VASODILATOR
Vasodilators are medicines
that act directly on muscles in blood vessel walls to make blood
vessels widen (dilate).
Purpose
Vasodilators are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension ).
By widening the arteries, these drugs allow blood to flow through
more easily, reducing blood pressure. Controlling high blood
pressure is important because the condition puts a burden on the
heart and the arteries, which can lead to permanent damage over
time. If untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk of heart
attacks, heart failure, stroke, or kidney failure. Vasodilators
usually are prescribed with other types of blood pressure drugs and
rarely are used alone.
Description
Examples of Vasodilators are Hydralazine (Apresoline) and Minoxidil
(Loniten). The Vasodilator Hydralazine also may be used to control
high blood pressure in pregnant women or to bring down extremely
high blood pressure in emergency situations. In the forms used for
treating high blood pressure (tablets or injections), these drugs
are available only with a physician's prescription. A liquid form of
Minoxidil, used to promote hair growth in people with certain kinds
of baldness and is applied directly to the scalp, is sold without a
prescription.
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