Asthmaitself is associated withhigh blood pressure.
It’s also possible for asthma medications like albuterol to raise blood pressure.
Whilehypertension medications can worsen asthma symptoms, asthma medications usually don’t induce or worsen hypertension.
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However, there are certain risk factors that may pose some related concerns, including severe heart disease.
Does Asthma Medication Raise Blood Pressure?
Your healthcare provider will treat your asthma with the medication that is most likely to control your breathing issues.
The effect ofasthma inhalerson blood pressure is not measurable except in certain circumstances when people have severe health risks.
In general, steroids and beta-agonists are the asthma drugs most associated with hypertension.
If your symptoms are not adequately managed with the dosage prescribed for you, speak with your healthcare provider.
While effective for these purposes, beta-2 agonists can complicate hypertension to an extent.
Consider how hypertension medications work.
They arebeta-blockers, meaning they have the opposite effect of beta-agonists.
Others are non-specific drugs that counteract beta-1 receptorsandbeta-2 receptors, which makes them potentially harmful for people with asthma.
Rescue inhalers, which commonly contain albuterol, can also raise blood pressure.
Special Considerations
Again, for most people, asthma medications won’t negatively affect blood pressure.
But the potential is there and must be considered for certain people.
Heart Disease
Asthma treatments may pose a risk for people who have a pre-existing heart condition.
Research suggests that beta-2 agonists can cause blood pressure problems for people who have severe heart disease.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy can pose some asthma concerns, but for different reasons that are worth noting.
Asthma is associated with an increased risk of maternal hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia.
This is not correlated with asthma medication use and the cause is not fully understood.
However, it does highlight the importance of good asthma control during pregnancy.
But only they can determine what is best for both managing your asthma and your risk of hypertension exacerbation.
There is a slightly increased risk of birth malformations in babies born to women who have asthma.
Be sure to take your medications as prescribed, and if needed, monitor your blood pressure at home.
If you have signs and symptoms of a hypertensive emergency, seek help right away.
Managing asthma requires taking your other medical conditions and medications into account.
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