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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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- Vasodilators: Patient education. MD Consult. http://www.mdconsult.com. Accessed Nov. 18, 2008.
- Initial antihypertensive therapy: Drugdex Consults. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com/. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Blood pressure-lowering drugs. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=159. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Sheps SG, ed. Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2008:190.
