Antihypertensive

In medicine and pharmacology, antihypertensives are a class of drugs that are used in the treatment of arterial hypertension.

Drugs

• Diuretics
  • Loop diuretics (e.g. furosemide)
  • Potassium-sparing diuretics
  • Thiazide diuretics
• Beta blockers
• ACE inhibitor
• Calcium channel blocker
  • Dihydropyridines
  • Diltiazem
  • Verapamil
• 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 blockers in benign prostatic hyperplasia).