What is the Relationship Between a Decongestant and Blood Pressure?

Using a decongestant can help to relieve symptoms of the common cold, but there is a relationship between decongestant and blood pressure that patients need to aware of. Using these types of medications can cause the patient’s blood pressure to increase. A decongestant may also interfere with medications prescribed to bring high blood pressure under control. Due to these two problems, a person who has high blood pressure should avoid using decongestants altogether.

Unless a person gets regular medical checkups, he or she may not know that they have high blood pressure, since this health concern doesn‘t produce any symptoms. When the condition is diagnosed, the doctor will discuss treatment options, which may include lifestyle changes or medications to bring the blood pressure down to a normal level.

An individual who has high blood pressure is at a higher risk for a number of serious cardiovascular conditions, including heart attack and stroke. This condition is also linked to other disorders, such as kidney disease. High blood pressure is not only a condition affecting middle-aged men; women and younger people can and do live with it as well. When children are diagnosed with high blood pressure it is usually connected to an underlying disorder.

When a patient is diagnosed with this condition, he or she should make a point of asking about drug interactions, including with over the counter drugs. The doctor may not mention the relationship between decongestant and blood pressure, and it is important that a patent has this important information when making decisions about what to take for common ailments.

Decongestants work by decreasing the level of blood flow to the nasal region. As a result, the person using the medication gets relief from the sinus congestion that is associated with a cold. Common decongestants include pseudoephedrine, naphazoline, and oxymetazoline. A person who has been cautioned about decongestant and blood pressure should check the packaging to make sure that the cold remedy they are considering doesn’t contain one of these ingredients.

Not knowing about how decongestant and blood pressure are related can be dangerous if a person who has hypertension takes a decongestant. Along with getting regular checkups that include a blood pressure reading, it’s important for high blood pressure patients to check the packaging on all cold and flu medications before taking one. If in doubt about whether to take something because of the decongestant and blood pressure link, check with a doctor or pharmacist first.