Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with ramipril. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people taking ramipril will experience that or any side effect.
Common side effects (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)
- Low blood pressure (hypotension).
- Dizziness or feeling light-headed. This is more likely when you first start taking ramipril or after any dose increases. If you feel dizzy, lie down until this passes.
- Drop in blood pressure causing dizziness or fainting on standing up. Try to get up slowly to avoid this.
- Dry, tickly cough.
- Shortness of breath.
- Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis).
- Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, indigestion or abdominal pain.
- Muscle pain or spasms.
- Chest pain.
- Increased level of potassium in the blood (hyperkalaemia).
Uncommon side effects (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)
- Blocked nose.
- Reduced appetite.
- Dry mouth.
- Anxiety and restlessness.
- Pins and needles sensations.
- Visual disturbances such as blurred vision.
- Change in sense of taste.
- Increased sweating.
- Pain in the joints.
- Decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction.
- Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations), fast heartbeat or abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias).
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
- Severe swelling of lips, face, tongue or throat (an allergic reaction called angioedema). Stop taking ramipril and consult your doctor immediately if you experience difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, throat, hands, feet or ankles.
- Problems with kidney function.
Rare side effects (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)
- Feeling weak.
- Disturbances in the normal levels of blood cells in the blood (tell your doctor if you get a sore throat, mouth ulcers, high temperature (fever), or feel tired or generally unwell while taking ramipril).
- Problems with balance.
- Eye inflammation (conjunctivitis).
- Problems with hearing, including tinnitus.
- Problems with liver function, including jaundice or hepatitis (consult your doctor promptly if you develop unexplained itching, yellowing of the skin or eyes, unusually dark urine, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pains, loss of appetite or flu-like symptoms while taking ramipril).
You should read the patient information leaflet that is supplied with your medication for more information about side effects associated with ramipril. You can find a copy of this here
If you think you have experienced side effects you can report them using the yellow card scheme.
Read more about ramipril
Last updated: 18/06/2019