Ramipril – a tablet for high blood pressure

Ramipril – a tablet for high blood pressure

Ramipril is a tablet for high blood pressure, especially useful in many CKD patients

What is Ramipril?

• Ramipril is an ACE inhibitor (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor)

How it works

• Ramipril relaxes blood vessels by reducing the production of angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow
• This lowers blood pressure and reduces the workload on the heart.

Uses

Ramipril is used to treat people with:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Chronic kidney disease (CKD). It protect the kidneys, especially in people with diabetes
• A risk of stroke (in some patients with high blood pressure)
• Certain heart conditions, such as heart failure

Dosage

• Taken once daily
• Treatment often starts at a low dose (e.g. 1.25–2.5 mg) and is increased gradually
• Typical maintenance dose is 5–10 mg daily, depending on the condition

Side-effects

Common side-effects include:

• Dizziness, especially when starting treatment
• Dry cough
• Low blood pressure
• High blood potassium levels (hyperkalaemia)

Less common but important side-effects:

• Worsening kidney function
• Swelling of the lips, face, or tongue (angioedema – seek urgent help)

Note. Rarely, it can worsen kidney function – especially in patients with CKD due to renovascular disease (RVD).

Monitoring

Doctors should monitor:

• Blood pressure
• Blood tests: creatinine and GFR for kidney function; and potassium – before treatment and after dose changes
• For cough, dizziness, or swelling

Other resource

10 Common BP Tablets