What are the most common side effects of antihypertensives that patients should be alerted to prior to starting therapy?
While patients should be alerted to and continuously surveyed for the adverse medication effects (listed below), it is important to stress that such effects are uncommon and not to be expected.
- • Diuretics: photosensitivity, rash, hypokalemia, hyperuricemia/gout, impaired glucose tolerance, erectile dysfunction, orthostatic hypotension
- • ACEi: cough, hyperkalemia, angioedema, small elevations in creatinine due to hemodynamic changes
- • ARBs: hyperkalemia, cough (rarely), and angioedema (controversial), elevations in creatinine
- • Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (amlodipine and others): lower-extremity edema, flushing, headache, gingival hyperplasia
- • Non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (diltiazem, verapamil): headache, edema, fatigue, constipation, gingival hyperplasia
- • β-blockers: bronchospasm, hypoglycemic unawareness (among those with diabetes), weight gain, unmasking of peripheral vascular disease; it is unclear if β-blockers cause depression or erectile dysfunction
- • α-blockers: urinary incontinence, orthostatic hypotension.
