Qpril

This leaflet answers some common questions about QPRIL.

It does not contain all the available information.

It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking QPRIL against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

You may need to read it again.

QPRIL is used to lower high blood pressure (hypertension). It is also used to treat heart failure.

QPRIL is used to lower high blood pressure (hypertension). Everyone has blood pressure. This pressure helps get your blood all around your body. Your blood pressure may be different at different times of the day, depending on how busy or worried you are. You have hypertension (high blood pressure) when your blood pressure stays higher than is needed, even when you are calm and relaxed.

There are usually no symptoms of hypertension. The only way of knowing that you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. If high blood pressure is not treated it can lead to serious health problems, including stroke, heart disease and kidney failure.

Heart failure means that the heart muscle is weak and cannot pump blood strongly enough to supply all the blood needed throughout the body. Heart failure is NOT the same as heart attack and does NOT mean that the heart stops working. Heart failure may start off with no symptoms, but as the condition progresses, patients may feel short of breath or may get tired easily after light physical activity such as walking. Some patients may wake up short of breath at night. Fluid may collect in different parts of the body, often first noticed as swollen ankles and feet.

One of the ways QPRIL helps lower blood pressure and treat heart failure is that it widens blood vessels which reduces pressure in the vessels. This means that blood is able to pass through them more easily and the heart doesn't have to pump as hard to move blood around the body. This helps increase the supply of oxygen to your heart and it also means that when you place extra demands on your heart, such as during exercise, your heart may cope better so you may not get short of breath as easily.

QPRIL belongs to a group of medicines called Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

Your doctor may have prescribed QPRIL for another reason.

QPRIL is not addictive.

This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.

The safety and effectiveness of QPRIL in children have not been established.

 

You may experience an allergic reaction.

You may experience severe side effects.

QPRIL may be absorbed into the womb or enter from breast milk and therefore there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.

If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work.

QPRIL should not be used during pregnancy or while breast-feeding.

Some medicines and QPRIL may interfere with each other. These include:

For some patients, QPRIL should not be taken in combination with these medicines.

Your doctor may check your kidney function, blood pressure and the amount of electrolytes (e.g. potassium) in your blood at regular intervals.

Taking QPRIL in combination with these medicines may increase your risk of having an allergic reaction.

If you are not sure if you are taking any of the medicines mentioned in this leaflet, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Your doctor and pharmacist may have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking QPRIL,

 

They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

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For most patients, not on diuretics, the usual starting dose is 5 mg to 10 mg taken once a day. The dose may need to be increased depending on your blood pressure at an interval of 4 weeks. Most patients take between 10 mg and 40 mg each day. This dose may be taken once a day or divided into two equal doses per day (one in the morning and one at night).

The usual starting dose is 5 mg taken once a day. In most patients, effective doses are between 10 mg and 20 mg a day. Your doctor will advise whether the dose is to be taken as a single dose or as two separate doses.

They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

Taking your tablet(s) at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take the tablets.

Food with a high fat content may interfere with the absorption of QPRIL.

QPRIL helps control your condition, but does not cure it. Therefore QPRIL must be taken every day.

This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.

You may need urgent medical attention.

Your blood pressure may drop suddenly.

If you do not drink enough water while taking QPRIL, you may faint or feel light-headed or sick. This is because your blood pressure is dropping suddenly. If you continue to feel unwell, tell your doctor.

This can also mean that you are losing too much water and salt, and may drop your blood pressure too much.

Your doctor may occasionally do a blood test to check your potassium level in the blood and to see how your kidneys are working.

You may feel light-headed or dizzy, especially if you are also taking a diuretic (fluid tablet). This may be because your blood pressure is falling suddenly. Standing up slowly, especially when you get up from bed or chairs, will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure. If this problem gets worse or continues, talk to your doctor.

QPRIL may cause dizziness, tiredness or light-headedness in some people, especially after the first dose or if the dose is increased. Make sure you know how you react to QPRIL before you drive a car, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or light-headed. If you drink alcohol, dizziness or light-headedness may be worse.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about these measures and for more information.

Your doctor may advise you to limit alcohol intake.

Your doctor may suggest losing some weight to help lower your blood pressure and help lessen the amount of work your heart has to do. Some people may need a dietician's help to lose weight.

Eat a healthy diet which includes plenty of vegetables and fruit, bread (preferably wholegrain), cereal and fish. Also, eat less sugar and fat (especially saturated fat) which includes sausages, fatty meats, full cream dairy products, biscuits, cakes, pastries, chocolates, chips and coconut. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from olive oil, canola oil, avocado and nuts are beneficial in small quantities.

Your doctor may advise you to watch the amount of salt in your diet. To reduce your salt intake you should avoid using salt in cooking or at the table and avoid cooked or processed foods containing high sodium (salt) levels.

Regular exercise, maintained over the long term, helps to reduce blood pressure and helps get the heart fitter. Regular exercise also improves your blood cholesterol levels, helps reduce your weight and stress levels, and improves your sleep, mood and ability to concentrate. However, it is important not to overdo it, starting any exercise, ask your doctor about the best kind of programme for you.

Your doctor may advise you to stop smoking or at least cut down. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for further information and advice.

For more information and tools to improve your heart health, call Heartline, the Heart Foundation's national telephone information service, on 1300 36 27 87 (local call cost).

QPRIL helps most people with high blood pressure and heart failure, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people.

All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.

It can be difficult to tell whether side effects are the result of taking QPRIL, effects of your condition or side effects of other medicines you

may be taking. For this reason it is important to tell your doctor of any change in your condition.

If you are over 65 years of age you may have an increased chance of getting side effects.

You may not experience any of them.

The following is a list of possible side effects. Do not be alarmed by this list. You may not experience any of them.

These are usually mild side effects of QPRIL, but may be serious.

These may be serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention. Serious side effects are rare.

fainting within a few hours of taking a dose

fast or irregular heart beat

shortness of breath or tightness in chest

swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing

sudden onset of stomach pains or cramps with or without nausea or vomiting

severe flaking or peeling of skin

severe blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals

chest pain

These are very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are rare.

swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.

If you take the tablets out of the blister pack and store them in another container they will not keep well and they may become soft and crumbly.

Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

QPRIL comes in four strengths of tablets:

A box of QPRIL contains 30 tablets.

QPRIL does not contain gluten, sucrose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.