MDC Pharmacokinetics (PK) I Practice Exam

Treating high blood pressure relies on drugs that lower blood pressure, known as antihypertensives. They work through different mechanisms to reduce the force the heart has to pump against, lower the amount of fluid in the body, or relax the blood vessels. This makes them the class specifically used to treat hypertension, with examples including diuretics (lower blood volume), ACE inhibitors or ARBs (dilate vessels and reduce pressure), calcium channel blockers (relax vessel smooth muscle), and beta-blockers (lower heart rate and output).

Antipyretics are for reducing fever, not blood pressure. Decongestants are used for nasal congestion and can actually raise blood pressure due to vasoconstriction, so they’re not used to treat hypertension. Mucolytics thin mucus and have no direct role in controlling blood pressure.