A combo of medication and changes in lifestyle can generally control the common medical condition that is hypertension. Regrettably, some people find it challenging to control their blood pressure, even when they take several medications for their condition. The condition referred to by physicians as resistant high blood pressure or resistant hypertension occurs when the blood pressure remains uncontrolled in spite of the consumption of three or more anti-hypertensive medications.

A challenge for the patient’s physician and the patient, one out of four persons with high blood pressure may be affected by resistant hypertension. Luckily, if you are plagued with resistant high blood pressure, it is possible to do some things to better control your blood pressure; just remember that you should never change your prescribed treatment without consulting with your physician.

Something to consider when you constantly have high blood pressure is the possibility of white coat hypertension. Some people get high blood pressure results when it is measured at their physician’s office, while they obtain lower readings when it is taken at home and the person is in a less stressful environment. It’s a good idea to monitor your blood pressure outside of the doctor’s office, at different times and in different conditions. Most pharmacies stock blood pressure equipment for home use which is easy to use and not expensive. Keeping a journal of blood pressure readings taken at home and sharing it with your physician can help your physician determine if you actually do have resistant high blood pressure.

An additional thing to think about with resistant high blood pressure is lifestyle. If you are consuming a diet high in sodium, even though you are taking your medications for blood pressure as directed, you might be contributing to this problem. A diet that is high in sodium both increases blood pressure and raises the risk for heart disease. It is important to raise your awareness of your sodium intake by reading grocery labels. Maintaining the intake of sodium lower than 1500 mg. will aid in addressing the issue with resistant hypertension. Potassium is an important mineral used by our bodies to regulate blood pressure, therefore it is important that we eat plenty of foods rich in this mineral, such as fruits and vegetables. For those who are obese, losing the extra weight or doing aerobic exercise every day, can aid in decreasing the high blood pressure.

What if simple changes in lifestyle are not effective? Sometimes, even after making diet and medication changes prescribed by your doctor, blood pressure remains high, and in this case it is important to have further tests to make sure that other problems, such as kidney disease, are not causing the high numbers. You doctor may choose to conduct more tests.