Channels

Altace - Patient Info

[Ramipril]

Information for Patients

Female patients of childbearing age should be told about the consequences of second-and third-trimester exposure to ACE inhibitors, and they should also be told that these consequences do not appear to have resulted from intrauterine ACE inhibitor exposure that has been limited to the first trimester. These patients should be asked to report pregnancies to their physicians as soon as possible.

Angioedema:

Angioedema, including laryngeal edema, can occur with treatment with ACE inhibitors, espe-cially following the first dose. Patients should be so advised and told to report immediately any signs or symp-toms suggesting angioedema (swelling of face, eyes, lips, or tongue, or difficulty in breathing) and to take no more drug until they have consulted with the prescribing physician.

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Symptomatic Hypotension:

Patients should be cautioned that lightheadedness can occur, especially dur-ing the first days of therapy, and it should be reported. Patients should be told that if syncope occurs, ALTACE should be disconti

nued until the physician has been consulted. All patients should be cautioned that inadequate fluid intake or excessive perspiration, diarrhea, or vomit-ing can lead to an excessive fall in blood pressure, with the same consequences of lightheadedness and pos-sible syncope.

Hyperkalemia:

Patients should be told not to use salt substitutes containing potassium without consulting their physician.

Neutropenia:

Patients should be told to promptly report any indication of infection (e. g., sore throat, fever), which could be a sign of neutropenia.

Drug Interactions

With nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents:

Rarely, concomitant treatment with ACE inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents have been associated with worsening of renal failure and an increase in serum potassium.

With diuretics:

Patients on diuretics, especially those in whom diuretic therapy was recently instituted, may occasionally experience an excessive reduction of blood pressure after initiation of therapy with ALTACE. The possibility of hypotensive effects with ALTACE can be minimized by either discontinuing the diuretic or increas-ing the salt intake prior to initiation of treatment with ALTACE. If this is not possible, the starting dose should be reduced. (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.)