What should you know about high blood pressure medication?

Different medicines relax blood vessels, reduce the amount of fluid the body holds, or slow the heart's workload. Your clinician chooses an option according to your readings, other conditions, kidney function, and medicines you already use. You may need one medicine or a combination. High blood pressure often has no noticeable symptoms, so feeling well does not show whether treatment is working. Home readings or Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring can reveal patterns that a single clinic reading may miss.

Take the medicine at the prescribed time and follow the label rather than changing the dose yourself. If you forget a dose, check the leaflet or ask a pharmacist what to do; do not double up unless specifically told. Keep a current list of prescription medicines, supplements and occasional remedies. Record readings with the date, time and any symptoms. Tell your clinician about dizziness, ankle swelling, cough, unusual tiredness or changes in urination, because the plan may need adjustment. Continue lifestyle measures advised for Hypertension, such as limiting excess salt, staying active and attending follow-up checks.

Seek urgent help for chest pressure, severe breathlessness, fainting, sudden weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, new confusion, or a sudden severe headache. These can signal an emergency such as Stroke or Angina and should not be managed by taking an extra tablet. Contact your prescriber promptly if repeated readings remain high, side effects interfere with daily activities, or you cannot obtain your medicine. Never stop regular treatment suddenly without advice.

Ask which blood pressure target applies to you, when to measure at home, what to do after a missed dose, and which side effects need a call. Also ask whether another medicine, salt substitute or pain remedy could interact with your treatment.