How To Treat High Or Low Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure has a systolic reading of less than 120 and a diastolic of less than 80.  (Though normal can vary from person to person.  Ask your doctor or other health care professional what is normal for you).

Hypertension is a systolic reading of 140 OR more or a diastolic reading of 90 or more.

Treatment of hypertension includes:

Loosing weight (even just a few pounds can help)

Exercise

Diet changes

Medications

There are currently eight types of medications used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure).

Central acting medications – these directly affect your nervous system to reduce nerve signals that cause your blood vessels to constrict.  Example – clonidine.

Diuretics – these are better known as “water pills”.  These help your body eliminate excess water in your body by urinating it out.  Examples – Furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide.

Direct vasodilators – relax the blood vessel walls’ muscles – thus dilating them.  Examples – minoxidil and hydralazine

Angiotensin – converting enzyme inhibitors – these keep your body from producing a hormone that causes the blood vessels to constrict.  Examples – lisinopril, quinapril, and benazepril (and other medications with the ending of the word = …pril)

Beta – blockers – these slow the heart rate.  This causes less force to be exerted on your blood vessel walls and reduces blood pressure.  Examples include – atenolol, propranolol, and carvedilol (and other medications with the ending of the word = ….olol

Angiotensin II receptor blockers – these protects your body from a hormone that causes the blood vessels to constrict.  Examples – irbesartan, candesartan, and olmesartan (and other medications with ending of the word = …..sartan).

Calcium channel blockers – these keep your blood vessels from constricting by keeping calcium from entering your body’s cells.  Examples – diltiazem, felodipine, nicardipine, and verapamil.

Alpha blockers – these help relax blood vessels by reducing nerve signals.  Examples – doxazosin, terazosin, and prazosin (and other medications with the ending of the word = ….zosin).

If you receive a new prescription from your doctor – make sure to take the medication as prescribed.

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High blood pressure is a malady that is associated with several complications. In some cases hypertension nurtures complications or diseases while in others it is a by product of various complications and physical states of humans.

A woman on family way has been often found afflicted with high blood pressure. The cause of this hypertension is also debatable like other types of hypertensions. Well, there could be two or three possible reasons of it. Wherein, the most prominent one is preeclampsia.

In case of this pregnancy induced hypertension, initially you witness a surge in systolic BP by thirty mm and diastolic BP by twenty mm. Presence of protein contents in urine confirms this type of hypertension.

It is just because of this preeclampsia resulted hypertension a pregnant is constantly required to keep track of blood pressure. This blood pressure complication usually arises in mid pregnancy. Women who have conceived for the first time are very much susceptible to preeclampsia. Pregnancy in late thirties or forties may also be a cause of such high blood pressure.

Among most pregnant women this preeclampsia propelled surge in BP is witnessed after six or seven months of pregnancy. This high blood pressure usually prevails till the delivery. Once the child is borne the hypertension lowers down and vanishes within few days. If a woman suffers a greater surge in blood pressure in her later stage of pregnancy, cesarean delivery before the scheduled date of delivery remains the only option. For, only the delivery would result in normalcy of blood pressure.

Although a less severe case of preeclampsia is difficult to be identified, a reasonably higher level of preeclampsia hypertension could be identified with constant headache, frequent vomiting, dizziness and blurring of vision.

A pregnant woman must be informed of various symptoms of this hypertension so that she could take immediate action once she finds herself with these symptoms.

This hypertension originates probably due to placental disorder. It is said that placental blood vessels constricts to result in hypertension. Women may also suffer from this complication due to less than required intake of various vitamins and nutrients that are essential during pregnancy. Some hormonal disorders may also contribute to this hypertension.

All in all, I would suggest all pregnant women to take preventive measures for preeclampsia as it adds to the ordeal of being pregnant.

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