How much does antihypertensive medication cost?
Hypertension is a common disease in our daily lives. When patients are diagnosed with hypertension, they often need to take antihypertensive drugs for a long time. Currently, there are various types of antihypertensive drugs available, and the prices of different drugs vary. When choosing antihypertensive drugs, patients must consult with their doctors. Based on the patient's physical condition and illness, doctors will recommend suitable drugs, resulting in different costs.
Currently, there are many types of antihypertensive drugs available, including diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The prices of these drugs vary, and each drug has different brands. Typically, the monthly cost of these drugs ranges from tens to over 100 yuan.
2.1 Diuretics include hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide, furosemide, amiloride, spironolactone, etc. Diuretics are a broad category, and based on their mechanism of action and the location of their effect on the renal tubules, they can be further classified into thiazide diuretics, loop diuretics, potassium-sparing diuretics, etc. Diuretics have been used for hypertension treatment for over half a century. By adjusting blood volume and improving blood pressure, they are one of the most commonly used antihypertensive drugs in clinical practice. Besides regulating blood pressure, diuretics also have protective effects on the cardiovascular system and can reduce the mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases. Clinically, low-dose diuretics are often used in combination with other antihypertensive drugs to treat refractory hypertension, salt-sensitive hypertension, hypertension complicated by heart failure, etc. Thiazide diuretics are the most widely used, while other diuretics can be selected based on the patient's condition.
2.2 Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs) include nifedipine, amlodipine, felodipine, lacidipine, diltiazem, verapamil, etc. These drugs can be further divided into two categories: dihydropyridine and non-dihydropyridine. Dihydropyridine drugs, such as various "dipine" drugs, mainly act on arterial vessels and have good antihypertensive effects. Non-dihydropyridine drugs, such as diltiazem and verapamil, have less selective effects on blood vessels, can slow down heart rate, and have no risk of tachycardia. They can be used as alternative drugs for patients who cannot tolerate beta-blockers.
2.3 Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEIs) include captopril, enalapril, benazepril, ramipril, lisinopril, fosinopril, etc. These drugs work by inhibiting vasoconstriction and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, thereby improving and relaxing arterial and venous vessels and reducing blood pressure. Besides effectively lowering blood pressure, ACEIs can prevent the degradation of bradykinin, which promotes the repair of myocardial cells. Therefore, ACEIs can both lower blood pressure and protect the heart. In the treatment of hypertension in patients with heart failure, ACEIs are one of the preferred drug combinations. Additionally, ACEIs can relax renal arterioles, making them suitable for conditions such as hypertension complicated by diabetes, diabetic nephropathy, and microalbuminuria. Except for the oldest drug, captopril, other ACEIs are long-acting drugs that only need to be taken once a day, resulting in good medication compliance.
2.4 Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) include valsartan, losartan, candesartan, telmisartan, olmesartan, etc. The mechanism of action of ARBs is similar to that of ACEIs, both belonging to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors. Compared to ACEIs, ARBs directly act on angiotensin receptors, avoiding the escape phenomenon of angiotensin, resulting in good antihypertensive effects and rare adverse reactions such as dry cough. Therefore, ARBs are often used as alternative drugs for patients who cannot tolerate the dry cough caused by ACEIs. These drugs also have good protective effects on the heart and kidneys, but their protective effects on the myocardium are weaker than ACEIs due to the lack of bradykinin degradation inhibition. ARBs are good choices for the treatment of primary hypertension, hypertension complicated by diabetes, hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertension with diabetic nephropathy, and hypertension with microalbuminuria.
2.5 Beta-Blockers
