What cold medicine to take with high blood pressure

Purchasing over-the-counter medications is a quick and easy way to relieve the daily coughing, sneezing, and aching that accompanies that pesky cold or flu.

All medications, however, carry risks of side effects and bad interactions, even over-the-counter meds. This warning is particularly specific to those suffering from high blood pressure.

You may want to steer clear of some of these over-the-counter meds as they can increase blood pressure and interfere with blood pressure medication. Common medications that can affect blood pressure levels are decongestants, pain relievers, and anti-inflammatory medications.

Decongestants can cause narrowing of blood vessels throughout the body. Certain pain relievers and anti-inflammatory meds may cause water retention, increasing the chance of raising your blood pressure.

Studies show that most people have a minimal increase in blood pressure after taking common cold meds and decongestants. If you have high blood pressure, try a cold or flu medication that is free of decongestants.

Learn what works for you

If you have high blood pressure, educate yourself before you decide to take over-the-counter medication:

Many over-the-counter medicines are labeled safe for people with high blood pressure—keep a watchful eye out for these labels. Also be sure to look out for medications that having a warning label such as “Do not use this product if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.”

One reason many over-the-counter meds increase blood pressure is due to large amounts of salt (also listed as sodium or soda). If you have high blood pressure, aim for 1,500 mg of sodium or less per day, including sodium found in many over-the-counter medicines.

When you begin taking an over-the-counter medication, make sure to monitor your blood pressure if you have or are at risk for high blood pressure.

Talk with your doctor about any over-the-counter medications you take or plan to take if you have high blood pressure.

A final note

Consider making lifestyle changes to improve your blood pressure. University of Iowa cardiologist Ramzi El Accaoui, M.D., recommends eating healthy, limiting alcohol consumption, daily exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation to help prevent and treat high blood pressure.

Decongestants can pose a dangerous risk to people with hypertension. Try these other steps to safely treat a cold or allergies.

Cold medicines are not off-limits if you have heart disease, but patients with high blood pressure, or hypertension, should check the label carefully when choosing a cold or allergy medicine.

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That’s because decongestants such as pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, phenylephrine, naphazoline and oxymetazoline can increase your blood pressure and heart rate. Make sure the cold or allergy medication you plan to take is free of those ingredients.

Decongestants can also prevent your blood pressure medication from working properly. And always check the active and inactive ingredient lists, because many medications are high in sodium, which also raises blood pressure.

For allergy sufferers with heart disease, medicines such as Allegra, Zyrtec or Claritin should be safe. However, medicines containing decongestants — including Allegra-D, Zyrtec-D and Claritin-D — could increase your blood pressure and heart rate or interfere with your heart medication.

Managing a cold with hypertension

If you can’t take a decongestant because of high blood pressure, there are other ways to reduce your cold or allergy symptoms:

• Take Coricidin HBP, which is free of decongestants

• Drink plenty of fluids — including water, juice, tea and soup — to prevent dehydration and clear mucus from your lungs 

• Take a pain reliever such as Tylenol or Motrin for fever, sore throat, body aches and headache

• Flush your sinuses with a saline spray to relieve nasal congestion

• Soothe a sore or scratchy throat with lozenges

• Use a vaporizer or humidifier if necessary to boost humidity

• Get plenty of rest

• Return to your doctor after five to seven days to make sure you’re on the road to recovery

Before taking any new medication

Always check with your pharmacist before you take a new medication, whether it’s for a cold, allergies or something else, to find out if it is compatible with certain medical conditions and your current drug therapy.

SEE ALSO: Millions More People Now Have High Blood Pressure. Why That’s a Good Thing

If you have a heart condition, be sure to discuss all medication choices with your cardiologist before taking anything.

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