Drug therapy of increased diastole

In many cases, however, high blood pressure must be treated with additional medication. In principle, a distinction can then be made between so-called “monotherapy” and “combination therapy”. While the former uses only one drug, the combination therapy uses two or more drugs in parallel.

If only diastole is worthy of treatment and needs to be reduced, monotherapy is usually sufficient. In total, there are five different classes of medication to choose from:

Thiazides: These are diuretic drugs and act in the kidney. Thus thiazides indirectly lower blood pressure.
Known active ingredients are hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) or xipamide. Since the electrolytes (“salts”) in our body, especially potassium, can become imbalanced during therapy, regular blood checks must be carried out during therapy. The disadvantage of this group of substances is that they increase the blood sugar level, which is unfavorable in case of diabetes mellitus.

In emergency cases or when thiazides cannot be taken, loop diuretics are used (e.g. furosemide). Since loop diuretics quickly lose a lot of water and thus electrolytes, sodium and potassium levels must be checked. Loop diuretics are helpful in acute heart failure because of their rapid and powerful action.
ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers: Active ingredients such as enalapril or ramipril or valsartan or candesartan lower blood pressure by interfering with the important renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which regulates blood pressure through complex control loops.
Crucial organs for this are the heart, lungs and kidneys.
Calcium antagonists: They block calcium channels in the walls of arterial blood vessels, causing them to dilate or expand. Active ingredients such as amlodipine thus lower blood pressure.
Beta-blockers: For a long time, beta-blockers (metoprolol, bisoprolol, etc.) were considered the treatment of choice for high blood pressure. Recent studies show, however, that other drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, have an advantage and protect patients better against secondary diseases. Nevertheless, beta blockers are still indispensable in certain cases of high blood pressure.