Should You Take ACE Inhibitors Today?ACE inhibitors, as with most blood pressure medications, have beneficial and harmful effects. I'll give you some information that you can use to decide whether or not to take an inhibitor. My doctor prescribed Lisinopril (one of these inhibitors) when he first diagnosed me with high blood pressure. I took it for a few weeks, and it did work in reducing my hypertension. However, I didn't like the idea of taking it. Of course, he told me that high blood pressure is called the silent killer. That worried me. Then, I read a summary of an article that had run in the New England Journal of Medicine. This article covered a huge research project in which the death rates of people with hypertension were studied. The study compared the death rates of hypertensives who used blood pressure medications to those who didn't. The shocking results was that the average age at death for the two groups was nearly the same! That was enough for me - I decided to work for normal blood pressure through diet and other natural means. How ACE Inhibitors work ACE means Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme. Angiotensin is a biochemical released when blood pressure drops. Here is the pathway along which that occurs: A biochemical called renin is released by the kidneys. Renin cleaves a liver produced biochemical into Angiotensin I. ACE now goes to work converting Angiotensin I into Angiotensin II. Angiotensin II then acts to increase blood pressure. This process is counter productive in people who already have high blood pressure because a drop in blood pressure isn't threatening in the least. In this case, all the Angiotensin II does is keep the blood pressure up. An ACE inhibitor stops ACE from working, thus stopping the production of Angiotensin II and the subsequent increase in blood pressure. Other pathways exist to produce Angiotensin II, so the inhibitors are only partially effective and don't work on everyone with high blood pressure. List of ACE Inhibitors In parentheses are the various trade names of the drugs. Captopril (Capoten), the first inhibitor in this class. Is your drug on this list? Drug companies market new ones occasionally, so it might not be. Check the descriptive mini-pamphlet that comes with your prescription. It will tell you what type your medication is. Naturally occurring ACE inhibitors do exist - Milk products break down in the body into some. The probiotic Lactobacillus helveticus produces some inhibitors as well. Adverse Effects Adverse effects include abnormally low blood pressure, coughing, retention of potassium, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and renal impairment. I observe coughing regularly in a friend who takes one of these inhibitors. I never experienced the adverse effects myself as I probably didn't take Lisinopril long enough. The most serious adverse effect is renal impairment. Patients who are on pain killers labeled NSAIDs and diuretics who then take an inhibitor could suffer renal failure, which could be life threatening. Anyone taking these inhibitors should remain aware of the adverse effects and inform her/his doctor immediately should any of them occur. Okay, now you have the information. You can reduce your blood pressure easily with ACE Inhibitors or with the more difficult, but healthier, natural means. I chose a normal blood pressure diet over the inhibitors. How about you? Return to Blood Pressure Medications
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