When a person has regularly high blood pressure (from 140/90 and above), then this is a sure sign of the presence of hypertension. Unfortunately, every year she is getting younger, more and more people around the age of 30 suffer from this disease. Therefore, in order to avoid an accident, you need to know which pills reduce pressure.
Stages of hypertension
Before you start taking medicines, you should first determine the stage of the disease, because the wrong choice of medicines can only aggravate the situation. The disease is divided into three stages:
- Mild hypertension. In this case, the pressure rises no more than 160/90 mm. rt. Art. During the day, it can rise and fall to a normal state. When conducting an electrocardiogram, no serious deviations are detected. In this case, it is recommended to use light medications and only in case of increased pressure.
- Medium heavy. The patient has a regular increase inblood pressure, it can rise to 180/100 mm. rt. Art. When contacting a doctor, the patient is usually advised to undergo an ECG. With a high probability, left ventricular hypertrophy will be detected on it. Despite the fact that this is only the average severity of the disease, hypertensive crises occur quite often.
- Severe hypertension. The patient suffers greatly from a regular increase in blood pressure, it can rise to 200/115 and above. In this case, the vessels of the eyes are destroyed in a person, the kidneys do not function properly, and blood clots form in the brain.
Based on the stage of the disease, it is determined which pills can lower the pressure.
Complications from the disease
When a person has hypertensive crises (an instantaneous increase in pressure to high values), his kidney function is impaired, there may be a stroke or even intracerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, it is extremely important to know which pills quickly reduce pressure. This disease is very serious and a sick person without proper and timely use of drugs can simply die.
A patient who suffers from hypertension very often comes to the pharmacy and asks the pharmacists which pills can reduce the pressure quickly and for a long period of time. But every person should understand that hypertension is not going anywhere, so for almost the rest of your life you will have to adjust the level of blood pressure with various drugs.
Means to reduce pressure are divided into numerouscategories, they seem to press the "buttons" as a result of which the pressure is reduced for a certain time. Some of them are designed to maintain normal blood pressure, and some for emergency reduction, in the second case, you need to be especially careful, since low blood pressure can cause no less trouble than high blood pressure.
Classification of drugs
To understand which pills help lower blood pressure, you should know the mechanism of their action. They fall into the following categories:
- Drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system. By themselves, they are not effective means, as a rule, they are taken in complex therapy along with other drugs.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. They act on human vessels, as a result of which you can quickly get the expected result.
- Angiotensin receptor blockers. They also affect the vessels, however, such drugs are intended for long-term therapy, a positive result can be expected only after a few weeks from the start of administration. After that, the pressure returns to normal for a while, regular use of these drugs helps a person get rid of hypertensive crises.
- Calcium channel blockers. If a person is looking for which pills reduce heart rate and pressure, then this is it. They block the channels through which calcium enters the cells, a decrease in this element leads to a decrease in pressure and pulse. Such drugs are very often taken not only for hypertension, but also forangina pectoris and arrhythmias.
- Alpha-blockers. Used for the relief of blood pressure, as well as for long-term use. Most of these drugs are now discontinued.
- Beta-blockers. Such drugs are used for asthmatic attacks, and also prevent the synthesis of prorenin in the kidneys, due to this, lower pressure is reduced to a greater extent.
- Diuretics. Such funds are used to quickly reduce blood pressure, due to the removal of water from the body. Medicines of this type are not recommended for a long time, as potassium ions are released with urine, which are essential for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.
- Neurotropic agents of central action. Drugs are prescribed by a doctor in case of prolonged stress, which is the main factor in high blood pressure.
Now you should understand in more detail with each category of drugs to determine which pills are good at reducing pressure in a particular case.
Drugs for the renin-angiotensin system
These drugs act on the stages of angiotensin formation, and also block the receptors that act on it. When using such drugs, natriuresis and total diuresis increase. Often they are used in combination with diuretics.
Medication times can range from a few months to four years. Often drugs for the renin-angiotensin system begin to act from 20 minutes after administration, andthe duration of the effect is 4-8 hours. What pills lower blood pressure:
- "Akkuzid";
- "Vitopril";
- "Diovan";
- "Kaptopress Darnitsa";
- "Captopril";
- Lisinopril-ratiopharm.
Side effects
Unfortunately, such drugs have a number of side effects: allergic reactions, changes in taste buds, tachycardia. The principle of action of the drug is designed in such a way that it passes through the kidneys, so it seriously affects them. Patients with diabetes should take Captopril with extreme caution, it increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin. However, it is this remedy that is strong enough and is recommended to be taken during a hypertensive crisis.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
Thanks to these medicines, an element that constricts blood vessels is blocked in the human body, which leads to an increase in blood pressure. IAF category drugs are considered one of the most effective in the treatment of hypertension. Most drugs simply dilate the blood vessels for a while, and when their action stops, everything starts again. In the same case, the drugs prevent vascular spasms, which greatly alleviates the patient's condition. Which pills to reduce blood pressure from this category:
- "Perindopril";
- "Trandolapril";
- Zofenopril;
- Enalapril.
In most cases, these drugs are prescribed.
All these pills quickly lower blood pressure, which ones are needed in a particularcase, you should consult your doctor directly. Only he can choose the right dosage and medication schedule.
Enalapril (Renitek, Endit, Renipril - all similar drugs) should be singled out from the total number of presented drugs. It is considered the most popular and suits a large number of people. The duration of its action does not differ in duration, so doctors recommend taking it 2 times a day. In general, drugs in this group do not act quickly, their results can only be seen after several weeks of use.
Among the side effects, dry cough should be highlighted, this phenomenon is observed in 33% of people who take such medicines. Cough manifests itself during the first month of taking medication, but if you are in these 33%, then you should contact your doctor, he will have to prescribe drugs from the following group.
Angiotensin receptor blockers
Drugs from this category were created not so long ago, in the early 90s. The peculiarity of such drugs is that they block the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Thanks to this, the means of lowering blood pressure have a number of positive effects.
Their feature is the minimum number of side effects, while they really protect the work of the heart, kidneys and brain. Regular use of funds improves the prognosis of people with hypertension. Patients taking angiotensin receptor blockers do not develop a dry cough.
Initially, these pills were synthesized as a cure for hypertension, but during numerous studies it was determined that they reduce blood pressure very well. Another advantage of blockers is their relatively long duration of action. Patients are advised to take one tablet daily. The action of the drug works in such a way that there is a uniform decrease in pressure over the course of one day.
Which pills lower heart pressure:
- "Losartan";
- Eprosartan;
- Valsartan;
- Irbesartan;
- Olmesartan.
Just like most predecessors, the positive effect of such drugs occurs only after 7-14 days. Another disadvantage of such drugs is the higher price.
Calcium channel blockers
In this case, drugs act on the vessels, blocking calcium ion antagonists. Due to the fact that calcium does not enter the cell, the contractile protein is not formed, due to which, gradually the vessels begin to expand. With normal vessels, the resistance to blood flow is significantly reduced, which leads to a reduced load on the heart, thereby significantly reducing the pulse and blood pressure.
Drugs from this group can be prescribed by doctors not only to patients who have hypertension, but also to those suffering from angina pectoris and arrhythmia. However, in the latter case, only pulse-lowering drugs should be taken. Among the most popular tablets, the following should be highlighted:
- Verapamil;
- Diltiazem.
The following drugs are not used for arrhythmias:
- "Amlodipine";
- Felodipine;
- Lercanidipin;
- Nifedipine.
You should pay attention to the last drug, doctors do not recommend taking this remedy even during a hypertensive crisis. "Nifedipine" has a very short period of action, so help can come for a very short time, and the medicine also causes just a huge number of side effects. Paradoxical as it may seem, but among them is an increase in heart rate. Therefore, modern doctors categorically do not recommend the use of these pills.
All other drugs are quite good and do their main function well. There are not so many side effects, the most common is an allergic reaction, and a slight swelling of the limbs is also possible, but, as a rule, it disappears after a week. If this does not happen, you should replace the tablets with other drugs.
Alpha blockers
Drugs from this category act on adrenoreceptors, they are in the heart, as well as in the blood vessels. The peculiarity of these receptors lies in the fact that when binding to adrenaline in the human body, constriction of blood vessels is provoked, blood pressure rises, and the lumen of the bronchi expands.
When using such drugs, they block the work of adrenoreceptors, due to which the vessels begin to expand and pressure decreases. To date, the most popular drug is Doxazonin. Hisused for a fairly rapid decrease in blood pressure, as well as for long-term treatment. In modern medicine, there are quite a few such drugs left, most of them have already been discontinued.
Beta-blockers
In the past, adrenoreceptors were in the heart and blood vessels, and here in the heart and bronchi. Medicines that have an indiscriminate effect are categorically contraindicated in people with bronchial asthma. In this case, you should take beta-blockers, which act only in the heart. All drugs in this category interfere with the synthesis of prorenin in the kidneys. Therefore, if a person is looking for which pills reduce low blood pressure, then he should pay attention to this particular group.
The most famous representatives of beta-blockers are:
- Metoprolol;
- Bisoprolol;
- Nebivolol;
- Carvedilol.
Medicines of this group are contraindicated for people who suffer from diabetes and bronchial asthma.
Diuretics
Such funds are quite popular among people with high blood pressure. Due to the removal of excess water from the body, a person's pressure decreases. Together with the removal of excess fluid, these agents do not allow sodium ions to be absorbed into the cells. Which leads to a decrease in blood pressure. However, such drugs have negative sides along with urine, potassium ions are excreted from the body, because they improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Thus, it turns out that on the one hand, drugs help a person to reducepressure, but at the same time they interfere with the normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Recently, potassium-sparing drugs have been invented, so before you start taking such drugs, you should definitely ask your doctor about modern medicines. What pills to reduce blood pressure:
- "Hydrochlorothiazide";
- Triampur;
- "Spironolactone";
- Indapamide.
Such drugs are taken in combination with other drugs that compensate for the lack of potassium in the body. Among those presented, the last one should be noted. The drug "Indapamide" is one of those that do not remove useful substances from the body, so it is the only one on the list that can be used independently.
Pay attention! Diuretic drugs are not recommended for use in hypertension, to a greater extent they are intended to quickly reduce pressure. Which pills are suitable in a particular case, only the attending physician should determine.
Means acting on the central nervous system
Stress can provoke almost any disease, hypertension is no exception, in which case it is necessary to take medications that act on the human central nervous system (sleeping pills, sedatives). All these drugs have a positive effect on the performance of the brain, including the vasomotor center, reducing its tone, which leads to a decrease in blood pressure values. Which pills to reduce blood pressure from this category:
- Moxonidine;
- Rilmenidine;
- Methyldopa.
Pay attention! The first drug on the list consists of clonidine, in the USSR it was very often used to treat hypertension. But, this remedy is very strong, it quickly and strongly lowers blood pressure, however, even a small overdose of this medicine led to the fact that a person fell into a coma. Today, due to the high number of accidents, this drug is sold only by prescription, and it should be taken according to all the instructions of the attending physician.
Which pills quickly reduce high blood pressure
Sometimes high blood pressure can take a person by surprise, in which case it is necessary to have high-quality drugs that will help at least for the first time to reduce blood pressure.
Attention! All of the following tablets are used only in emergency situations with a hypertensive crisis. They are not intended to treat hypertension.
Which pills quickly reduce blood pressure:
- "Nitroglycerin". The action of the drug begins after 2-5 minutes. Also, this remedy is often used for heart failure, myocardial infarction.
- "Labetalol". They are considered quite popular for any type of hypertensive crisis. The tablet begins to work after only 5 minutes after taking, however, in difficult situations, the level of blood pressure may rise again after 30 minutes.
- Nicardipine. Another pill that helps quite well with a hypertensive crisis. They are not recommended for people with heart failure.
When a person chooses which pills to take to reduce pressure in an emergency, it is imperative to pay attention to these three drugs. But before the situation becomes critical, it is best to consult a doctor so that he writes out the most suitable option for a particular case.
How much blood pressure should be reduced with pills?
The generally accepted norm of pressure is 120/80, but do not worry if the indicators are increased by 10 mm. rt. Art. This may depend on the fullness of the person (overweight people have higher blood pressure). It can also increase slightly from a variety of factors, there are a lot of them.
For many, the number 140/90 is already very scary, and they immediately look for some pills to bring it down. In fact, this level of blood pressure is indeed elevated, but this is not yet a reason for panic. What pills to reduce pressure? First of all, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will prescribe certain diagnostic procedures and tell the main causes of high blood pressure, as well as prescribe non-aggressive treatment.
Remember that regular blood pressure of 140/90 is the main harbinger of hypertension. But still, you still don’t need to knock it down, but if it rises at least a little higher, then in this case you should play it safe and take not too strong pills that will help normalize the level of blood pressure.
