| When your blood pressure is over 140/90 mm Hg | | | | medications that are much easier to take have |
| (millimeters of mercury), lifestyle changes might | | | | become available for the management of high |
| not be able to bring it back to normal levels. If | | | | blood pressure. There's no longer any reason for |
| after three or six months there is no | | | | you to fear their consequences. If you can't |
| improvement, you need medicines to control the | | | | tolerate a particular one, there are several others |
| condition. | | | | on which to fall back," said Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld |
| "Hypertension treatment clearly prevents death | | | | of the New York Hospital - Memorial Sloan |
| and illness. Data recently compiled from many | | | | -Kettering Cancer Center in "The Best |
| studies show that for mild and severe | | | | Treatment." |
| hypertension, combined antihypertensive drugs | | | | "Patients with side effects for one drug can |
| reduce the incidence of strokes 42 percent and | | | | usually be shifted to another that won't cause |
| heart disease 14 percent," according to Larry | | | | problems. Most of the drugs can be taken just |
| Katzenstein, senior editor of American Health | | | | once a day, which adds to their convenience. The |
| magazine. | | | | goal is a drug regimen that lowers blood pressure |
| In the past, taking drugs for hypertension meant | | | | below 140/90 mm Hg while causing minimal side |
| choosing between the lesser of two evils. It was | | | | effects," Katzenstein added. |
| a difficult choice since hypertension often has no | | | | In treating hypertension with drugs, how low |
| symptoms but could eventually lead to a stroke | | | | should you go? Doctors once thought that the |
| or heart attack. | | | | lower the blood pressure, the better for the |
| While drug therapy prevented these dangers, it | | | | patient. They even kept readings below 120/80 - |
| made patients suffer from impotence, headaches, | | | | the classic "normal" blood pressure. Such low |
| dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, frequent urination, | | | | levels, however, can be just as bad as |
| and other unpleasant side effects. | | | | hypertension, especially in the elderly. |
| Although some of these drugs remain in use | | | | "A study published in the Journal of the American |
| today, reduced doses given by doctors nowadays | | | | Medical Association suggested that patients faced |
| have greatly lessened side effects and can | | | | an increased risk of heart attack when their |
| effectively treat hypertension at the same time. | | | | diastolic pressures fell below 85 mm Hg. The |
| What's more, other new medications have been | | | | authors speculate that hypertensives with |
| developed which can control high blood pressure | | | | preexisting heart disease may need the heart's |
| without making things difficult for the patient. | | | | blood flow maintained above that level," warned |
| "In the past decade, literally hundreds of new | | | | Katzenstein. (Next: Drugs for hypertension. |