Ramipril
Ramipril is an ACE inhibitor used for high blood pressure, heart failure and after a heart attack, sold here as Tritace tablets in 1.25mg, 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg.
What ramipril is used for
Ramipril belongs to the ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), medicines that relax narrowed blood vessels. Its main job is lowering high blood pressure. It is also used in heart failure, where the heart pumps too weakly, and in the months after a heart attack, to reduce the chance of another attack, a stroke or death. Taken for years, it sits with the other long-term tablets in the heart and blood pressure group.
How it works
Blood vessels are kept narrow by angiotensin II, a hormone made with the help of one particular enzyme, and a narrowed vessel forces the heart to push against more resistance. Ramipril blocks that enzyme. Less hormone means relaxed arteries and easier blood flow, and pressure falls across days rather than within minutes of a tablet.
How ramipril is taken
Tablets are taken once or twice a day, starting at a low strength that is built up over the first few weeks. High blood pressure seldom causes symptoms, so there is no sensation to tell you it is working. A fixed daily routine is the way to keep the pressure down, since it rises again once the tablets stop.
Side effects and other medicines
A dry, tickly cough is the one people remember, sometimes starting weeks in and lasting as long as the tablets. Dizziness, headache and tiredness are also common, most of all after a strength change or a quick stand-up. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat needs urgent treatment, because it can close the airway. Heavy diarrhoea, vomiting or sweating can drop pressure far enough to feel faint.
Potassium supplements and potassium-based salt substitutes can push potassium too high, which disturbs the heart rhythm, and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen weaken the blood-pressure effect. Ramipril is not taken in pregnancy, because it can harm the baby.
Ramipril tablets on this page
Ramipril is stocked here as Tritace tablets, in four strengths: 1.25mg, 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg. It is the same medicine throughout — only the amount in each tablet changes — and the pack size is a separate choice from the strength. If you already take ramipril, match the strength printed on the pack you use now.
Sources
- Ramipril: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Heart failure - symptoms, causes and treatments - Healthdirect — Healthdirect Australia
Is Ramipril available to order in Hong Kong?
Ramipril can be ordered online from PockDose with delivery to Hong Kong. The page lists generic Tritace tablets in 1.25mg, 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg. If a parcel does not turn up within the delivery window, or arrives damaged, it is sent again at no cost, or refunded if a replacement is not possible.
How much do Ramipril products cost in Hong Kong?
The price depends on the strength and pack size you choose. The Tritace page shows current prices in HKD or the currency you select.
Do I need a prescription to order Ramipril?
PockDose does not ask you to upload a prescription when you order ramipril. See the ordering FAQ for details.
What are the brand names for ramipril?
Altace and Tritace are brand names of ramipril, which is also sold as Cardace, Hopace and Ramistar. Here, ramipril can be bought online as generic Tritace. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is ramipril the same as Tritace?
Tritace is a brand name for ramipril, so the tablets contain exactly the same active ingredient. Brand names come from the company that markets a medicine, and more than one can exist for a single ingredient. The listing here carries the ingredient name, and the tablets come in 1.25mg, 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg.
Why does ramipril cause a dry cough?
ACE inhibitors such as ramipril raise levels of bradykinin, a substance the lungs normally break down using the same enzyme that ramipril blocks. Extra bradykinin irritates the airways, and that shows up as a dry, tickly cough in some people rather than in everyone.
How long does ramipril take to work?
Ramipril brings blood pressure down gradually, over days and weeks, rather than in the minutes after a tablet. There is nothing to feel when it starts working, which is why it is taken on a fixed schedule. Its use in heart failure and after a heart attack follows the same slow, steady pattern.
What do the different ramipril strengths mean?
The number on the pack is how much ramipril each tablet holds: 1.25mg, 2.5mg, 5mg or 10mg, with 10mg the largest. All four are the same medicine in the same tablet form, so strength, not the medicine itself, is what changes from pack to pack. Pack size decides how many tablets arrive, not the amount in each one.
Can I take ibuprofen with ramipril?
Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen work against ramipril: they soften its blood-pressure effect and, used regularly, add to the strain on the kidneys. Aspirin belongs to the same family of painkillers. Potassium supplements and salt substitutes containing potassium are the other common shop-bought products that clash with it.