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THE

New Medications
For Blood Pressure

The Premier Retirement Community Mere Exceptional Service is our Standard.

MARSHALL FRANKLIN
Special to The Jewish News

H

ypertension (high blood
pressure) was a dreaded con-
dition until the last half of
the 20th century. Its first
symptoms were often a heart attack or
stroke, and if that wasn't bad enough,
there was no treatment for hypertension
until the 1950s.
The first medications found to treat
hypertension were a group of drugs
called thiazide diuretics. Their primary
action removed salt and water from the
circulation through the kidneys.
Initially, they were only used for that
purpose until someone recognized they
also lowered blood pressure, as a signifi-
cant side effect. However, thiazides were
only effective in controlling mild hyper-
tension, while the potassium salts they
removed from the body could deplete
the stores of this vital element.
From the '50s through the '80s, doc-
tors often prescribed potassium supple-
ments with thiazides to avert the cardiac
irregularities, muscle cramps, fatigue
and other symptoms a low potassium
level caused.
In recent years low-dose thiazides
have been found just as effective as the
higher doses previously prescribed,
reducing the risk of developing potassi-
um depletion.
In the '70s, researchers developed
beta-blocker medications. These
blunted the effect of adrenaline and
related substances on the circulation,
resulting in lower blood pressure and
slower pulse. It was also found com-
bining thiazides with beta blockers led
to a more potent anti-hypertensive
effect.
In the late '70s and early '80s, a
group of medicines called calcium chan-
nel blockers (CCBs) were released for
clinical use. These medicines reduced
blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels
and reducing the resistance against
which the heart had to pump.
However, some of these medications
had adverse side effects. One, in partic-
ular, called nifedipine, did very well in
controlling blood pressure but increased
the risk of heart attack and reduced
overall survival in some groups of heart-
attack patients. The development of
slow-release forms of nifedipine and

Dr. Marshall Franklin writes for
Copley News Service.

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