Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet

Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet belongs to the group of medications called ‘antihypertensives’ used in the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure). High blood pressure is a chronic (long-term) condition in which blood pressure is elevated persistently in higher than normal levels. If left untreated, this condition can increase the risk of heart-related diseases like heart attack, heart failure, stroke, irregular heartbeat and other complications.

Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet contains Ramipril and Losartan. Ramipril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and works by lowering the body’s production of substances that could narrow the blood vessels and increase blood pressure. Losartan is an angiotensin-II receptor blocker (ARB) that narrows the blood vessels increasing the blood pressure, therefore blocking angiotensin can result in the widening of the narrowed blood vessels. Together, Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet allows the blood to flow more smoothly in the blood vessels.

You should take this medicine exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet may cause side effects such as headache, dizziness, hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure), especially when you stand or sit up quickly, dry cough, weakness, stomach pain, diarrhea, indigestion, feeling or being sick, skin rash, chest pain, muscle cramps, hyperkalemia (increased potassium levels in the blood), and hypoglycemia (decreased glucose levels in the blood). If any of these side effects persist or get worse, inform your doctor immediately.

It is not recommended to take Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet if you are allergic to any contents of it, have severe liver impairment, have angioedema (serious allergic reaction), having dialysis treatment, have renal artery stenosis (a kidney problem in which blood supply to the kidney is reduced), and have severe hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure). It is also not recommended for use in children, pregnant and breastfeeding women. The dose may have to be adjusted in elderly people. It is not advised to consume alcohol as it can increase dizziness. Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet may cause dizziness, so do not drive or operate heavy machinery if you feel dizzy.

Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet is used in the treatment of hypertension. It works by lowering the body’s production of substances that could increase blood pressure and also widens narrowed blood vessels. It allows the blood to flow more smoothly in the blood vessels. It can reduce the risk of heart failure, stroke and delay worsening of kidney problems. It can also be given as a treatment for chronic heart failure. 

• Dizziness
• Hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure), especially when you stand or sit up quickly
• Dry cough
• Weakness
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Indigestion
• Feeling or being sick
• Skin rash
• Chest pain
• Muscle cramps
• Hyperkalemia (increased potassium levels in the blood)
• Hypoglycemia (decreased glucose levels in the blood)

Before taking Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet, inform your doctor if you have heart, kidney or liver problems. Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet may sometimes cause a decrease in blood pressure than normal, especially in dehydrated people are taking diuretics (medicines to treat edema) and have low levels of sodium. Regularly check your blood pressure levels to avoid any risk. Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet should also be used with caution in patients who are taking treatment for allergy, have hyperkalemia (high potassium levels), have adrenal gland problems and have systemic lupus erythematosus (a skin disease).

Drug-Drug Interactions: Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet may interact with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (ibuprofen and indomethacin), pain killer(aspirin), medicines used for the treatment of low blood pressure, shock, cardiac failure, or allergies (ephedrine, noradrenaline), medicine used to treat long-term heart failure (sacubitril+valsartan), medicine that suppress immune system (ciclosporin, sirolimus, and everolimus), water pill (furosemide), medicines which can increase the amount of potassium in your blood (spironolactone, triamterene, amiloride, trimethoprim and trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole), blood thinner (heparin), steroid medicine (prednisolone), medicine to treat gout (allopurinol), medicine to treat heart rhythm problems (procainamide), medicines used to treat cancer (temsirolimus and amifostine), antipsychotics, medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes (vildagliptin and insulin), medicine used to treat diarrhea (racecadotril), medicine to treat high blood pressure (aliskiren), and antidepressants (baclofen and lithium).

Drug-Food Interactions: Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet may interact with alcohol and increase dizziness.

Drug-Disease Interactions: Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet should not be used in patients with liver impairment, angioedema (serious allergic reaction), under dialysis treatment, renal artery stenosis (a kidney problem in which blood supply to the kidney is reduced) and severe hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure).

• IBUPROFEN
• INDOMETHACIN
• ASPIRIN
• EPHEDRINE
• NORADRENALINE
• SACUBITRIL+VALSARTAN
• CICLOSPORIN
• SIROLIMUS
• EVEROLIMUS
• FUROSEMIDE
• SPIRONOLACTONE
• TRIAMTERENE
• AMILORIDE
• TRIMETHOPRIM
• TRIMETHOPRIM+SULFAMETHOXAZOLE
• HEPARIN
• PREDNISOLONE
• ALLOPURINOL
• PROCAINAMIDE
• TEMSIROLIMUS
• INSULIN
• RACECADOTRIL
• ALISKIREN
• BACLOFEN
• LITHIUM

• Keep your weight under control with a body mass index (BMI) of 19.5-24.9.
• Do regular physical activity or exercise for at least 150 minutes per week or about 30 minutes most days of the week. Doing this can help you to lower your raised blood pressure by about 5 mm of Hg.
• Limit intake of sodium chloride (table salt) in your daily diet to 2300 mg per day or less than 1500 mg is ideal for most adults.
• Limit alcohol intake. One serving for women and two servings for men is advisable.
• Quit smoking as it is the best strategy to lower the risk of heart disease.
• Avoid chronic stress as it can raise your blood pressure. Try to enjoy and spent time with your loved ones to cope with stress and practice mindfulness techniques.
• Monitor your blood pressure daily and if there is too much fluctuation, then immediately contact your doctor.
• Try to include heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids containing food and drinks in your daily diet. You can also use low-fat cooking oil like olive oil, soybean oil, canola oil, and coconut oil to lower your elevated blood pressure.

• Monitor your blood pressure regularly while using Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet to make sure it is working properly. 
• Your doctor may also monitor glucose levels, kidney function and electrolyte levels at regular intervals during the treatment with Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet. 
• You should not discontinue using Forticard 5mg/50mg Tablet without consulting your doctor.

Hypertension: It is a chronic (long-term) condition in which blood pressure is elevated persistently at higher than normal levels. It occurs when the blood’s force against the wall of blood vessels is too high. This condition can cause chest pain (angina) and heart attack (when the blood supply to the heart is blocked). Additionally, high blood pressure also causes damage to the brain, kidneys and eyes. The risk of high blood pressure complications increases with the following: obesity, smoking, diabetes, alcohol intake, lack of physical inactivity, stress and kidney diseases.