High blood pressure is a common disease. In Germany, one in three adults is affected, and three out of four of those aged 70 to 79 have hypertension. If blood pressure is permanently too high, it is a stress test for the organs. The heart, kidneys and eyes suffer, and there is a risk of heart attack and kidney failure, among other things. The risk of having a stroke is also greater with high blood pressure.
Therefore, according to the German Heart Foundation, any blood pressure that is above 140/90 mmHG should be treated. If a healthy lifestyle can no longer help, medication to lower blood pressure becomes necessary. Stiftung Warentest tested 66 popular prescription antihypertensives.
The product testers evaluated studies on the medications, looked at how well the individual blood pressure lowering drugs work and whether the benefits outweigh the risks. The 66 medications included ACE inhibitors, sartans, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, beta blockers and alpha-2 antagonists. All blood pressure lowering drugs in the test are suitable. But be careful: not for everyone. There is no one remedy that helps everyone equally.
Some people who also suffer from a chronic dry cough do not tolerate ACE inhibitors very well. People who have significantly impaired kidney function due to high blood pressure may be well advised to take Furosemide 40, for example. If high blood pressure is present during pregnancy, Metoprolol 100 retard may be suitable. And if an overproduction of the hormone aldosterone is responsible for blood pressure, Spironolactone Accord 25mg can be a good choice.
Which antihypertensive is the best choice for whom depends, among other things, on age and blood pressure level, but also on whether there may be interactions with other medications or whether you are pregnant. Doctors decide accordingly about the right medication and also about whether a blood pressure lowering medication needs to be changed because a patient cannot tolerate it. Side effects are not atypical. The most common symptoms include fatigue and dizziness, which usually subside after a period of getting used to it.
You can find the complete drug test for a fee on test.de
Source: Robert Koch Institute, German Heart Foundation
