Ramipril Capsules.

stevied

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I thought I would ask what you people would do in this situation.I went for my normal checkup with my DN to discuss my last blood test.My Hba1c was 5.9,which was the same as the previous one.All other test results were fine and she seemed very pleased.My weight continues to fall slowly,lost 3 stone since first diagnosed T2,so she was pleased with that also.She then checked my BP,which was up from the last time ,when it was 140/80,which I believe is'nt far off normal.Taking into account that in the last 6 months my wife has had a serious accident and is still receiving treatment,my son is on his 3rd tour of Iraq,and I was told the day before that I'm being made redundant in the new year.It is a wonder my BP did'nt blow the meter.She marched off to the doctor and came back with a script for Ramipril capsules,saying take these.Checking on Google indicates that there can be some horrible side effects with this medication.I am reluctant to start taking them until I have a chat with the doctor as I feel the raised BP is due to whats happening in my life just now.Has anyone been prescribed this treatment,and if so did you have any side effects? I have never been a pill popper of any sort and feel that once you start they won't let you stop.
 

lionrampant

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With diabetes of any type, high blood pressure is a big risk - i.e. complications. Ramipril however is a bit of an oddity. I was on it for about a month or two, and I was suffering bloody awful mood swings.

I then swung on to Candesartan - not had a problem since. That being said, I've not had as amazing results as with Ramipril.
 

Trinkwasser

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ACE and ARB are usually # and #2 drugs for BP control, they both have additional kidney protective and possibly other cardiovascular benefits.

The commonest side effect with ACE inhibitors is a dry cough which ARBs don't give, this is not uncommon but since the drugs are cheaper they are always used first, except for some authorities who recommend ARBs over ACE for diabetics (and some who prescribe both).

I would be strongly inclined to try them and see how you get on while being alert for potential side effects.
 

Blackadder

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Hi,

I was prescribed Ramipril some time ago after having high blood pressures during hospital visits. I always thought it was white coat syndrome as from home on my own monitor I am 130/70 which I advised the dr of. I was then fitted with a day monitor attached to me to find my average over 15minute intervals and that was 132/72 which my Dr said was too high and prescribed me Ramipril 5mg once a day. I noticed a cough but no other side effects.

Since then I have changed insulin and find that when i take ramipril I cannot get my BS down under 8mmol at all. If I don't take it then its fine and around 4-5.5 so I have stopped taking it and am waiting for an appointment to get something else prescribed instead.

Can you tell me where you read about side effects, do u have links?
 

brianb

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Im on candersartan (?sp) and fine on these.

Started on Lisinopril and developed a bad cough so was changed of to the cadersartan.

I like you was resistant to takingt hese at first as i was only 140/90 and thought that was down to stress etc, but after a few months of trying to relax etc it was still at those levels. Once i started the meds it came down almost overnight.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Brian
 

jopar

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I was put on Ramipril for kidney protection...

As I do suffer the white Coat symdrom! My BP is when I go to the hospital clinic to see my consultant, but at my doctor surgery my BP is spot on (even after a stressful day at work)....

I stopped taking them, because I didn't have side effect as such, but they would actually drop my BP to low so would have dizzy spells with them...

Hubby takes them due to his diabetes and has no problems with them at all
 

gillyh

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Be careful of rampiril stevie. I was on then for 6-7 months and had bad side effects. Kept complaining to dr and then had to refuse to take them before he'd listen to me. turns out I was allergic to them!!!! Took them that long to realise what was wrong!!
 

popps

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Hi Stevie,

I've been on ramipril for the last four months and have suffered no bad side effects whatsoever. My bp before taken them was 150/90, dropping to 140/82 at the last check-up. As with all other medication, it's usually those who have had a bad experience that post in; there may be a silent majority who don't feel thay need to post at all.
 

francis211

Member
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when i first took ram
i got itchy all over
not enough to scratch my self
it went ater about 6 weeks
it was a nuisance though
good luck
 

sugarless sue

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A lot of Uk drugs have different names on the other side of the pond.This is from the BNF (British National formulary)

Side-effects (Ramipril)


see notes above; arrhythmias, angina, chest pain, syncope, cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, loss of appetite, stomatitis, dry mouth, skin reactions including erythema multiforme and pemphigoid exanthema; precipitation or exacerbation of Raynaud’s syndrome; conjunctivitis, onycholysis, confusion, nervousness, depression, anxiety, impotence, decreased libido, alopecia, bronchitis and muscle cramps
 

popps

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Yippee!

I asked my GP before prescription whether there were any possible side-effects and he said "no". I think the advice for people with diabetes is to achieve a bp of something like 130/80, which given the hereditary incidence of high bp on both sides of my family line, seemed a difficult target to reach on exercise and diet alone. So I opted for the ramipirl, with none of the side-effects mentioned so far. However, I'm on 2.5mg once a day at the moment, with a review in a couple of months. Maybe the side-effects will appear with a higher dosage.

Still fighting the medication-free battle against high bs and cholesterol, though!
 

gillyh

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Seems as though rampiril agrees with you popps. Any side effects go back to your dr. I'm on irbesartan approvel 75 mg at the moment and they seem to be helping. Mt bp has gone down to an average of 115/68 from 153/87.
 

stevied

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54
Well,I went to see my Doctor and after a discussion about my medical history ( he is my new doctor) he agreed that my DN might have been a bit hasty in wanting me on pills and potions especially as when he took my BP it was 50 points down on the top scale compared to when my DN took it.My old doctor said I had a " Creeper " blood pressure,meaning that if you did'nt listen carefully you would miss it and assume it was much higher than it really was.I wonder if my DN missed it.I told my new doctor about this and even he took two goes to catch it.The point of this post is don't be afraid to question what they tell you at the doctors, because as we all know, we probably know more on this site than the lot of them put together.
 

Trinkwasser

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popps said:
Maybe the side-effects will appear with a higher dosage.

Not necessarily, if you don't get them initially you're usually fairly safe with these.

Don't forget the side effect lists contain a lot of very rare occurrences and things which are conicidental or due to other drugs taken at the same time, virtually all drugs carry side effects of colds and broken limbs or death for example which are not causal. You have to look at the stats of how common these side effects are on placebo and subtract to get a more reasonable outcome.
 

jacquirs

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when i first read the contraindications on the ramipril i was holy scared! anyway been taking them now since August and up to the max of 10mg per day

no real effects that i am aware of except i have this hearing thing (another thread) and not sure if the ramipril is implicated

my BP was not high but given Ramipril for initial concerns about my kidneys Proteinurea (sorry medical spelling not my strong point)

doc is pleased with BP and refers to ramipril as a wonder drug as it does all sorts of things that she confessed they did not understand (good things) and btw i would be on them at 55 anyway (only 43 :? ) so best to get going with them now

i know they don;t suit everyone and i agree we need to know before we pop, i gave doc a hard time before taking them
 

Trinkwasser

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jacquirs said:
doc is pleased with BP and refers to ramipril as a wonder drug as it does all sorts of things that she confessed they did not understand (good things) and btw i would be on them at 55 anyway (only 43 :? ) so best to get going with them now

i know they don;t suit everyone and i agree we need to know before we pop, i gave doc a hard time before taking them

Consider yourself lucky in a curious way! Unless NICE changed the rules again if you got to 70 or 75 without requiring BP medication you would never be able to get it. I think they are allowed to change the medication around once you are on it, otherwise my mother's GP is in trouble!
 

jacquirs

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just a quick up date

i had a medical with a completely different doc for a visa application the other day and he remarked on the wonders of ramipril, his parents are both diabetic and he expects to be, has already started on ramipril and said that in his view the whole populus would be on ACE inhibitors eventually as well as statins

i thought he was a genuine bloke and he was also impressed with my BP!