urge you to exercise caution by reducing your medication slowly and with your doctor's knowledge.
My all natural High Blood Pressure Program works to eliminate the need for the drugs. You're doctor may be hesitant, but most traditional doctors are. You're proof will be in the numbers.
Introduce the program but continue to take your medication. Continue to monitor your blood pressure. As it begins to lower, see your doctor and discuss lowering your medicine. Eventually you can do this until the drugs are no longer needed.
About the Author:
Christian Goodman is recognized throughout the world for his unique solutions to many complicated and even incurable conditions. His revolutionary High Blood Pressure treatment program has helped thousands of people to lower high blood pressure naturally. Learn more about Christian and his solutions on his alternative health blog.
