Ramipril cough

[Captain-]

Hi all,

before I go to the trouble of contacting my doctor I wondered if I could pick the collective mind of those with personal experience. I had a recent day trip to hospital via ambulance with stereotypical belt tightness in my chest. I was cleared of having a heart attack but found to have a bp of 170/120. I was packed off with cocodamol for the pain and Ramipril for the hypertension. My blood pressure is now well controlled but I fairly quickly developed what I understand to be the most common side effect, a dry cough. Always at night, at first it wasn't too bad, once , maybe twice, a night. But these last few days it has woken me, and my husband, five or six times a night, which ain't a barrel of laughs. Does anyone know if there is a safe, effective anti-hypertensive that doesn't have this side-effect?

Thanks.

[080311]

Morning,

I was on Ramipril after AVR and bypass, I developed the cough, surgeon changed me to Candesartan cough disappeared within a couple of weeks.

Best wishes Pauline

[Captain-]

great, thank you both!

[Dossy]

Hi I was on this and had the cough. My GP changed it to Candestartan and it stopped. I've had 2 other heart meds changed due to side effects. I do have phelgm problems especially first thing in the morning which is probably due to one of the meds!

[Dossy]

Hi ring your GP and ask to be put on a different one

[NotAllWhoWonder]

It's a common/annoying side-effect. No way to get rid of it bar stopping/changing Ramipril completely.

[Curlyman83]

I coughed all the time until I was out on Entresto. Zero side effects so far and it’s been 5 months

[Zac11]

I persevered with Ramipril, started on a low dose and now taking 10mg/day. Got the tickly cough, especially each time the dose increased, but started taking it last thing rather than in the morning and, quite soon, the cough/tickle stopped. Now fine on it, but it does give me a runny nose.

[MountainGoat52]

Yours is a familiar story - my wife remembers the Ramipril cough very well. I now take Losartan with no issues whatsoever. There are many alternatives available, so your GP may prescribe something else.

[Ruby40]

I've been on Ramipril for several years. The cough usually disappears after a couple of weeks as your body gets used to the meds. Ramipril is a good medication and people on it live longer so it's worth persevering if you can.

[Ramilia]

Hi Captain,

Ramipril made me cough constantly. After a month I couldn't stand it any longer, so I was given candesartan instead. The cough reduced over the next week or so and then disappeared completely 11 days later.

[Captain-]

Thanks all. I did try to persevere but after 2 months of neither me or my husband getting much sleep I was going a bit nuts. Just spoke to the doctor and she has prescribed me Amlodypine so I shall be swapping my persistent cough for swollen ankles 😁 Though I'm told it's a rare side effect and usually disappears after a while. Good health all!

[Badbywoods]

I was put on ramapril after mild heart attack and double bypass. Gradually over the weeks the cough got worse. I thought I’d picked up a virus from my grandchildren. On speaking to the doctor he decided to change me from ramapril to losartin and within three days the cough had gone.

[PecanSandie]

When I was first diagnosed with high blood pressure, I was put on lisinipril (which is ramapril's cousin). I immediately developed the cough. When I told the doctor about the cough, he changed me to a different pill - I think it was Coreg, a beta blocker. There are so many different kinds of blood pressure medication that there is no reason to suffer a cough when you don't have to.