benazepril vs quinapril
Side-by-side comparison of benazepril and quinapril Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Lotensin
Accupril
Benazepril (Lotensin) is a medicine that lowers your blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure helps to prevent strokes and heart attacks.
Quinapril is a medicine that lowers blood pressure. It can also help manage heart failure when used with other treatments.
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.
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.
Benazepril is an ACE inhibitor. It works by relaxing your blood vessels. This makes it easier for your heart to pump blood.
Quinapril belongs to a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors. It works by blocking a substance in your body that tightens blood vessels. This helps your blood vessels relax and widens them, which lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump.
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Feeling sleepy
- • Dizziness when standing up
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Fatigue
- • Coughing
- • Nausea
- Feeling sick to your stomach 439
- Feeling tired 408
- Medicine not working 398
- Feeling lightheaded 382
- Difficulty breathing 380
- The medicine is not working 465
- Falling down 420
- Feeling sick to your stomach 407
- Difficulty breathing 405
- Aches and pains 386
If you become pregnant, stop taking benazepril right away and tell your doctor. This medicine can harm or kill your unborn baby.
You should not take quinapril if you are allergic to it or any other ACE inhibitor. You should not take quinapril if you have a history of angioedema (swelling) related to ACE inhibitors. Do not take quinapril with a neprilysin inhibitor like sacubitril. If you have diabetes, do not take quinapril with aliskiren.
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.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Quinapril can harm your unborn baby, especially if you take it during the second or third trimester. It is not known if quinapril passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor before breastfeeding.
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How to Read This benazepril vs quinapril Comparison
benazepril is classified in the ACE Inhibitor drug class, while quinapril 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 2,007 submissions while quinapril has 2,083. 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 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 benazepril and quinapril — 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.