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COMMON SIDE-EFFECTS OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS
This article is not meant to cause a scare amongst hypertensive patients on treatment. It is simply meant to educate them and their care givers about potential side effects in the interest of an enhanced quality of life.
First of all, the side effects are not so common. If they were, then the drugs would not have made it to the market in the first place.
There are different types of antihypertensive drugs. They include the following:
ACE Inhibitors
These include Lisinopril, Captopril, Lisinopril and Quinapril.
The most common side effect of this group of antihypertensive drugs is a dry cough.
They may also cause a rash, itching and variable degrees of body swelling (oedema).
Another important side effect of this group is hypotension. This may occur if the dose being taken is too high. Naturally, the purpose of the drug is to decrease the blood pressure. Dose adjustment might be required in hypotension (low blood pressure). Symptoms of hypotension include dizziness or light-headedness, fainting, generalized fatigue, and headaches.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
These include Candesartan (atacand) and Losartan. Apart from being used in hypertension, they also have a positive effect on diabetic kidney disease.
Side effects of ARBs include hypotension, oedema, and raised blood potassium levels (hyperkalemia).
Calcium Channel Blockers
This group includes drugs like Nifedipine, Amlodipine and Nimodipine.
Common side effects include severe headaches, oedema, palpitations and hypotension.
Diuretics
These are drugs which act against hypertension by causing the excess loss of body fluid through urine (diuresis). They fall under different groups, but have been lumped in this paper for the purpose of simplicity.
Common side effects of most diuretics include low blood potassium and sodium levels, hypotension, and high potassium levels.
For further information on this topic please contact us on mcham@medgambia.com
Disclaimer: References values used in this article are solely intended for the purpose of health education and not for diagnostic purposes. Reference values differ in people from different races and countries. And they even differ from one laboratory to another. They all, however, fall within a certain range.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely intended for the purpose of general information and health education. It should not be used for diagnostic purposes or for the treatment of patients. Each diabetic individual has unique features best known by his/her physician.
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