Zestril

Zestril Warnings and Precautions

Zestril is a medication taken by patients to treat hypertension, heart failure and improve survival rates after heart attacks. Lowering blood pressure helps them prevent kidney issues, heart attacks and strokes.

This medicine belongs to a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors, and it works by relaxing blood vessels to let blood flow easier. Sometimes, doctors prescribe it to help people protect their kidneys from the harm caused by diabetes.

How to Take Zestril

This medicine should be taken orally, once a day, with or without food. Regular doses should be prescribed by doctors based on your medical condition and individual tolerance.

Children should take doses prescribed based on their body weight. All consumers should take Zestril regularly and at the same time of the day to benefit from this treatment.

Usually, it takes up to a few weeks to start experiencing its benefits.

Possible Side Effects

There are some unwanted symptoms that can be caused by this medication, and the most common ones include:

• Lightheadedness and dizziness;
• Headaches and unusual tiredness;
• Dry cough and nausea.

These side effects are mild, but if they get worse, your doctor should know about it. Most people who take Zestril don’t experience any severe adverse reactions that may include:

• Fainting and urine changes;
• Signs of new infections;
• Slow and irregular heartbeats;
• Signs of high potassium levels;
• Yellow eyes and skin;
• Severe stomach pain and dark urine;
• Persistent vomiting and nausea;
• Allergic reactions.

If any of these side effects are apparent, get medical help immediately and stop taking Zestril.

Basic Precautions and Warnings

This medication may lead to serious harm to unborn babies if it’s taken during pregnancy. That’s why women should prevent pregnancy while undergoing this treatment.

Before you start taking Zestril, ensure that doctors are aware of your medical history, especially if you have any possible allergies, high potassium levels, blood filtering procedures, angioedema, collagen vascular disease, etc. Its use may make you feel dizzy, so you should avoid performing any activities that require your full attention, including driving a car.

To relieve lightheadedness and dizziness, get up slowly from different sitting and lying positions. Avoid alcoholic beverages and potassium supplements when using Zestril and drink enough water to prevent severe dehydration.

Unfortunately, older adults are more prone to having side effects, such as increased potassium levels and dizziness. This medicine may also pass into the breast milk, so nursing women should be careful with its intake.

Risky Drug Combinations

There are some medications that should be avoided when taking Zestril, because they may lead to drug interactions.

They are dangerous, because they change the way medications work and result in unwanted adverse reactions. Some of the most common meds that may potentially interact with Zestril include lithium, aliskeren, other pills that may increase potassium levels, birth control pills that contain drospirenone, ARBs and some others.

Read the labels of all medications before taking them, especially when it comes to NSAIDs, diet and cold products, because they may contains the components that worsen heart failure and increase blood pressure.

Finally, quite serious allergic reactions are possible when getting injections for wasp sting allergies when undergoing this treatment. Make sure that your doctor knows about other drugs that you’re taking.