Will ankle edema caused by antihypertensive drugs have any adverse effects? How to deal with it?

A friend who suffers from high blood pressure told Huazi that after taking antihypertensive drugs, she developed ankle edema, which was most severe in the afternoon and evening. She felt as if her feet were wearing several pairs of socks and her lower limbs were heavy. Does this condition have adverse effects on the body? Is there any way to reduce edema?

Huazi said that ankle edema is a common adverse reaction of dihydrotestosterone antihypertensive drugs, which will cause discomfort in the lower limbs, but will not cause other adverse effects. Raising your feet more often can effectively relieve edema.

1. Dihydrotestosterone can cause lower limb edema. Lower limb edema, especially edema in the ankle area, is a common adverse reaction of dihydrotestosterone antihypertensive drugs. Dihydrotestosterone is a calcium channel blocker that inhibits calcium ions from entering vascular smooth muscle cells, reduces vascular excitability, dilates blood vessels, and lowers blood pressure.

However, the dihydrotestosterone-containing drugs have a strong vasodilating effect only on the arterial system, and have little effect on the venous system. Relatively speaking, insufficient venous return will lead to blood congestion. The water in the blood will penetrate into the interstitial space and form edema. Due to gravity, when the human body is in an upright position, the water will concentrate on the ankles. Therefore, the ankle edema is severe in the afternoon and evening, and the edema will be reduced after waking up in the early morning.

2. Raising the lower limbs can relieve edema. Dihydrotestosterone-containing drugs can cause lower limb edema, which does not cause any adverse effects on the body, but edema may cause abnormal sensation in the lower feet, heavy legs, and affect wearing shoes and walking. The simplest way to reduce edema is to raise the lower limbs more. For example, you can lie down for an hour at noon, raise your lower limbs, promote blood return to the lower limbs, and reduce the degree of edema.

You should also pay attention to limiting salt in your diet, and control your daily salt intake between 3 and 6 grams. Salt is an important substance that maintains the osmotic pressure in the human body. Eating too much salt will "lock" a lot of water, making edema worse. In addition, the sodium ions in salt are one of the factors that cause high blood pressure. Limiting salt intake can not only reduce edema, but also help lower blood pressure.

3. Combined use of other antihypertensive drugs If the edema is severe, you can consider combining it with other antihypertensive drugs under the guidance of a doctor. Dihydropyridine drugs can be combined with pril drugs or sartan drugs. "Pril" and "sartan" can dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure by inhibiting angiotensin 2. Not only can it dilate small arteries, but it can also dilate small veins, which can reduce the symptoms of lower limb edema caused by dihydropyridine drugs.

Dihydrotestosterone drugs can also be used in combination with thiazide diuretics. Diuretics promote the excretion of sodium ions and water by inhibiting the reabsorption function of the renal tubules, thereby reducing blood volume, alleviating water and sodium retention, and also alleviating the edema symptoms caused by dihydrotestosterone drugs.

When used in combination with other antihypertensive drugs, the dose of dihydropyridine can be reduced, which also helps reduce the occurrence of edema. Among dihydropyridines, nifedipine and amlodipine have more side effects of causing edema. You can consider switching to other dihydropyridines such as levamlodipine, lacidipine, and nicardipine, which can also reduce the probability of adverse reactions.

If the edema caused by dihydrotestosterone is very serious and still cannot be effectively reduced after combined use with other antihypertensive drugs, you can consider stopping the dihydrotestosterone and using other types of antihypertensive drugs as an alternative treatment. However, for patients with hypertension, controlling blood pressure is more important, and dihydrotestosterone has a good antihypertensive effect and safety. As long as it can be tolerated, it is not recommended to change the drug easily.

To sum up, dihydrotestosterone antihypertensive drugs have the adverse reaction of causing lower limb edema, but they will not cause adverse effects on the body. However, there are many ways to reduce edema. Raising your feet more often and limiting salt in your diet can reduce edema. Choosing "dihydrotestosterone" with fewer adverse reactions and combining it with other antihypertensive drugs can also reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions. The drug needs to be used under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about the use of the drug, please consult a doctor or pharmacist in time. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.