Drug Treatment for Females with Systolic Hypertension

Systolic hypertension, also known as isolated systolic hypertension, is a condition in which your systolic blood pressure (the top reading) is greater than 140 mm Hg while your diastolic blood pressure is in a normal range. When this happens, treatment can be a bit difficult because you want to bring your systolic blood pressure down but keep your diastolic pressure from dipping too low. In women, as in men, treatment is often necessary to remedy the condition.

Diuretics

• One of the more common treatments of systolic hypertension is the use of diuretic drugs. Often referred to as simply "water pills," this type of medication, even in low-dosages, can alter the function of kidneys, causing them to increase the output of urine from the body. This reduces the volume of your blood by eliminating not just fluids, but also the level of sodium within your system. As you experience a decrease in blood volume, the systolic blood reading should decline in pressure.

Beta Blockers

• If diuretics fail to produce results, your doctor may add another medication or substitute it for an entirely different drug. In this situation, the most common are beta blockers. And much like diuretics, they can effectively lower your systolic blood pressure. But instead of acting on the kidneys, this type of medication affects your blood vessels by essentially widening or opening them, thereby decreasing the pressure of your blood.

ACE Inhibitors

• While not as commonly used as diuretics or beta blockers for systolic hypertension, ACE inhibitors, also known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, can also serve to reduce the systolic pressure of the blood. These work similarly to beta blockers, as they essentially relax the blood vessels and lower the pressure of your blood. But when combined with a drug that inhibits neutral endopeptidase, they can better lower the systolic blood pressure.

Calcium Channel Blockers

• Another potential drug in the treatment of systolic hypertension is a medication known as a calcium channel blocker. Calcium channel blockers help to loosen the arterial muscles, which can decrease the resistance of the blood and lower blood pressure. And like beta blockers, this type of medication is often paired with diuretics to treat hypertension.

Alpha-Beta Blockers

• Though alpha-beta blockers aren't often turned to in the treatment of systolic blood pressure, they can be used when other drugs fail. However, this type of medication is more effective in preventing congestive heart failure and doesn't work as well in lowering systolic blood pressure. They may be used with another form of treatment if chances increase for the development of heart failure.