Enalapril

What is enalapril?

Enalapril is in a group of drugs called ACE inhibitors. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme.

Enalapril is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), congestive heart failure, kidney problems caused by diabetes, and to improve survival after a heart attack.

Enalapril may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to enalapril or to any other ACE inhibitor, such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), or trandolapril (Mavik).

If you have certain conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication. Before you take enalapril, tell your doctor if you have:

kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis);
liver disease;
heart disease or congestive heart failure;
diabetes; or
a connective tissue disease such as Marfan syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, scleroderma, or rheumatoid arthritis.

FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Enalapril could cause birth defects in the baby if you take the medication during pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control. Stop using this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment.

Enalapril can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It can further lower your blood pressure and may increase some of the side effects of enalapril.

Do not use salt substitutes or potassium supplements while taking enalapril, unless your doctor has told you to.

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Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include feeling extremely dizzy or light-headed, or fainting.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; severe stomach pain; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

feeling light-headed, fainting;
urinating more or less than usual, or not at all;
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;
pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding;
fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats;
chest pain; or
swelling, rapid weight gain.

Less serious side effects may include:

cough;
loss of taste sensation, loss of appetite;
dizziness, drowsiness, headache;
sleep problems (insomnia);
dry mouth;
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; or
mild skin itching or rash.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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Interactions

Before taking enalapril, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:

gold injections to treat arthritis;
lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith);
a potassium supplement such as K-Dur, Klor-Con;
salt substitutes that contain potassium;
aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), diclofenac (Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and others; or
a diuretic (water pill).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with enalapril. Tell your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Other Names

Vasotec and enalapril

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Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.