Captopril lowers blood pressure by reducing the production of a substance called Angiotensin II which causes the blood vessels to narrow. When the blood vessels open up, your blood pressure will be lowered.
This medication can also be used for patients who have protein in their urine and other heart conditions.
The side effects include a dry, annoying cough that does not go away, dizziness and lightheadedness on getting up from a sitting or sleeping position. Very rarely, some patients might experience a loss of taste.
The symptoms of a drug allergy include one or more of the following:
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should stop your medicine immediately and see your doctor.
Very rarely, this medicine can injure or damage the liver. A liver injury may recover on its own. However in some cases, it can cause serious liver damage. Stop this medicine and see a doctor immediately if you notice dark coloured urine or light coloured stools, or if you experience nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach pain or yellowing of your eyes or skin. This side effect has a very low chance of occurring. Most patients take this medicine with no problems. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns regarding your medicines.
Very rarely, this medicine may cause the number of white blood cells in your body to be low. This increases your chance of getting an infection. Stop this medicine and see a doctor immediately if you have any signs of an infection such as fever, chills, bad sore throat, pain when you pass urine or have mouth sores or wounds that do not heal. This side effect has a very low chance of occurring. Most patients take this medicine with no problems. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns regarding your medicines.
Inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. Once you find out you are pregnant, stop the medication as soon as possible. Taking this medication can cause injury and death to your developing fetus.
Your doctor may need to monitor your potassium levels and kidney function when you are on this medication.
If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only the usual dose. Do not double your dose or use extra medicine to make up for the missed dose.
If you take more than the recommended dose, please seek medical advice immediately.
Throw away all expired medicines.
Pack this medicine into a black trash bag and seal it tightly before throwing into the rubbish chute or bin.
