heartburn, insomnia, sore neck, swallowing issue.....

I have been on 5mg of Ramipril since Feb 08, have experienced a slight tickly cough but nothing else until October this year when I have had what could be described as indigestion/ funny feeling in windpipe which developed into a strangled feeling in my throat and chest and lump feeling in throat and chest. Doctor says its not Rampril but acid and gave me Omeprazole tablets which I have been taking for 6 weeks.The feeling has changed but not gone away and goes from pressure feeling in chest to lump feeling in throat. Wondered if this was similar to your symptoms.

JSS - Exactly that. I'm tempted to go and get an endoscopy as it feels like there is something wrong with my easophagus. I tried coming off Ramipril but my BP shot right up. I will see if I can get something else prescribed. I tried taking CoQ10 and magnesium chloride as natural remedies but I think they interact with Ramipril. Made the chest / throat sensations worse anyway. I've always suffered with mild heartburn but never like I am now. Like yourself, Ramipril didn't seam to be a problem for the first few months.

Yes having a Gastroscopy would be a good idea

your symptoms are exactly as mine. I am a 43 year old who had a heart attack and stents fitted at the age of 39. Have been on ramipril and metoprolol ever since. Severe chest discomfort and throat pain along with the feeling of an immovable object in my throat and also a metallic taste. Have had many doctor and hospital visits, all to no avail. The symptoms always seem worse in the cold winter months when I tend to suffer with cold/flu viruses. Sometimes the feelings are so bad I lay awake for hours at night thinking IS THIS IT

It does seem that your side effects might be caused by the medication but you must not stop taking it without seeking GP advice, with these symptoms the GP would be likely to change you to an alternative medication (not all drugs suit everyone).

I am so glad to see these posts.

I came off ramipril 12 months ago. I now do not get the GERD that I needed omprazol for.

It was like having a football in my chest and the heartburn was like my heart attack symptoms. So you can imagine the panic that caused.

I have proved that ramipril is definitely the cause of the digestive trouble. And seeing these reports confirm it all the more.

So I am sticking with the Atorvastatin and the propanalol and the aspirin.

Three out of four ain't bad.

Matt At's report is so similar we must be related..

Well several months on and what can I say....

I now feel 100% well again and I put it down to two things (and believe me I tried many many combinations over 18 months) -

1. Magnesium Chloride is essential to eliminating arrhythmias. This has been a wonder drug for me as far as my heart is concerned. From having sevral violent arrhythmias per day, I have now not had a single murmur for months. I did lots of research into this and after 6 weeks of appplying transdermally, all arrhythmias were gone. My doctors refuse to acknowlege it, yet strangely Magnesium Sulfate is the first-line antiarrhythmic agent for cardiac arrest.

2. I came off Ramipril. All gastro, throat, coughing, anxiety problems gone within a couple of weeks. I am now on Candesartan 4mg per day. This is solely for my blood pressure. It is a minimum dose and my BP now averagres 120/80 - perfect.

Ramipril was like a poison for me and I will never take it again. I urge everybody with cardio problems to do a bit of research into Magnesium Chloride. Just Google it, there are loads of articles out there.

Specifically in my case, elevated stress hormone levels (and excess alcohol consumption) had reduced my magnesium levels, which in turn allowed my calcium levels to increase unchecked. This led to vaso-constriction which at one stage saw me blue-lighted to hospital for a week.

The medical profession need to wake up a little and start treating people in a more hollistic manner. Whilst my cardio doctor was helpful and caring, he was also so specialised that he almost refused to acknowlege the non-cardio side-effects and only wanted to prescribe further drugs to mask the symptoms. Proper nutrition has to be the key to a correctly functioning metabolism. If peoples' metabolisms are slightly off-kilter then forcing numerous prescription drugs down their throats is only going to make things worse. Especially drugs as rotten as Ramipril.

I can only say that im glad people are coming off this drug and finding other solutions.

My GP office would telephone me regularly and try and co-erce me into picking up the prescription, which i eventually (having been worn down) did.

I never took the prescription to the chemists after reading these experiences and brought down my blood pressure by completely changing my life - i mean completely! So the GP did have an effect in scaring me - the receptionist called me regularly and told me i could drop dead anytime - outrageous eh?

So I left my job, sold my car and house, I quit smoking, alcohol and lost weight - and left England for a more peaceful life in a small spanish village.

I think we are treating the symptoms of blood pressure and not the causes which can lead to an early death i know. So, if you possibly can make some big changes and choose a drug free solution is my only advice, and this path will be different for everyone.

A retired GP out here told me that GPS get 'incentives' for prescribing certain drugs - that would explain the constant harrassment for getting me to pick up the prescription? Theres no proof of course just a gut feeling i had at the time (have worked in NHS previously for 16 years) so know doctors are just human and not gods.

Thats all i can say, now have perfect BP 117/80 last reading - i know everyone cant just change their whole lives like me but think about the causes and make some changes please instead of taking this unpredictable drug. thanks for the opportunity to put my experiences forward

hi i'm a 37 year old male who for the past 2 years has been trying to get my blood pressure sorted out its still very high 147/110 with pulse of around 105.. i was on antenalol 25mg candesartan 8mg but a month ago i recieved a letter telling me i was switching from the candesartan to ramipril 5mg.. since i started taking the ramipril i was having problems with my sleeping patterns normally get around 5-7 hours a day sleep but when on ramipril i was putting away around 7-12 hours a day. quite a difference i know but on several occasions i finished work had tea sat down about six o'clock fell asleep and woke up again around 5-6 next morning. i mentioned this to the gp and he said it wasnt a side effect of the ramipril and upped my dosage to 7.5mg.. ( i will say that when i asked why my med had changed he was honest and told me that ramipril was far cheaper than candesartin). i was just wondering if anyone else had found problems with sleeping habits.

[quote:9765a138bf=\"steveRS\"]your symptoms are exactly as mine. I am a 43 year old who had a heart attack and stents fitted at the age of 39. Have been on ramipril and metoprolol ever since. Severe chest discomfort and throat pain along with the feeling of an immovable object in my throat and also a metallic taste. Have had many doctor and hospital visits, all to no avail. The symptoms always seem worse in the cold winter months when I tend to suffer with cold/flu viruses. Sometimes the feelings are so bad I lay awake for hours at night thinking IS THIS IT[/quote:9765a138bf]

I'm currently really suffering the above symptons, it's wearing me down... My Dr is a fool tbh and just doesn't listen. He stated in my last visit that you can have pain without anything being wrong and gave me something for acid relief. Over the last weekend I stopped taking both the Asprin and Ramipril tablets and hey presto, I had the best weekend since September! I took the Ramipril this morning and I'm currently typing this at work whilst it feels like my heart is being crushed...

So moving on how did you guys get on with alternatives, I need to go to my Dr and provide him with an answer. Thanks in advance guys.