WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. When pregnancy is detected, discontinue enalapril as soon as possible. Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus. (See WARNINGS, Fetal Toxicity.)
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warnings
WARNINGS Anaphylactoid and Possibly Related Reactions Presumably because angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors affect the metabolism of eicosanoids and polypeptides, including endogenous bradykinin, patients receiving ACE inhibitors (including enalapril maleate) may be subject to a variety of adverse reactions, some of them serious. Head and Neck Angioedema Angioedema of the face, extremities, lips, tongue, glottis and/or larynx has been reported in patients treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, including enalapril maleate. This may occur at any time during treatment. In such cases enalapril maleate should be promptly discontinued and appropriate therapy and monitoring should be provided until complete and sustained resolution of signs and symptoms has occurred. In instances where swelling has been confined to the face and lips the condition has generally resolved without treatment, although antihistamines have been useful in relieving symptoms. Angioedema associated with laryngeal edema may be fatal. Where there is involvement of the tongue, glottis or larynx, likely to cause airway obstruction, appropriate therapy, e.g., subcutaneous epinephrine solution 1:1000 (0.3 mL to 0.5 mL) and/or measures necessary to ensure a patent airway, should be promptly provide d (see ADVERSE REACTIONS ). Patients receiving coadministration of ACE inhibitor and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitor (e.g., temsirolimus, sirolimus, everolimus) therapy or a neprilysin inhibitor may be at increased risk for angioedema (see PRECAUTIONS ). Intestinal Angioedema: Intestinal angioedema has been reported in patients treated with ACE inhibitors. These patients presented with abdominal pain (with or without nausea or vomiting); in some cases there was no prior history of facial angioedema and C1 esterase levels were normal. The angioedema was diagnosed by procedures including abdominal CT scan or ultrasound, or at surgery, and symptoms resolved after stopping the ACE inhibitor. Intestinal angioedema should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients on ACE inhibitors presenting with abdominal pain. Patients with a history of angioedema unrelated to ACE inhibitor therapy may be at increased risk of angioedema while receiving an ACE inhibitor (see INDICATIONS AND USAGE and CONTRAINDICATIONS ).
ADVERSE REACTIONS Enalapril maleate has been evaluated for safety in more than 10,000 patients, including over 1000 patients treated for one year or more. Enalapril maleate has been found to be generally well tolerated in controlled clinical trials involving 2987 patients. For the most part, adverse experiences were mild and transient in nature. In clinical trials, discontinuation of therapy due to clinical adverse experiences was required in 3.3 percent of patients with hypertension and in 5.7 percent of patients with heart failure. The frequency of adverse experiences was not related to total daily dosage within the usual dosage ranges. In patients with hypertension the overall percentage of patients treated with enalapril maleate reporting adverse experiences was comparable to placebo. Hypertension Adverse experiences occurring in greater than one percent of patients with hypertension treated with enalapril maleate in controlled clinical trials are shown below. In patients treated with enalapril maleate, the maximum duration of therapy was three years; in placebo-treated patients the maximum duration of therapy was 12 weeks. Enalapril Maleate (n = 2314) Incidence (discontinuation) Placebo (n = 230) Incidence Body As A Whole Fatigue Orthostatic Effects Asthenia 3.0 (<0.1) 1.2 (<0.1) 1.1 (0.1) 2.6 0.0 0.9 Digestive Diarrhea Nausea 1.4 (<0.1) 1.4 (0.2) 1.7 1.7 Nervous/Psychiatric Headache Dizziness 5.2 (0.3) 4.3 (0.4) 9.1 4.3 Respiratory Cough 1.3 (0.1) 0.9 Skin Rash 1.4 (0.4) 0.4 Heart Failure Adverse experiences occurring in greater than one percent of patients with heart failure treated with enalapril maleate are shown below. The incidences represent the experiences from both controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials (maximum duration of therapy was approximately one year). In the placebo-treated patients, the incidences reported are from the controlled trials (maximum duration of therapy is 12 weeks). The percentage of patients with severe heart failure (NYHA Class IV) was 29 percent and 43 percent for patients treated with enalapril maleate and placebo, respectively.