1. About perindopril
Perindopril is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. It's also prescribed after a heart attack.
Perindopril helps to reduce the risk of future strokes and heart attacks. It also improves your survival if you're taking it following a heart attack or heart surgery.
This medicine is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets.
Perindopril is also available combined with 2 other blood pressure medicines called indapamide and amlodipine.
NHS coronavirus advice
If you have coronavirus, or think you might have it, keep taking your blood pressure medicines as usual.
There is no clear evidence that taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors like perindopril will cause complications.
2. Key facts
- Perindopril lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.
- Your very first dose of perindopril may make you feel dizzy, so take it at bedtime. After that, if you don't feel dizzy, it's best to take perindopril in the morning before breakfast.
- Some people get a dry, irritating cough with perindopril.
- If you get severe diarrhoea or vomiting from a stomach bug or illness, tell your doctor. You may need to stop taking perindopril for a while until you feel better.
- Perindopril can be called perindopril arginine, perindopril erbumine or perindopril tert-butylamine. This is because the medicine contains another chemical to make it easier for your body to take up and use it. It doesn't matter what your perindopril is called. They all work as well as each other.
- Perindopril is also called by the brand name Coversyl Arginine. When it's mixed with indapamide and amlodipine it's called Coversyl Arginine Plus.
3. Who can and cannot take perindopril
Perindopril can be taken by adults aged 18 and over.
If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar (glucose) more often, particularly in the first few weeks. This is because perindopril can lower the sugar level in your blood.
Perindopril isn't suitable for everyone.