In treating high blood pressure, you may need to take certain medications. The following are blood pressure medication names and supplements for your health.
One of the leading factors in heart attacks, heart failure, kidney disease, and strokes is high blood pressure (hypertension). Therefore, it’s important to treat the condition early and effectively – which is where medications come in.
While some people may be able to prevent hypertension from developing further through exercise and diet, others will need medication. These drugs, called antihypertensives, help treat high blood pressure and come in a variety of categories.
They all work differently from each other and may cause different side effects, so it’s important to do your research. The following is a summary of these medications, as well as some supplements that may help improve high blood pressure.
Diuretics
These drugs are common in treating hypertension, as they help the kidneys get rid of excess sodium and water. They also reduce the volume of blood that has to pass through the blood vessels, helping to lower blood pressure.
Diuretics are divided into three types: thiazide, potassium-sparing, and loop diuretics, with thiazide types generally causing less side effects. Thiazide diuretics include chlorthalidone (Hygroton), chlorothiazide (Diuril), hydrochlorothiazide (Hydrodiuril, Microzide), indapamide (Lozol), and metolazone (Zaroxolyn).
Vasodilators
These drugs are great at helping the muscles in blood vessel walls relax. As a result, the blood vessels widen and make it easier for blood to flow through them, lowering blood pressure.
Some examples of vasodilator medications include hydralazine (Apresoline) and minoxidil (Loniten). A natural vasodilator is nitric oxide, a substance that dilates blood vessels and improves circulation.
There are various nitric oxide supplements available, including l-arginine supplements like L-arginine Plus. It contains l-arginine, l-citrulline, and key vitamins and minerals that help the body increase nitric oxide production naturally.
Beta-blockers
These work by blocking the actions of certain chemicals that stimulate the heart. As a result, the heart can beat with less speed and less force.
This helps to lower blood pressure levels by having the heart pump less blood through the vessels with each beat. Examples include atenolol (Tenormin), betaxolol (Kerlone), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol succinate (Toprol-XL), nadolol (Corgard), pindolol (Visken), propranolol (Inderal), and timolol (Blocadren).
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
Generally called ACE inhibitors, these drugs prevent the body from making angiotensin II.
This hormone causes blood vessels to narrow, so keeping the body from making it helps blood vessels to expand.
As constricted blood vessels widen, they can let more blood flow through. Some examples of ACE inhibitors include benazepril (Lotensin), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), and ramipril (Altace).
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
Similar to ACE inhibitors, ARBs help protect blood vessels from angiotensin II. They prevent angiotensin II from binding with a receptor site, stopping the hormone from tightening blood vessels.
By doing this, ARBs effectively protect blood vessels from angiotensin II and help lower blood pressure. Some ARBs medications include candesartan (Atacand), eprosartan (Teveten), irbesartan (Avapro), losartan (Cozaar), telmisartan (Micardis), and valsartan (Diovan).
The Outlook
In addition to the aforementioned medications and supplements, there are other drugs you can take to improve high blood pressure. These include calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, alpha-beta-blockers, central agonists, aldosterone receptor antagonists, and direct renin inhibitors.
Talk with your doctor to figure out which medication or medications will help treat your hypertension the most. Also, ask your doctor about supplements like L-arginine Plus and how they may pair with the medication of your choice.