Ramipril (marketed as Tritace/Ramace or Altace) is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure. ACE inhibitors lower the production of angiotensin II, therefore relaxing arterial muscles while at the same time enlarging the arteries, allowing the heart to pump blood more easily, and increasing blood flow due to more blood being pumped into and through larger passageways.
Ramipril is a prodrug and is converted to the active metabolite ramiprilat by liver esterase enzymes. Ramiprilat is mostly excreted by the kidneys. The half-life of ramiprilat is variable (3-16 hours), and is prolonged by heart and liver failure, as well as kidney failure.
Altace is licensed to treat a number of conditions. These Altace uses include:
- Controlling high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Reducing the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and death from cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) causes
- Being given as a congestive heart failure treatment after a heart attack.
As with any medicine, there are possible side effects with Altace® (ramipril); however, not everyone who takes the drug will experience Altace side effects. When people do develop Altace side effects though, in many cases they are minor, meaning they require no treatment or are easily treated by you or a healthcare professional. Serious side effects can occur but are less common.
Altace has been studied in a number of groups of people with different conditions. Because the groups were so different, the side effects are broken down by group. These groups include people with:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Congestive heart failure following a recent heart attack.
Common Altace Side Effects for High Blood Pressure
Altace has been studied extensively in clinical trials for people with high blood pressure. In these studies, side effects are always documented. The most common Altace side effects observed, occurring in more than 1 percent of patients with high blood pressure, were:
- Cough -- up to 12 percent
- Headache –- up to 5.4 percent
- Dizziness –- up to 2.2 percent
- Fatigue –- up to 2 percent
- Body weakness (asthenia).
If Altace side effects do occur, most people do not need to stop their medicine intake. In previous research studies, up to 4 percent of people stopped taking Altace because of Altace side effects. The most common reasons were cough, dizziness, and impotence (erectile dysfunction, or ED).
Common Altace Side Effects for Heart Failure
Altace has been studied extensively in clinical trials for people with congestive heart failure. The most common Altace side effects observed, occurring in more than 1 percent of patients with heart failure following a recent heart attack, were:
- Low blood pressure –- up to 11 percent
- Cough –- up to 8 percent
- Dizziness -– up to 4 percent
- Chest pain -– up to 3 percent
- Nausea – up to 2 percent
- Fainting (syncope) –- up to 2 percent
- Vomiting -– up to 2 percent
- Sensation of spinning (vertigo) -– up to 2 percent.
