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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
What are ACE inhibitors and how do they work?ACE inhibitors can reduce the activity of an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE for short. The enzyme is responsible for hormones that help control your blood pressure. It has a powerful narrowing effect on your blood vessels, which increases your blood pressure. ACE inhibitors inhibit or limit this enzyme, making your blood vessels relax and widen. This, in turn, lowers your blood pressure and improves blood flow to your heart muscle. A quarter of the blood pumped out in each heartbeat flows through the kidneys, so if your heart becomes less efficient, your kidneys also suffer. Therefore, ACE inhibitors improve kidney, as well as heart, function.Want to get fit and healthy?Sign up to our fortnightly Heart Matters newsletter to receive healthy recipes, new activity ideas, and expert tips for managing your health. Joining is free and takes two minutes.I’d like to sign-up Why have I been prescribed an ACE inhibitor?They are commonly prescribed if you’ve had a heart attack or if you have heart failure. They are also used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).There are various types of ACE inhibitor. What are the main differences?The main difference between the ACE inhibitors is how long their effects last; some are short-acting and others are long-acting. If the duration is long, you need to take them less often during the day.ACE inhibitors make your blood vessels relax and widen. This, in turn, lowers your blood pressureFor example, perindopril is long-acting and only needs to be taken once a day, whereas captopril is short-acting and needs to be taken three times a day.Each drug comes in a range of strengths and we usually start on a low-strength drug and work our way up to the higher strengths as people get used to them. Common ace inhibitors include: captopril (brand names include Acepril, Acezide, Capoten, Capozide, Capozide LS) cilazapril (brand names include Vascase) enalapril (brand names include Enalapril, Innovace, Innozide) fosinopril (brand names include Fosinopril, Staril) imidapril (brand names include Tanatril) lisinopril (brand names include Carace, Carace Plus, Lisinopril, Zestoretic, Zestril) moexipril (brand names include Perdix) perindopril (brand names include Coversyl, Coversyl Plus) quinapril (brand names include Accupro, Accuretic) ramipril (brand names include Lopace, Ramipril, Triapin, Triapin Mite, Tritace) trandolapril (brand names include Gopten, Tarka)What are the possible side effects?About one in ten people experience a dry, irritating cough. If you have any side effects, let your GP know as soon as possible. In the event that your GP stops prescribing the ACE inhibitor and gives you alternative medication, it’s worth remembering that it can take eight to 12 weeks for the cough to disappear.Fewer than one in 100 people have a problem with
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