Hypertension as a common disease, more and more people are joining the ranks of the “army of medication”, but how much do you really know about the use of antihypertensive drugs? How to take antihypertensive drugs, are you really clear?
To understand how to eat antihypertensive drugs, how much to eat the premise, you need to first understand the antihypertensive drugs in the end what? And what are the respective characteristics of different drugs?
1, commonly used antihypertensive drug types and the characteristics of the action
Calcium channel blockers (CCB)
Calcium channel blocker verapamil molecular structure diagram
Calcium channel blocker, a calcium channel blocker, inhibits the inward flow of extracellular calcium ions by blocking calcium channels on the cell membranes of cardiac muscle and vascular smooth muscle, which prevents calcium ions from entering the cells, thus causing vascular relaxation and lowering blood pressure.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)
This drug is a compound that inhibits the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme, which catalyzes the production of angiotensin II from angiotensin I, a strong vasoconstrictor and activator of the release of adrenocortical aldosterone, and can contribute to water and sodium retention, ultimately producing hypertension. After the drug is administered, the peripheral vasculature is dilated, the total peripheral resistance is reduced, and the blood pressure drops immediately.
Angiotensin receptor antagonists (ARBs)
Molecular structure of angiotensin receptor antagonists
ARB is one of the commonly used drugs for hypertension treatment. ARB achieves the purpose of vasoconstriction by blocking angiotensin II through selective blockade of angiotensin II receptors, which can avoid the effects of elevated blood pressure, water and sodium retention, and sympathetic excitation, producing pharmacological effects similar to those of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI).
Diuretics
Diuretic hydrochlorothiazide molecular structure diagram
Diuretic can play the role of sodium excretion and diuretic by inhibiting the reabsorption of sodium and water by renal tubules, so that the excretion of sodium and water in human body exceeds the intake, the volume of blood and extracellular fluid decreases, the cardiac output decreases, and the hypotensive effect is achieved.
Beta-blockers
Molecular structure of beta-blocker timolol
Beta-blockers exert their antihypertensive effects by antagonizing the excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system, mainly by reducing cardiac output, improving the blood pressure adjustment function of pressure receptors, and inhibiting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and also by reducing sympathetic tone and preventing the cardiotoxic effects of catecholamines.
After understanding the types and characteristics of antihypertensive drugs, the next thing you can learn is how to eat antihypertensive drugs. The treatment of hypertension is not a beneficial thing, the treatment plan of different patients also varies greatly, the more drugs is not the better, but need to choose the most suitable for their own drugs, clear medication principles and scientific taking drugs.
2.Scientific use of drugs
The application of antihypertensive drugs should follow the following four principles.
Dosage principle: the general population with conventional dose, the elderly and elderly people usually use a smaller effective therapeutic dose for initial treatment, and gradually increase the dose from a small dose as needed.
Priority principle: priority is given to the use of once daily dosing, while long-acting agents with a continuous 24-hour antihypertensive effect, such as medium- and short-acting agents, need to be administered 2-3 times daily to achieve smooth blood pressure control. For patients who need combination therapy, in order to improve the treatment attainment rate and patient compliance, single tablet combination formulations are recommended in preference.
Combination principle: For those who do not achieve the standard with monotherapy or for patients with grade 2 or higher hypertension, in principle, a combination treatment plan can be used. For elderly patients, a combination of 2 drugs in small doses can be used at the beginning, or a fixed combination formulation can be used.
Individualized principle: according to the patient’s comorbidities, drug efficacy and tolerability, as well as considering the patient’s personal wishes and long-term affordability, choose the antihypertensive drugs suitable for the individual patient.
On the basis of clear medication principles, patients need to correctly understand their own blood pressure situation before they can further choose a suitable antihypertensive treatment plan according to the blood pressure situation in order to achieve better antihypertensive effects. The specific dosage of medication needs to be decided according to the different types of medication and the degree of the disease, and it is necessary to consult a professional doctor about how much to take.
3, hypertension other accompanying disease treatment drugs
The journey to the treatment of hypertension is still not over, the reason why hypertension endangers our health, in addition to the main cardiovascular hazards after the rise in blood pressure, but also accompanied by the hazards of other systems or organs, such as the negative impact on the kidneys, at this time will use some drugs not as the first choice, but can be used to treat concomitant diseases.
Patients with hypertension may suffer from long-term high blood pressure, which may lead to contraction and narrowing of the kidney arteries and negative changes such as atherosclerosis, which can lead to renal failure and abnormalities in the microstructure of the kidneys if the effects persist, leading to water-electrolyte disorders and anemia.
At this time, the choice of antihypertensive drugs is crucial, and patients need to try to choose drugs that have less impact on the kidneys to control blood pressure and alleviate the degree of kidney function damage. The advantage of alpha blockers is that they are not metabolized by the kidneys, so they can be used by patients with renal insufficiency.
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