BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : OCTOBER 16, 2000 ISSUE
BUSINESSWEEK LIFESTYLE Pressure-Lowering Drugs DIURETICS (chlorathalidone, hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide) Also called water pills, they flush excess water and salt from the body; the first-line treatment recommended by federal guidelines BETA BLOCKERS (atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol) Another suggested first-line treatment, they block adrenaline, causing the heart to beat slower and less forcefully ACE INHIBITORS (benazepril, enalapril, lisinopril) The most commonly prescribed hypertension drugs, they block the formation of a hormone that narrows blood vessels ANGIOTENSIN II RECEPTOR BLOCKERS (losartan, irbesartan, valsartan) Newer versions of ACE inhibitors that block the damaging hormone itself rather than its formation CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS (amlodipine, diltiazem, nifedipine, verapamil, others) These controversial but popular drugs block calcium from entering the muscle of blood vessels, so that the vessel relaxes DATA: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG & BLOOD INSTITUTE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _					RELATED ITEMS Are You Taking the Right Pill? TABLE: Pressure-Lowering Drugs INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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