Blood pressure medication
Blood pressure is a measurement of the strength of your body’s blood against the walls of your arteries and blood vessels. When blood pressure is high, the force of the blood against the vessel walls becomes too great, which can lead to many different types of complications.
When you have your blood pressure tested by a physician or by a home testing device, you will receive a readout of two numbers. Understanding what these numbers mean and where they come from will help you know exactly what your individual blood pressure reading really means.
Your blood pressure reading will be made up of two numbers. The doctor will likely read your blood pressure measurement as one number “over” another. The number above is the systolic pressure. It is the force of the blood in the arteries whenever the heart beats. The number below is the diastolic pressure which is the force of the blood in the arteries whenever a heart rests in between beats.
120/80 or below is the standard range for healthy blood pressure, while 140/90 and above means that a person has high blood pressure. A high blood pressure reading can indicate a host of potentially dangerous heart and body complications. Keeping your blood pressure at an optimal level is an on-going task, and it is best to get your blood pressure checked as often as possible, at least every time you visit your doctor.
Several complications can arise in the body can if a person has high blood pressure. One of the most dangerous outcomes stemming from high blood pressure is a stroke. A high blood pressure can break a destabilized blood vessel, thus making it bleed and leak into the brain, which is the cause of a stroke. Strokes are known to have dangerous, long-lasting effects on the body and can often times lead to death.
Other complications from high blood pressure might not be as potentially fatal as a stroke, but they are serious nonetheless. In cases of extremely high blood pressure, blood vessels in the eyes will have the tendency to rupture or bleed.. An impaired or blurring vision is the outcome, or worse, blindness. This is another reason for you to properly manage your blood pressure.
Aside from stroke, kidney and heart disease, people who have high blood pressure are also at risk of heart attack. The arteries’ job is to bring blood that carries oxygen to the muscle of the heart. If a heart is lacking in oxygen, a person will experience a pain in his or her chest. If there is a blockage in the flow of blood, then it can be a cause for heart attack, which a potentially fatal outcome.
A congestive heart failure is what people suffering from high blood pressure can also experience. It is a common but grave condition where the heart is unable to pump sufficient blood to provide what your body needs. This can be a very dangerous complication, and can lead to serious health problems.
For those who are taking blood pressure medications along with other pills and medicines, sticking to a daily medication routine can become quite the daunting task. It is easy to get confused or to mix up and forget certain medications. Here are some guidelines to follow to ensure that you are able to maintain the proper regimen of medications:
1, Use a pillbox for all of your daily medications, and be sure to fill each day’s compartment will all of the medications you need to take. If some medications need to be taken more than once daily, use a separate pill box for each time of the day that you need to take pills.
2, Place all your medicines on the bathroom sink or somewhere else noticeable so you will never fail to take each of them everyday.
3, Make it a habit of taking all your medications along with you. You can bring them whenever you eat lunch if you are required to take them with food. Doing this everyday will serve as your reminder that it is necessary to take your blood pressure medicines as prescribed by your doctor.
4, Putting notes in places where you can always see them is one way to remind yourself about taking your pills. Places like the refrigerator, computer, phone or mirror are great spots to put your notes. You can also change the color of the paper each day or week for you to know that the notes posted are for that particular day.
5, Another way to not forget taking your blood pressure medicines is by creating a small chart. Use pencils or pens that have various colors in case you are taking different kinds of medicine. Doing so will help you be more organized when keeping track of your medications.
6, Ask a spouse, friend, or relative to help you remember to take your medications every day. A quick phone call can ensure that nothing gets missed!
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