Enalapril is sold under a trade name: Vasotec.
It is an antihypertensive that belongs to a class of Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.
It is used in the management of mild to moderate hypertension, congestive heart failure and, renal impairment.
It works by suppressing the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system by preventing the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II in circulation and eventually resulting in vasodilation and decreased blood pressure.
Enalapril is a prodrug that is converted to enalaprilat.
It has several advantages over captopril in that:
It has a longer half-life that makes it suitable for once-daily dosing (5-20 mg OD).
Its absorption not affected by food.
Its common side effects are headache, dizziness, hypotension, rash, and loss of taste though they occur less frequently.
It has a longer onset of action.
Fewer side effects.
