Enalapril

Order Enalapril Tablets Online UK

By Clinical Pharmacist Hywel McGlinchy

You can order enalapril tablets from our UK registered online doctor and pharmacy service. As part of your order, you will need to complete an online medical consultation. This will be reviewed by our UK registered doctors. 

If approved, a prescription will be sent to our online pharmacy team to assemble the medicine and send it to your delivery address. Please note, this medication can only be prescribed as an emergency supply of your repeat prescription. You should receive a regular supply of this medication from your GP.

What is Enalapril?

Enalapril is a medicine prescribed to lower blood pressure in people diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure). It is also prescribed to treat heart failure.

The active ingredient is enalapril maleate. It is a prescription-only medicine and is a type of medicine known as an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor). 

How does it work?

ACE inhibitors like enalapril work by blocking an enzyme called ACE. This enzyme is responsible for raising blood pressure by narrowing the blood vessels in the body. By blocking this enzyme, enalapril causes a relaxing and widening of blood vessels. This makes it easier for blood to flow through vessels and reduces blood pressure.

Lowering blood pressure is important for people with hypertension. Reducing blood pressure helps reduce the long term risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, vascular dementia and kidney disease.  

Medicines like enalapril are effective at reducing blood pressure and lowering the risk of the above complications. Lifestyle changes can also be used to reduce blood pressure such as:

• Taking regular exercise (guidelines suggest some type of activity every day)
• Stopping smoking (stop smoking treatments can help)
• Keeping alcohol within guideline limits
• Eating a healthy, balanced diet 
• Reducing the amount of dietary salt 
• Losing weight if you are obese or overweight (weight loss treatments can help)

Lifestyle changes can be made with or without medication and are effective at reducing blood pressure.

You can have your blood pressure checked at your local pharmacy or your GP surgery. BP monitors are becoming more common, they allow you to take blood pressure readings at home. A blood pressure reading measures both diastolic pressure (lower number) and systolic pressure (higher number).

Enalapril dose

The four strengths of enalapril tablets are 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg.

The usual starting dose is 5mg once daily. This can be gradually increased if necessary and the maximum dose is 40mg once daily. Take it exactly as your doctor told you. You should take your enalapril dosage at around the same time every day. 

Alternatives

Several classes of medicines are used to treat hypertension such as:

• Diuretics (e.g thiazide diuretics)
• Beta blockers
• Calcium channel blockers (CCBs)
• Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs)

ACE inhibitors are very common in the treatment of high blood pressure. Several can be prescribed such as captopril, perindopril, lisinopril, and ramipril.

Enalapril summary

What is enalapril used for?

Enalapril is a medicine prescribed to lower blood pressure. It is also prescribed to treat heart failure.

By lowering blood pressure in people with hypertension, it can help prevent future health problems like heart attacks or strokes.

What are the side effects of taking enalapril?

Below are examples of common enalapril side effects:

• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Diarrhoea
• Cough
• Blurred vision
• Nausea
• Depression

The above is not a comprehensive list of side effects. For further information on side effects, including rare and severe side effects, see ‘section 4’ of the patient information leaflet. 

How long does it take for enalapril to work?

Enalapril helps to reduce blood pressure within a few hours of taking a dose. However, it may take a few weeks for it to have a full effect on reducing blood pressure. Hypertension does not have any symptoms so you are unlikely to feel any different when taking the tablets. By measuring your blood pressure regularly, you can see whether enalapril is working effectively for you.

Is enalapril a beta blocker?

Enalapril is not a beta blocker. It belongs to a group of medicines known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors).

Is enalapril good for the kidneys?

Treatment with enalapril can affect the kidney function of some people. To protect against this, your GP will schedule blood tests at regular intervals to monitor your kidney function. Enalapril might not be safe for people who already have impaired kidney function. 

What foods should I avoid when taking enalapril?

When taking enalapril you should avoid salt substitutes (like Lo-Salt). These often contain potassium and when added to enalapril they can cause a dangerous rise in potassium levels in the body.

Can I order enalapril online?

Enalapril blood pressure tablets (UK) can be ordered from Simple Online Pharmacy. You simply complete an online medical questionnaire for our doctors to assess for safety and suitability. If our UK registered doctors approve the medicine for you, a prescription will be sent to our pharmacy team. Our pharmacy team will then dispense and dispatch the medicine to your address.

Please note, our doctors can only prescribe this medicine to patients who are already diagnosed with high blood pressure and already prescribed it from their GP.

Content Reviewed: 19/10/2020

It can cause side effects like any medicine. Common enalapril side effects include:

• Depression
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Chest pain
• Cough
• Nausea
• Diarrhoea

If you notice any side effects, discuss these with your doctor or pharmacist. Some side effects can be more serious than others. Examples of these include:

• Ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
• Signs of jaundice (e.g yellowing of the skin and/or eyes)
• A sudden, unexpected rash or red, burning or peeling skin
• Swelling of the throat, lips, tongue or face that may cause problems breathing
• Signs of heart problems (e.g chest pain, an irregular or fast heart beat)

If you experience any of the above after taking enalapril, seek medical attention immediately. The above is not a comprehensive list of side effects. Extra information about side effects can be seen in the patient information leaflet, section 4.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

• Enalapril 2.5mg PIL 
• Enalapril 5mg PIL
• Enalapril 10mg PIL
• Enalapril 20mg PIL

Other conditions and Enalapril

It should not be taken:

• If you are more than 3 months pregnant
• If you have ever had an allergic reaction to another ACE inhibitor
• If you are allergic to enalapril or any of the ingredients in the tablets
• If you take a medicine called aliskiren
• If you take the combination medicine sacubitril/valsartan

For a full list of other conditions that can be affected by enalapril, see the patient information leaflet. If you are uncertain whether you should be taking it, speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Interactions with other medicines

There are a number of medicines that can interact with enalapril. If you are taking any of the following medicines, tell your doctor before taking enalapril:

• Certain medicines to treat high blood pressure e.g. aliskiren
• Certain immunosuppressants like ciclosporin and tacrolimus
• Medicines that can increase potassium levels e.g spironolactone, salt substitutes

For a more detailed list of medicines that can interact with enalapril, see the patient information leaflet. You can also speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure whether enalapril is safe to take with your current medication.