1. Diuretics (water pills)
2. Beta blockers (these decrease the heart rate and decrease the blood pressure
3. Calcium Channel Blockers (these dilate the blood vessels)
4. Ace Inhibitors(these protect the blood vessels and the heart muscles)
5. Angiotensin Receptor Blockers(these protect the blood vessels and the heart muscles)
6. Alpha Blockers (these dilate the blood vessels)
7. Others

1. Blood pressure level
2. Patient characteristics (like age, body weight, occupation)
3. Co-existing risk factors
4. Type and extent of target organ damage
5. Other associated diseases

Your doctor will decide the medicines based on your other medical conditions and your age (as mentioned above). Doctors usually prescribe a single low dose medication first. If the blood pressure is not controlled then the dosage is increased or a different medicine is tried, or a combination of two medicines given. At times, a combination of two or more blood pressure medicines in a lower dose may control your blood pressure more effectively and with fewer side-effects than a single medicine taken at a high dose. Usually, it takes some time to find out what suits each one best.
In pregnant women high blood pressure is treated differently from other people.

• Don't ever discontinue drugs suddenly
• Always use lifestyle methods with drugs
• Be aware of the usual and the other side-effects of the drugs that you are taking
• Use long acting drugs whenever possible
• Small doses of two drugs are more effective than high dose of a single drug
• Use rational combinations based on complementary treatment effects and counteractive side-effects