By doing the things your doctor recommends, you can lower your blood pressure and your health risks.

Several kinds of medicine are commonly prescribed for high blood pressure. Here are some of the main types.

Medication to control high blood pressure only works if you take it.

These medications make it easier to take care of coronary artery disease. They have helped many people stay healthy and avoid heart attacks.

When you miss a dose of your blood pressure medicine, you might not notice a difference. But your body does.

How many different medicines do you take? Most people with heart failure or other cardiovascular illnesses take several.

What makes some people sticklers for following through with their medications, and others haphazard at best?

If you don’t know for sure what you’re taking and the right way to take it, nearly any drug has the potential to harm your health.

If you have more than two medications to manage, consider getting a pill organizer -- a special container marked with the days of the week. Besides housing multiple medications, a compartmentalized organizer can be useful for keeping track of the medications you've taken.

Although most medications are safe when you take them the right way, some drugs can cause dizziness, loss of consciousness, bleeding, irregular heartbeats, and other side effects in some cases.