Blood pressure.
Altace goes to work on your blood vessels which carry blood around your body. It relaxes them. The result? Blood pressure is reduced. Altace is therefore a powerful therapeutic tool for treating high blood pressure (hypertension). If your blood pressure has been difficult to control with other medicines, your doctor is likely to then consider Altace.
Stroke.
As lowered blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes, doctors sometimes prescribe Altace to people at risk of strokes, and to prevent further strokes in those who have had one or more strokes.
Heart attack.
Altace is widely prescribed to people after they have a heart attack. When your blood pressure is pulled back into a healthier range, your heart does not have to work so hard to move blood around your body. You are therefore much less likely to have another heart attack.
Heart failure.
Lower blood pressure makes it easier for the heart to do it’s work - to pump blood. The heart is also able to work more effeciently. Because of it’s powerful ability to reduce blood pressure and the heart’s work load, Altace is one of the first medicines given to those with heart failure.
Kidney problems.
Heart and kidney disease are connected. One will often affect the progress of the other. As Altace can improve heart disease so much, it is sometimes used to try to prevent kidney damage in people with hypertension or diabetes.
And another thing…
As Altace can be given less frequently like other medicines in its class (ie other ACE inhibitors), and is supposed to be less likely to cause the notorious dizziness and fainting with the first few doses, it can be seen as the better choice. All other things being equal, of course.
Nevertheless, be on your guard
You must be aware that Altace does cause side effects such as: dry cough, increased blood-potassium level, rash, dizziness, changes in taste, nausea, and drowsiness.
Also you must know that Altace can cause birth defects. You absolutely must not take it if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
You should also be extremely cautious if you are breastfeeding.
I hope reading this helps you understand better. If you are still not sure why you are taking this medication, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. They will be happy to discuss the reasons.

Please remember: do not stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor.
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