Fosinopril - un inhibiteur de l'ECA

About fosinopril

Fosinopril belongs to a class of medicines called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. You may have been prescribed it to reduce high blood pressure (hypertension), or to treat heart failure. Heart failure is a condition where your heart does not work as well as it should.

ACE inhibitors like fosinopril prevent your body from creating a hormone known as angiotensin II. They do this by blocking (inhibiting) a chemical called angiotensin-converting enzyme. This widens your blood vessels and helps to reduce the amount of water put back into your blood by your kidneys. These actions help to decrease blood pressure. Although people with high blood pressure often do not feel unwell, if left untreated, high blood pressure can harm the heart and damage blood vessels, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

In heart failure, there can be too much circulating fluid in your blood vessels because your heart is not working as efficiently as it once did. Fosinopril helps to reduce this. It also appears to have a protective effect on the heart and slows the progression of the heart failure.

Before taking fosinopril

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking fosinopril it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous êtes enceinte ou si vous allaitez.

• Si vous avez des problèmes de fonctionnement des reins ou du foie.

• Si vous manquez de liquide dans le corps (déshydratation) - par exemple, si vous avez eu la diarrhée ou si vous avez été malade très récemment.

• Si l'on vous a dit que vous aviez une accumulation de dépôts graisseux sur les parois de vos artères, une maladie appelée athérosclérose.

• Si vous souffrez d'un type particulier de mauvaise circulation appelé maladie artérielle périphérique.

• If you have collagen vascular disease, this includes conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and scleroderma.

• Si l'on vous a dit que vous souffrez d'une maladie du muscle cardiaque (cardiomyopathie) ou d'un rétrécissement du principal vaisseau sanguin partant du cœur (sténose aortique).

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction de gonflement du visage, de la langue ou de la gorge (œdème de Quincke).

• Si vous suivez un traitement de désensibilisation pour vous protéger contre les piqûres d'abeilles et de guêpes.

• Si vous suivez un traitement par dialyse ou un traitement visant à éliminer le cholestérol de votre sang à l'aide d'une machine (aphérèse des LDL).

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments que vous prenez et qui sont disponibles sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médicaments complémentaires.

• If you have ever had an allergic or unusual reaction to any other ACE inhibitor (such as captopril, ramipril or perindopril), or to any other medicine.

How to take fosinopril

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about fosinopril and will provide you with a full list of side-effects which you could experience from taking it.

• Take the tablets exactly as your doctor tells you to. Fosinopril is taken once a day. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor will advise you take your very first dose at bedtime. This is because you can feel quite dizzy when you first start taking it. After the first dose, you can generally take fosinopril at a time of day you find easy to remember. For most people this will be in the morning.

• Try to take your doses at the same time of day each day as this will help you to remember to take your doses regularly. You can take fosinopril tablets either with or without food. It is best to swallow the tablet with a drink of water.

• There are two strengths of fosinopril tablets - 10 mg and 20 mg. It is usual to start by taking the 10 mg strength tablets, although your doctor may increase your dose over the first few weeks. This allows your doctor to make sure that you have the dose that helps your condition and helps to avoid any unwanted side-effects, such as dizziness. Each time you collect a new supply, check to make sure the tablets are the strength that you are expecting.

• Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose, prenez-la dès que vous vous en rendez compte. Si vous ne vous en rendez compte que le lendemain, ne prenez pas la dose oubliée de la veille et prenez la dose prévue normalement. Ne prenez pas deux doses en même temps pour compenser une dose oubliée.

Tirer le meilleur parti de votre traitement

• Essayez de vous rendre régulièrement à vos rendez-vous avec votre médecin. Cela permet de suivre l'évolution de votre état de santé. Votre médecin vous demandera de faire des analyses de sang de temps en temps pour vérifier que vos reins fonctionnent bien.

• Il est très important que vous suiviez les conseils de votre médecin en matière d'alimentation et de mode de vie. Il peut s'agir de conseils concernant une alimentation saine, le fait de ne pas fumer et de faire de l'exercice régulièrement.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with fosinopril. This is because some medicines (such as anti-inflammatory painkillers and indigestion remedies) can interfere with your treatment.

• It is likely that your doctor will advise that you do not to use salt substitutes while you are taking fosinopril. These products have a high content of potassium which could be harmful for you.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice about drinking alcohol while you are on fosinopril. Alcoholic drinks can make you feel light-headed or dizzy, and they may not be advisable for you.

• Si vous êtes diabétique, vous devrez peut-être contrôler votre glycémie (taux de glucose dans le sang) plus fréquemment, car les comprimés peuvent réduire le taux de sucre dans le sang. Votre médecin vous conseillera à ce sujet.

• If you are having an operation or dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking fosinopril. This is because some anaesthetics could cause your blood pressure to drop too low.

• Treatment with fosinopril is often long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Continue to take the tablets unless you are advised otherwise.

Can fosinopril cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the more common ones associated with fosinopril. The best place to find a full list of the side-effects which can be associated with your medicine, is from the manufacturer's printed information leaflet supplied with the medicine. Alternatively, you can find an example of a manufacturer's information leaflet in the reference section below. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Important: if you experience any of the following potentially serious symptoms, stop taking fosinopril and contact your doctor for advice straightaway:

• Difficulté à respirer ou gonflement du visage, de la bouche, de la langue ou de la gorge. Ce sont les signes d'une réaction allergique.

• Any yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes. These may be signs of a liver problem called jaundice, which is a rare side-effect.

Si vous ressentez d'autres symptômes qui pourraient être dus aux comprimés, demandez conseil à votre médecin ou à votre pharmacien.

How to store fosinopril

• Conservez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.

Informations importantes sur tous les médicaments