General Health

Here’s a brief overview of the most commonly prescribed medications to treat high blood pressure, along with their side effects.

• Diuretics such as HydroDIURIL, hydrochlorothiazide, Lasix, furosemide, and Bumex have been used for many years to treat high blood pressure. They help remove body water and therefore reduce pressure within the circulatory system. Side effects of diuretics can include dehydration, potassium depletion, weakness, and elevated cholesterol levels. Your doctor may also recommend you take a potassium supplement. In addition, people who are taking diuretics need to reduce their intake of salt, since increased sodium levels can also deplete the body’s stores of potassium.

• Beta-blockers slow the heart rate and the metabolic rate, helping to reduce the buildup of pressure in the circulatory system. They include medications such as Inderal (propranolol), Corgard, Tenormin, and Lopressor. Some side effects of beta-blockers include coldness in the extremities, a slowed heart rate, and elevated cholesterol levels. Beta-blockers can also cause wheezing in asthmatics and people who have emphysema. If you must stop taking beta-blockers, it’s important that you be weaned from them gradually; since beta-blockers slow the heart rate, if you stop taking them, your heart rate will suddenly increase, causing an increase in the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the heart. This added stress can lead to angina or a heart attack.

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