A lot of people confuse the two with each other
and to be brutally blunt this does no one any
good at all.
The purpose of this article is to concentrate by
and large on the side effects of the medication
taken for High Blood Pressure (HBP) and the
treatment programmes embarked upon. The majority
of this revolves around the side effects of the
various drugs that are prescribed for the HBP.
If we break these down into the categories of
the medication prescribed.
Thiazide Diuretics
By and large the main side effects of this class
of medication are thirst, Muscle cramps, and
potential digestive upsets such as diarrhoea,
constipation, vomiting or abdominal pain. The
levels of salts in the blood stream can be
disturbed and the main side effects of diuretics
i.e. the one thing they were designed to do is
that they make you go to the toilet more often.
Occasionally Doctors might pick up via routine
blood tests that your White Cell count might be
lower than normal, your Blood uric acid levels
might be raised (one of the potential causes of
gout) and you might develop a rash.
Lastly two things. The first is that due to the
ability to lower Blood Pressure fairly rapidly
some patients have reported that fact they can
sometimes get dizzy when they stand up. Secondly
these drugs can affect a mans ability to have or
sustain an erection. However if this is picked
up on by your Doctor this condition is not only
treatable but reversible as well.
Beta Blockers
With some Beta Blockers such as the drug
Atenolol the side effects are as follows. You
can develop excessive headaches, your pulse
becomes slower, you develop a dry mouth and you
become tired more easily with accompanying mood
changes. The digestive problems and the
dizziness reported above is also a potential
problem with these Beta Blockers plus further
side effects are excessive spasms of the blood
vessels in the fingers and toes in cold weather
and also an increase in the incidence of attacks
of cramp in the calf muscles.
Calcium Channel Blockers
With these drugs and examples being amlodipine,
the side effects are as follows. An increase in
the number of Headaches. A rash and increased
blood flow to the skin resulting in feelings of
flushing. An increased amount of fatigue and
nausea; dizziness and some incidences of fluid
retention i.e. puffy ankles. Finally an overall
loss of power and strength, an enlargement of
the gums and a reversible inability for a man to
have an erection.
Now it has to be stressed that all of the above
side effects are not mandatory and that is to
say that not everyone suffers from them it is
purely a case of the fact that HBP Patients have
been known to report these side effects and they
have been medically checked out.
Elsewhere we plan to analyse the side effects of
taking ACE Inhibitors and Alpha Blockers.
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