captopril 12.5 mg, 25 mg, and 50 mg tablets
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some of the common questions about CAPTOPRIL. 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 CAPTOPRIL against the benefits the medicine is expected to have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.
What CAPTOPRIL Tablets are used for
CAPTOPRIL is used for treating high blood pressure (hypertension), certain heart conditions, and certain kidney conditions associated with diabetes.
These are long-term (chronic) diseases so it is important that you continue to take your CAPTOPRIL tablets every day.
CAPTOPRIL belongs to a class of drugs known as ACE inhibitors. ACE inhibitors work to lower your blood pressure to normal levels if it is too high. CAPTOPRIL also help your heart or kidneys to work better. Your doctor will tell you why you need to take CAPTOPRIL.
Never let anyone else take your medicine.
Before you take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
When you must not take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
Do not take CAPTOPRIL Tablets if:
1. You have had an allergy to captopril or any of its additives or to another ACE inhibitor
2. You are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
3. You are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed
4. You have taken any other ‘ACE inhibitor’ medicines for high blood pressure or heart failure before, which caused your face, lips, tongue, throat, hands or feet to swell up, or made it hard for you to breathe
5. The expiry date on the pack has passed. If you take this medicine after the date has passed it may have no effect at all, or worse, an entirely unexpected effect.
6. The packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering
Before you start to take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
Tell your doctor if you plan on becoming pregnant or will be breast feeding while you are using CAPTOPRIL. Tell your doctor if you have or have had any medical condition, especially the following:
- kidney disease
- diabetes
- liver disease
- systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma or autoimmune diseases
- a lack of white blood cells (neutropenia)
- a heart attack
If you have not told your doctor or pharmacist about any of the above, tell them before you start taking CAPTOPRIL.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines may be affected by CAPTOPRIL, or may affect how well it works. These include:
- Other medicines used to treat high blood pressure
- Medicines used to treat angina
- Diuretics
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitor), medicines used to relieve inflammation, pain, swelling and fever
- Potassium supplements or potassium -containing salt substitutes
- Lithium, a medicine used to treat some types of depression
- Some medicines used to treat coughs, colds, hayfever or sinus problems
- Some medicines to control appetite
- Allopurinol, a medicine used to treat gout
- Medicines which suppress your immune system, such as corticosteroids, cyclosporin or anti-cancer drugs
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are currently taking any NSAIDs or COX-2 medicines. Your doctor may advise a blood test to check your kidney function before you start to take CAPTOPRIL.
If you are not sure whether you are taking any of these medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist.
How to take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
How much CAPTOPRIL to take
Your doctor will determine your dose. The dose may vary from patient to patient as it is dependent upon your condition and how you react to this medicine. Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully.
How to take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
Swallow the prescribed dose with a glass of water while sitting upright.
When to take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
Take CAPTOPRIL on an empty stomach either one hour before or two hours after food. Food can interfere with the absorption of CAPTOPRIL. Take CAPTOPRIL at the same time each day to ensure a routine is kept.
If you forget to take CAPTOPRIL Tablets
If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.
Otherwise, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking your tablets as you would normally.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the one you missed. If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you take too much (overdose)
Immediately phone your doctor or Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to casualty department of your nearest hospital, if you think that you or someone else may have taken too many CAPTOPRIL Tablets. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention. Keep telephone numbers of these places/services handy.
If you take too many CAPTOPRIL Tablets you may feel light headed or dizzy.
While you are taking CAPTOPRIL Tablets
Things you must do
Tell all doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking CAPTOPRIL, especially if you are starting on new medication.
If you become pregnant while taking CAPTOPRIL, tell your doctor immediately.
You should drink plenty of water while taking CAPTOPRIL, particularly when exercising or in hot weather. If you sweat a lot or are not drinking enough water while taking CAPTOPRIL, you may feel light headed or faint. This is because your blood pressure is dropping suddenly. If you continue to feel unwell, tell your doctor.
If you have severe vomiting or diarrhoea while taking CAPTOPRIL, tell your doctor
If you plan to have desensitisation therapy for an allergy, tell your doctor you are taking CAPTOPRIL.
If you are required to have any urine tests tell your doctor you are taking CAPTOPRIL. CAPTOPRIL may affect the results of these tests.
Make regular visits to your doctor so he/she can monitor your progress.
Things you must not do
Do not lower the dose or stop taking CAPTOPRIL without first checking with your doctor.
Do not use CAPTOPRIL to treat any other medical conditions unless your doctor tells you to.
Do not give CAPTOPRIL to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.
Things to be careful of
Be careful when you first start taking CAPTOPRIL, as getting up from a lying down or sitting position can cause dizziness, fainting and lightheadedness. Getting up slowly may help.
Be careful operating machinery or driving a car until you know how CAPTOPRIL affects you. As with other ACE inhibitors, CAPTOPRIL can cause dizziness or lightheadedness in some people
Side Effects
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking CAPTOPRIL.
Like all medicines, CAPTOPRIL may have unwanted side effects in some people. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may require medical attention if you get some of the side effects
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience all of them.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
- dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness
- tender, aching or weak muscles
- change in taste
- dry cough
- headache, nausea (feeling unwell) or vomiting
- stomach pain, diarrhoea
- loss of sex drive (libido), erection difficulty
- fatigue, unusual tiredness or weakness
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:
- fast or irregular heart beat
- yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
- tingling and numbness in hands, feet and lips
- bruising or bleeding more common than normal
- passing little or no urine
- signs of frequent infection, for example fever, chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers
- severe upper stomach pain often with nausea and vomiting
If you experience any of the following, stop taking CAPTOPRIL and tell your doctor, or go to casualty at the nearest hospital:
- swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulties in swallowing and breathing
- chest pain
- fainting within a few hours of taking a dose
- swelling of hands or feet
- flaking or peeling of the skin
- blisters or bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals.
- pink or red itchy spots on the skin which may blister and progress to form raised, red pale centred marks
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients
After using CAPTOPRIL Tablets
Storage
Keep CAPTOPRIL in the original package until it is time to take them. If you take the tablets out of the package they may not keep as well.
Keep CAPTOPRIL in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25 deg C.
Do not store CAPTOPRIL or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink or stove.
Do not leave CAPTOPRIL in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep CAPTOPRIL where children cannot reach them. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
Tell your doctor if you stop taking CAPTOPRIL or if the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any leftover tablets.
Product Description
What CAPTOPRIL Tablets look like
CAPTOPRIL 12.5 mg tablet: A flat bevelled-edge, white to off-white, round tablet with a breakline embossed on one side and W/902 on the other.
CAPTOPRIL 25 mg tablet: A flat bevelled-edge, white to off-white, round tablet with a cross-scored line embossed on one side and W/903 on the other.
CAPTOPRIL 50 mg tablet: A flat, bevelled-edged, white to off-white, round tablet with a breakline embossed on one side and W 904 on the other.
CAPTOPRIL 12.5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg tablets are available as blister and bottles of 90 tablets.
Ingredients
Active ingredient
Captopril
Other ingredients (excipients)
Lactose anhydrous, cellulose-microcrystalline, maize starch-, palmitic acid, silica-colloidal anhydrous, talc-purified.
CAPTOPRIL Tablets do not contain sucrose.
Supplier
Douglas Pharmaceuticals Australia Ltd
3/10 Inglewood Place
Norwest Business Park
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
CAPTOPRIL 12.5 mg tablets
AUST R 63775
CAPTOPRIL 25 mg tablets AUST R 63776
CAPTOPRIL 50 mg tablets AUST R 63777
Date of leaflet preparation: 9 May 2005
Published by MIMS December 2005