I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

If your blood pressure is extremely high (above 180/110 mmHg) your doctor will almost
certainly prescribe antihypertensive drugs immediately

If you have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or kidney disease it is especially important to have good control of your blood pressure. Thus, your doctor likely will prescribe drug treatment immediately.

If you have less severe hypertension, your doctor will usually give you advice on lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure, and then assess the effect of these changes after a few weeks. Most of these changes are common sense, such as changing your diet, increasing your physical activity, losing weight, stop smoking, and reducing alcohol intake. Your doctor may even prescribe an exercise program at the local gym!

Your doctor will schedule a return visit to the clinic to determine whether or not the lifestyle changes were effective to reduce your blood pressure. The return visit may be within a couple of week, a few months, or you may even be asked to make another appointment in a year if your blood pressure is only slightly raised. At the return visit, your doctor may prescribe blood pressure lowering medication, also called antihypertensive drugs, if the lifestyle changes did not reduce your blood pressure to a safe level.