By comprehensively taking modern medications for hypertension, you can get rid of its symptoms not only in the early stages, but also at a late stage of development. Doctors, when prescribing hypertension treatment to their patients, do not limit themselves to 1 or 2 medications. They prescribe several medications that complement each other and enhance their effects, making therapy more effective.
Why do you take several medications at once for high blood pressure?
Those who have had to fight hypertension know that to overcome it, you need to regularly take a whole range of drugs belonging to different pharmaceutical groups. For each patient, an individual list of drugs that combine well with each other is selected. The correct treatment regimen allows you to eliminate not only the symptoms of the pathological process, but also the reason why it began.
For hypertensive patients, one should choose a medication that should help lower blood pressure. But its effect is generally short-lived. This medicine should be taken in the following cases:
- If blood pressure rises and stops at a level not exceeding 180 mmHg. Art. To eliminate the problem and prevent the development of serious complications, you need to take a drug that will gradually lower blood pressure. It's good if this process takes about two hours. Usually, in this state, there is no need to call an ambulance for a hypertensive patient;
- If a person whose blood pressure rises regularly becomes ill and their blood pressure rises to 210 mmHg. Art. You need to take a medicine that will urgently reduce its values to normal within 30-40 minutes. At this time you should call an ambulance. This measure cannot be avoided if a sharp increase in blood pressure occurs in an elderly person.
A person suffering from hypertension must imperatively inquire in advance with their attending physician about the medications to take in an emergency and those necessary to gradually reduce blood pressure.
Medicines with a short-term effect can only relieve attacks of the disease. Treatment of hypertension in men and women with modern drugs should be systematic. Only in this case can a person count on recovery and removal from the disease for a long time.
If the medications prescribed by the cardiologist are taken systematically, the patient will be protected from further surges in blood pressure. This is because most of them have a long-term action. This means that for at least 24 hours after taking the pills, the patient is protected from the manifestations of hypertension. In some cases, such therapy can even reverse all pathological changes caused by the disease.
Different groups of drugs have different effects on the human body and disease. Only taking several medications at once can achieve the best treatment results. In addition, it should be remembered that many drugs intended to combat high blood pressure can reinforce each other.
Main drug groups
Hypertension is treated with modern antihypertensive drugs. It is best to combat these diseases of the cardiovascular system with the help of several drugs belonging to different groups. For hypertension, the drugs listed below are used.
Beta-blockers
For hypertension, drugs belonging to the group of beta blockers are prescribed. Thanks to them, it is possible to reduce the negative impact of excess hormones on the heart. Due to this action, the rhythm of the internal organ becomes slower and the pressure returns to normal.
Taking beta-blockers is prohibited for people with weak pulse, bronchial asthma or blockage of the conduction system. Women who are breastfeeding should not take these pills.
Most often, these drugs are present on cardiologists' prescriptions prescribed to young hypertensive patients. They are taken within 2 to 4 weeks. Then patients move on to combination treatment.
If blood pressure values are high, then it will be difficult to do without this medication.
A noticeable result of lowering blood pressure becomes noticeable after about 2 to 4 hours. These medications are only taken once a day because they have a prolonged effect.
After taking beta blockers, the patient sometimes experiences side effects. They are limited to conditions such as impaired digestion, body weakness, bradycardia and noticeable slowing of the pulse.
Alpha blockers
Cardiologists recommend that men take vascular drugs from the alpha-blocker group, as they additionally eliminate problems associated with the prostate. This medication lowers blood pressure well and also improves urination.
Alpha blockers will not be prescribed to patients who have been diagnosed with tachycardia, heart failure or a tendency to frequent nasal congestion.
After taking alpha blockers, some patients report side effects such as dizziness and temporary impotence.
Inhibitors
Hypertension requires taking medications that act on blood vessels and cause them to dilate. They are inhibitors. Modern drugs of this group, presented in the form of blood pressure tablets, should not be taken by pregnant women and young children. They can also harm the health of people with kidney problems.
It is recommended to start taking drugs of this group with a minimum dose and gradually increase it if necessary. It is very important to monitor current blood pressure levels throughout treatment so that you can note the results of inhibitor treatment.
Medications can cause side effects. After taking them, allergic reactions may occur in the form of swelling, dry cough, as well as a sharp decrease in blood pressure. To avoid the development of negative effects, it is necessary to adhere to the optimal dose of the drug.
Calcium antagonists
Medicines in this group can dilate blood vessels. They prevent calcium ions from entering blood vessels and the heart. This is their difference from other similar drugs.
It is strictly forbidden to take calcium antagonists to people with arrhythmia, rare pulse or blockage of the conduction system. Contraindications include pregnancy.
Blood pressure begins to decrease 1-2 hours after taking the drug. Its effect is observed on average within 24 hours.
Before prescribing the drug, the doctor should inform the patient about the presence of side effects such as sudden flushing and dizziness.
Diuretics
Patients aged over 50-60 years are prescribed modern drugs such as diuretics for hypertension. They can be included in prescriptions not only for older people, but also for young people complaining of high blood pressure.
Diuretics have a diuretic effect. With their help, you can lower blood pressure by removing unnecessary fluids from the body. If the patient does not suffer from gout or diabetes mellitus, it is with this drug that his treatment of hypertension begins. Additionally, drugs from other pharmaceutical groups are prescribed.
Medicines differ from each other in how quickly they achieve the desired effect and how long they last. For example, a loop diuretic begins to act within 15 minutes after its active components enter the body. The pressure is normalized for up to 6 hours. A thiazide diuretic has a longer lasting effect. Thanks to it, hypertensive patients are not bothered by the symptoms of the disease for the next 12 hours.
Diuretics, like drugs from other pharmaceutical groups, can cause side effects. They are usually limited to the development of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, mood swings, muscle cramps, body weakness, a feeling of extreme thirst and interruptions in the functioning of the heart.
Food supplements
When developing a treatment regimen for arterial hypertension, preference is given not only to modern drugs based on synthetic components. For many patients, the best treatment remains dietary supplements. It is truly the best medicine for hypertension because it is plant-based. Therefore, such treatment does not cause any particular harm to the body. The only drawback of dietary supplements is their weak effect, so they are not able to completely eliminate the signs of hypertension on their own.
Dietary supplements recommended for hypertension differ significantly from more traditional means of lowering blood pressure, for example, tincture of motherwort or hawthorn. They are not addictive to the body and do not affect the functioning of the reproductive system. In some cases, dietary supplements are permitted even for pregnant and lactating women.
Experts can recommend dietary supplements with antihypertensive effects to a patient complaining of high blood pressure.
These medications are available in the form of tablets, drops, or tinctures. They should be used as an auxiliary method of treating hypertension with synthetic drugs.
Particular caution is required when taking herbal preparations in patients who may have an allergic reaction to the substances contained in their composition.
Emergency medications
If blood pressure rises too much and begins to reach critical values, the person begins to be in serious danger. In this condition, a stroke may develop. This can be avoided with fast-acting medications.
These are powerful medications that can only be taken in an emergency. In other situations, it is better to limit yourself to other drugs that have a milder effect on the human body.
Fast-acting medications are really helpful in critical situations. However, their abuse can be dangerous for your health. They are able to influence the mental state of a person and interfere with the processes of the pancreas. If a patient constantly takes such a drug, after stopping it, blood pressure can increase significantly. The development of a withdrawal syndrome is also possible.
As a general rule, doctors advise people who may have high blood pressure to always have their emergency medications on hand.
They quickly lower blood pressure. To enhance the effect of the drug, place the tablet under the tongue and gradually dissolve it. Then you need to call an ambulance. This advice should not be ignored, because if blood pressure increases excessively, consultation with a doctor is mandatory.