A patient with a blood pressur

Medications to treat high blood pressure

Thiazide diuretics. Diuretics, sometimes called water pills, aremedications that act on your kidneys to help your body eliminatesodium and water, reducing blood volume.

– Thiazide diuretics are often the first, but not the only,choice in high blood pressure medications. Thiazide diureticsinclude chlorthalidone, hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide) andothers.

– Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Thesemedications — such as lisinopril (Zestril), benazepril (Lotensin),captopril (Capoten) and others — help relax blood vessels byblocking the formation of a natural chemical that narrows bloodvessels. People with chronic kidney disease may benefit from havingan ACE inhibitor as one of their medications.

– Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). These medicationshelp relax blood vessels by blocking the action, not the formation,of a natural chemical that narrows blood vessels. ARBs includecandesartan (Atacand), losartan (Cozaar) and others. People withchronic kidney disease may benefit from having an ARB as one oftheir medications.

– Calcium channel blockers. These medications — includingamlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac, others) andothers — help relax the muscles of your blood vessels. Some slowyour heart rate. Calcium channel blockers may work better for olderpeople and people of African heritage than do ACE inhibitorsalone

– Alpha blockers. These medications reduce nerve impulses toblood vessels, reducing the effects of natural chemicals thatnarrow blood vessels. Alpha blockers include doxazosin (Cardura),prazosin (Minipress) and others.

– Alpha-beta blockers. In addition to reducing nerve impulses toblood vessels, alpha-beta blockers slow the heartbeat to reduce theamount of blood that must be pumped through the vessels. Alpha-betablockers include carvedilol (Coreg) and labetalol (Trandate).

– Beta blockers. These medications reduce the workload on yourheart and open your blood vessels, causing your heart to beatslower and with less force. Beta blockers include acebutolol(Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin) and others.

Beta blockers aren’t usually recommended as the only medicationyou’re prescribed, but they may be effective when combined withother blood pressure medications.

– Aldosterone antagonists. Examples are spironolactone(Aldactone) and eplerenone (Inspra). These drugs block the effectof a natural chemical that can lead to salt and fluid retention,which can contribute to high blood pressure.

– Renin inhibitors. Aliskiren (Tekturna) slows down theproduction of renin, an enzyme produced by your kidneys that startsa chain of chemical steps that increases blood pressure.

– Vasodilators. These medications, including hydralazine andminoxidil, work directly on the muscles in the walls of yourarteries, preventing the muscles from tightening and your arteriesfrom narrowing.