Altace Cough?

[donsabi]

I started Altace 2.5mg about four weeks ago and I have been having great
results as far as my BP goes. However, this week I seem to be developing a dry cough. Is it normal to get this dry cough immediately or does it take some time to develop?

[zuzu8]

Uh-oh...you may have developed the famous ACE cough........or not!

Excerpt from a Cleveland Clinic Disease Management Project on Ace Inhibitor Cough:

TITLE: COUGH
AUTHORS: DANIEL A. CULVER, DO -- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic
MANI S. KAVURU, MD -- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic
PUBLISHED: MAY 29, 2002
REVIEWED: AUGUST 2, 2004- "Usually, cough onset occurs within 1 week of starting the medication, but may occur as late as 1 year."

So yes, cough can emerge late.

But before you dump the med, give yourself a little more time... It may be a virus or some kind of self-limiting "thing-y" and nothing to do with Altace.


If Altace does turn out to be the culprit, ask your doctor to switch you to an ARB, which is often the drug of choice for folks who develop cough with ACEs.

zuzu xx

[Lenin]

THE COUGH is a distinct kind of bird. When I first got it from enalapril (Vasotec) I thought it was a cold coming or an allergy. It sneaks up on you and often you are coughing without being too aware of it, because otherwise you feel fine. When it recently came on from my ARB (Cozaar) I recognized it pretty fast...I know, it's supposed to be much less likely with an ARB but I can tell you firsthand that it CAN happen.
The enalapril cough started the first month; the losartan hack waited a decade .

As you say, it's DRY and UNPRODUCTIVE; but for me it's hallmark was the unbearable tickle that felt almost like a pin or a bit of Brillo pricking into a bronchial tube either slightly left or right of center. It seems as if a good cough will ease the "tickle" but it doesn't. The urge to hack is irresistable. Ive sat in a quiet theater with tears liiterally streaming down my cheeks trying NOT to cough but the tickle always wins.

The cough can come on fast or be delayed by months or years. I have read that it ISN'T dosage dependent.

If you want to work through it for some reason or other, menthol eucalyptus helps a bit...til you start getting sick from the endless cough drops.

[alwaysaworrier]

Just wanted to let you know that I had that horrible cough - it was terrible but it went away after about three months. It was absolutely terrible, especially at night time when I went to bed - i always had to have a glass of water by my bed.
I know thats not much help to you except to assure you that it eventually goes away.
Maggie