How to Use Medications to Maintain Blood Pressure

Finding the dose or combination of medicine to maintain your blood pressure can be challenging. But it is essential that you maintain your blood pressure or you could risk suffering from complications like heart failure, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, dementia or loss of vision. Maintaining your blood pressure with medication may mean a longer life, with fewer health problems.

Things You'll Need

• prescription blood pressure medicines
• blood pressure diary
• blood pressure cuff

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Instructions

Finding the Blood Pressure Medicine that Works for You

• 1

  Work closely with your doctor. You might have to try several different medications at different dosages before you find what works for you. Don't be satisfied until you and your doctor find the right medication treatment plan.

• 2

  Try a diuretic first. These flush excess water and sodium from your body, which can help to lower blood pressure. You may find that taking a diuretic, eating a low-sodium diet and exercising are all you need to do to maintain your blood pressure.

• 3

  The next medicine to try is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. ACE inhibitors relax blood vessels by blocking a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow. ACE inhibitors include the medications Capoten, Prinivil, Zestril and Altace.

• 4

  Try taking an angiotensin II receptor blocker. These medicines widen blood vessles by preventing the hormone angiotensin from narrowing blood vessels. These include the medications Cozaar, Benicar and Diovan.

• 5

  Beta blockers are another medication your doctor may want you to try. These work by lessen nerve signals to the heart and blood vessels, helping to lower blood pressure. Beta blockers include Lopressor, Toprol XL, Corgard and Levatol.

• 6

  Another medication to try is a calcium channel blocker, which keep calcium from going into heart and blood vessel muscle cells. This in turn relaxes the cells and lowers blood pressure. Some commonly prescribed calcium channel blockers include Norvasc, Cardizem, Dilacor XR, Adalat and Procardia.

• 7

  Other medications to ask your doctor about include: alpha-blockers to relax your blood vessels, centrally acting drugs that affect your central nervous system and direct vasodilators that relax the walls of blood vessels.