Ibuprofen And Other Drugs That Could Raise Blood Pressure
Ibuprofen can cause your blood pressure drugs to be less effective, as can other medications. There’s a good chance you may be taking one or more of them. Several popular over-the-counter remedies do that, including some antacids, as well as a number of prescription drugs.
Proper blood pressure control is important for your cardiovascular health. So it’s wise to key an eye on your blood pressure readings if you’re taking anything that could cause a problem. That includes vitamins and other supplements that can affect your blood pressure.
This article looks at common drug types that can make your hypertension worse. It also discusses what they’re typically used to treat and what you can try instead, keeping in mind that you should always discuss medication used with your healthcare provider.
What’s The Impact Of Having High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases such as:
- coronary heart disease – where the main arteries that supply your heart become clogged up with plaques
- strokes – a serious condition where the blood supply to your brain is interrupted
- heart attacks – a serious condition where the blood supply to part of your heart is blocked
Diabetes and kidney disease are also linked to high blood pressure complications.
Angiotensin Ii Receptor Blockers
These drugs block the effects of angiotensin, a chemical that causes the arteries to become narrow. Angiotensin needs a receptor- like a chemical “slot” to fit into or bind with- in order to constrict the blood vessel. ARBs block the receptors so the angiotensin fails to constrict the blood vessel. This means blood vessels stay open and blood pressure is reduced.
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Some noted possible side effects of Angiotensin II receptor blockers:
- May cause occasional dizziness.
- ARBs should not be used during pregnancy.Medications that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury or even death to a developing fetus. When pregnancy is detected, consult your healthcare professional as soon as possible.
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What Can I Take To Sleep If I Have High Blood Pressure
Sleep aids may be helpful for managing sleep disorders such as insomnia. However, blood pressure medications can actually interfere with sleep and may make insomnia worse. Thats why its important you work with a doctor to find a medication that causes limited side effects and helps you get more sleep.
Some sleep medications for people with HBP include:
- Supplements:Melatonin is a supplement that signals your brain when its time to go to sleep and time to wake up. If you dont have enough of this hormone, taking a melatonin supplement might help. Valerian root is a supplement that can have a calming effect on the body and may encourage sleep, too.
- These medications arent for everyone because of potential interactions with other medications. Before you begin taking any, consult with a healthcare professional.
What Are The Risks Of Resistant Hypertension
Over time, uncontrolled hypertension damages the arteries, contributing to their stiffening. As the arteries become narrower and less flexible, the heart has to work harder to move blood through the body. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other heart conditions cause damage to your kidneys, memory and vision and contribute to erectile dysfunction.
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Side Effects Of Hypertension Medication
Formally known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a condition that reflects the force of the blood against the walls of the arteries. Left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart disease and other coronary concerns. To help control blood pressure, a physician may prescribe one or more medications. Diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin II receptor blockers , and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors can be used. Sometimes side effects from prescriptions are normal, but there are times when a call to the doctor is in order.
Depression Rates In People Taking Different Blood Pressure Drugs
To see if commonly prescribed blood pressure drugs might influence a person’s risk of developing depression, Danish researchers scrutinized a decade’s worth of data from their national health registry. Their findings, summarized below, were published in the September 2020 issue of Hypertension.
Who: All 5.4 million people living in Denmark in 2005, except for those diagnosed with depression or prescribed an antidepressant medication.
When: Researchers tracked the participants’ health from 2005 to 2015.
What: Just over 3.7 million people received a prescription for a blood pressure drug during the 10-year study period. Researchers focused on 41 drugs from four different classes of blood pressure drugs. Diuretics were the most commonly prescribed, followed by ACE inhibitors and ARBs, calcium-channel blockers, and beta blockers.
How: In people taking the different medications, researchers assessed the rate of depression, which was determined by a diagnosis by a clinician or use of antidepressants.
Key findings: None of the diuretics appeared to affect depression risk. In each of the other drug classes, at least two drugs were linked with a lower risk of depression: enalapril , ramipril , amlodipine , verapamil , propranolol , atenolol , bisoprolol , and carvedilol .
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How Can I Break The High Blood Pressure And Insomnia Cycle
Try to implement one or more of these lifestyle changes that may help you reset your sleep cycle and get more rest:
- Dont try to catch up on lost sleep: You may be tempted to use the weekend to make up for lousy sleep during the week, but you should avoid that. Sleeping too much can actually raise your risk of conditions such as high blood sugar and weight gain.
- Create a healthy sleep schedule: Long nights and early mornings happen from time to time. But if you can set up a regular schedule for going to bed and waking up, that might help you get better sleep and train your body to know when to expect rest.
- Consider sleeping medication in small quantities: Sleeping pills may be able to temporarily help you get more sleep. But they shouldnt be used for more than a few days. found that regular use of sleeping medications actually increased the chances a person would need blood pressure medications over time.
- Make sure to discuss any use of sleep medications with a doctor.
Many Common Medications Can Raise Your Blood Pressure
Popular pain relievers and antidepressants, as well as alcohol and herbal supplements, are among the many substances that can contribute to hypertension.
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High blood pressure remains a leading cause of death and disability in America today. Nearly half of adults have high blood pressure, and only a quarter of them have their blood pressure under control, putting them at increased risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia, kidney disease and other ills.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, high blood pressure caused or contributed to more than half a million deaths a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those numbers have most likely increased, as blood pressure readings have shot up during the pandemic.
There are many reasons for the nations high rate of uncontrolled hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure. Being overweight and, for many, excessive consumption of salt lead the list, followed by inconsistent use of medically prescribed remedies and a failure to adopt lifestyle measures that can reduce elevated blood pressure.
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Stroke And Brain Problems
High blood pressure can cause the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain to burst or be blocked, causing a stroke. Brain cells die during a stroke because they do not get enough oxygen. Stroke can cause serious disabilities in speech, movement, and other basic activities. A stroke can also kill you.
Having high blood pressure, especially in midlife, is linked to having poorer cognitive function and dementia later in life. Learn more about the link between high blood pressure and dementia from the National Institutes of Healths Mind Your Risks® campaign.
What Are The Symptoms Of Resistant Hypertension
You can have hypertension without having any symptoms. The best way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked by a health care provider.
However, symptoms may be felt when blood pressure first rises or during a hypertensive crisis, when levels are extremely high. These symptoms may include headaches, shortness of breath, chest pain and nosebleeds.
Dizziness is usually not a symptom of high blood pressure. In fact, dizziness can sometimes be a symptom of low blood pressure. Frequent or unexplained dizziness may be a warning sign of a serious condition and should be addressed by your physician.
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Contrary To Conventional Wisdom Some Blood Pressure Drugs Are Linked To A Lower Risk Of Depression
Like all medications, blood pressure drugs sometimes cause unwanted side effects. While many are mild and short-lived, some are more worrisome, including mood changes such as depression. But contrary to what doctors have long assumed, blood pressure drugs may not raise the risk of depression. In fact, some appear to be linked to a lower risk, according to a recent study .
“The traditional view has been that blood pressure drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier are more likely to cause depression,” says Dr. Randall -Zusman, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Depression has also been associated with drugs known as beta blockers. But beta blockers can also make you feel tired and listless, which may dampen your mood, Dr. Zusman explains.
Blood Pressure Drugs Linked To Cancer
Angiotensin-Receptor Blockers Raise Risk of Developing Cancer, Research Shows
June 14, 2010 — A group of medications commonly used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and kidney damage caused by diabetes have been linked to a small increase in the risk of developing cancer, according to a study.
Angiotensin-receptor blockers work by blocking angiotensin II, a hormone that increases blood pressure.
A study published online in The Lancet Oncology states that although there are no major safety concerns associated with ARBs, a previous trial had reported a significantly increased risk of fatal cancers in patients receiving the ARB candesartan compared with a placebo.
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What Diet Helps Manage High Blood Pressure
- Eat foods that are lower in fat, salt and calories, such as skim or 1% milk, fresh vegetables and fruits, and whole-grain rice and pasta.
- Use flavorings, spices and herbs to make foods tasty without using salt. The optimal recommendation for salt in your diet is to have less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day. Don’t forget that most restaurant foods and many processed and frozen foods contain high levels of salt. Use herbs and spices that do not contain salt in recipes to flavor your food. Dont add salt at the table.
- Avoid or cut down on foods high in fat or salt, such as butter and margarine, regular salad dressings, fatty meats, whole milk dairy products, fried foods, processed foods or fast foods and salted snacks.
- Ask your provider if you should increase potassium in your diet. Discuss the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet with your provider. The DASH diet emphasizes adding fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet while reducing the amount of sodium. Since its rich in fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in sodium than many other foods, the DASH diet makes it easier to eat less salt and sodium.
Best Medicine To Control Blood Pressure
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Secondary High Blood Pressure
Some cases of high blood pressure are the result of underlying factors or cause and this is known as secondary high blood pressure.
Underlying factors include:
- kidney conditions, such as a kidney infection, or kidney disease
- narrowing of the arteries
- hormonal conditions, such as Cushing’s syndrome
- conditions that affect the bodys tissue, such as lupus
- medication, such as the oral contraceptive pill, or the type of painkillers that are known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen
- recreational drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamines and crystal meth
Occasionally, a rise in blood pressure can result from taking herbal remedies, such as herbal supplements.
How Can I Be More Active
- Check first with your healthcare provider before increasing your physical activity. Ask your provider what type and amount of exercise is right for you.
- Choose aerobic activities such as walking, biking or swimming.
- Start slowly and increase activity gradually. Aim for a regular routine of activity five times a week for 30 to 45 minutes each session.
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Regular Blood Pressure Checks For Over Over 40’s
The only way to find out whether you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Ask your GP when you are next due for yours to be checked.
Blood pressure checks are usually available on request at most GP surgeries and health clinics. Some surgeries have home monitoring devices available, which you may be able to use at the time of blood pressure medication start up or change. Many also have a policy of arranging regular checks for you.
Adults who are over 40 and have not been diagnosed with high blood pressure should have their blood pressure checked at least once every five years. However, your blood pressure should ideally be checked more frequently, particularly if you have any contributory risk factors.
Heart Attack And Heart Disease
High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease. In addition, decreased blood flow to the heart can cause:
- Chest pain, also called angina.
- Heart attack, which happens when the blood supply to your heart is blocked and heart muscle begins to die without enough oxygen. The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart.
- Heart failure, a condition that means your heart cant pump enough blood and oxygen to your other organs.
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How Long Is Medication Needed For
In most cases, medication is needed for life. However, in some people whose blood pressure has been well controlled for three years or more, medication may be able to be stopped. In particular, this may be possible for people who have made significant changes to lifestyle . Your doctor can advise you.
If you stop medication, you should have regular blood pressure checks. In some cases the blood pressure remains normal. However, in others it starts to rise again. If this happens, medication can then be started again.
Complementary And Alternative Therapies
Whether or not your doctor prescribes medication to lower your blood pressure, you need to make changes in your diet and lifestyle. Your treatment plan may also include a range of complementary and alternative therapies . Ask your doctor how to incorporate these therapies into your overall treatment plan.
DO NOT stop taking your medication without your doctors supervision. Quickly stopping some types of blood pressure medications can cause blood pressure to rise extremely high, which could cause stroke, heart attack, or other medical complications. Always tell your health care provider about the herbs and supplements you are using or considering using.
The following lifestyle changes will help treat high blood pressure:
- Lose weight if you need to. Losing even a few pounds can help lower your blood pressure.
- Stay physically active. Get 30 minutes of exercise each day. Breaking exercise up into 10 minute-spurts throughout the day still offers the same benefits. If you are just starting, begin slowly and work your way up to 30 minutes a day. Walking is an easy way to get exercise. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
- If you smoke, quit. Talk to your doctor if you need help.
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