Online Encyclopedia
Antihypertensive
In medicine and pharmacology, antihypertensives are a class of drugs that are used in the treatment of arterial hypertension.
Drugs
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Diuretics
- Loop diuretics (e.g. furosemide)
- Potassium-sparing diuretic s
- Thiazide diuretic s
- Beta blockers
- ACE inhibitor
- Calcium channel blocker
- Alpha blocker (now only in pregnancy)
- Angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ATII inhibitors)
- Spironolactone (an aldosterone antagonist)
Choice
See also: arterial hypertension
The choice between the drugs is to a large degree determined by their side-effects. For example, asthmatics have been reported to have worsening symptoms when using beta blockers. Most drugs have other uses; sometimes the presence of other symptoms can warrant the use of one particular antihypertensive (such as beta blockers in tremor and nervousness and alpha blocker s in benign prostatic hyperplasia).
Last updated: 03-13-2005 10:50:28