Recently, I started taking medicines to lower my high blood pressure. Can you tell me more about these anti-hypertensives and how they work?
Anti-hypertensives are medicines used to lower high blood pressure. In the long term, uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels of the brain, heart and kidneys – causing stroke, heart failure or kidney failure.
Anti-hypertensives are usually prescribed when other therapies such as diet modification and exercise do not work. There are several types of anti-hypertensive drugs and they work in different ways.
Alpha blockers relax the blood vessels by blocking nerve signals that trigger constriction of blood vessels.
You may have to go through a trial period to see which type of medication works best for you. More importantly, never stop your medication without consulting your doctor, even if your blood pressure is lowered.