Most Americans who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure have been prescribed one or more of the high blood pressure medication types to correct their condition. Each category of drugs can lower blood pressure but may create new, equally serious medical conditions in the process. Make sure you fully understand the risks. If your doctor didn’t mention the side effects listed below, ask him why.
The list you are about to see does not include the “minor” side effects like headache, rashes, lethargy etc. This list is composed of those possible side effects that can do long term damage including death.
There are four basic categories of HBP drugs. Those categories and their side effects are:
Diuretics
Diuretics or “water pills” encourage frequent urination which reduces total blood volume resulting in lower pressure in the vascular system. It also flushes out salt. Unfortunately it flushes out more than just salt. The side effects, other than frequent need to urinate, include
An imbalance of electrolytes caused by the flushing of minerals, including potassium, magnesium and calcium. This imbalance can lead irregular heartbeat, gout, kidney disease, impotence and hyperglycemia which can lead to diabetes.
Beta Blockers
This class of drug reduces the force of the heartbeat thereby reducing the pressure on the blood vessels. Side effects of these drugs can be very serious.
Because the heart beats less strongly, there is a risk of it not pushing all the blood out of the heart. This can lead to Congestive heart failure, heart attack and stroke. Asthmatics should never be on Beta Blockers as it can cause a life threatening attack brought on by airway spasms.
ACE Inhibitors
This class of blood pressure medication inhibits the production of a natural molecule that causes the blood pressure to increase called angiotensin. This natural product is used to keep the body in balance. For example when the body goes into the fight or flight mode, angiotensin assists in getting the extra oxygen and nutrients required by increasing blood pressure to deliver the blood to the body faster.
By inhibiting the production, the drug does not allow the body to further increase blood pressure during times of stress. There are no significant side effects associated with these types of drugs.
Calcium Channel Blockers
CCB is the most widely prescribed high blood pressure medication and perhaps the most dangerous. This class of drug blocks the movement of calcium across cell membranes. This activity suppresses muscular contraction allowing blood vessels to dilate which in turn lowers HBP. Unfortunately, it can lower it to far making fainting a common side effect.
A Wake Forest University study says that calcium channel blockers lead to 40,000 heart attacks each year.
Persons on CCB are 27% more likely to have a heart attack and 26% more likely to have congestive heart failure than persons on other type of HBP drugs.
Recently more doctors are prescribing changes in life style before putting patients on drugs. While this seems to be a common sense approach, there is big money in HBP medicine and the pharmaceutical companies will continue to pump millions into advertising and promotion so it seems unlikely that they will be replaced by natural remedies anytime soon.
If you are currently on one of these medications, and you were unaware of the potential side effects, contact your doctor and ask him to explain what your particular risk is.
Rachel Willson advises that if you are on HBP medication, take it as prescribed and don’t miss a dose. If you are on calcium channel blockers, never skip a dose or quit cold turkey, you can do serious harm to your body.If the drugs are not working or if the side effects are worse than the disease, know there is another way. High blood pressure can be reversed in 90% of the people with simple adjustments to diet, exercise and stress.If you want off the drugs, if you want to live longer, if you want to be healthier and would like a step by step guide to reversing HBP naturally, please visit http://mynaturalcures.info
