Ramipril side effects that dreadful cough

YES!!!! I've been on Ramipril about 5 weeks and over the last three weeks I've developed the most terrible, hacking cough which comes in uncontrollable spasms.

Retching, unable to breathe, wheezing, bringing up white froth ~ and it didn't bring my blood pressure down (not surprising with all the coughing). I saw my GP yesterday and was told that the cough ~ which I'd thought was bronchitis at least ~ was a side-effect of Ramipril.

The patient info leaflet describes the possibility of a \"dry, tickly cough\" ~ if I'd known that this was a 10% chance of developing this completely disabling cough, I'd have paid more attention ~ I don't need another heart attack because I'm \"coughing my head off\".

I wish that I looked at this site last year. I have been on Ramipril for about a year & the hacking cough has got worse every month with the watering eyes etc. My wife sent me back to the doctors to get this sorted & he changed the tablets, I am hoping the cough will disappear, but it did reduce my BP nicely.

Well its been 5 weeks since my doctor swapped my tablets to another make & I can not remember the last time I had a cough.

The terrible cough reduced by 80% in the first week & then disappeared within 2 weeks.

Good job for this website, or I would still be coughing away every day

Tony in Clacton on sea, Essex UK

Dear Tony in Clacton, could you tell me what your replacement medicine is, please?

I have had a mild but persistent cough for some months since taking Ramipril. It has not been overly distressing, fortunately, but I was a little worried whether or not it indicated something which could become a problem. I do not want to stop taking ACE inhibitors because they work well.

Regards,

Peter.

Just coughed my way to the end of the tetrapack n couldn't take any more Told the Doc, actually she told me - I said it was a side effect n she said it was the cough. Said you get Ramipril first because of cost. No hassle I was transfered to Irbesartin - early signs are better results on the BP and the cough has almost gone :D - takes a while to work its way out of the system. If your having probs ask to change don't suffer in silence!

I have been on Ramipril since Dec 2007 (5mg before bed). In May this year I was changed to Ramipril 2.5mg twice a day. After about a week I started suffering with a REALLY annoying dry, tickly cough. This is worse as the day progresses and often gives me trouble at night. I have been back to the GP, but he just told me I had a virus. I have noticed that the new strength tablets are a different brand make?? maybe this is the reason??

Maybe you could post what make of ramipril you are now on (and the one before if possible) and if other people suffering the cough are indeed on the same brand it would be worth passing the information to the MRHA.

Patient Admin Team

I'm in my 50's and I've been taking Ramipril for 7 mths now. I started off on a low dose and had it increased to 10mg over a few weeks as my bp was 200/120. I also need to take Bendroflumethiazide 2.5mg and Zanidip 20mg to control my bp which I'm pleased to say is now around 150/ 75 on average. I had a slight cough at first with the Ramipril which did settle down fairly quickly. I'm also asthmatic but on the whole I don't feel that the medications that I take for hbp are having any noticeable adverse side effects on my general health. I was worried at first at the unexpected severity of my bp problem and all the meds that I have to take to control it. My GP did try several different ones till we were both happy that the treatment was working adequately and I would say to anyone, give Ramipril a try and a chance if it's offered. There is everything to gain if it works and other options if it doesn't.

Very glad I found everyone's comments.  I've been taken ramipril for over one year. Suddenly out of the blue, one month ago I start coughing.  It's crazy. One minute I'm fine then I'm out of control watery eyes, gagging, can breathe, can't stopping choking and of course if any air hits my throat I'm done. Nights have been terrible. My throat fills with frothy thick substance and I begin coughing more. I finally went to see doctor, they are taking me off the med for two weeks to see if this is the problem. It's been one day with no ramipril. I sure hope it doesn't take too many days for med to exit the body.  

Hi, I have been on Ramipril 10MG since April 2013 and suffer from the dry cough too. I was so used to it that I only ever thought about it when other people mentioned it. Judging from some of the replies I have seen, it may not have affected me so badly, but one piece of information I recieved by accident was that someone else that was taking it that I knew, didn't associate it with her medication and was advised to take lemon, honey and glycerin from her local pharmacy. She found this worked, but when she found out the connection, she stopped taking the lemon, honey and glycerin and instead used honey in her tea. This was effective for her, as it is for me. I find now that the only time I get thecough again, is when I have to put the central heating up in cold weather. When this happens, I just drink more honeyed tea. One spoonful per cup works for me and is sweet enough to replace my normal sugar. Hope this helps.

I was on Ramipril 5mg daily for nearly two years without problem when I developed the cough last December. My GP thought I had a virus but when it had not improved after a couple of months and a course of antibiotics I was sent for a chest x-Ray (am not a smoker). 

Fortunately this was clear. But the cough dragged on - worse in the mornings with coughing until retching up phlegm and eyes streaming. Then it calms down for the rest of the day, sometimes, but not always, returning at night. Weird! Now, after eight months of this, various cough medicines and even allergy tablets, I have been swapped to Candesarten.

I am in my second week and on a dose of four mg daily. But I still have the awful sounds like a 60 a day smokers cough every morning. Perhaps it's early days with the Candesarten but I had hoped the cough would have eased up by now. If anyone has any info/ideas I would be grateful.