Blood Pressure Medication

There are five types of blood pressure medications, each made up of numerous medicines. Each type acts in a different way to lower your blood pressure. 

1. Diuretics: Medicines that increase the elimination of sodium. 

2. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers: Medicines that inhibit blood pressure-raising hormones.

3. Alpha blockers, beta blockers, or combined alpha and beta blockers: Medicines that work through the involuntary nervous system to decrease pressure.

4. Calcium channel blockers: Medicines that reduce blood vessel constriction by interfering with the effects of calcium in the blood vessel wall. These medications do not affect blood calcium levels.

5. Vasodilators: Medicines that lower blood pressure by dilating arteries to decrease overall pressure in the circulatory system.

It is often possible to control blood pressure with one or two medicines, but patients with complex hypertension may require more than two medications.