Medicine options

Sometimes lifestyle changes are not enough to treat high blood pressure. If not, your healthcare team may recommend blood pressure medicine.

The type of medicine used to treat high blood pressure depends on your overall health and how high your blood pressure is. Two or more blood pressure medicines often work better than one. It can take some time to find the best medicine or combination of medicines.

Medicines to treat high blood pressure include:

• Water pills, also called diuretics. These medicines remove extra water and sodium from the body. So, there's less fluid flowing through the veins and arteries. This reduces pressure on the walls of the blood vessels. Types of diuretics include thiazide, loop and potassium-sparing.
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Also called ACE inhibitors, these medicines help relax blood vessels. They block the formation of a natural chemical that narrows blood vessels.
• Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers. Also called ARBs, these medicines block the action of angiotensin. Angiotensin is a chemical the body makes that narrows blood vessels.
• Calcium channel blockers. These medicines stop calcium from entering the cells of the heart and arteries. This lets the arteries relax and open.
• Beta blockers. These medicines help the heart beat slower and with less force.
• Renin inhibitors. Renin is a substance made by the kidneys. It triggers a series of steps that raises blood pressure. Renin inhibitors slow how much of this substance is made.