Benazepril

Benazepril, sold under the brand name Lotensin among others, is a medication used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease. It is a reasonable initial treatment for high blood pressure. It is taken by mouth. Versions are available as the combinations benazepril/hydrochlorothiazide and benazepril/amlodipine. Benazepril, sold under the brand name Lotensin among others, is a medication used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease. It is a reasonable initial treatment for high blood pressure. It is taken by mouth. Versions are available as the combinations benazepril/hydrochlorothiazide and benazepril/amlodipine. Common side effects include feeling tired, dizziness, cough, and light-headedness with standing. Serious side effects may include kidney problems, low blood pressure, high blood potassium, and angioedema. Use in pregnancy may harm the baby while use when breastfeeding maybe okay. It is an ACE inhibitor and works by decreasing renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity. Benazepril was patented in 1981 and came into medical use in 1990. It is available as a generic medication. A month supply in the United States costs about US$1.32 as of 2019. In 2016 it was the 105th most prescribed medication in the United States with more than 7 million prescriptions. It is useful for high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease. It is a reasonable initial treatment for high blood pressure. Other reasonable initial options include angiotensin II receptor antagonists, calcium-channel blockers, and thiazide diuretics. The most common side effects patients experience are a headache or a chronic cough. The chronic cough develops in about 20% of patients treated, and those patients that experience it find it develops after a few months of use. Anaphylaxis, angioedema, and elevation of potassium levels are more serious side effects that can also occur.