High Blood Pressure / Hypertension

Posts Related to Grug Therapy: Central Sympatholytics, Reserpine

• Grug Therapy: β-Blockers

  The mechanism of action of β-blockers is not completely understood. They are thought to decrease blood pressure by diminishing cardiac output and possibly by reducing central nervous system sympathetic outflow and by lowering plasma renin. All currently available β-blockers are equally effective for the treatment of hypertension; any can be used alone as initial therapy. ...

• Centrally Acting Antihypertensive Drugs

  The centrally acting antihypertensive drugs are one of the oldest classes still in use for the treatment of hypertension. As a group, their common and unique mechanism of action is to stimulate receptors in the brain that reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, and lower blood pressure, heart rate, and systemic vascular resistance while preserving cardiac ...

• Drug Antihypertensive Therapy: Factors – Quality of life, Cost

  Quality of life Obviously, the less a drug interferes with a patient's intellectual functioning, sexual performance, and sense of well-being, the better. Uncomplicated hypertension is asymptomatic; patients who were feeling well will be very unhappy about a therapy that makes them feel worse. In general, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors lead to fewer complaints than β-blockers, ...

• Antihypertensive agents. Class

  There are 12 major classes of drugs that are used as oral antihypertensive drugs, and these include drugs that act centrally and those that work in the periphery. Antihypertensive drugs may cause vascular smooth-muscle relaxation, vascular volume reduction, or a decrease in cardiac output. This is accomplished by decreasing Ca2+ in vascular smooth muscle cells ...

• Drug Antihypertensive Therapy: Choosing the Best Drug,

  Choosing the best drug for a particular patient Whichever approach you use in beginning (or changing) antihypertensive therapy, you should evaluate your patient for characteristics that will predict a favorable or unfavorable response (Table 2). Table 2. Factors To Consider When Choosing An Antihypertensive Agent Dosing Frequency Quality Of Life Cost Possibility Of Pregnancy Age ...