Enalapril belongs to the family of ACEIs or inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme. This drug is usually used in patients with high blood pressure, although it is more effective in ischemic heart disease and heart failure. Similarly, it is used to treat kidney damage caused by diabetes.
What this medicine does is lower blood pressure by inhibiting the production of angiotensin II. This substance is responsible for raising blood pressure through stimulation of the contraction of blood vessels and increased sodium absorption in the kidney.
When and how should we take enalapril? This drug can interact with other drugs, hence a doctor has to adjust doses and do strict control as the case is concerned.
For What Conditions or Diseases Is This Medicine Prescribed?
We’ll tell you when and how we should take enalapril, although remember that the last word must always be given by the assigned doctor. That said, enalapril is used alone or in combination with other medicines that serve to treat high blood pressure or heart failure. This drug decreases the performance of those chemicals that contract the blood vessels so that the blood circulates better and the heart pumps more effectively.
High blood pressure occurs frequently. However, if nothing is done about it, it can cause deterioration in different parts of the body, whether it is kidneys, blood vessels, heart, or brain. This damage can lead to the onset of serious stroke-type diseases, vision loss, heart attacks, or heart failure, among other disorders.
Health professionals often prescribe enalapril to control blood pressure, which does not mean that changes should not be made to the patient’s lifestyle. According to this, the first thing is to add a low-fat and salt diet, avoid being overweight, not smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, and practice sports for at least 30 minutes a day.
Patients take enalapril orally through tablets or mouth-outs, which may be ingested before, during, or after meals with a glass of water. Usually, it is enough to administer a single dose per day, except in patients with heart failure, in which case it may be given in several doses.
It usually starts with a very tight dose, an amount that will be adjusted according to the disease concerned and the patient’s needs. The variation in the dose should be monitored at all times by the doctor.
What Other Use Is Given To This Medicine?
Sometimes, enalapril is used to treat kidney diseases that are related to diabetes. However, the doctor needs to be consulted on the potential risks to which the patient may be subjected after use.
You may be employed in different circumstances, but in this case, it is advisable to request more information from a health professional, whether a pharmacist or doctor.
What Special Precautions Should I Follow?
Now that we are clear when and how we should take enalapril, you only have to know what the most important precautions you should take into account when taking it:
The pharmacist or doctor should be consulted if the patient is allergic to enalapril, any of its components, other angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or certain medicinal products. If its composition is not known exactly, it is advisable to ask the pharmacist for a list of the ingredients that are part of this medicine.
If the patient is taking sacubitril or valsartan, two antihypertensive medicines, it is necessary to tell the doctor or pharmacist. Likewise, if he is diabetic and he is taking Aliskiren. In both cases, the doctor may discourage continuing to take enalapril.
Consult your doctor or pharmacist, about medicines, products, and nutritional supplements taken with or without a prescription, whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, diuretics, or potassium supplements. In these cases, the doctor may change doses or have comprehensive surveillance in case the patient has side effects.
Inform the doctor if you have the following diseases: diabetes, scleroderma (woven that grows in organs and skin), angioedema (painful inflammations and difficulty swallowing or breathing), and heart or kidney disease.
Consult the doctor in case of breast-feeding.
Inform your doctor if the patient is going to have surgery, even if it is dental. In this case, inform the dentist that enalapril treatment is followed.
In case of diarrhea, vomiting, abundant sweating, or not drinking enough fluid, blood pressure may decrease until confusion and fainting.
What Side Effects Could Cause This Medicine?
Treatment with enalapril may have some side effects. It is important to be vigilant and warn your doctor if one of these symptoms becomes serious or does not go away on its own:
- Dizziness
- Rashes
- Weakness and tiredness
- Cough
Some of the consequences of enalapril can become a complicated situation. When the patient has any of the following symptoms, it is essential to consult with the doctor as soon as possible:
- Hoarseness and difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Yellowing in skin and eyes
- Confusion and fainting
- Signs of infection such as chills, fever, and sore throat
- Inflammation of certain parts of the body: lips, eyes, tongue, throat, face, hands, feet, ankles or calves
Enalapril may lead to other side effects. In this case and in the face of any unusual problems that arise, it is advisable to contact the doctor and not to self-medicate.
