|
Treating High Blood Pressure: ACE Inhibitors
by Jim Bruce
ACE inhibitors are used to treat high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), and some other heart and kidney conditions. These medicines block the angiotensin-converting enzyme in your body that functions to prevent blood vessels from narrowing. Thus, relaxing the blood vessels and lowering your blood pressure. In this relaxed mode, more oxygen-rich blood can reach your heart. ACE inhibitors also reduce the amount of salt and water in your body, like a diuretic, and this helps to lower blood pressure too. Drug in this family include ramipril, benazepril, enalapril, lisinopril, quinapril, and others.
ACE inhibitors do have some interactions with other diuretics and medicines and vitamin supplements that contain potassium. So, be sure to consult with your physician or health professional before taking any ACE inhibitor. Tell your doctor about any medicines or vitamins that you are currently taking. Drinking alcohol while on ACE inhibitors can lower your blood pressure too much and make you dizzy and faint. Talk to your doctor about your alcohol consumption too. Don't lie about how much you drink!
There Are Other Things Your Should Consider Before Taking ACE Inhibitors For Hypertension
Be sure to tell your doctor if you have allergies to other medicines. This is especially important if your allergic reaction includes a hoarse voice, swelling of your face, mouth, hands, or feet. Or if the allergic reaction causes trouble breathing. Tell your physician if your are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant. If you have other medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, or lupus. Your doctor should know if you've had a recent heart attack or a transplant, especially a kidney transplant.
What Are The Side Effects of ACE Inhibitors?
The most common side effect of ACE Inhibitors is a dry cough that makes it hard for you to talk. Less common side effects are diarrhea, headaches, loss of taste or the taste of stainless steel in your mouth, loss of appetite, upset stomach, sunlight sensitive skin, feeling tired, dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting, join pains, numbness or tingling in your extremities, and fevers.
There are some rare side effects that you should be aware of. These are a hoarse voice, swelling of your face, hands, mouth, or feet, trouble breathing or swallowing, severe upset stomach and vomiting, bruising without a cause, yellow eyes as if jaundicing, and severe fever and chills. Tell your doctor if you encounter any of these. But don't stop taking your hypertension medicine unless your physician tells you to. This can only make your condition worse.
In people that ACE inhibitors cause a harsh cough, you may want to ask your doctor about angiotensin II receptor blockers like irbesartan or losartan to name a few. These block the action of angiotensin II and will also cause the blood vessels to narrow. But you won't get the cough that you experience on ACE inhibitors.
You may get headaches as a side effect as well as a sore throat, heartburn, or nervousness. The other side effects and rare side effects are similar to the above for ACE inhibitors. Be sure to contact your doctor if you experience any of these.
| Disclaimer: |
The information in this High Blood Pressure section has been taken from a number of sources. It is meant to give you information about certain medicines, but it does not cover all of the possible uses, warnings, side effects, or interactions with other medicines and vitamin or herbal supplements.
This information should not be used as medical advice for individual medical problems. Please talk to your doctor, health professional, and/or your pharmacist for prescription or treatment instructions. |
More Articles On High Blood Pressure:
Are There Alternative Medicines For High Blood Pressure?
If you have high blood pressure, you might be looking for an alternative solution to the drugs that your doctor has prescribed. If this is you, you might be looking for a type of alternative medicine... Treating High Blood Pressure to Reduce the Risks of the "Silent Killer"
High blood pressure (also known as hypertension), is a very common ailment. Some authoritative sources estimate that at least 1 in 3 Americans are afflicted with the disease. Unfortunately, there are... Measuring Your Blood Pressure Reading
Measuring blood pressure can be done at home with a blood pressure cuff or at the doctor's office. The reading that you get when taking your blood pressure measures to facets of blood pressure: systolic... Treating High Blood Pressure: Beta Blockers
Beta blockers are used to treat high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), and other heart problems. They block the effects of adrenaline at your body's beta receptors. This intern, slows th nerve...
Contact All The Facts |
Submit Your Feedback About Our Site
|