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Enalapril
General statements
- Do not share your medicine with others and do not take anyone else's medicine.
- Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, herbal/supplements, vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to healthcare provider (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physician assistant).
- Talk with healthcare provider before starting any new medicine, including over-the-counter or natural products (herbs, vitamins).
How should I store this medicine?
- Store in a tight, light-resistant container at room temperature. Protect from moisture.
Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately
- Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; tightness in the chest; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- Passing out, fainting, dizziness, or lightheadedness.
- Excessive perspiration, dehydration, vomiting/diarrhea. May lead to low blood pressure.
- Chest pains, fast heartbeats, shortness of breath, or decreased ability to walk.
- Any rash.
- No improvement in condition or feeling worse.
What should I monitor?
- Watch for swelling of legs or belly, shortness of breath, weight gain, exercise tolerance. If any of these worsen tell healthcare provider.
- Report a 3-5 pound weight gain if taking for heart failure.
- Follow diet plan and exercise program as recommended by healthcare provider.
- Check blood pressure regularly.
- Check blood work. Talk with healthcare provider.
What are the common side effects of this medicine?
- Dizziness is common. Rise slowly over several minutes from sitting or lying position. Be careful climbing stairs.
- Headache. Mild pain medicine may help.
- Feeling tired or lightheaded. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities that require you to be alert until you see how this medicine affects you.
- Abnormal taste (metallic, salty, or none). This is usually reversible.
- Dry cough.
What are the precautions when taking this medicine?
- Avoid alcohol (includes, wine, beer, and liquor). Can increase blood pressure.
- If you are diabetic, watch blood sugar. This medicine may decrease blood sugar. Diabetic medicines may need adjustments.
- Be careful in hot weather. You may see a greater blood pressure lowering effect.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are taking allopurinol or lithium. Enalapril may increase side effects of these medicines.
- Avoid potassium-containing salt substitutes, potassium-sparing diuretics and potassium supplements. Talk with healthcare provider.
- Avoid large doses of aspirin or ibuprofen or like products. They decrease the effect of this medicine.
- Do not use over-the-counter products that increase blood pressure. These include cough or cold remedies, diet pills, stimulants, ibuprofen or like products, and certain herbs or supplements. Talk with healthcare provider.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, throat; or any other symptoms involved.
- Do not use in pregnancy and do not get pregnant. Use birth control that you can trust while taking this medicine.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are breast-feeding.
What is this medicine used for?
- This medicine is use to treat high blood pressure.
- It improves symptoms produced by a weakened heart and improves left ventricular dysfunction after a heart attack.
- It is use to protect kidney function in diabetic patients who have protein loss.
- It is also used to improve symptoms of Raynaud's syndrome.
How does it work?
- Enalapril lowers blood pressure by decreasing production of a strong chemical in the body that increases blood pressure.
- This lowered blood pressure also protects the weakened heart and helps improve fluid removal from the body.
- Improvements in blood flow through the kidney helps the diabetic.
How is it best taken?
- Take with or without food. Take with food if this medicine causes an upset stomach.
What do I do if I miss a dose?
- Take a missed dose as soon as possible.
- If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Return to your regular schedule.
- Do not take a double dose or extra doses.
Reasons not to take this medicine
- If you have an allergy to enalapril or any other part of the medicine. If you are allergic to another angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, talk with healthcare provider.
- If you have any of the following conditions: Disease of the vessels (arteries) that take blood to the kidney, primary hyperaldosteronism, idiopathic or hereditary angioedema.
- If you are more than 12 weeks pregnant.
What key warnings should I know about before taking this medicine?
- Do not use this medicine if you are pregnant. Use during the second and third trimester (more than 12 weeks pregnant) can cause harm to the baby you are carrying. Call healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant. Your medicine will need to be changed.