Treatment for High Blood Pressure

My blood pressure is high. What should I do?

If you are concerned about your blood pressure, consult your GP. Your doctor may recommend taking medication, if you are diagnosed with high blood pressure.

The medication recommended for you at first will depend on your age and ethnicity:

If you're under 55 years of age – you'll usually be offered an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin-2 receptor blocker (ARB).

If you're aged 55 or older, or you're any age and of African or Caribbean origin – you'll usually be offered a calcium channel blocker.

You may need to take blood pressure medication for the rest of your life. But your doctor might be able to reduce or stop your treatment if your blood pressure stays under control for several years.

It's really important to take your medications as directed. If you miss doses, it won't work as effectively. The medication won't necessarily make you feel any different, but this doesn't mean it's not working.

Medications used to treat high blood pressure can have side effects, but most people don't experience any. If you do, changing medication will often help.

Did you know?

Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol using population-wide strategies.

Source: World Health Organization