Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists
- Beta blockers
- atenolol
- metoprolol
- nadolol
- oxprenolol
- pindolol
- propranolol
- timolol
- Alpha blockers:
- doxazosin
- phentolamine
- indoramin
- phenoxybenzamine
- prazosin
- terazosin
- tolazoline
- Mixed Alpha + Beta blockers:
- bucindolol
- carvedilol
- labetalol
Although beta blockers lower blood pressure, they do not have a positive benefit on endpoints as some other antihypertensives. In particular, beta-blockers are no longer recommended as first-line treatment due to relative adverse risk of stroke and new-onset diabetes when compared to other medications, while certain specific beta-blockers such as atenolol appear to be less useful in overall treatment of hypertension than several other agents. They do, however, have an important role in the prevention of heart attacks in people who have already had a heart attack. In the United Kingdom, the June 2006 "Hypertension: Management of Hypertension in Adults in Primary Care" guideline of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, downgraded the role of beta-blockers due to their risk of provoking type 2 diabetes.
Despite lowering blood pressure, alpha blockers have significantly poorer endpoint outcomes than other antihypertensives, and are no longer recommended as a first-line choice in the treatment of hypertension. However, they may be useful for some men with symptoms of prostate disease.
Read more about this topic: Antihypertensive Drug
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)