Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsNon-Selective Beta-BlockersBeta-1-Selective Beta BlockersACE InhibitorsARBsCalcium Channel BlockersDiuretics
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Non-Selective Beta-Blockers
Beta-1-Selective Beta Blockers
ACE Inhibitors
ARBs
Calcium Channel Blockers
Diuretics
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
Antihypertensives fall into several categories:
What your healthcare provider prescribes is based on a number of factors, including your age, your other medical issues, allergies, and potential interactions with your other prescriptions.
If you have asthma, they will choose an antihypertensive that both allows you to get good control of your hypertension without affecting your asthma or interfering with its treatment.
Beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are the most likely to cause you to experience respiratory problems.And diuretics, which are safe for people with asthma, may exacerbate the side effects of some asthma medications.
Safe for AsthmaAngiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)Calcium channel blockersDiuretics*May Worsen AsthmaNon-selective beta-blockersBeta-1-selective beta-blockers
Safe for AsthmaAngiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)Calcium channel blockersDiuretics*
Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
Calcium channel blockers
Diuretics*
May Worsen AsthmaNon-selective beta-blockersBeta-1-selective beta-blockers
Non-selective beta-blockers
Beta-1-selective beta-blockers
*May need to monitor potassium level
Beta-blockersare used to treat high blood pressure because they block beta receptors on the blood vessels to help them widen.
But non-selective beta-blockers are just that—non-selective. Because you have beta receptors in your lungs as well, these drugs can also block beta receptors on respiratory passages and irritate the airways if you have asthma. This causes them to constrict, which leads to shortness of breath and wheezing.
For this reason, if you are prescribed a non-selective beta-blocker when you have asthma, your medical team may carefully monitor your respiratory function and your asthma symptoms.
Examples of non-selective beta-blockers include:
Beta-Blockers and Lung Disease
Two types of beta receptors are highly prevalent in the body. Beta-1 receptors are found in the heart and blood vessels, while beta-2 receptors are found in the lungs.
Because they don’t have a strong effect on the airways, beta-1 selective blockers are considered safer than non-selective beta-blockers for people who have asthma.
Examples of beta-1 selective antihypertensives include:
While these medications are considered safer than non-selective beta-blockers for people with mild asthma, there is still some concern about the potential effects in people who have severe asthma.
These medications can cause you to experience a dry cough.
Examples of ACE inhibitors include:
They are often used along with ACE inhibitors, and some people are switched from an ACE inhibitor to an ARB due to the ACE inhibitor-associated cough.
Common ARBs include:
Calcium channel blockers are not considered harmful for people who have asthma.
Examples of calcium channel blockers used to treat hypertension include:
As the body rids itself of excess water, pressure on the blood vessels is reduced, and blood pressure is lowered.
Some of the thiazide diuretics used for treating hypertension include:
Diuretic medications are generally considered safe for asthma symptoms.
But thiazide diuretics may cause hypokalemia (low potassium) as a side effect. Low potassium causes a number of harmful health effects, including muscle weakness, abnormalities in heart rhythm, and blood sugar imbalance.
And, some bronchodilator asthma medications can also cause low potassium as a side effect.If you take a prescription thiazide diuretic for your blood pressure control, your healthcare provider will monitor your potassium level whether you take asthma medication or not.
When you are taking any new medication, it’s important that you follow instructions to avoid health problems, and it’s also vital that you familiarize yourself with the side effects so you can get in touch with your healthcare provider right away if you experience adverse effects.
What You Need to Know About Diuretics
A Word From Verywell
It is really important that you get the right treatment to keep your blood pressure at optimal levels. Hypertension treatment can be tricky if you have asthma, but there are drug options. And remember that lifestyle changes like getting more exercise, eating healthfully, and others can go a long way in helping tomanage your hypertensionas well.
Tell all your healthcare providers and your pharmacist about eachof your medical conditions—even if they seem irrelevant to your conversations—to help educate treatment recommendations.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Christiansen SC, Schatz M, Yang SJ, Ngor E, Chen W, Zuraw BL.Hypertension and asthma: A comorbid relationship.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract.2016;4(1):76-81.doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2015.07.009American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.Medications may trigger asthma symptoms.Arboe B, Ulrik CS.Beta-blockers: friend or foe in asthma?.Int J Gen Med. 2013;6:549-55. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S46592Morales DR, Lipworth BJ, Donnan PT, Jackson C, Guthrie B.Respiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease: population-based nested case control study.BMC Med.2017;15(1):18.doi:10.1186/s12916-017-0781-0StatPearls.Selective beta-1 blockers.Bergantin LB.The Interplay Between Asthma and Other Diseases: Role of Ca2+/cAMP Signalling.Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2020;20(3):321-327.doi:10.2174/1871530319666190828145854Murad H, Ghabrah T, Rafeeq M, Ali S.Subdiuretic dose of furosemide enhances albuterol effects in asthmatic mice rather than bumetanide.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2018;46(6):585‐593. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.05.001Katsunuma T, Fujisawa T, Maekawa T, et al.Low-dose l-isoproterenol versus salbutamol in hospitalized pediatric patients with severe acute exacerbation of asthma: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Allergol Int.2019;68(3):335-341.doi:10.1016/j.alit.2019.02.001
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Christiansen SC, Schatz M, Yang SJ, Ngor E, Chen W, Zuraw BL.Hypertension and asthma: A comorbid relationship.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract.2016;4(1):76-81.doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2015.07.009American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.Medications may trigger asthma symptoms.Arboe B, Ulrik CS.Beta-blockers: friend or foe in asthma?.Int J Gen Med. 2013;6:549-55. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S46592Morales DR, Lipworth BJ, Donnan PT, Jackson C, Guthrie B.Respiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease: population-based nested case control study.BMC Med.2017;15(1):18.doi:10.1186/s12916-017-0781-0StatPearls.Selective beta-1 blockers.Bergantin LB.The Interplay Between Asthma and Other Diseases: Role of Ca2+/cAMP Signalling.Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2020;20(3):321-327.doi:10.2174/1871530319666190828145854Murad H, Ghabrah T, Rafeeq M, Ali S.Subdiuretic dose of furosemide enhances albuterol effects in asthmatic mice rather than bumetanide.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2018;46(6):585‐593. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.05.001Katsunuma T, Fujisawa T, Maekawa T, et al.Low-dose l-isoproterenol versus salbutamol in hospitalized pediatric patients with severe acute exacerbation of asthma: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Allergol Int.2019;68(3):335-341.doi:10.1016/j.alit.2019.02.001
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Christiansen SC, Schatz M, Yang SJ, Ngor E, Chen W, Zuraw BL.Hypertension and asthma: A comorbid relationship.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract.2016;4(1):76-81.doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2015.07.009American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.Medications may trigger asthma symptoms.Arboe B, Ulrik CS.Beta-blockers: friend or foe in asthma?.Int J Gen Med. 2013;6:549-55. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S46592Morales DR, Lipworth BJ, Donnan PT, Jackson C, Guthrie B.Respiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease: population-based nested case control study.BMC Med.2017;15(1):18.doi:10.1186/s12916-017-0781-0StatPearls.Selective beta-1 blockers.Bergantin LB.The Interplay Between Asthma and Other Diseases: Role of Ca2+/cAMP Signalling.Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2020;20(3):321-327.doi:10.2174/1871530319666190828145854Murad H, Ghabrah T, Rafeeq M, Ali S.Subdiuretic dose of furosemide enhances albuterol effects in asthmatic mice rather than bumetanide.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2018;46(6):585‐593. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.05.001Katsunuma T, Fujisawa T, Maekawa T, et al.Low-dose l-isoproterenol versus salbutamol in hospitalized pediatric patients with severe acute exacerbation of asthma: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Allergol Int.2019;68(3):335-341.doi:10.1016/j.alit.2019.02.001
Christiansen SC, Schatz M, Yang SJ, Ngor E, Chen W, Zuraw BL.Hypertension and asthma: A comorbid relationship.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract.2016;4(1):76-81.doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2015.07.009
American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.Medications may trigger asthma symptoms.
Arboe B, Ulrik CS.Beta-blockers: friend or foe in asthma?.Int J Gen Med. 2013;6:549-55. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S46592
Morales DR, Lipworth BJ, Donnan PT, Jackson C, Guthrie B.Respiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease: population-based nested case control study.BMC Med.2017;15(1):18.doi:10.1186/s12916-017-0781-0
StatPearls.Selective beta-1 blockers.
Bergantin LB.The Interplay Between Asthma and Other Diseases: Role of Ca2+/cAMP Signalling.Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2020;20(3):321-327.doi:10.2174/1871530319666190828145854
Murad H, Ghabrah T, Rafeeq M, Ali S.Subdiuretic dose of furosemide enhances albuterol effects in asthmatic mice rather than bumetanide.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2018;46(6):585‐593. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2018.05.001
Katsunuma T, Fujisawa T, Maekawa T, et al.Low-dose l-isoproterenol versus salbutamol in hospitalized pediatric patients with severe acute exacerbation of asthma: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial.Allergol Int.2019;68(3):335-341.doi:10.1016/j.alit.2019.02.001
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