Medicine for
Hypertension

US Pharmacy
without Prescription
and no Appointment

Menu

Home Page
Medical Guide
Infectious Disease
Chronic Conditions
Buy Discount Meds

Category	Prescription Drug	Strength	Quantity	Cost
Blood Pressure	Aldactone Microzide Norvasc	25 mg 12.5 mg 5 mg	30 pills 30 pills 30 pills	$70 $59 $96

Aldactone (diuretic, edema, hypertension, potassium deficiency)

Aldactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic (water pill) used to reduce the amount of fluid in your body without causing the loss of potassium. Aldactone treats edema (swelling) and hypertension (high blood pressure). Aldactone is also used to treat potassium deficiency and hyperaldosteronism (a hormonal disorder).

Microzide (edema, hypertension)

Microzide is used for the treatment of edema (swelling) and hypertension (high blood pressure). It it recommended that you take Microzide early in the day with milk or food for comfort. It is listed under Women's Health in the Discount Meds USA Pharmacy for its ability to control the swelling associated with some female problems.

Norvasc (hypertension, angina)

Norvasc is a calcium channel blocker that relaxes blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to pump. Norvasc is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and to treat angina (chest pain).

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers—the systolic pressure (as the heart beats) over the diastolic pressure (as the heart relaxes between beats). The measurement is written one above or before the other, with the systolic number on top and the diastolic number on the bottom. For example, a blood pressure measurement of 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) is expressed verbally as "120 over 80." Normal blood pressure is 120/80 or less.

The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the first and third leading causes of death among Americans. High blood pressure also can result in other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness. A blood pressure level of 140/90 or higher is considered high. About two-thirds of people over age 65 and one in every four American adults has high blood pressure. Once high blood pressure develops, it usually lasts a lifetime. You can prevent and control high blood pressure by taking action.

The causes of high blood pressure vary. Causes may include narrowing of the arteries, a greater than normal volume of blood, or the heart beating faster or more forcefully than it should. Any of these conditions will cause increased pressure against the artery walls. High blood pressure may also be caused by other unknown medical problems. Although high blood pressure usually cannot be cured, in most cases it can be prevented and controlled.

Prevention

You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle. These steps include maintaining a healthy weight; being physically active; following a healthy eating plan, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy foods; choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium; and, if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation. Of these, weight control is the most important. Two key measures are used to determine if someone is overweight. These are the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

BMI relates weight to height. It gives an approximation of total body fat which increases the risk of disease. Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 to 29.9; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or more. The BMI formula is a constant times your weight divided by your height squared.

BMI = 703 x [ ( Weight in Pounds ) / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ]

As an example, assume a weight of 160 pounds and height of 5 feet and 7 inches. First you have to convert feet and inches to just inches. Since there are 12 inches to a foot, 5 feet would be 5 times 12 or 60 inches. Adding the extra 7 inches gets us to a total height of 67 inches. Then plugging into the formula,

BMI = 703 x [ 160 / (67 x 67) ] = 25

But BMI may overestimate body fat or inaccurately estimate total body fat in muscular persons or those losing muscle. For example, older persons often have lost muscle mass and have more fat for a given BMI than younger persons do. That's why waist measurement is often checked as well. Another reason is that too much body fat in the stomach area also increases disease risk. A waist measurement of more than 35 inches in women and more than 40 inches in men is considered high.

Medication

Following is a summary of the nine types of drugs commonly used to control hypertension and prevent edema and angina. Often, two or more drugs work better than one.

1.  Diuretics are sometimes called "water pills" because they work in the kidney and flush excess water and sodium from the body.

2.  Beta-blockers reduce nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels. This makes the heart beat slower and with less force. Blood pressure drops and the heart works less hard.

3.  Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors prevent the formation of a hormone called angiotensin II, which normally causes blood vessels to narrow. The ACE inhibitors cause the vessels to relax and blood pressure falls.

4.  Angiotensin antagonists shield blood vessels from angiotensin II. As a result, the vessels become wider and blood pressure goes down.

5.  Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels. This causes the blood vessels to relax and pressure goes down.

6.  Alpha-blockers reduce nerve impulses to blood vessels, which allows blood to pass more easily, causing the blood pressure to go down.

7.  Alpha-beta-blockers work the same way as alpha-blockers but also slow the heartbeat. As a result, less blood is pumped through the vessels and the blood pressure goes down.

8.  Nervous system inhibitors relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses. This causes the blood vessels to become wider and the blood pressure to go down.

9.  Vasodilators directly open blood vessels by relaxing the muscle in the vessel walls, causing pressure to fall.

Edema

Edema is a swelling, usually of the legs, due to the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues. The edema that occurs in diseases of the heart, liver and kidneys is mainly caused by salt retention, which holds the excess fluid in the body. In certain liver and kidney diseases, low levels of albumin in the blood can contribute to fluid retention. Heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and a kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome are the most common systemic diseases that cause edema. Excess fluid that accumulates in the lungs is called pulmonary edema. Excess fluid that accumulates in the abdominal cavity is called ascites. Edema of unknown cause occurs primarily in women. Varicose veins or thrombophlebitis (a blood clot in an inflamed vein) of the deep veins in the legs causes edema that is localized to the legs. Therapy for edema consists of treating the underlying conditions, restricting salt intake, and often using diuretics (medicines to induce urination).

Disclaimer

This drug information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended that this information covers all uses, directions, drug interactions, precautions, or adverse effects of your medication. This is only general information, and should not be relied on for any purpose. It should not be construed as containing specific instructions for any particular patient. We disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of this information, and/or any consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty, either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.