Spare medication
In addition to the drugs mentioned above, there are several other medications that are the second choice for high blood pressure therapy. Second choice because studies have shown no improvement in the survival prognosis. Nevertheless, they reduce high blood pressure.
An important drug is, for example, clonidine, which acts directly on the nervous system and here prevents the activity of our activating nervous system (=sympathetic nervous system), which is normally responsible for vascularisation. It is used even more frequently in the emergency therapy of a hypertension crisis (=hypertensive crisis). For hypertension during pregnancy alpha-methyldopa is used.
Minoxidil or Dihydralazine are drugs that dilate even the smallest vessels by relaxing the muscles of the vessels that they constrict. However, since they speed up the heartbeat, they should be given together with beta-blockers. Important rules for lowering blood pressure are The body is accustomed to high blood pressure and a too rapid drop in pressure can mean that the tissue is undersupplied and can be damaged.
Side effects of too rapid a drop in blood pressure are mainly headaches, tiredness and dizziness. When choosing the right medication, accompanying diseases must always be taken into account.Thus asthma patients may not be treated with beta blockers without further ado, since these also work on the lungs and which would still further narrow the narrow bronchial tubes with asthmatics and so a difficulty in breathing could develop. At the beginning of treatment, small doses should always be used and the therapy schedule should be kept as simple as possible.
Combination therapies should only be used after unsatisfactory results of the simple therapy. Regular check-ups are important and necessary, during which the patients are also asked about their condition and possible side effects. The controls should also be carried out outside the practice. Home measuring devices and protocols to record blood pressure regularly are well suited for this.
- Slow reduction of blood pressure
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