What Are ACE Inhibitors?
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are medications that dilate your veins and arteries, making it easier for your heart to pump blood.
- ACE inhibitors work best for people who have a reduced ejection fraction, which is the fraction of blood that your heart pumps out with each beat.
- The most common side effect with ACE inhibitors is a dry, persistent cough.
Heart failure develops when the heart fails to pump enough blood. It does not mean that your heart has stopped working, but it does mean the heart is not working as well as it should. In addition to lifestyle interventions — such as exercising regularly, losing weight, and cutting out alcohol — patients may be prescribed a number of medications to get the condition under control and keep it from advancing to later stages.
One of those options is angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). This class of medication has been around for more than 25 years and has been widely studied by cardiologists and researchers.
What Are ACE Inhibitors?
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are medications that dilate your veins and arteries. They prevent an enzyme in the body from producing angiotensin II, one of the most powerful blood vessel narrowers in the body. This narrowing can cause high blood pressure and force the heart to work harder. An ACE inhibitor can lower your blood pressure by dialating the vessels in your body and decreasing the workload on your heart.
“ACE inhibitors have been shown to improve the quality of life, decrease death and decrease hospitalizations in patients with heart failure,” Dr. Aeshita Dwivedi, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, tells SurvivorNet.
According to Dr. Dwivedi, ACE inhibitors work best for people who have a reduced ejection fraction, which is the fraction of blood that your heart pumps out with each beat. A normal heart pumps out about 55 to 80% of the blood it receives with each beat. ACE inhibitors are most beneficial in patients where this fraction drops to less than 40%. The most widely used test to measure your ejection fraction is through an echocardiogram (“echo”), according to the American Heart Association.
In some cases, the drugs may also be used in earlier stages of heart failure, as well as in patients with heart disease who are not showing signs of heart failure.
Types Of ACE Inhibitors
Many ACE inhibitors are available. Some ACE inhibitor medicines are also part of a tablet combined with a calcium-channel blocker medicine or diuretic medicine.
Diuretics are also known as “water pills,” because they increase the amount of salt (sodium) and water that is expelled by your kidneys into the urine. And calcium channel blockers are medications used to control hypertension (high blood pressure), angina (chest pain) or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats). These blockers slow the rate at which calcium passes into the heart muscle and into the vessel walls, relaxing them. The relaxed vessels let blood flow more easily through them, thereby lowering blood pressure.
It’s important to let your doctor know about any other diseases or allergies you have so they can weigh risks vs. benefits and make any needed adjustments to your treatment plan. These are some examples of ACE inhibitors available:
- Benazepril (Lotensin)
- Captopril
- Enalapril (Vasotec)
- Fosinopril
- Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
- Moexipril
- Perindopril
- Quinapril (Accupril)
- Ramipril (Altace)
- Trandolapril
These medications may differ on how long they stay effective in your blood. For instance, enalapril, captopril and benazepril are older and tend to only work for a few hours depending on the person, whereas lisinopril is newer and generally lasts longer.
Side Effects of ACE Inhibitors
“ACE inhibitors do have to be used carefully and under control settings,” notes Dr. Dwivedi. “Patients who get started on ACE inhibitors may experience lightheadedness and dizziness. We also have to monitor your kidney function and your potassium levels while you’re on this medication.”
The most common side effect with ACE inhibitors is a dry, persistent cough. Other side effects include:
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
- Loss of taste or a taste of stainless steel in your mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea/Upset stomach
- Skin that is sensitive to sunlight
According to Dr. Dwivedi, one of the side effects, which is rare, is swelling of the lips or swelling of the throat also known as angioedema. So, it’s important to be regularly monitored while you’re on this medication.
You need to have your blood pressure and kidney function tested periodically and it’s essential that you let your doctor know about any side effects you experience on these drugs, so they can weigh risks vs. benefits and make any needed adjustments to your treatment plan.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- How will I know the drug is working the way it’s supposed to work?
- What if I am taking other medicines?
- Should I have my blood pressure and kidney function tested while taking this drug?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Rodrigo C. Leão Edelmuth is a board certified digestive surgeon at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, Brazil. He holds his General Surgery and Digestive Surgery degree from São Paulo University Medical School. He underwent a postgraduate course on Surgical Leadership at Harvard Medical School and he is also a visiting fellow in the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. Read More
What Are ACE Inhibitors?
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are medications that dilate your veins and arteries, making it easier for your heart to pump blood.
- ACE inhibitors work best for people who have a reduced ejection fraction, which is the fraction of blood that your heart pumps out with each beat.
- The most common side effect with ACE inhibitors is a dry, persistent cough.
Heart failure develops when the heart fails to pump enough blood. It does not mean that your heart has stopped working, but it does mean the heart is not working as well as it should. In addition to lifestyle interventions — such as exercising regularly, losing weight, and cutting out alcohol — patients may be prescribed a number of medications to get the condition under control and keep it from advancing to later stages.
One of those options is angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). This class of medication has been around for more than 25 years and has been widely studied by cardiologists and researchers.
What Are ACE Inhibitors?
Read More Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are medications that dilate your veins and arteries. They prevent an enzyme in the body from producing angiotensin II, one of the most powerful blood vessel narrowers in the body. This narrowing can cause high blood pressure and force the heart to work harder. An ACE inhibitor can lower your blood pressure by dialating the vessels in your body and decreasing the workload on your heart.
“ACE inhibitors have been shown to improve the quality of life, decrease death and decrease hospitalizations in patients with heart failure,” Dr. Aeshita Dwivedi, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, tells SurvivorNet.
According to Dr. Dwivedi, ACE inhibitors work best for people who have a reduced ejection fraction, which is the fraction of blood that your heart pumps out with each beat. A normal heart pumps out about 55 to 80% of the blood it receives with each beat. ACE inhibitors are most beneficial in patients where this fraction drops to less than 40%. The most widely used test to measure your ejection fraction is through an echocardiogram (“echo”), according to the American Heart Association.
In some cases, the drugs may also be used in earlier stages of heart failure, as well as in patients with heart disease who are not showing signs of heart failure.
Types Of ACE Inhibitors
Many ACE inhibitors are available. Some ACE inhibitor medicines are also part of a tablet combined with a calcium-channel blocker medicine or diuretic medicine.
Diuretics are also known as “water pills,” because they increase the amount of salt (sodium) and water that is expelled by your kidneys into the urine. And calcium channel blockers are medications used to control hypertension (high blood pressure), angina (chest pain) or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats). These blockers slow the rate at which calcium passes into the heart muscle and into the vessel walls, relaxing them. The relaxed vessels let blood flow more easily through them, thereby lowering blood pressure.
It’s important to let your doctor know about any other diseases or allergies you have so they can weigh risks vs. benefits and make any needed adjustments to your treatment plan. These are some examples of ACE inhibitors available:
- Benazepril (Lotensin)
- Captopril
- Enalapril (Vasotec)
- Fosinopril
- Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
- Moexipril
- Perindopril
- Quinapril (Accupril)
- Ramipril (Altace)
- Trandolapril
These medications may differ on how long they stay effective in your blood. For instance, enalapril, captopril and benazepril are older and tend to only work for a few hours depending on the person, whereas lisinopril is newer and generally lasts longer.
Side Effects of ACE Inhibitors
“ACE inhibitors do have to be used carefully and under control settings,” notes Dr. Dwivedi. “Patients who get started on ACE inhibitors may experience lightheadedness and dizziness. We also have to monitor your kidney function and your potassium levels while you’re on this medication.”
The most common side effect with ACE inhibitors is a dry, persistent cough. Other side effects include:
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
- Loss of taste or a taste of stainless steel in your mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea/Upset stomach
- Skin that is sensitive to sunlight
According to Dr. Dwivedi, one of the side effects, which is rare, is swelling of the lips or swelling of the throat also known as angioedema. So, it’s important to be regularly monitored while you’re on this medication.
You need to have your blood pressure and kidney function tested periodically and it’s essential that you let your doctor know about any side effects you experience on these drugs, so they can weigh risks vs. benefits and make any needed adjustments to your treatment plan.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- How will I know the drug is working the way it’s supposed to work?
- What if I am taking other medicines?
- Should I have my blood pressure and kidney function tested while taking this drug?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Rodrigo C. Leão Edelmuth is a board certified digestive surgeon at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, Brazil. He holds his General Surgery and Digestive Surgery degree from São Paulo University Medical School. He underwent a postgraduate course on Surgical Leadership at Harvard Medical School and he is also a visiting fellow in the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. Read More
