National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Blood Pressure Medicines is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Blood Pressure Medicines
Also called: Antihypertensive medicines, High blood pressure medicines
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, usually has no symptoms. But it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. If you cannot control your high blood pressure through healthy lifestyle habits such as losing weight and reducing sodium in your diet, your doctor may prescribe medicines.
Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Some remove extra fluid and salt from the body to lower blood pressure. Others slow down the heartbeat or relax and widen blood vessels. Often, two or more medicines work better than one.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
-
Start Here
-
High Blood Pressure: Medicines to Help You
(Food and Drug Administration)
- Medications and Blood Pressure(American Heart Association)
-
High Blood Pressure: Medicines to Help You
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
- No links available
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
- High Blood Pressure Medicines(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Medications for High Blood Pressure(Food and Drug Administration)
- What Is High Blood Pressure Medicine?(American Heart Association) - PDF
-
Latest News
- Common Heart Medicine May Not Be Effective for Some(10/02/2012, HealthDay)
- Melatonin May Improve Sleep for People on Blood-Pressure Meds(09/28/2012, HealthDay)
- Doctors Don't Always Address High Blood Pressure(09/26/2012, Reuters Health)
-
High Blood Pressure and Pregnancy
(09/11/2012, HealthDay)
- More Pregnant Women Taking High Blood Pressure Drugs, Yet Safety Unclear(09/10/2012, American Heart Association)
-
Heart-Lip Link?(08/07/2012, HealthDay)
- More News on Blood Pressure Medicines
-
Specific Conditions
- ACE Inhibitors(Consumers Union of U.S.)
- Also available in Spanish
- Alpha Blockers(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Beta-Blockers(Consumers Union of U.S.)
- Also available in Spanish
- Calcium Channel Blockers(Consumers Union of U.S.)
- Also available in Spanish
- Central-Acting Agents(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Diuretics(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Vasodilators(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-
Related Issues
- Beta Blockers: Do They Cause Weight Gain?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Beta Blockers: How Do They Affect Exercise?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Blood Pressure Medications: Can They Raise My Triglycerides?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Calcium Supplements: Do They Interfere with Blood Pressure Drugs?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Choosing Blood Pressure Medications(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Choosing Medicines for High Blood Pressure: A Review of the Research on ACEs, ARBs, and DRIs(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
- Also available in Spanish
- Diuretics: A Cause of Low Potassium?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Herbal Supplements May Not Mix with Heart Medicines(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Managing Prescriptions(American Heart Association)
- Return to top
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Antihypertensive Agents(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Antihypertensive Agents(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Antihypertensive Agents
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Organizations
-
Statistics
- CDC Vital Signs: Getting Blood Pressure under Control(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Return to top
-
MedlinePlus Magazine
-
Patient Handouts
- ACE inhibitors
- Also available in Spanish
- High blood pressure medications
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
