How Anti Hypertensive drugs act

Hypertensive drugs act in the following manner:

Diuretics: They reduce pressure by eliminating water through urine.
Once volume of circulating blood is reduced, the pressure drops. in the
same manner as releasing air in a truck tyre brings down the air
pressure inside. Unfortunately, the side effect is dizziness, weakness,
increased risk of stroke and impotence.

Calcium Channel blockers(CCB): They work to relax and widen the
arteries thus causing reduction in pressure. Major side effect is
increased risk of heart attack! But these are given in India on a wide
scale.

Beta blockers (BB) :Work by weakening the heart so that it does not pump
the blood so strongly, to reduce the pressure. A major problem with
these pills is the increased risk of congestive heart failure! Despite
this, an article in New England Journal of Medicine, 20th August 1998,
recomended putting every heart attcak survivor on the beta blockers.
Following number of heart failures, these drugs are now lost the
following amongst doctors.

Lastly, the most common choice these days are ACE Inhibitors, which
like CCB drugs, try to relax and widen the arteries. Unfortunately they
produce severe allergic reactions, are deadly to babies in womb and
nursing and can cause severe renal failure. No problem, drug companies
have several immuno-suppresants to tackle allergies and dialysis
machines for kidney failure.