Dr Amir Khan issues Ramipril warning in 'investigated for angina' message

Dr Amir Khan issues Ramipril warning in 'investigated for angina' message The NHS GP discussed the issue after a listener contacted him about the commonly taken medication GP Dr Amir Khan has issued an alert for angina to anyone taking Ramipril. Carrying the brand name Tritace, Ramipril treats 'high blood pressure (hypertension), heart failure, and kidney damage'. It is also prescribed after someone has had a heart attack, and can prevent future issues like strokes, and heart and kidney problems. It works by making your arteries wider so blood can be pumped around your body more easily. It is thought around 6million people are prescribed Ramipril by their doctors. But Dr Khan issued a warning on his No Appointment Necessary podcast discussing Ramipril. He also discussed it on ITV’s Lorraine show saying that people are ending up in hospital because they are being over-medicated with drugs that sometimes they have been on for 30 or more years. He said: “Eight million people across the UK are taking five or more medications. 2.2 million are taking 10 or more medications, and it’s resulting in about a thousand hospital admissions due to side effects of medication. "Now we do have a term for this. It’s called polypharmacy. Anyone who’s on five medications or more is called polypharmacy. It’s not automatically a bad thing because lots of people are on medication that are keeping them alive and well.” Trying to rule out angina Dr Khan took to social media to discuss a listener whose husband has been on Ramipril. She explained that, after listening to the podcast, they discovered his blood pressure was 'sky high' and he is now being checked out by doctors for angina. The listener said: "So my husband has been on Ramipril for a few years now. After listening to your podcast and making things sound so easy to understand, we pulled the BP machine out and yep, his BP was sky high. We managed to get a GP appointment and said husband decides to inform the GP that he gets very sweaty and sometimes gets chest pain, which he puts down to indigestion. "Obviously now they are trying to rule out angina and adding in another BP medication along with Clopidogrel with ECG and chest X-ray booked tomorrow. Thank goodness we listened to your podcast this morning, could be nothing but always best to check. Thank you Dr Khan and hooray for the NHS." Dr Khan said: "Honestly, where has that year gone?! Since we launched our little podcast one year ago, we’ve had an incredible 2.5 MILLION downloads and more than 50 MILLION views across social media "But as wonderful as those numbers are, it’s messages like this that really mean the most. We recently heard from this listener whose husband checked his blood pressure at home after listening to our advice. That prompted him to get checked properly — and he’s now being investigated for angina and other heart problems. "That’s why we do this. We get so many lovely messages from people who’ve listened to something we’ve talked about, recognised something in themselves or someone they love, and decided to seek help, ask a question or make a change. "And somewhere along the way, we seem to have created this gorgeous No Appointment Necessary family of listeners and viewers who turn up every week, share the episodes, send us messages and keep us going." Other side-effects Dr Khan also discussed common side effects, which are listed by the NHS as including: - A dry, persistent cough that does not get better - Feeling dizzy or lightheaded, especially when you stand up or sit up quickly - Headaches - Diarrhoea - Being sick (vomiting) - A mild skin rash He added: "Common blood pressure tablets like ramipril and amlodipine do have side effects, which either mean people suffer in silence or stop taking them altogether. The doctor explained that Ramipril functions by altering kidney enzymes to reduce blood pressure. A byproduct of this process is the release of bradykinin, a substance that can cause airway irritation and lead to a persistent dry cough. Dr Khan pointed out that many patients undergo unnecessary chest X-rays or antibiotic courses when the real culprit is their ramipril prescription. "Lots of people get put on antibiotics and get sent for chest X-rays, and nothing gets found," Dr Khan explained. "It's the ramipril. There are lots of alternatives." Serious side effects It happens rarely, but some people have serious side effects after taking ramipril. Call a doctor or call 111 now if: - the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin – this can be a sign of liver problems - you're paler than usual, you feel tired, faint or dizzy, you have any sign of bleeding (like bleeding from the gums and bruising more easily than usual), a sore throat, a high temperature, or you get infections more easily – these can be signs of a blood or bone marrow disorder - you have severe stomach pain – this can be a sign of an inflamed pancreas (acute pancreatitis) - you have swollen ankles or blood in your pee or you're not peeing at all – these can be signs of kidney problems Call 999 or go to A&E now if: - you have weakness on one side of your body, trouble speaking or thinking, loss of balance or blurred eyesight – these can be signs of a stroke - you have a faster heart rate, chest pain and tightness in your chest – these can be signs of heart problems - you are short of breath, wheezing and your chest feels tight – these could be signs of lung problems - you have swelling in areas such as your lips, tongue and face – these may be signs of angioedema (you have a higher chance of getting angioedema if you have black skin)