High blood pressure — or hypertension as it is also known — is a condition that increases your chances of developing serious health problems like stroke, heart attack, dementia and kidney disease.

Most people with high blood pressure don’t feel sick or unwell, so they don’t realise they have it. Indeed, high blood pressure is often said to be a ‘silent killer’, because most people don’t feel any symptoms until it has caused considerable damage to their bodies.

The silent nature of high blood pressure means that usually the only way of knowing that you have high blood pressure is by having your blood pressure taken — which is why doctors check your blood pressure periodically.  How often it is checked depends on your age and situation.

Who needs treatment

You are regarded as having normal blood pressure if your blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg or less. This score is commonly referred to as 120 over 80.

Generally, you are regarded as having high blood pressure if your blood pressure is greater than 140/90 mmHg or 140 over 90.

If you have no other factors that make you more likely to develop heart disease, doctors usually recommend that you start treatment when your blood pressure is greater than 140/90 mmHg.

However, if you have other conditions, such as diabetes or kidney disease that make you more likely to develop heart disease, or if you already have heart disease, your doctor may recommend that you start treatment at a lower level of blood pressure.

Treatment

Reducing your blood pressure to normal levels reduces your risk of developing serious health problems like stroke, heart attack and dementia in the future.

For some people, lifestyle changes — such as losing weight, reducing the amount of salt in their food, exercising regularly and quitting smoking — are enough to reduce their blood pressure to normal levels.

However, for many people, lifestyle changes alone are not enough. They need to take blood pressure medicines long term — usually for the rest of their lives.

Usually, the only way of knowing that you have high

blood pressure is by having your blood pressure taken.

Medicines for high blood pressure are also known as anti-hypertensives, ie anti-high blood pressure medicines.

Many different medicines

There are many different high blood pressure medicines. The one your doctor prescribes for you will depend on your individual situation.

Each person responds differently to medicines, so you may need to try more than one medicine before you find the one that works best for you. In some cases, you may need to take a combination of two or three medicines in order to lower your blood pressure adequately.

Over time, you may need to increase the dose of your medicine, change to a different medicine, or add another medicine to keep your blood pressure under control.

Side effects

Like all medicines, blood pressure medicines can cause side effects. When they have found the medicine and dosage that suits them, most people experience only mild side effects, and many experience none.

If you experience any side effects, tell your doctor. They should be able to prescribe another medicine, or adjust the dosage so you don’t experience the side effect.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist what side effects you should watch out for, and what you should do if you experience them. For a comprehensive list of your medicine’s side effects, read the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) leaflet for your medicine.

Interactions

Some blood pressure medicines interact with other medicines, including over-the-counter, and complementary and alternative medicines.

When starting a new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist about all the medicines you are taking- — including any you have bought without a prescription at a pharmacy, supermarket or health food store or over the internet — to ensure that you are not given a medicine that could interact with one of your existing medicines.

Some blood pressure medicines interact with some foods and drinks, such as grapefruit and liquorice. Ask your doctor or pharmacist, or read the Consumer Medicine Information leaflet for your medicine to see if there are any food or drinks you should avoid.

Take every day

It is important that you take your blood pressure medicines every day, even when your blood pressure has returned to normal, and even when you feel well, unless your doctor advises otherwise. If you stop taking them, your blood pressure will almost certainly rise again.

High blood pressure tends to worsen with age, and you cannot tell if you have high blood pressure by the way you feel. It is essential that you take your blood pressure medicine every day and have your doctor check your blood pressure regularly if you are to keep it under control.  Keeping your blood pressure at normal levels will reduce your chances of serious problems like heart disease and dementia.

Special instructions

Blood pressure medicines should be taken at the same time each day. Ask your doctor or pharmacist, or read the medicine’s Consumer Medicine Information leaflet for advice about when to take your medicine.

Some blood pressure medicines should be taken with food, while others should be taken on an empty stomach. Taking them the wrong way can lead to a marked drop in blood pressure, which can cause dizziness and fainting. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist, or read the medicine’s Consumer Medicine Information leaflet for advice.

Don’t share your blood pressure medicines with other people. High blood pressure medicines work differently in different people, so you could give someone a medicine that is harmful to them.

Maintain healthy lifestyle too

Keeping your blood pressure normal will reduce your chances

of future problems like heart disease and dementia.

Improving your lifestyle can reduce and sometimes even eliminate the need to take blood pressure medicines at all. These changes can help to reduce high blood pressure:

• quitting smoking
• losing weight
• reducing the amount of salt you eat in food
• limiting the amount of alcohol you drink to one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men
• exercising for at least 30 minutes each day.