Spironolactone: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

March 14, 2022

4 mins

High blood pressure is known as the silent killer.

And it’s quite pervasive in the United States. According to CDC estimates, almost half of the adult population in the U.S. has hypertension. 

While in the short term elevated blood pressure might not be much of a concern, sustained elevated blood pressure can result in health complications like cardiovascular disease. 

Spironolactone is one of many substances that can help to reduce blood pressure and help those with chronic high blood pressure to improve cardiovascular health. Spironolactone has a number of indications for use and represents one of many options when it comes to managing the pressure on your arterial walls. 

Below is a closer look at blood pressure, why it matters, how spironolactone works, and why you should work towards a healthier cardiovascular system. 

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What Is Blood Pressure and Why Does It Matter?

Blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted on the walls of arteries and veins as a result of blood being forced throughout your body.

Your circulatory system is a closed-loop system with the heart as its engine. The heart consists of four chambers that rapidly fill with blood and then contract sequentially, which forces blood out into the body. This force exerted by the heart is what drives blood's movement throughout the body, to the lungs for oxygenation, and ultimately back to the heart.

This closed loop acts as a highway within your body by which nutrients and oxygen are delivered to muscle, tissues and organs, and waste products are transported away from cells.

Healthy blood pressure allows this system to work at its peak and for long periods of time. After all, your heart never quits beating and your body never stops needing oxygen and nutrients.

Blood pressure is a critical measure of circulatory system health.

A number of factors contribute to blood pressure, including cardiac output (volume of blood pumped by the heart), vascular resistance, drug interactions, consumption of sodium or salt substitutes, total blood volume, vessel elasticity, and blood viscosity.

Changes to any one of these facets can alter your blood pressure.

While the body is generally good at maintaining blood pressure in a healthy range, it can sometimes benefit from a little assistance, whether that be through lifestyle modifications or medications. 

Heart Problems From Hypertension

When you experience hypertension, your heart is often required to do more work to keep things going. This extra work is ok in the short-run, but over time it put stress on the heart and result in lasting damage to the heart and cardiovascular function.

Hypertension increases the chances of problems like a heart attack, heart failure, stroke, chest pain (angina), and chronic cardiovascular disease. 

Sexual Dysfunction from Hypertension

Another lesser-known consequence of high blood pressure is an increased chance of developing sexual dysfunctions like erectile dysfunction. 

To attain an erection, the penis needs a meaningful amount of blood –– as much as seven times its usual amount –– and hypertension can result in or can occur alongside diminished blood flow. High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of impotence. 

Treating the underlying reasons for high blood pressure can help to alleviate erectile dysfunction, but sometimes the best way to get your sex life back in the interim is through medication. Rex MD helps guys get prescription ED medications from home. It's all done virtually, with licensed clinicians nationwide, and you can rest assured that you're getting quality treatment and medical advice from a trusted source, all from the comfort of your own home. A doctor's involvement is important because men with high blood pressure may not be eligible for safe use of prescription ED meds.

Kidney Problems from Hypertension

High blood pressure may seem unrelated to your kidneys, but these two systems are closely intertwined. The kidneys play an important role in the regulation of fluid balance in the body, as well as playing a role in maintaining healthy blood volume and filtering blood. 

Kidney problems have the ability to arise as a consequence of high blood pressure, as the added pressure can damage the small blood vessels that provide filtration capabilities within the kidneys. 

When the kidneys are damaged, the body can suffer from less-than-ideal blood filtration and fluid balance, leading to the potential for many other problems, including kidney disease. 

What Is Spironolactone?

Spironolactone is a medication that can help with high blood pressure, edema, low potassium levels, and more. 

Spironolactone works by blocking aldosterone receptors. Aldosterone is a hormone that increases potassium excretion and can lead to water retention. 

In the case of blood pressure, high levels of aldosterone may contribute to fluid retention, which in turn increases blood volume. When aldosterone receptors in the kidneys are inhibited by spironolactone, it acts as a diuretic which increases water excretion and lowers pressure.

Side Effects

While spironolactone may be effective in re-establishing fluid balance or assisting with high blood pressure, there is a chance that you may experience unintended side effects. One such side effect is that it may lead to issues with the endocrine system. 

While spironolactone is intended to affect the hormone aldosterone, it also can impact other hormones, such as testosterone. Spironolactone can inhibit the action and the production of androgens, and as a result, can lead to side effects such as breast enlargement in females and males, erectile dysfunction, high levels of potassium, and more. ED medications like Viagra®, Cialis®, and others can help offset this side effect.

If you experience the following side effects while on spironolactone, call your healthcare provider:

• Dizziness

• Electrolyte imbalances

• Increased thirst

• Confusion

• Nausea

• Headache

• Diarrhea

• Drowsiness

• Numbness

• Muscle pain or muscle weakness

Seek medical help if you have symptoms of an allergic reaction, like trouble breathing, swelling of the tongue, lips, or throat, or hives.

The Takeaway

Blood pressure is an important aspect of your overall health and wellbeing, and spironolactone is one of many potential treatments to help get your blood pressure under control if you have hypertension. Spironolactone acts as a diuretic to decrease blood volume and help establish healthy blood pressure when used at the proper dose. 

While it can be effective, spironolactone can cause unintended side effects such as ED due to its interaction with other hormones, including androgens like testosterone. A change in blood pressure medication or a prescription ED medication may be able to help. 

Sources

Facts About Hypertension | cdc.gov

How to treat high blood pressure without ruining your sex life | European Society of Cardiology

Spironolactone and endocrine dysfunction | NCBI