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The Effects of High Blood Pressure and the side effects of High Blood Pressure Medicine.
There is no disguising the fact and it is certainly one that should not be denied but there are considerable side effects of both having High Blood Pressure (and these can be lethal) and also considerable side effects of High Blood Pressure Medicine as well.
A lot of people confuse the two with each other and to be brutally blunt this does no one any good at all.
The purpose of this article is to concentrate by and large on the side effects of the medication taken for High Blood Pressure (HBP) and the treatment programmes embarked upon. The majority of this revolves around the side effects of the various drugs that are prescribed for the HBP.
If we break these down into the categories of the medication prescribed.
Thiazide Diuretics
By and large the main side effects of this class of medication are thirst, Muscle cramps, and potential digestive upsets such as diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting or abdominal pain. The levels of salts in the blood stream can be disturbed and the main side effects of diuretics i.e. the one thing they were designed to do is that they make you go to the toilet more often.
Occasionally Doctors might pick up via routine blood tests that your White Cell count might be lower than normal, your Blood uric acid levels might be raised (one of the potential causes of gout) and you might develop a rash.
Lastly two things. The first is that due to the ability to lower Blood Pressure fairly rapidly some patients have reported that fact they can sometimes get dizzy when they stand up. Secondly these drugs can affect a mans ability to have or sustain an erection. However if this is picked up on by your Doctor this condition is not only treatable but reversible as well.
Beta Blockers
With some Beta Blockers such as the drug Atenolol the side effects are as follows. You can develop excessive headaches, your pulse becomes slower, you develop a dry mouth and you become tired more easily with accompanying mood changes. The digestive problems and the dizziness reported above is also a potential problem with these Beta Blockers plus further side effects are excessive spasms of the blood vessels in the fingers and toes in cold weather and also an increase in the incidence of attacks of cramp in the calf muscles.
Calcium Channel Blockers
With these drugs and examples being amlodipine, the side effects are as follows. An increase in the number of Headaches. A rash and increased blood flow to the skin resulting in feelings of flushing. An increased amount of fatigue and nausea; dizziness and some incidences of fluid retention i.e. puffy ankles. Finally an overall loss of power and strength, an enlargement of the gums and a reversible inability for a man to have an erection.
Now it has to be stressed that all of the above side effects are not mandatory and that is to say that not everyone suffers from them it is purely a case of the fact that HBP Patients have been known to report these side effects and they have been medically checked out.
Elsewhere we plan to analyse the side effects of taking ACE Inhibitors and Alpha Blockers.
About the Author: Stephen Morgan is Senior Editor for
Living with High Blood
Pressure and also its sister site
Living with Stress. Further information on the above article can be found at
http://www.livingwithhighbloodpressure.net/features/high_blood_pressure_medicine_side_effects.html
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