- Chronic Care
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
High blood pressure (hypertension) treatment available online today
In order to treat your hypertension, consult with one of our board-certified doctors online today to prescribe medications to bring your blood pressure down. Get a new prescription to treat hypertension or refill an existing prescription today.
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Medication services available for adults and kids (3+)
Top quality, board-certified doctors
Insurance accepted, but not required
*Disclaimer: PlushCare medical staff cannot treat all cases of hypertension. Our physicians can conduct an initial evaluation of your symptoms, but may need to refer you to a specialist or for in-person treatment. If you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
How to Get High Blood Pressure Treatment | High Blood Pressure Treatment Pricing Details | High Blood Pressure FAQs | About High Blood Pressure | High Blood Pressure Causes | Hypertension Symptoms | Hypertension Treatment | High Blood Pressure Medications | How to Prevent High Blood Pressure | When to See a Doctor for High Blood Pressure | Related Conditions to High Blood Pressure | High Blood Pressure Resources
Most major insurance plans accepted
Most patients with in-network insurance pay $30 or less. Paying without insurance? New patient visits are $129, and follow-ups are only $99 for members.
Don’t see your provider listed? Email [email protected] or call (888) 564-4454 to talk to a PlushCare specialist.
3 simple steps to get high blood pressure treatment today
Step 1
Book a high blood pressure treatment appointment.
Book a same-day appointment from anywhere.
Step 2
Talk to your doctor about high blood pressure symptoms.
Visit with a doctor on your smartphone or computer.
Step 3
Pick up hypertension medication.
We can send prescriptions to any local pharmacy.
High blood pressure treatment pricing details
How pricing works
To request treatment for high blood pressure and get a new or refill on your prescription, join our monthly membership and get discounted visits.
Paying with insurance
Membership
$14.99/month
First month free
First visit
Copay
For all visits
30 days of free membership
Same-day appointments 7 days a week
Unlimited messages with your Care Team
Prescription discount card to save up to 80%
Exclusive discounts on lab tests
Free memberships for your family
Cancel anytime
Visit price with insurance
Often the same as an office visit. Most patients with in-network insurance pay $30 or less!
- We accept these insurance plans and many more:
Paying without insurance
Membership
$14.99/month
First month free
First visit
$129
Repeats only $99
30 days of free membership
Same-day appointments 7 days a week
Unlimited messages with your Care Team
Prescription discount card to save up to 80%
Exclusive discounts on lab tests
Free memberships for your family
Cancel anytime
Visit price without insurance
Initial visits are $129 and follow-ups are only $99 for active members.
If we're unable to treat you, we'll provide a full refund.
High blood pressure FAQs
How can I quickly lower my blood pressure?
Lying down and taking several deep breaths is a quick way to lower blood pressure. Taking a warm bath to relax can help as well.
What is the main treatment of high blood pressure?
There are several high blood pressure medicines that are extremely effective in treating high blood pressure. Taking high blood pressure medication in addition to incorporating healthy lifestyle changes, such as exercising and following a healthy diet, is the most successful approach.
Can you be cured of high blood pressure?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for high blood pressure. However, through medication and lifestyle changes, it is possible to lower high blood pressure, making it more manageable.
Can you feel when your blood pressure is high?
You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. The only way to know if you suffer from hypertension is to consult a doctor. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, a one of our board-certified physicians can help provide you with an appropriate high blood pressure treatment plan for your needs.
How do you check your own blood pressure?
Without professional equipment, you will not be able to check your blood pressure from home. Your local pharmacy may have a digital blood pressure measurement machine. Additionally, at-home blood pressure monitors are available at affordable costs.
What is the first choice drug for hypertension?
The first choice of hypertension medications to treat high blood pressure is typically a thiazide diuretic. However, there are several other effective hypertension medications including ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, and others. Speak to one of our trusted, board-certified doctors to find out which option is the best for you.
What is “normal” blood pressure?
The following are typical blood pressure ranges:
Normal Blood Pressure: 120/80
Prehypertension: 120-139 / 80-89
High Blood Pressure Stage 1: 140-159 / 90-99
High Blood Pressure Stage 2: 160-180 / 100-110
Hypertensive Crisis: 180/110 or higher
Learn about high blood pressure (hypertension)
Blood pressure is the force exerted by your flowing blood on the walls of your arteries, which are tubular structures that carry blood to the different parts of your body. This means that your blood pressure is determined by both the amount of blood your heart pumps through your body’s arteries as well as the amount of resistance to this blood flow.
When your arteries are healthy and dilated, the resistance to blood flow is low, and blood flows easily through your body. But when your arteries are too narrow or stiff, resistance to blood flow increases, and therefore your blood pressure rises. This causes your heart to work harder than normal to pump blood through the body. The extra work thickens the muscles of your heart and further hardens or damages artery walls. The condition can also cause damage to your other organs, especially the brain, eyes, and kidneys.
High blood pressure causes
Most people with high blood pressure have primary hypertension, where no cause is known. However, about 1 in 20 people with hypertension have what is termed secondary hypertension. This means that your high blood pressure is caused by either another medical condition or from a medication you’re taking.
Listed to the right are some of the causes of secondary hypertension.
Chronic kidney disease
As the kidneys become diseased, this may lead to excess fluid retention, which exerts more force on artery walls and results in hypertension.
Hormonal conditions
Hypertension can result from problems with hormone producing glands such as the adrenal glands or thyroid gland.
Cushing’s syndrome
This is a disorder where your body makes too much of the hormone cortisol. It is not well understood why Cushing’s causes hypertension, but there are various proposed mechanisms.
Hyperaldosteronism
This is where one or both adrenal glands release too much aldosterone. This causes your kidneys to retain salt and water, resulting in hypertension.
Pheochromocytoma
This is a rare tumor of the adrenal gland that results in excessive production of hormones including epinephrine and norepinephrine. This can similarly cause hypertension.
Hyperthyroidism
Here, an overactive thyroid gland increases systolic blood pressure by increasing the rate and output of blood the heart pumps into the arteries.
Hyperparathyroidism
In this condition, elevated levels of calcium in the blood can impact our blood vessels, kidney function, and central processes that regulate blood pressure. As a result, about 3 out of 4 people with hyperparathyroidism have hypertension.
Obstructive sleep apnea
This condition is where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Associated drops in oxygen levels may cause increases in blood pressure.
Medications and supplements
Some people may develop hypertension or have their existing high blood pressure worsened as a side-effect of various prescription or over-the-counter medications. These include pain relievers, birth control pills, antidepressants, and drugs used after organ transplants. Over-the-counter drugs such as decongestants and certain herbal supplements, including ginseng, licorice and ephedra (ma-huang), as well as illegal drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, may also have the same effect.
Pregnancy
Hypertension may exist prior to pregnancy or may develop as a result of pregnancy. Hypertension during pregnancy can be associated with dangerous complications like preeclampsia. Because of this, you should have your blood pressure monitored while you’re pregnant.
Hypertension symptoms
Some common hypertension symptoms include:
Shortness of breath
Nosebleeds
Headaches
Confusion or fatigue
Chest pain
Vision problems
Blood in urine
Irregular heartbeat
Pounding in your ears, neck, or chest
However, for most people with hypertension, there are no obvious signs or symptoms. This is why hypertension can go undetected for years if people do not have their blood pressure checked. In fact, 17% of Americans with hypertension are undiagnosed.
Unfortunately, the first sign that you have high blood pressure may be when you are already having signs of cardiovascular disease or have suffered a heart attack or stroke. This is why hypertension is known in the medical world as “the silent killer.” Blood pressure tests are simple and quick to perform, so don’t delay in getting yourself checked.
Hypertension treatment
Nearly one in two people with high blood pressure do not have it controlled, which likely contributes to the high rates of cardiovascular disease in America. In order to treat your hypertension, our doctors may prescribe medications to bring your blood pressure down. It is important that you take any prescribed drugs regularly and do not stop taking them, even after your blood pressure comes down, without talking to your doctor.
High blood pressure medications
High blood pressure is a condition that is treatable using a range of solutions, including several different types of hypertension medications. Your doctor will likely prescribe one or more of the following medications to treat high blood pressure:
Diuretics
Also known as water pills, diuretics work by helping your kidneys get rid of sodium and water through urination. The decreased amount of fluid flowing through your blood vessels immensely reduces the pressure on vessel walls. Thiazide diuretics are typically used to treat hypertension. These include:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
ACE inhibitors act to help relax your blood vessels by blocking the formation of a natural chemical (angiotensin) that narrows blood vessels. This relaxes pressure on the blood vessels and vessel walls. Examples of this medication include:
Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
These work by helping to relax your blood vessels by blocking the action of angiotensin that narrows blood vessels. These include:
Calcium channel blockers
Hypertension medications based on calcium channel blockers help relax blood vessel muscle cells and heart cells by blocking the passage of calcium. When calcium cannot enter the heart and blood vessels, blood pressure drops quickly and steadily.
The most common calcium channel blocker hypertension medications are:Beta-blockers
Beta-blockers are also called beta-adrenergic blocking agents. These hypertension medications lower your heart rate and thus lower blood pressure by blocking the effects of epinephrine. This hormone is also known as adrenaline.
The most commonly prescribed beta-blockers are:Renin inhibitors
The kidneys produce an enzyme called renin which can cause a chain reaction that steadily worsens hypertension.
The most common renin inhibitor hypertension medications include:Tekturna (aliskiren)
If you are still not reaching your blood pressure goal with the above high blood pressure medicine, your doctor may prescribe other medications. These include alpha blockers, alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, or alpha-beta blockers. They work by reducing the nerve impulses to your blood vessels and/or heart to prevent your blood vessels narrowing and your heart overworking. These include:
Your doctor may also consider aldosterone antagonists to prevent salt and fluid retention, or vasodilators which work directly on the muscles in the walls of your arteries, preventing the muscles from tightening and your arteries from narrowing.
How to prevent high blood pressure
It is important to visit your primary care doctor every year for your annual checkup, to diagnose any illnesses at their early stages, making them easier to treat. High blood pressure is often referred to as the silent killer because it is overlooked. People with high blood pressure may have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, which is why it's important to regularly visit your doctor.
Primary prevention is defined as trying to prevent yourself from getting a disease, such as with lifestyle choices, while secondary prevention is defined as trying to detect a disease early and prevent it from getting worse, such as with screening tests like lab work or doctor visits. Tertiary prevention is defined as trying to improve the quality of life and reduce the symptoms of a disease you are already diagnosed with, such as with prescription medications and lifestyle changes.
There are several ways that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can improve blood pressure and even reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure. To lower blood pressure and possibly prevent high blood pressure, you can incorporate lifestyle changes to minimize risk factors, such as:
Cut down on alcohol
Quit smoking, if you smoke
Lose weight (if you are overweight)
Choose a diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products
Reduce the amount of salt you eat
Do something active for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week
It's important to keep in mind that when measuring your blood pressure, the reading can change depending on whether you recently exercised, had caffeine, or feel stressed. For this reason, it's good to get a blood pressure reading daily and at the same time each day.
Hypertension diet
The DASH diet is often used to help people manage hypertension. The eating plan is known as the “Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension” (DASH) diet. According to research funded by the NIH, utilizing this heart healthy diet can reduce blood pressure by 11 mmHg if you have high blood pressure. Taking control of your high blood pressure could be as easy as considering these simple dietary approaches.
The following foods reduce blood pressure:
Fruits and vegetables
Whole grains
Lentils, chickpeas, beans
Walnuts, almonds, peanuts
Fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
Fish
Low salt meals
Lean meats
Foods to avoid if you have hypertension include:
Deli meats
Soda
Chips
Pantry snacks (snack foods)
Sugar, sweets
Refined grains (white bread, white rice, most forms of pasta)
When to see a doctor for high blood pressure
Since hypertension can lead to serious complications, early detection is important. This is why the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening all adults older than 18 years of age. Screening involves having your blood pressure checked, which is a simple procedure that you probably have had if you have ever been to a doctor.
When reporting a blood pressure, you will always see two numbers given. The first is the systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is pumping. The second number is your diastolic blood pressure, or the blood pressure when your heart is at rest between beats.
Hypertension is diagnosed when either or both of your systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers are consistently high. Regular blood pressure readings can help you and your doctor notice any changes. For instance, if you have elevated blood pressure at a checkup, your doctor may recommend that you come back in a few weeks for monitoring. This is to see if your blood pressure readings stay elevated or if they fall back to normal.