Ramipril Precautions and Warnings

Ramipril Tablets

Ramipril: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking ramipril (Altace^®) if you:

Have heart disease, including congestive heart failure, aortic stenosis, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Have liver disease, including cirrhosis, ascites, or liver failure
Have kidney disease
Have diabetes
Are to be undergoing surgery or anesthesia.

Let your healthcare provider know if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. During pregnancy, ramipril can cause damage or even death to the developing fetus.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you may already be taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements (especially if you are taking a potassium supplement or water pill).

Some Ramipril Precautions and Warnings

Some precautions and warnings to be aware of with ramipril include:

ACE inhibitors such as ramipril are more likely than other medicines to cause allergic reactions. Make sure to discuss these risks with your healthcare provider.
Ramipril can interact with certain other medications (see Ramipril Drug Interactions).
ACE inhibitors may cause swelling (angioedema) of the head and neck. This occurs more frequently in African Americans than in Caucasians. In addition to the head and neck angioedema, ACE inhibitors have been associated with intestinal angioedema (a key symptom of which is abdominal pain). Make sure to discuss these risks with your healthcare provider. Also, let your healthcare provider know if you have any swelling of the eyes, face, lips, or tongue or experience difficulty breathing. If you have any of these symptoms, do not take any more ramipril until you have seen your healthcare provider.
Ramipril may cause extreme low blood pressure and slow heart rate in some people. Symptoms of low blood pressure can include dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. This is likely to occur if a person has experienced diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive sweating.
When used in pregnancy, ramipril can cause injury and even death to the developing fetus. If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, let your healthcare provider know.
ACE inhibitors are known to cause a cough. If it becomes bothersome, talk with your healthcare provider about alternate options for your condition.
While taking ramipril, do not use salt substitutes with potassium unless you have discussed this with your doctor.
People on ramipril can be at increased risk of infections. Talk with your healthcare provider if you have any infections, such as a sore throat or fever, while taking ramipril.
If you are over 65 years old, your healthcare provider may choose to make any necessary dosing adjustments with caution.
If you have kidney disease or failure, your body may metabolize the ramipril differently than intended. Therefore, your healthcare provider will monitor your situation more closely.
In clinical studies, ACE inhibitors have rarely been known to cause liver failure. If you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or have a dramatic increase in liver enzymes, your healthcare provider may recommend discontinuing ramipril.
It is not known whether or not ramipril passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are taking ramipril and nursing, it is recommended that you stop nursing.
If you have congestive heart failure, your healthcare provider may choose to monitor your progress closely.

(Ramipril Precautions and Warnings Continued: Page 2)