How to write a nursing essay on Antihypertensive Drugs (Solved)

How to write a nursing essay on Antihypertensive Drugs (Solved)

  1. Briefly describe the therapeutic actions of drugs affecting blood pressure (diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, CCB, sympathetic nervous system drugs).

The cardiac output in humans can be increased by the use of medicines for blood pressure. Before hypertension, blood pressure can be controlled through the lifestyle that an individual lead, such as reduced alcohol intake, moderation in the intake of saturated fats, reduction of sodium intake, and weight loss, among other interventions. Diuretics are considered effective compared to other hypersensitive drugs and are always the first choice in the treatment of hypertension (Strauss et al., 2021). The thiazide and thiazide-like drugs apply to all age groups and races unless a patient has a history of chronic kidney disease. They are effective in getting rid of sodium and chlorine components from the body through urine. The action helps reduce the amount of water in the body leading to decreased fluids in blood vessels and thus lower blood pressure.

ACE inhibitors are well known for the inhibition of Bradykinin Metabolism and the prevention of Angiotensin II from forming and thus making it possible for the blood vessels to dilate. The result will be a decrease in arterial pressure in the heart. ARBs, on the other hand, prevent Angiotensin II from binding to the receptors leading to vasodilation of the blood vessels and lowering pressure (Scott et al., 2019). The CCB is responsible for preventing calcium ions from reaching the heart muscles and the blood vessels, and this also helps reduce the amount of blood pressure in the body of a human being. Sympathetic nervous system drugs include both beta and alpha-blockers. The Beta-blockers work by inhibiting adrenaline which affects the sympathetic effects leading to low blood pressure. They reduce the amount of resin produced from the kidneys, making it impossible for the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathway to be activated, thus leading to vasoconstriction (Strauss, Hall, & Narkiewicz, 2021). Alpha-blockers block norepinephrine leading to tightening of blood vessel muscles leading to vasodilation. The blockers are considered cheaper and quite effective compared to other antihypertensive drugs.

  1. What should important teaching points be addressed for patients receiving antihypertensive drugs?

It is important to emphasize that the patients receiving antihypertensive drugs maintain a lifestyle that does not endanger them. Eating healthy and avoiding the intake of too much alcohol would be an important strategy to help in the process. There is a need to eat a balanced diet to ensure the body is well nourished and can get rid of specific elements that are not needed in the body (Cho et al., 2022). Another important teaching point to the patients includes the need for regular exercise. This can help improve how the drugs are working in the body. Weight loss is another important teaching point that the patients should be aware of. Increased body weight increases the risk of making the drugs ineffective in the body. Monitoring weight will help understand how the body retains fluids, which can be observed in the ankles and feet. Optimum drug absorption is important to patients, and they should always ensure that they take the drug one hour before they take their meals, or they can take the drugs hours after they have had their meals. It is also important to make the patient and their family aware of the drug’s effects on their body (Cho et al., 2022). It includes the manifestations that would make it necessary for them to report to increase adherence to the drugs. It is advisable to make the patients aware that they should monitor their hepatic and renal function to observe whether there is any failure to help determine whether there is a need to reduce the drug dosage.

References

Cho, M. C., Sung, K. C., Cho, E. J., & Shin, J. (2022). Clinical Pharmacology of Antihypertensive Drugs. In Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease in Asia (pp. 285-298). Springer, Cham.

Scott, I. A., Hilmer, S. N., & Le Couteur, D. G. (2019). Going beyond the guidelines in individualising antihypertensive drugs in older patients. Drugs & Aging, 36(8), 675-685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-019-00683-8

Strauss, M. H., Hall, A. S., & Narkiewicz, K. (2021). The combination of beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors across the spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-021-07248-1

Related Posts:

Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you!
ORDER NOW