They also lower total blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Possible side effects include dizziness, headache, pounding heartbeat, nausea and weakness. Central-acting agents prevent the brain from sending signals to the nervous system to speed up the heart rate and narrow the blood vessels. Possible side effects include fatigue, drowsiness or sedation, impotence, dry mouth, headaches, weight gain, impaired thinking and psychological problems, including depression. Stopping use of some of central-acting agents can cause your blood pressure to escalate to dangerously high levels quickly.
Direct vasodilators prevent the muscles in the artery walls from tightening and narrowing.
Common side effects include a fast heartbeat and water retention. Other possible side effects include gastrointestinal problems, dizziness, headaches, nasal congestion, excessive body hair growth and swollen gums. If blood pressure cannot be controlled effectively with one drug, your doctor may increase the dosage, try a different drug or add another drug to the drug you're already taking. Combination drug therapy can increase from 50 to 80 percent the number of people who respond positively to high blood pressure medication. These monitors are the most accurate and are the standard by which other monitors are judged.