What Is a Vasodilator?
Vasodilators are a huge group of medications and other substances that may help lower blood pressure and be used to treat some of the symptoms of congestive heart failure. They are usually not the first line treatment for those people who simply suffer from high blood pressure because they can have numerous side effects. Yet they are frequently prescribed in combination with other medications to control a variety of cardiovascular disease symptoms. Essentially, a vasodilator acts on the muscles surrounding the veins and/or arteries to make them relax, which allows the blood vessels to open or dilate. This creates an easier passageway for flowing blood, and may help reduce heart workload. Some of these medications work only on arteries and are called arterial dilators, and others work on the smooth muscle surrounding veins and are called venous dilators. More common is for a vasodilator to affect both veins and arteries and this type is called a mixed dilator. These medications aren’t j
Essentially, a vasodilator acts on the muscles surrounding the veins and/or arteries to make them relax, which allows the blood vessels to open or dilate. This creates an easier passageway for flowing blood, and may help reduce heart workload. Some of these medications work only on arteries and are called arterial dilators, and others work on the smooth muscle surrounding veins and are called venous dilators. More common is for a vasodilator to affect both veins and arteries and this type is called a mixed dilator. These medications aren’t just described by whether they work on veins, arteries or both. A vasodilator is also classed by how it acts to accomplish its purpose. This is where it gets daunting to try to understand the many drugs that at least in part result in vasodilation, and it’s also important to be aware that many of these drugs are used for more than one purpose and perform more than one action on the heart. Nitrates are vasodilators, for example, but they can also help
Vasodilators are a huge group of medications and other substances that may help lower blood pressure and be used to treat some of the symptoms of congestive heart failure. They are usually not the first line treatment for those people who simply suffer from high blood pressure because they can have numerous side effects. Yet they are frequently prescribed in combination with other medications to control a variety of cardiovascular disease symptoms. Essentially, a vasodilator acts on the muscles surrounding the veins and/or arteries to make them relax, which allows the blood vessels to open or dilate. This creates an easier passageway for flowing blood, and may help reduce heart workload. Some of these medications work only on arteries and are called arterial dilators, and others work on the smooth muscle surrounding veins and are called venous dilators. More common is for a vasodilator to affect both veins and arteries and this type is called a mixed dilator.
