Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
By Mayo Clinic staff
Original Article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ace-inhibitors/HI00060
*
Alternative medicine (1)
* Hypnosis: Another way to manage pain, kick bad habits
*
Causes (1)
* Stress and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
*
Complications (5)
* Obesity
* Brain aneurysm
* Enlarged heart
* see all in Complications
*
Lifestyle and home remedies (9)
* DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure
* DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
* Stress and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
* see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
*
Prevention (1)
* Main attraction: 10 vegetable main dishes
*
Risk factors (2)
* Hyperparathyroidism
* Birth control pill FAQ: Benefits, risks and choices
*
Symptoms (1)
* Symptom Checker
*
Tests and diagnosis (2)
* Blood pressure chart: What your reading means
* Microalbumin test
*
Treatments and drugs (10)
* Choosing blood pressure medications
* Diuretics
* Calcium channel blockers
* see all in Treatments and drugs
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
Free
E-Newsletter
Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters
* Housecall
* Alzheimer's caregiving
* Living with cancer
close window
About our e-newsletters
* Free e-newsletters
* Mayo Clinic expertise
* We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
*
RSS Feeds
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
* Free weekly e-newsletter
* Mayo Clinic expertise
* Recipes, tools and other helpful information
* We do not share your e-mail address
* Sign up
* View past issues
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
ACE inhibitors treat a variety of conditions, such as high blood pressure, scleroderma and migraines. Find out more about this class of medication.
By Mayo Clinic staff
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors help relax blood vessels. ACE inhibitors prevent an enzyme in your body from producing angiotensin II, a substance in your body that affects your cardiovascular system by narrowing your blood vessels and releasing hormones that can raise your blood pressure. This narrowing can cause high blood pressure and force your heart to work harder.
Examples of ACE inhibitors
Several ACE inhibitors are available. Which one is best for you depends on your health and the condition being treated.
Examples of ACE inhibitors include:
* Benazepril (Lotensin)
* Captopril (Capoten)
* Enalapril (Vasotec)
* Fosinopril (Monopril)
* Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
* Moexipril (Univasc)
* Perindopril (Aceon)
* Quinapril (Accupril)
* Ramipril (Altace)
* Trandolapril (Mavik)
Uses for ACE inhibitors
Doctors prescribe ACE inhibitors to prevent, treat or improve symptoms in conditions such as:
* High blood pressure
* Coronary artery disease
* Heart failure
* Diabetes
* Certain chronic kidney diseases
* Heart attacks
* Scleroderma
* Migraines
Your doctor may prescribe other medications in addition to an ACE inhibitor, such as a diuretic, as part of your high blood pressure treatment. ACE inhibitors are usually taken once daily, and many people take them in the morning.
Side effects and cautions
Doctors commonly prescribe ACE inhibitors because they don't often cause side effects. The most common side effect is a dry cough.
Possible, although rare, side effects include:
* Increased blood-potassium level (hyperkalemia)
* Rash
* Dizziness
* Lightheadedness
* Changes in taste
* Reduced appetite over long intervals
In rare cases ? but more commonly in blacks and in smokers ? ACE inhibitors can cause some areas of your tissues to swell (angioedema). If it occurs in the throat, that swelling can be life-threatening.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve, others) decrease the effectiveness of ACE inhibitors. While taking an occasional dose of these medications shouldn't change the effectiveness of your ACE inhibitor, talk to your doctor if you regularly take NSAIDs.
Because ACE inhibitors can cause birth defects, don't take them if you're pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
No comments:
Post a Comment