Ace Inhibitors

MEDICINE

What are Ace Inhibitors, they are a drug used to reduce blood pressure. I want to look at some of the different drugs that a Doctor may prescribe for someone who has high blood pressure/hypertension. How they work and what kind of side effects can be experienced.

Ace Inhibitors are a drug that reduces or stop the production of Angiotensin II which is a hormone that narrows the arteries. Angiotensin II can also through another hormone aldosterone it produces have an effect on the sodium and water retained which increases blood volume. So the blood pressure rises,  Ace inhibitors will reverse the effect of Angiotensin II and thus lower blood pressure.

Side effects that can be experienced if taking Ace Inhibitors are headaches, nausea, a dry cough, dizziness and tiredness.  Something else that can happen is because Ace Inhibitors reduce the hormone aldosterone ( which controls potassium levels) the body may start to retain to much potassium and develop hyperkalemia.

Another drug that may be used instead of Ace Inhibitors but is similar is Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonist and these don’t stop the production of Angiotensin II but block it, so stopping the arteries from narrowing and the blood pressure rising.

There are similar side effects to Ace Inhibitors but normally without the dry cough, but with the added possibility of back ache, muscle spasms and insomnia.

These two drugs can apparently be used in combination with each other.

Now I don’t know about you but I would hate to think I would have to be putting those drugs into my body on a daily basis but that said some people do have to and medical drugs effect people in different ways so it is not to say that all the above side effects will be experienced by everyone that takes them.

I think it is a good thing to find out as much as you can about any drug that a Doctor might want to put you on, if only to know what to expect. But if you can normalize your blood pressure without having to take drugs then that has got to be a far better way.