amiloride vs amlodipine/benazepril
Side-by-side comparison of amiloride and amlodipine/benazepril. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone, amiloride, triamterene, and others) or potassium supplements can increase the risk of hyperkalemia. Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone, amiloride, triamterene, and others) or potassium supplements can increase the risk of hyperkalemia.
Recommendation: Your doctor should monitor your potassium levels closely while you are taking these medications together.
Midamor
Lotrel
Amiloride is a water pill that helps your body hold onto potassium. It is often used with other water pills to prevent low potassium levels.
Lotrel is a combination medicine that contains amlodipine and benazepril. It is used to treat high blood pressure.
Amiloride treats high blood pressure and heart failure. It helps restore normal potassium levels if you develop low potassium while taking other water pills. It can also prevent low potassium if you are at risk, such as if you take digoxin or have heart rhythm problems. Amiloride is not usually prescribed alone.
Lotrel is used to treat high blood pressure. It is for people whose blood pressure is not controlled well enough with just one medicine (either amlodipine or benazepril alone). This medicine helps to lower blood pressure, which can reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Amiloride blocks sodium channels in your kidneys. This action reduces the amount of potassium lost in your urine. This helps to maintain or increase potassium levels in your body.
Lotrel contains two medicines that work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Amlodipine relaxes and widens blood vessels so blood can flow more easily. Benazepril lowers blood pressure by preventing your body from making a substance that narrows blood vessels.
- • Headache
- • Nausea
- • Loss of appetite
- • Diarrhea
- • Vomiting
- • Cough
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Swelling (edema)
- Shortness of breath 69
- Diarrhea 57
- Feeling sick to your stomach 49
- Throwing up 39
- Tiredness 37
- Tiredness 15,696
- Diarrhea 14,038
- Feeling sick to your stomach 13,425
- Shortness of breath 13,222
- Feeling lightheaded 10,671
Amiloride can cause high potassium levels, which can be dangerous. You should not take this medicine if you already have high potassium, kidney problems, or are taking other potassium-sparing diuretics or potassium supplements. Your doctor should check your potassium levels regularly.
This medicine can harm your unborn baby or cause death. If you become pregnant, stop taking Lotrel and tell your doctor right away.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if amiloride can harm an unborn baby or pass into breast milk.
Do not take Lotrel if you are pregnant. It can cause serious harm to your unborn baby, especially during the second and third trimesters. If you are breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before taking this medicine.
How to Read This amiloride vs amlodipine/benazepril Comparison
amiloride is classified in the Potassium-Sparing Diuretic drug class, while amlodipine/benazepril sits within the Calcium Channel Blocker / ACE Inhibitor Combination class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amiloride has 251 submissions while amlodipine/benazepril has 67,052. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both of these medications can cause the body to keep too much potassium instead of passing it through urine. this can lead to a dangerous buildup of potassium in your blood.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between amiloride and amlodipine/benazepril - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.