High blood pressure is a common health problem these days. People suffering from hypertension have to make many changes in their lives, such as dietary changes and exercising. Besides these, they also need to learn how to take care of themselves when they suffer from other day to day health problems like the common cold. This is one problem that every one faces but for people who have high blood pressure, it can turn into a serious problem as the over-the-counter cold medications available have some substances that should not be used by hypertensive patients. Just as sodium can increase their blood pressure, in the same way these medications can also have an adverse effect on their blood pressure.

The purpose of cold medications is to give relief while cold runs its course. Hypertensive patients can also get this relief but with certain safety precautions.

The most harmful ingredient for blood pressure is the decongestants that most over-the-counter flu and cold medications contain. Medicines such as Robitussin, Tylenol Cold, Sudafed and Alka-Seltzer Plus can cause the blood pressure to rise. Hence, people who are suffering from high blood pressure, when they are trying to get rid of sniffles and cough they need to stay away from decongestant ingredients such as Naphazoline, Phenylephrine and Propylhexedrine. Before buying any medicine, they must read its contents label and check whether the medicine does not have any decongestant or a high sodium level.

For people who get confused by the endless options available in the pharmacies for the treatment of cold and flu, the American Heart Society has given a list of safe medications for high blood pressure patients that they can use without fretting over the side effects. Medicines like Coricidin HBP, Chlo-Trimeton, Benadryl, and Tavis-1 are safe as these do not contain decongestants.

Conclusively, patients with high blood pressure need to be very careful in their selection of cold medicines.

The best thing to do is to ask your doctor to prescribe a medicine for you. This will save you from buying harmful medicines and the doctor will also tell you how much and how often you can take the medicine. In this way, you find relief from the cold symptoms while keeping your blood pressure under control.

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