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If you are afflicted by high blood pressure that doesn’t change with medications, you may have something called resistant hypertension. What makes it happen and what can be done about this?

Hypertension is a well known medical problem that usually can be treated through a mixture of lifestyle changes and prescription drugs. It is unfortunate that some people have a hard time controlling their blood pressure, even when consuming multiple medications for high blood pressure. Resistant hypertension or resistant high blood pressure are the medical terms used to describe the condition that occurs when blood pressure remains elevated even though the patient uses three or more medications meant to treat the condition.

Resistant hypertension may affect as many as 1 in 4 individuals who have high blood pressure, and can be challenging for both the patient and for their physician. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to bring down your blood pressure if you have been diagnosed with resistant high blood pressure, but you should never change your prescribed treatment without consulting with your physician.

White coat hypertension is one factor to be considered when your blood pressure is always high. A number of people have normal blood pressure readings at home, but when they go to their doctor, the readings in that environment are usually higher, most likely because of the added stress level. It might be an advantage for you to take your blood pressure readings in other places besides your doctor’s office at other times of day, for several weeks. Many pharmacies have the equipment required to take blood pressure at home; this doesn’t cost too much and it is isn’t hard to use. Your physician will be more informed and able to make a decision on your true resistant high blood pressure status if you maintain a record of your blood pressures taken at home.

Your lifestyle factors are another consideration with resistant high blood pressure. Despite using your medications for blood pressure as prescribed, if you have too much salt in your diet, this might be part of the problem. A diet high in salt can raise blood pressure, as well as raise the possibility of heart disease. When shopping, be sure to carefully read labels, to make sure you are not ingesting more sodium than you think you should on a daily basis. Limiting sodium intake to below 1500 milligrams daily may be helpful in alleviating the problem of resistant hypertension. A diet that includes abundant fruits and vegetables is also helpful in reducing resistant high blood pressure, by supplying the body with the mineral potassium, an important nutrient for controlling blood pressure. If you weigh too much, eliminating your extra pounds can assist with lowering blood pressure, as can exercising everyday.

What happens when these easy lifestyle alterations don’t help? If resistant high blood pressure persists even after lifestyle changes have been made and medications have been used, it is possible that another medical issue, such as kidney disease, is the culprit. Your physician might desire more tests.