Altace Blood Pressure Medication

Altace blood pressure medication and its side effects are covered in some good detail in this article.

Altace blood pressure medication is a brand name pharmacological drug whose generic name is Ramipril. It has no generic available which has implications on its overall price. It is well known that generic drugs are cheaper than brand name drugs. It is therefore not a good thing that this drug has no cheaper generic alternative.This appears to be the case until August 2020.

Altace belong to a group of high blood pressure meds called ACE Inhibitors. ACE stands for Angiotension-Converting Enzyme. As an ACE inhibitor, the drug works by blocking the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. This increases the capacity of blood vessels  to transport blood reducing blood pressure. It also increases the excretion of sodium in the urine. Less sodium is desirable if you think about the negative link between sodium and high blood pressure.

Altace blood pressure medication is primarily used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure. It has been shown to improve survival following a heart attack. Altace does not affect cholesterol levels or blood sugar levels. This ACE Inhibitor like other hypertension medications carries with it certain known side effects. These include coughing, dizziness, feeling tired, headache, problems sleeping and fast heart beat. Compared to ARBs, it has been shown that ACEIs have a greater chance of causing a dry cough. The cough can be severe ending up requiring a switch of drugs by some patients. This is know among Ramipril users as the ACE cough.

Some patients have described their struggle with ACE cough as starting off as a dry tickle at the back of the throat which gradually increases to vigorous coughing often leading to felt chest pains. The coughing has also be known to occur overnight.

There is little doubt that few patients are not concerned about blood pressure medication side effects. It is a major concern among patients so much that an increasing number of individuals are actively turning to natural hypertension remedies. In fact, it has been shown that as many as 8 out of every 100 patients on an ACE Inhibitors stop taking the medication due to its side effects. It is critical to keep in mind that if this stoppage is done without doctor consultation it could possibly lead to resistant hypertension.

Breastfeeding women should consult a doctor before taking Altace blood pressure medication. The need to consult a doctor is overall precautionary. Some medical experts have argued that full term breastfeeding infants bear little to no risk of damage from Altace taken by the nursing mother.

Individuals with urination problems should necessarily consult a physician. The reason being that Altace blood pressure medication increases urination which can be a menace particularly during the night. Altace may not be suitable for people who have kidney or liver problems, diabetes or heart problems. In such cases its use is entirely depended on your doctor's direction.

Pregnant women may need a visit to the doctor before starting out on the drug. Altace in pregnancy has been known to damage fetus kidneys particularly during the final trimester. Taking diuretics and ACE Inhibitors at the same time may have its own risks. Doctor direction will still be required.

Severe warning signs associated with Altace hypertension medication include chest pain, problems breathing or swallowing and swelling in the face, eyes, lips, tongue or legs. These should be reported to your physician at once.

There are other less occurring side effects due to Altace use. These symptoms which include giant hives, vocal code swelling, hearing loss, hepatitis, liver failure and low blood sugar are actually considered very rare.

Individuals prone to allergies will need to ensure they are not allergic to Altace. People who are allergic to Altace or Ramipril, or to any other ACE Inhibitor for that matter should not use Altace.

As noted earlier in terms of price, as compared to other drugs, Altace is relatively expensive because it lacks a generic drug. To give you an idea of the cost of Altace, according to average wholesale price research from Drug Topics Red Book, taking 2.5mg everyday of Altace will cost $50.00 for a month's supply and $60.00 for a month's supply of 10mg.

Drugs.com confirms that Altace which is a brand name for Ramipril has a patent expiring in August 2020. At present Altace has no generic drug for both its tablet and oral versions. Despite this, some fraudulent online pharmacies have continued to claim stocking Altace generic drug. It is for this reason that my readers are advised to stay clear of such claims by unscrupulous pharmacies.

Altace Blood Pressure Medication User Reviews

Side effects associated with Altace blood pressure medication have in many cases tended to summarised research outcomes by medical doctors and the medical community in general.

However, going through discussion forums and hearing accounts of individual patients in their own words, there are some pretty unique experiences at individual level which provide some incredible insight into the good and the bad of the medication.

For example, despite all the talk of side effects as mentioned earlier, incredibly some patients have reported using the Altace tablets for as long as six yes without experiencing any noticeable side effects.

However, we soon noticed that the supposed lack of side effects over the first five to six years appears to be a trend. Many Altace users have reported a smooth ride for five to seven years and then severe side effects such as dizziness, very dry eyes and severe muscle pains.

Some patients also report ringing in the ears which is severe. Yet others report hair loss after dosage increase from 2mg per day to 5mg per day.

In giving their reviews, some patients have complained of Altace's effect on having or keeping an erection even though its been effective in reducing blood pressure.

In the midst of the bad experiences, there are also notable positive reviews from the use of the drug. One particular patient noted a drop in blood pressure from 145/85-95mmHg to 110/70mmHg taking a 10mg capsule daily.

Our conclusion is that just like many other drugs seeking to treat or remedy quite serious situations, certain side effects can be expected. What is key to keep in mind is that those side effects will vary from one individual to the next. This makes it needful for patients to always act under the direction of a physician.

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