The Advantages of Beta Blockers in Treating High Blood Pressure

Beta blockers have been touted as one of the most important pharmaceutical contributions to reducing high blood pressure. Blood pressure is expressed with two measurements: the systolic pressure which measures the pressure when the heart beats, and the diastolic pressure which measures blood pressure when the heart is relaxed. High blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure greater than 140 or a diastolic pressure greater than 90. Normal blood pressure is lower than 120 systolic or lower than 80 diastolic.

How Beta Blockers Work

• Beta blockers interact with beta-adrenergic receptors---a type of protein in the body. When stimulated, these receptors produce adrenaline. Adrenaline makes the heart beat faster, which increases blood pressure. Beta blockers "block" these receptors from producing adrenaline so the heart doesn't work as hard. This leads to lower blood pressure.

Improve Blood Flow

• Another advantage of beta blockers have in fighting high blood pressure is that these drugs also dilute the body's arteries, helping blood flow throughout the body. When blood flows easily throughout the body, the heart beats normally and blood pressure is lowered.

Strategies for Taking Second Dose

• Many prescriptions for beta blockers require the patient to take half a dose in the morning and half a dose at night. If you're groggy in the morning, buy a pill cutter and cut your beta blocker pills in half the night before. You may also want to cut a week's worth of dosage all at once so you don't have to worry about it each day.
  Assign a time to take your medicine. If you take most of your medications in the morning, it can sometimes be hard to remember when to take the second half of your beta blocker in the evening. Create a time around an event you do each night, such as after a meal or before go to sleep. Your cardiologist may have specific instructions about when to take the second dose. For example, he might not want you to take the second dose when you go to sleep because it may be too close to when you wake up. Or he might not want you to take the medication around a meal because it may not be absorbed properly on a full stomach.

An Overall Heart Healthy Strategy

• Beta blockers offer many advantages of reducing high blood pressure, and when combined with a heart healthy lifestyle (such as regular exercise and responsible eating) these medications can play a critical role in avoiding hypertension.