Trandolapril - un inhibiteur de l'ECA

About trandolapril

Trandolapril belongs to a class of medicines called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. You may be prescribed it to reduce high blood pressure (hypertension), or to protect your heart and blood vessels from further damage following a heart attack. Your doctor will tell you why it has been prescribed for you.

ACE inhibitors like trandolapril 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 reduce high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure often do not feel unwell but, if left untreated, high blood pressure can harm the heart and damage blood vessels, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Trandolapril also has a protective effect on the heart in people who have recently had a heart attack.

Before taking trandolapril

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 trandolapril 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.

• Si vous souffrez d'une maladie vasculaire du collagène - il s'agit de maladies telles que le lupus érythémateux disséminé (LED) et la sclérodermie.

• 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.

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction allergique ou inhabituelle à un autre inhibiteur de l'ECA (tel que le captopril, le lisinopril, le ramipril ou le périndopril), ou à tout autre médicament.

How to take trandolapril

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

• Take the capsules exactly as your doctor tells you to. Trandolapril is taken once a day. Your doctor may advise you to take your very first dose at bedtime. This is because you may feel dizzy when you first start taking it. With the exception of the first dose, you can generally take trandolapril 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 the capsule either with or without food. It is best to swallow the capsule with a drink of water. Do not open or chew the capsules.

• There are several strengths of trandolapril capsules - 500 micrograms, 2 mg and 4 mg. It is usual to start with a low strength and then for the strength to be increased as necessary after a few weeks. This allows your doctor to make sure that you have the dose that helps your condition, but helps avoid unwanted side-effects. Each time you collect a new supply of trandolapril, check to make sure it contains the strength of capsule that you are expecting.

• If you forget to take a dose at your usual time, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the following day, leave out the forgotten dose from the previous day and take the dose that is due as normal. Do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.

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 trandolapril. 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 use salt substitutes while you are taking trandolapril. 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 trandolapril. Alcoholic drinks can make you feel light-headed or dizzy, and they may not be advisable for you.

• If you have diabetes you may need to check your blood sugar (glucose) more frequently, as the capsules can lower the levels of sugar in your blood. Your doctor will advise you about this.

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

• Treatment with trandolapril is often long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Continue to take the capsules unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor.

Can trandolapril 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 trandolapril. 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 rare but serious symptoms, stop taking trandolapril 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 can 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 gélules, demandez conseil à votre médecin ou à votre pharmacien.

How to store trandolapril

• 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