How To Treat High Or Low Blood Pressure

Treatment for high blood pressure will depend on your blood pressure levels and your associated risk of developing a cardiovascular disease, such as a stroke.

There are seven main risk factors for developing a cardiovascular disease. These are:

age, high blood pressure, smoking (or a previous history of smoking), obesity, lack of exercise, having a high level of cholesterol in your blood, and having a family history of cardiovascular disease.

If your blood pressure is slightly high and your GP feels that the risks of cardiovascular disease are low, you should be able to get your blood pressure under control by making some simple changes to your lifestyle, such as modifying your diet and taking regular exercise.

If your blood pressure is moderately high, or your GP feels that your risks of developing a cardiovascular disease in the next ten years is higher than one in five, you will be given medicines, as well as being advised to make changes to your lifestyle.

If your blood pressure is severely high (180/110 mmHg or above) you will be referred to a specialist in the treatment of high blood pressure.

Changes in lifestyle

The following changes in lifestyle are known to reduce blood pressure:

regular exercise of at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week, moderating your alcohol intake to recommended levels (less than 21 units per week for men; and less than 14 units per week for women), eating a low-fat, balanced, healthy diet, restricting your consumption of salt to less than 6g (0.2oz) a day, losing weight if you are overweight or obese, restricting caffeine consumption to less than five cups of coffee or tea a day, and relaxation therapies, such as meditation.

It should be stressed that even achieving a relatively low drop in blood pressure can have significant health benefits. For example, a reduction of 5 mmHg in your diastolic blood pressure will reduce the chances of you having a stroke by 34%, and of developing heart disease by 20%.

See the ‘prevention’ section for more information about the possible changes that you can make to your lifestyle in order to lower your blood pressure.

Medicines

There are a number of medicines that can be used to treat high blood pressure. You may be given a combination of different medicines to take to bring your blood pressure under control.

For many people with high blood pressure, it is recommended that they take blood pressure lowering medicines for the rest of their lives. However, if your blood pressure levels remain under control for several years, it may be possible to discontinue treatment.

The most widely used medicines for treating high blood pressure are outlined below.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors work by blocking the actions of some of the hormones that help regulate blood pressure. By stopping these hormones from working, the medicines help reduce the amount of water in your blood and also widen your arteries, both of which will bring your blood pressure down.

ACE inhibitors are not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with conditions that affect the blood supply to their kidneys, or people with a history of heart disease.

ACE inhibitors have been known to reduce the supply of blood to the kidneys which can reduce their efficiency. Therefore, blood and urine tests may be carried out before you start taking ACE inhibitors to make sure that there are no pre-existing problems with your kidneys.

Annual blood and urine tests may be required if you continue to use ACE inhibitors.

Side effects of ACE inhibitors include:

dizziness, tiredness or weakness, headaches, and a persistent dry cough.

Most of these side effects should pass in a few days, although some people find that they continue to have a dry cough.

If side effects become troubling, a medicine that works much in a similar way to ACE inhibitors, known as an angiotensin-2 receptor antagonist, may be recommended.

ACE inhibitors can cause unpredictable effects if taken with other medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Check with your GP or pharmacist before taking anything in combination with this medicine.

Calcium channel blockers

Calcium channel blockers work by relaxing the muscles that make up the walls of your arteries. This causes your arteries to widen, reducing your blood pressure.

Calcium channel blockers are not recommended for people with a history of heart disease, liver disease, or circulation problems. Side effects of calcium channel blockers include:

flushed face, headaches, swollen ankles, dizziness, tiredness, and skin rashes.

However, these side effects should pass within a few days, once your body gets used to the medicine.

You should not drink grapefruit juice if you are taking calcium channel blockers because this can cause a drop in your blood pressure.

Thiazide diuretics

Thiazide diuretics work by reducing the amount of water in your blood, and widening the walls of your arteries. They are not recommended for pregnant women, or people who have gout.

Thiazide diuretics have been known to reduce the level of potassium in your blood, which can interfere with your heart and kidney functions. They can also raise the level of sugar in your blood which could lead to diabetes.

Therefore, you will probably be recommended to have blood and urine tests every six months so that your potassium and blood sugar levels can be monitored.

A few people have reported that they could not get, or maintain, an erection while taking thiazide diuretics, but this particular side effect was resolved once the medicines were withdrawn.

Beta-blockers

Beta-blockers used to be a popular treatment for high blood pressure, but now they only tend to be used when other treatments have not proved successful. This is because beta-blockers have more potential side effects than the other medicines that are used to treat high blood pressure.

Beta-blockers work by slowing down your heart rate, and the force of your heart. This reduces the pressure at which the blood is pumped out of your heart and around your body.

Common side effects of beta-blockers include:

tiredness, cold hands and feet, slow heartbeat, and diarrhoea and nausea.

Less common side effects of beta-blockers include:

sleep disturbances, nightmares, and impotence.

Beta-blockers can also interact with other medicines, causing possible adverse side effects. You should check with your GP or pharmacist before taking other medicines in combination with beta-blockers.

Medicines and ethnic groups

Research has shown that different blood pressure lowering medicines work better for different ethnic groups. For example, ACE inhibitors are a more effective as a first choice medicine for treating high blood pressure in white people, whereas calcium channel blockers, or thiazide diuretics, tend to work better as a first choice medicine for black people.

It is thought that this is due to the fact that black people tend to have a lower level of renin in their blood. Renin is an enzyme that helps to regulate blood pressure. ACE Inhibitors work best where there is a high level of renin in the blood, so they often prove not as effective in treating black people with high blood pressure.

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No doubt, there are number of treatments and medicines available for the treatment of high blood pressure. But as it is said, “Precaution is better than cure”. So, we must consider this saying and follow the recommended rules in order to prevent the high blood pressure.

Blood pressure is directly proportional to the body weight; it means that if your weight increases the blood pressure also rises. Overweight people have an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. Losing weight reduces the risk Even if you don’t have high or low blood pressure problems due to being overweight, a healthy weight can help you feel active and lower your risk of blood pressure and other diseases.

It’s not just how much you weigh that’s important: It also matters where your body stores extra fat. Just like the other things your body shape is also inherited from your parents. Some people are “Apple-shaped”; these have extra fat at the waist while others are “pear shaped” having more fat at their hips and thighs. The former have higher health risks than the later.

Anyways, wherever that extra weight is you can still prevent it and control your blood pressure. Even if you are already captured by the high blood pressure; no problem just start loosing wait and it will help you lower your pressure.

To loose weight, you should use up more calories than you eat. You need to use up the day’s calories and some of the calories stored in your body fat. Eating 300 to 500 calories less per day, may lead to losing between one and two pounds per week. This is a realistic weight loss. It may seem slow, but would add up to a weight loss of more than three stone in a year.
Increase your physical activity if you really want to loose your weight. Being active controls your weight 10 times by eating less. Besides losing weight, there are other reasons to be more active: Being physically active can help lower high blood pressure and your total cholesterol level while raising HDL-cholesterol, and reduces your risk for heart disease. Physically active people have a lower risk of getting high blood pressure (20% to 50% lower) than inactive people.

You are not being asked to join a gym but at least try to fit various physical activities into your daily routine in small but important ways. If light physical activities done on regular basis can reduce the risk of blood pressure and heart disease.

Do at least 30 minutes of exercise like swimming or running. If you don’t have 30 minutes for exercising, try to find two 15-minute periods or even three 10-minute periods. Try to do some type of aerobic activity in the course of a week or try brisk walking, most days of the week. These exercises can condition your heart and lungs and can prevent you from diseases.
Most people don’t need to see a doctor before they start exercising, since a gradual, sensible exercise program has few health risks. But in case of any health problem like, heart disease, blood pressure problem or any other you should first consult your physician. Your doctor or other health worker can help you set sensible goals based on a proper weight for your height, build and age and help you prevent high blood pressure. Men and very active women may need up to 2,500 calories daily. Other women and inactive men need only about 2,000 calories daily. A safe plan is to eat 300 to 500 fewer calories a day to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.

DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

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