Sylvia Hubbard
Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007

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Doctors shouldn't routinely prescribe beta-blocking drugs to their patients who have high blood pressure, says a new study. Other drugs work better, cost less and cause fewer side effects.

Beta-blockers and diuretics have been the mainstay for treatment of high blood pressure for decades. But a review of ten studies of elderly people with hypertension found that about two-thirds of the patients were able to control their high blood pressure by diuretics alone, while less than one-third of those on beta-blockers had their blood pressure under control.

Doctors use four classes of drugs to control hypertension: beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers, and ACE inhibitors.

Beta-blockers block the effects of adrenaline, slowing the heart so it doesn't have to work as hard. Inexpensive diuretics reduce blood pressure by helping the body rid itself of excess amounts of water and sodium. Calcium-channel blockers and ACE inhibitors work by relaxing the walls of blood vessels and allowing blood to flow more smoothly.

Growing evidence shows that diuretics and the newer calcium-channel blockers and ACE inhibitors reduce blood pressure better than beta-blockers without their side effects that often include fatigue and sexual dysfunction.

Dr. Franz Messerli, one of the authors of the study, and his colleagues found that patients with high blood pressure who took beta-blockers reduced their risk of stroke 16 to 22 percent when compared with a placebo, but other classes of drugs reduced the risk an average of 38 percent.

"We in medicine like to say that we practice evidence-based medicine," said Messerli, who is a cardiologist at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. "What's the evidence here?" he asked, for continuing to use beta-blockers. "Zero," he answered. "To my way of thinking this is pretty alarming."

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Still, say experts, beta-blockers are very beneficial for patients who have already had a heart attack, and may work for those who have heart failure.

© NewsMax 2007. All rights reserved.

Editor's note:
Doctor: Keep Your Heart Healthy! Find Out How

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