Blood Pressure Medication

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a serious problem for millions of people around the world. Because having a high blood pressure doesn’t normally have noticeable symptoms until serious damage has been done, and since it is so common, it is for good reason a major concern for many people. Even though it is most common in people who are over 50 and/or are 10 or more pounds overweight, even young and slender people can have dangerously high blood pressure, and may need to be on blood pressure medication.

Fortunately, blood pressure is extremely easy to gauge and monitor. If you suffer from high blood pressure, you’ll usually know just by seeing a doctor for a routine checkup. Most doctors will take your blood pressure as a first step during an office visit. Additionally, there are a number of electronic blood pressure monitors you can buy that are inexpensive and easy to use. If your blood pressure is consistently measuring 140/90 or higher, your doctor may want you to consider blood pressure medication.

Depending on how high your blood pressure is, how old you are, how much you weigh, and any history of heart disease you may have, your doctor will decide if the current blood pressure medications are right for you. They all have some adverse side effects, and like all medication should be used as a last resort after things like diet and exercise have been tried. Your doctor will also want you to quit smoking, limit alcohol intake, and avoid stimulants such as caffeine, ephedra, pseudophedrine, or diet pills. If you regularly use any of these drugs, they may be causing you to have high blood pressure.

If you’ve tried everything and still have high blood pressure, your doctor will probably recommend a blood pressure medication. There are a lot of different blood pressure medications available today that work by a variety of mechanisms. For this reason, if you have especially high blood pressure, you may find a combination or two or more medications to be more effective.

The most important thing to keep in mind when taking blood pressure medication is that they need to be taken consistently, as instructed by your doctor. Missing a day or stopping suddenly can lead to dangerous spikes in your blood pressure.

Even though there are potential side effects for blood pressure medication, they are certainly better than the potential harm of having an excessive high blood pressure.