Most cold remedies contain two ingredients, an antihistamine to dry up secretions, and a decongestant to shrink blood vessels in the engorged lining of the nose. Although this is a logical combination for most people, it is potentially unsafe for anyone with hypertension (high blood pressure), American Family Physician (31#3:183) reports. Understandably, since decongestants shrink swollen nasal membranes by constricting their blood vessels, they can constrict the blood vessels elsewhere in the body as well, particularly when these drugs are taken by mouth.
Because a hypertensive person’s vessels are already prone to contract excessively, they react to decongestants with a sustained constriction that raises the blood pressure. According to the AFP, this drug-induced hypertension has been sufficiently severe in some cases to cause damage to the heart and strokes from bleeding in the brain. To avoid these dangers, people with hypertension should use cold medications that contain only an antihistamine. In severe cases, when they feel that they cannot do without a decongestant, they should ask their own doctors about taking one in the form of drops or a spray that acts only locally in the nose.
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