What is Ramipril?
Ramipril, sold under the brand name Altace, among others, is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease. It is also used to prevent cardiovascular disease in those at high risk. This is considered a reasonable initial treatment for high blood pressure.
Ramipril Uses:
Ramipril is used for the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering high blood pressure helps in preventing stroke, heart attacks, and many kidney problems. Ramipril is also used to improve survival following a heart attack. It can also be used in high-risk patients such as patients with heart disease or diabetes to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. This medicine may also be used to treat heart failure in patients who have had a recent heart attack. Ramipril is known as an ACE inhibitor and works by relaxing blood vessels so blood can flow more easily.
How to use Ramipril?
- Take this medicine orally with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once or twice a day.
- If you are taking ramipril capsule form, swallow it all at once. If you have difficulty swallowing the capsule, the capsule may be opened and the contents may be sprinkled on a cool apple sauce (about 4 ounces) or mixed in half glass of water or apple juice (4 ounces/120 millilitres). Swallow or drink the mixture.
- The dose is based on the clinical and response to treatment.
- To reduce your risk of complications, your doctor may direct you to start this medicine at a low dose and gradually increase your dose. Follow the instructions given by your doctor carefully.
- Use this medicine regularly to get most of the advantages of it. To help you remember, take it at the same time each day. Keep taking this medicine even if you feel cured. Most people with high blood pressure don't feel any side effects.
- It may take several weeks before you get the full benefit of this medicine for the treatment of high blood pressure. Tell your doctor if your condition is not improving or if it is getting worse (such as your blood pressure readings remain high or increase).
Plavix Side effects:
- Blurred vision
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Faintness
- Lightheadedness while getting up suddenly from a lying position
- Sweating
- Unusual tiredness
- Weakness
- Arm, back, or jaw pain
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Chest tightness or heaviness
- Chills
- Cloudy urine
- Cold sweats
- The decrease in urine
- Diarrhea
- Fainting
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Seizures
- Cough
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Rare
- Muscle pain
- Stiffness
- Stomach pain
- Weight loss
Precautions:
- Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to ramipril; or to other ACE inhibitors (such as benazepril); or if you have any other allergies before taking ramipril. This product may have some ingredients that might cause allergic reactions or some other problems. Please talk to your pharmacist for more details and information.
- Before using this medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, in particular: a history of an allergic reaction that included swelling of the face/lips/tongue/throat (angioedema), blood filtering (such as LDL apheresis, dialysis), high blood potassium levels.
- You may get dizzy with this drug. Alcohol can make you feel dizzy. Don't do driving after taking this, do not make use of heavy machinery, or do anything that needs special alertness until you can do it safely. Limit alcoholic beverages, please.
- To decrease the risk of dizziness and lightheadedness, get up slowly from a sitting or lying position while you are standing up.
- Too much sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting may cause too much body water to lose (dehydration) and increase your risk of lightheadedness. Tell your doctor about prolonged diarrhea or vomiting. Be sure to drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration unless otherwise directed by your doctor.
- This product may increase your potassium level. Consult your doctor or pharmacist before using potassium supplements or potassium-containing salt substitutes.
- Older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, including dizziness and increased potassium levels.
- This medicine is not advised for use during pregnancy. It could harm an unborn child.
- It is not known if this medicine is passed through breast milk or not. Before breastfeeding, consult your doctor once.
Interactions
- Some products have ingredients that may increase your blood pressure or worsen your heart failure. Tell your pharmacist what products you are using and ask how to use them safely (especially cough and cold products, dietary aids, or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or naproxen).
- A very serious reaction may occur if you have an injection of bee/wasp sting allergy (desensitization) and are also taking ramipril.
Ramipril Vs Enalapril
Brand name Altace | Brand name Vasotec |
Formula: C23H32N2O5 | Formula: C20H28N2O5 |
Molar mass: 416.511 g/mol | Molar mass: 376.4467 g/mol |
Ramipril is used for treating heart failure, high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease | Enalapril is used for treating diabetic kidney disease, high blood pressure, and heart failure. |
It is taken orally only. | It is either given orally or by injection into the veins. |