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continued:
Vasodilators
Uses for vasodilators
Doctors prescribe vasodilators to prevent, treat or improve symptoms in a variety of conditions, such as:
- High blood pressure
- High blood pressure during pregnancy or childbirth (preeclampsia or eclampsia)
- Heart failure
- High blood pressure that affects the arteries in your lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
Side effects and cautions
Vasodilators are strong medications and are generally used only as a last resort, when other medications haven't adequately controlled your blood pressure.
These medications have a number of side effects, some of which require taking other medications to counter those effects.
Side effects include:
- Chest pain
- Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Heart palpitations
- Fluid retention (edema)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Flushing
- Headache
- Nasal congestion
- Excessive hair growth
In addition, some vasodilators can increase your risk of developing lupus, a connective tissue disease.
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References
- Flynn JT. Treatment of high blood pressure: Drug therapy. In: Kaplan NM, et al. Kaplan's Clinical Hypertension. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010:192.
- Types of blood pressure medications. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Types-of-Blood-Pressure-Medications_UCM_303247_Article.jsp. Accessed Sept. 30, 2010.
- High blood pressure: Medicines to help you. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/byaudience/forwomen/ucm118594.htm. Accessed Sept. 30, 2010.
- Kaplan NM, et al. Indications and contraindications to the use of specific antihypertensive drugs. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 30, 2010.
- Chobanian AV, et al. The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. New England Journal of Medicine. 2003;289:2560.
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