Now comes the boring part: pill popping. ! It is estimated that 5 million people in the US have heart failure, and with each decade the risk doubles. I hope I have your attention! You have tried, and failed, to get your high blood pressure under control. You kicked butt but now the tables are turned and your physician is arguably kick starting you into compliance. This will be the beginning of a trial and error period for you and your doctor: will you be able to tolerate this or that pill, will it help your blood pressure or won’t it? There’s no guarantee. We might as well have a look what is out there.

Diuretics

There are a bewildering variety of diuretics that treat a variety of conditions. Here I’ll be concerned with diuretics for high blood pressure which lower the amount of sodium in your body. So-called loop diuretics and thiazides work independently of their diuretic effect. Other mechanisms than those of reducing the amount of water in your body are involved. You won’t need as much medication as those that reduce blood pressure by having you run to the toilet. These two types of medication can have unpleasant side effects such as lassitude, or lethargy, including thirst, muscle cramps and low blood pressure! Spironolactone (Aldactone) or furosemide (Lasix) may cause much more serious side effects, such as arrhythmia, muscle weakness, coma, seizures, stupor…..

ACE Inhibitors

Angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors also lower your blood pressure and improve the pumping ability of your heart. Popular names are enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Zestril), ramipril (Altace) or captopril (Capoten). How do these drugs work? Imagine a garden hose. It’s stiff, hard, has shrunk to a smaller diameter, and you’re eager to water your lawn. Crank on the water pressure! Because that’s what it takes. Now put this chemical in the water supply and your garden hose will relax. Opened up the water will flow much easier and your garden will turn green again!

Beta Blockers

Such as such as carvedilol (Coreg) and metoprolol (Lopressor). Personally I have benefited from them. If you’re a bit on the anxious side at times, this will certainly help reduce that awfully fast and hard thumping poor heart of yours. They work by blocking adrenaline and noradrenaline in certain parts of your body. But still, you don’t want to be on permanently. Side effect include an inability to exert yourself. Or with quite some discomfort. It’s like putting the breaks on while driving your car.

Anticoagulants,

such as warfarin (Coumadin), to reduce the risk of blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke. So you have your choice…or doctors orders, depending on how well you tolerate these. Natural Methods of Lowering High Blood Pressure is Still the Best in the Long Term.