Captopril Coupons & Prices

Looking for a captopril coupon? Captopril is an ACE inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction after a heart attack, and diabetic kidney disease. The brand name Capoten is no longer marketed in the U.S., but generic captopril tablets are widely available and are already one of the lower-cost blood pressure medicines. Cash prices still vary a lot from one pharmacy to the next, even across the street, so it pays to compare. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's captopril price at pharmacies near you and get a free coupon you can show at the counter.

What is captopril and how does it work?

Captopril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, a type of medicine that acts on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. It was the first orally active ACE inhibitor approved in the United States. By blocking the enzyme that makes angiotensin II, a hormone that tightens blood vessels, captopril helps blood vessels relax so blood can flow more easily and the heart does not have to work as hard.

The FDA-approved uses on the captopril tablet label are: high blood pressure (alone or with a thiazide diuretic such as hydrochlorothiazide); heart failure, usually along with a diuretic and digitalis; left ventricular dysfunction after a heart attack in clinically stable patients with an ejection fraction of 40% or less, to improve survival, reduce heart-failure hospitalizations, and slow progression to overt heart failure; and diabetic nephropathy (protein in the urine above 500 mg per day) in people with type 1 diabetes and retinopathy, to slow kidney disease and reduce the risk of dialysis, transplant, or death. Captopril is not a controlled substance.

How much does captopril cost without insurance?

Captopril is an older generic, so it is generally inexpensive compared with newer blood pressure drugs. That said, "inexpensive" is not the same as "the same everywhere." Cash prices for the exact same tablet, strength, and quantity can differ widely between a big chain, a grocery pharmacy, and an independent, because each pharmacy sets its own cash price. If you are paying without insurance, or if your plan's deductible has not been met, a discount coupon is often the cheaper way to pay.

Rx.com compares captopril prices across more than 60,000 pharmacies nationwide and shows you what the drug actually costs at each one today. Enter your ZIP code above, choose your strength and quantity, and bring the free coupon to the pharmacy counter. There is no manufacturer savings card for captopril, since the brand (Capoten) is discontinued in the U.S. and only the generic is sold. A few tips that usually lower the price: ask about a 90-day supply instead of 30 days, compare a couple of pharmacies before you transfer, and confirm the price before the pharmacy runs your insurance, since the coupon price and the insurance copay cannot be combined.

Captopril vs. other ACE inhibitors and alternatives

Captopril has to be taken two or three times a day, about an hour before meals, because food reduces how much of it your body absorbs. That inconvenience is the main reason once-daily ACE inhibitors have largely replaced it for routine long-term treatment. Ask your prescriber whether one of these is a better fit for you:

• Lisinopril - a once-daily ACE inhibitor and the most commonly prescribed one
• Enalapril, ramipril, benazepril, and quinapril - other ACE inhibitors with less frequent dosing
• Losartan - an ARB, a different class often used when an ACE inhibitor's dry cough is not tolerated
• Hydrochlorothiazide - a thiazide diuretic that is often combined with an ACE inhibitor (captopril was once sold with it as the discontinued brand Capozide)

Captopril should not be taken together with an ARB such as losartan, because blocking the renin-angiotensin system two ways at once raises the risk of low blood pressure, high potassium, and kidney problems. Never switch or stop a blood pressure medicine on your own. This page is information, not medical advice, so talk with your prescriber about which option fits your health history.

Captopril safety, warnings, and side effects

Boxed warning - fetal toxicity. Medicines that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can injure or kill a developing baby. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, tell your doctor right away so captopril can be stopped as soon as possible. Exposure in the second and third trimesters can reduce the baby's kidney function and lead to low amniotic fluid, underdeveloped lungs, skull and skeletal problems, low blood pressure, kidney failure, and death.

Other important warnings on the label: angioedema, a sudden swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat, or voice box, which can be life-threatening if it blocks the airway and needs emergency care immediately (it has been reported more often in Black patients, and intestinal swelling has also occurred); a drop in white blood cells (neutropenia or agranulocytosis), with the highest risk in people who have kidney impairment, especially those who also have a collagen vascular disease; symptomatic low blood pressure, particularly if you are dehydrated or on diuretics or dialysis; high potassium, which is more likely with kidney problems, diabetes, potassium supplements, potassium-sparing diuretics, or salt substitutes that contain potassium; worsening kidney function; a persistent dry, nonproductive cough that is common to this whole drug class and goes away after stopping; and, rarely, protein in the urine or liver injury. Captopril should not be used by anyone with a history of angioedema caused by an ACE inhibitor or hereditary angioedema, should not be combined with aliskiren in people with diabetes, and should not be started within 36 hours of taking a neprilysin inhibitor (sacubitril/valsartan). Report severe dizziness, swelling, trouble breathing, fever or sore throat, or yellowing of the skin or eyes to your doctor promptly. This is a summary, not a complete list, and it is not a substitute for your provider's or pharmacist's advice.