Alternatives to benazepril
Same-class medications cross-checked against FDA data — compare uses, side effects, and safety profiles.
Brand: Lotensin
About benazepril
Benazepril (Lotensin) is a medicine that lowers your blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure helps to prevent strokes and heart attacks.
Used for: Benazepril is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering your blood pressure reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines.
ACE Inhibitor Alternatives (8)
enalapril
RxVasotec
Enalapril is used to treat high blood pressure. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines, like water pills. Enalapril also treats symptomatic congestive heart failure, usually with other medicines. It can also help clinically stable patients with left ventricular dysfunction.
fosinopril
RxMonopril
Fosinopril is used to treat high blood pressure. It can be used alone or with a water pill (diuretic). Fosinopril also helps manage heart failure when used with other medicines.
lisinopril
RxPrinivil, Zestril
This medicine treats high blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks. You should also manage cholesterol, diabetes, and quit smoking to improve your heart health.
moexipril
RxUnivasc
Moexipril is used to treat high blood pressure. High blood pressure can harm your heart, brain, and kidneys. Lowering your blood pressure can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. This medicine can be used by itself or with other medicines to lower blood pressure.
perindopril
RxAceon
Perindopril treats high blood pressure (hypertension). It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines. Perindopril also helps lower the risk of heart-related death or heart attack in people who have stable coronary artery disease. It can be used with other treatments for coronary artery disease.
quinapril
RxAccupril
Quinapril is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Quinapril can also be used to manage heart failure, along with other medicines like diuretics.
ramipril
RxAltace
Ramipril is used to treat high blood pressure. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines. It is also used in patients who have signs of heart failure after a heart attack. Ramipril can lower the risk of death and hospitalization in these patients.
trandolapril
RxMavik
Trandolapril is used to treat high blood pressure. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines. It is also used in people who have had a heart attack and have a weak heart (left ventricular dysfunction) or heart failure.
Side Effect Comparison
Adverse event reports from the FDA FAERS database. Higher counts may reflect wider use, not necessarily higher risk.
| Side Effect | benazepril | enalapril | fosinopril | lisinopril |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feeling sick to your stomach | 439 | 2,571 | 205 | 17,995 |
| Feeling tired | 408 | — | — | 19,347 |
| Medicine not working | 398 | 2,548 | 182 | — |
| Feeling lightheaded | 382 | 2,214 | 180 | 13,188 |
| Difficulty breathing | 380 | 2,659 | 210 | 13,649 |
| Discomfort | 361 | 1,805 | — | 13,304 |
| Loose stools | 356 | — | — | 16,772 |
| Head pain | 344 | 1,817 | — | 12,597 |
"—" means no reports for that reaction. Report counts reflect total FAERS submissions, not prevalence rates.
Why Consider Alternatives?
Cost
Generic alternatives may be significantly cheaper. Ask your pharmacist about generic options in the ACE Inhibitor class.
Side Effects
Different drugs in the same class can have different side effect profiles. If one doesn't work for you, another might.
Availability
Drug shortages happen. Knowing alternatives helps your doctor switch quickly if your usual medication is unavailable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the alternatives to benazepril? ▼
Can I switch from benazepril to an alternative? ▼
How to Read These ACE Inhibitor Alternatives
benazepril (marketed as Lotensin) sits within the ACE Inhibitor class, and the 8 alternatives above share the same therapeutic classification under FDA labeling. Drugs grouped this way typically work through similar mechanisms, but they are not interchangeable — each has its own pharmacokinetics, dosing schedule, contraindications, and adverse-event profile derived from separate clinical trials. The labeled indication for benazepril focuses on: Benazepril is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
The side-effect comparison above draws on FDA FAERS data, where benazepril has 3,674 reports across its top 10 reactions, measured against enalapril, fosinopril, lisinopril. Raw report counts reflect total exposure — a medication prescribed to tens of millions will accumulate more reports than a newer or niche option even when per-patient risk is lower. Dashes in the comparison table mean that reaction was not among the top reported events for that drug, not that it never occurs. Generic availability for benazepril is well established, and competing products often have substantially different acquisition costs under NADAC.
Switching between medications in the same class is a clinical decision with real consequences — dosing conversions are not one-to-one, interaction profiles differ, and prior treatment response is individual. Shortage status, insurance formulary placement, and out-of-pocket cost all influence which alternative is practical in a given situation. This comparison surfaces public FDA data to help patients and caregivers prepare informed questions; it is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always talk to your prescriber or pharmacist before switching or stopping any medication.
Medical Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not stop or change your medication without talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.