So You Already Suffer from High Blood Pressure...Pt I

Over the last few months we've looked at the way the heart works and factors that contribute to the appearance of hypertension in our lives, and Dr. Smith in her post enlightened us about steps that can be used for preventative purposes...but what about those of you who have already past the risk factor stage, and are now living and suffering from the disease?

Well in today's post I'd like you to learn a bit about how medications you may be taking for your hypertension works. Many people are delinquent in the treatment of this disease sometimes for lack of understanding of how the treatment works. 

Its IMPORTANT  for me to say, that the treatment for hypertension like most other diseases is INDIVIDUALIZED, that means... 

courtesy theexecutiveconsultant.com

...that just because Susie down the road is using a particular medication for her pressure, and you're not using it DOES NOT mean that Susie's treatment is better. Not just because Susie has it, it is good for you to have. 

Why?

1. She might be at a different stage of hypertension than you are, (To see the Stages of Hypertension click here)  
2. You might have a particular allergy to certain types of medication that Susie does not have. 
3. Susie may suffer from Hypertension and other diseases that make her medication better suited for her use.

I just listed 3 but to tell the truth, the factors are endless. 
The bottom line is your treatment should cater to your body and circumstance, not someone else's.

Having said that, here's my version of an explanation. 

Anti-hypertensive drugs can be grouped or classified in scores of different ways. For easier reference I've decided to use the following:

1. Diuretics
2. Calcium Channel Blockers
3. ACE Inhibitors
4. Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists
5. Beta-Adrenoreceptor Antagonists.

Don't worry. I'll make it as simple as I can, In this post, Part I mind you, we'll tackle the first two. 

Diuretics and Calcium Channel Blockers.

• DIURETICS

Generally speaking, this group of medication lowers blood pressure and water retention by increasing the amount of urine you produce. 

Diuretics primarily reduce the amount of salt (principally sodium) in the body, causing the overall amount of blood or blood volume to be reduced, if there is less volume of blood in the arteries this means the blood pressure is reduced, and the heart can pump blood to the rest of the body more effectively.

Here are some examples of diuretics that you may use. I have bolded those which some of my family members use.

Brand Name                                           Scientific Name                    

Diuril                                                                  Chlorothiazide                         
Esidrex, Microzide, Oretic                                     Hydrochlorothizide               
Lasix                                                                   Furosemide                             
Lozol                                                                   Indapamide
Thalitone, Hygroton                                              Clorthalidone

The large diuretic group has sub-classifications dependent on how each drug acts specifically, if interested you can read a general overview here, or get into the details here.

• CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS

Let me give you a bit of background first.

Calcium is the element that is linked to the heart contracting, think of it as an activator. Our heart has electrical impulses flowing through it, and these impulses allow calcium to enter the muscle cells of the heart and release calcium stores that are already present inside them.

Now, if there is calcium coming from the outside in, and on top of that releasing more calcium on the inside, of course the amount of overall calcium will increase, and when it has reached a certain level it activates the heart muscles to contract, causing the heart to pump blood.

courtesy alessiodevecchi

The higher the amount of calcium the greater the contraction, and the harder the heart pumps blood. The electrical impulse will eventually pass and when it does calcium can no longer enter the heart cells. This means that it can no longer release the calcium stores inside it. So, its levels are reduced and the muscles of the heart relax. 

All this happens in less than a second, believe it or not.

Now. How does this anti-hypertensive drug group reduce blood pressure? 
Read on.

Calcium Channels Blockers prevents calcium from entering the heart, this means that the forceful contraction of the heart is reduced, this means that the heart will not pump as forcefully, reducing the heart rate, also calcium channel blockers help to open up blood vessels that are narrow, which means the pressure of the blood will be reduced.

Brand Name                                           Scientific Name              

Adalat, Procardia                                                     Nifedipine
Cardene                                                                   Nicardipine
Norvasc                                                                  Amlodipine
Cereleen, Isoptin, Covera                                         Verapamil
Diltia, Dilacor, Cardizem                                           Diltiazem


Read more about the general mechanism of calcium channel blockers here.

Your homework?
Revise this post again, and when you are finished, check to see if you take any medications from these first two groups we've discussed.  (Google it if you're not sure) and look up the side effects.

These are my ABCD's for taking medication:

Always ask your doctor about the side effects of any and every drug you take. 
Be interested in what you put into your body. 
Crave information.
Do a little digging, inform your self. Self-education is always necessary to maintain health.

In the next post we'll have a look at ACE Inhibitors, Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists and Beta-Adrenoreceptor Antagonists.

Stay #wadadlianstrong. 
Blessings to you and yours,

© March 2014