Appropriate use of Antihypertensive
Antihypertensive is used to treat hypertension among patients discovered to have hypertension at a health screening at work. It has a quick impact in relieving both symptoms and severity of hypertension ( Hamdidouche et. al., 2017) . It is also used to treat other conditions like stroke, myocardial infarction, dementia, heart failure among other complications that occur as a result of high blood pressure.
Understanding the use of antihypertensive is important in enabling patients to apply the right medication for the right purpose. This reduces incidences of drug abuse such as using antihypertensive to treat other conditions for which it is not intended.
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Specific Factors that may affect the efficacy of antihypertensive
Age - Antihypertensive dosage is more likely to function effectively among children than in older adults. This is because hypertension occurring in older adults is likely to be heightened by other factors such as occurrence of other complications and lifestyle. These factors are less likely to affect children.
Patient’s Literacy level- A literate patient easily interprets instructions while an illiterate patient is likely to misinterpret instructions. Misinterpretation of instructions on dosage lowers the efficacy of antihypertensive medication.
Cultural/Religious factors- A patient affiliated to a culture or religion which believes that healing is a sole responsibility of the creator may not adhere to effective antihypertensive dosage. This adversely affects its efficacy.
Economic status - This affects the ease with which a patient can afford antihypertensive medication. Patients from higher economic classes can easily afford antihypertensive than patients from lower economic class, which means lower level of efficacy among economically poor patients.
It is important to understand how these factors affect the efficacy of antihypertensive medication in order to work on eliminating barriers to effective dosage while improving its level of efficacy.
Side effects and negative reactions associated with the use of antihypertensive
The most common side effects cause by antihypertensive medication include anemia, constipation, dizziness, lightheadedness, weaknesses when waking up, dry mouth, drowsiness, erection problems, fever and allergic reactions. However, most of these side effects occur in mild form. Patients should be aware of these side effects so as to avoid those to which they are predisposed through such means as consulting the doctor before taking antihypertensive dosage.
Correct handling, storage, and disposal of the medication
The medication should be stored in a cool and dry place, away from the reach of children. Unless specified by the label, antihypertensive should not be stored under refrigeration. It should be administered by an adult as per the doctor’s prescriptions. Expired or unwanted antihypertensive medication should be disposed safely in dustbins and not in open places accessible to children.
Proper disposal ensures that the drug is not used incorrectly, which helps to avoid incidences of drug abuse.
Reference
Hamdidouche, I., Jullien, V., Boutouyrie, P., Billaud, E., Azizi, M., & Laurent, S. (2017). Routine urinary detection of antihypertensive drugs for systematic evaluation of adherence to treatment in hypertensive patients. Journal of hypertension , 35 (9), 1891-1898.
