Altace is a medication used to lower blood pressure. Bringing down high blood pressure (hypertension) reduces the risk of heart attacks, kidney issues, and strokes. Additionally, patients take Altace to increase their survival rate after a heart attack. Hence, it is used to treat heart failure in people who have recently experienced cardiac arrest.
It may also be administered in high-risk patients (such as those with diabetes or heart disease) to prevent heart attacks and strokes better. Altracel is an ACE inhibitor that works by relaxing blood arteries so that blood may flow more smoothly.
Generic Name of Altace
Ramipril is the generic name of Altace. It is an ACE inhibitor that relaxes blood vessels so that blood can flow more easily. Ramipril medication can also be used to help protect the kidneys from the harmful consequences of having diabetes.
Altace Dosage
Altace comes in tablets with the strengths of:
- 5 mg
- 5 mg
- 5 mg
- 10 mg
How To Administer Altace Medication?
Take Altace by mouth with or without a meal, as prescribed by your doctor.
Start with 2.5mg once daily for one week, then increase to 5mg once daily for the following three weeks, and finally, go up to a maintenance dose of 10mg once daily. Altace can also be administered in divided doses to patients with hypertension or those who have recently undergone a myocardial infarction.
Altace starts to work within a few hours to reduce high blood pressure. However, you may take a few weeks to experience its effect fully. It may take weeks or months to get better if you’re taking Altace for heart failure.
Altace Side Effects
Following are some of the adverse effects of Altace:
- headache
- cough
- fatigue
- dizziness
- whirling feeling
- malaise
- nausea
- nausea
- abdominal discomfort
Altace Drug Alternatives
Examples of other ACE inhibitors aside from Altace also include the following:
- Capoten (captopril)
- Vasotec (enalapril)
- Prinivil, Zestril (lisinopril)
- Lotensin (benazepril)
- Monopril (fosinopril)
- Accupril (quinapril)
- Aceon (perindopril)
- Mavik (trandolapril)
- Univasc (moexipril)
What Other Medications, Substances, Or Supplements Interact With Altace?
Diuretics (water pills), gold injections, lithium, potassium supplements, potassium-containing salt replacements, aspirin, and other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) may all interact with Altace.
Can Pregnant Women Take ACE Inhibitors?
Pregnant women should avoid using ACE inhibitors like Altace, especially in their second and third trimesters. ACE drugs can reduce blood pressure, resulting in renal failure, or increase the mother’s potassium levels. In worst cases, taking ACE inhibitors may result in the infant’s death or physical deformities.