Over-The-Counter Drugs Induce Hypertension

Some over-the-counter drugs may induce hypertension.

These includes contraceptive pills, various anti-depressants, anti-inflammatory pills to control pain and antibiotics. According to Prof. Ehud Grossman of Tel Av University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the chemical components of these drugs can induce hypertension. And although these medications induce high blood pressure, both the patients and doctors remain uninformed.

Over-the-counter drugs can be bought without prescription, thus they are always viewed as harmless drugs. Because of that, they are often times overlooked when diagnosing hypertension. However, many of these drugs  appear to have a connection with the rise in blood pressure.

Although hypertension is a known side effect of many of these over-the-counter drugs, often times, doctors fail to inform  and account for these in their treatment plan. Ultimately, physicians are responsible for the patient's best course of action when treating the disease.

They can decrease the dosage or add an anti-hypertensive drug treatment. But in any case, both doctors and patients should raise their awareness.

"Many physicians don't account for this, and some don't even know about it. It's their responsibility to be informed and make sure that their patients are aware of this possibility." says Prof. Ehud.