MEDICATIONS: ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO HYPERTENSION: WHEN DRUGS DO NOT WORK

If you have hypertension, you will work closely with your doctor to develop a medication treatment plan that works best for you. However, if the drugs are not helping, you may want to consider the following possible causes of ineffective drug treatment. If you think any of these factors could be interfering with your drug therapy, be sure to tell your doctor.

· Medication causes unpleasant or embarrassing side effects

· Medication is too expensive (taking only part of a dose or skipping doses)

· Instructions for taking medication not clear

· Medication is inconvenient to take

· Forget to take medication

· Not happy with medication choice

· Weight gain

· Drinking alcohol

· Smoking cigarettes

· Chewing tobacco

· Taking other drugs that may interfere:

o Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as aspirin or other pain-killers)

o Oral contraceptives

o Sympathomimetics (such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, appetite suppressants, asthma and allergy medications, cold remedies and nasal decongestants)

o Antidepressants

o Cyclosporine

o Erythropoietin

o Cocaine

Excerpted from: Essential Guide to Hypertension, American Medical Association, 1998.