There are different types of blood pressure medications: diuretic, beta blockers etc. Among the diuretics there are different types too. What tests to do so the doctor selects the best treatment?
There are essentially 4 large groups of anti-hypertensive medication; Diuretics,Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system,calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers. In the general hypertensive population, international guidelines generally focus on blood pressure control and do not have a preference of one medication over another.
In fact the choice of a certain medication depends on several factors according to the patient and the medical conditions that are associated. In addition, for the vast majority of patients, a combination of 2 or more drugs, in a single pill, or separate , is usually necessary to achieve optimal blood pressure control.
For example, if a patient has in addition to high blood pressure, heart problems like heart failure, then the medication class of beta-blockers and inhibitors of the angiotensin system are preferentially used, and a diuretic is usually added as combination. If for example the patient has diabetes, then again the inhibitors of the angiotensin system are preferentially used, since they are proven to have additional kidney protective properties, and in diabetics usually beta-blockers are not used unless otherwise necessary because they can hide the effects of hypoglycemia. Calcium channel blockers are also extensively studied medications and are used for blood pressure, alone or in combination with other drugs.
There is no single test to determine what is the best medication to use, but your doctor will integrate all the information regarding high blood pressure and other associated conditions to select the best treatment regimen, and he will follow up to see if a certain medication is associated with annoying side effects to a particular patient, that will make him change to another class of medication or lower the dosage of the medication.
for example, Calcium channel blockers can be associated with leg edema in 10% of patients, and beta-blockers can be associated with erectile dysfunction and decreased sexual drive...
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