Ramipril

Uses of  Ramipril

Ramipril is a medicine widely used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure. It’s also prescribed after a heart attack.

Ramipril helps prevent future strokes, heart attacks and kidney problems. It also improves your survival if you’re taking it for heart failure or after a heart attack.

It works by widening your blood vessels and making it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.

Precautions and Warnings

You should not use ramipril if you are allergic to it, or if:

• you have a history of angioedema;
• you recently took a heart medicine called sacubatril; or
• if you are allergic to any other ACE inhibitor, such as benazepril, captopril, enalapril, fosinopril, lisinopril, moexipril, perindopril, quinapril, or trandolapril.

Do not take ramipril within 36 hours before or after taking medicine that contains sacubatril (such as Entresto).

If you have diabetes, do not use ramipril together with any medication that contains aliskiren (such as Tekturna or Tekamlo).

You may also need to avoid taking ramipril with aliskiren if you have kidney disease.

To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis);
• liver disease;
• a connective tissue disease such as Marfan syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, scleroderma, or rheumatoid arthritis; or
• if you are also taking telmisartan (Micardis).

If you become pregnant, stop taking this medicine and tell your doctor right away. Ramipril can cause injury or death to the unborn baby if you take the medicine during your second or third trimester. Use effective birth control.

It is not known whether ramipril passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.

Dosage

The dose of ramipril you take depends on why you need the medicine. Take it how your doctor tells you to.

Depending on why you’re taking ramipril, the usual starting dose is between 1.25mg and 2.5mg once a day.

This will be increased gradually over a few weeks to the usual dose for your condition:

• high blood pressure – 2.5mg to 5mg once a day
• heart failure or after a heart attack – 5mg twice a day or 10mg once a day
• kidney disease (nephropathy) – 5mg or 10mg once a day

The maximum dose is 5mg twice a day or 10mg once a day.

Side Effects

Common side effects:

• headache;
• cough; or
• dizziness, weakness, tired feeling.