{"id":631600,"date":"2025-03-24T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=631600"},"modified":"2025-10-20T15:15:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T19:15:26","slug":"does-hydralazine-lower-heart-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/does-hydralazine-lower-heart-rate\/","title":{"rendered":"Does hydralazine lower heart rate?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have hypertension, you may be taking a medication like <\/span>hydralazine hydrochloride (Hcl)<\/span><\/a> to treat it. Hydralazine is a generic medication, also known by the brand name Apresoline, that is <\/span>FDA approved<\/span><\/a> to treat high blood pressure and certain types of heart failure. It belongs to a class of drugs called vasodilators, which work by relaxing and widening the blood vessels so that blood flows more easily to lower blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

You might be thinking that since hydralazine<\/a> lowers blood pressure, it might lower heart rate, too. But that’s not the case. On the contrary, the medication can actually raise heart rate in some people. Read on to get the scoop on how hydralazine works, its impact on heart rate, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Does hydralazine affect heart rate?<\/span><\/h2>\n

It can. While hydralazine itself does not lower heart rate, it may increase it\u2014although indirectly. Its main action is to relax the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels, causing them to expand and, in turn, lower blood pressure. However, this drop in blood pressure can trigger compensatory mechanisms in the body.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hydralazine relaxes blood vessels, which can cause blood pressure to drop. In response, the body may try to compensate by increasing the heart rate, a reaction called reflex tachycardia,” says <\/span>Mary Abed<\/span><\/a>, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and Medical Director at\u00a0 RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group in Jersey City, New Jersey. She says it’s possible to experience heart palpitations and heart pounding or racing after taking hydralazine as the body tries to make up for the sudden drop in blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, when hydralazine lowers blood pressure, the body senses this drop, <\/span>activating the sympathetic nervous system<\/span><\/a>, which is associated with the “flight or flight” response. Think of it as your body\u2019s way of saying, \u201cWhoa, we need to keep things balanced here!\u201d As a result, your heart starts <\/span>beating a bit faster<\/span><\/a> so that blood keeps circulating to vital organs and tissues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, hydralazine can enhance cardiac output by decreasing <\/span>afterload<\/span><\/a>\u2014the resistance the heart faces when pumping blood\u2014which can be beneficial in the context of heart failure. According to a <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> published in the journal <\/span>Circulation<\/span><\/i>, this effect contributes to hydralazine’s effectiveness in increasing cardiac output (the amount of blood the heart pumps per minute) among hypertensive patients experiencing congestive heart failure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Common side effects of hydralazine include:<\/span><\/p>\n