Individual treatment approaches in hypertension.

Selection of optimal antihypertensive drug therapy requires careful consideration of a wide range of individual attributes including blood pressure level, lifestyle (i.e., salt intake, alcohol consumption), personal financial situation, and very importantly, coexisting medical conditions. In addition, concurrent use of other prescription drugs and over the counter medications must be considered. Gradual blood pressure normalization with a minimum of clinic visits and dose titration should be the therapeutic goal in most patients. Prescribed antihypertensive drug therapies should be chosen in a manner that minimizes the total number of drugs taken. Though compliance with prescribed therapeutic regimens should be encouraged strategies should be utilized that minimize loss of blood pressure control when medication doses are missed. One drug-specific attribute important in this regard is a long therapeutic half-life. An overall strategy for selection of antihypertensive drug therapy will be discussed with the above principles in mind.