benazepril vs enalapril
PlainMeds reviewed this comparison against our methodology in August 2026. It places FDA and CMS record fields side by side, without recommending either medication.
Side-by-side comparison of benazepril and enalapril. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Lotensin
Vasotec
Benazepril (Lotensin) is a medicine that lowers your blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure helps to prevent strokes and heart attacks.
Enalapril (Vasotec) is a medicine that lowers blood pressure and helps treat heart failure. It belongs to a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors.
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.
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.
Benazepril is an ACE inhibitor. It works by relaxing your blood vessels. This makes it easier for your heart to pump blood.
Enalapril blocks a substance in your body that tightens blood vessels. This helps your blood vessels relax and widens them. As a result, blood pressure is lowered, and blood can flow more easily.
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Feeling sleepy
- • Dizziness when standing up
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Fatigue
- • Cough
- Nausea 439
- Fatigue 408
- Dizziness 382
- Dyspnoea 381
- Pain 361
- Diarrhoea 2,807
- Dyspnoea 2,659
- Nausea 2,574
- Fatigue 2,377
- Drug Interaction 2,336
If you become pregnant, stop taking benazepril right away and tell your doctor. This medicine can harm or kill your unborn baby.
This drug can harm your unborn baby. Stop taking enalapril as soon as you know you are pregnant.
Benazepril can cause serious harm to your unborn baby, including death. Stop taking it as soon as you know you are pregnant. Talk to your doctor about other blood pressure medicines if you are planning to become pregnant.
Do not take enalapril if you are pregnant because it can cause harm or death to the developing fetus. Talk to your doctor about safe alternatives if you are breastfeeding.
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How to Read This benazepril vs enalapril Comparison
benazepril is classified in the ACE Inhibitor drug class, while enalapril sits within the ACE Inhibitor class. Because both drugs share the same classification, they are often considered interchangeable in theory, but clinical outcomes rarely track that cleanly. 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, benazepril has 1,971 submissions while enalapril has 12,753. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for benazepril or enalapril.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.