Amlodipine and benazepril: uses, dosing, and side effects
Last updated September 7, 2026.
Amlodipine and benazepril is a single capsule that combines two blood pressure medicines: amlodipine, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, and benazepril, an ACE inhibitor. Amlodipine relaxes the muscle in artery walls so blood moves through them with less resistance, and benazepril blocks the enzyme that makes angiotensin II, a hormone that tightens blood vessels and holds onto salt and water. Together they lower blood pressure more than either one alone, and the benazepril part also reduces the ankle swelling that amlodipine can cause. The most important safety point: this combination must be stopped as soon as pregnancy is detected, because medicines that act on the renin angiotensin system can injure or kill a developing fetus.
What does it treat?
This combination is approved to treat high blood pressure, including as a substitute for the two separate pills in people already taking both. It is usually not the first medicine started; doctors reach for it when a single drug has not brought numbers to goal, when someone had too much ankle swelling on amlodipine alone, or when a person needs a real drop from a starting point such as 160/100. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack, and kidney damage over years, which is why it is treated even though high blood pressure usually causes no symptoms at all. The brand name is Lotrel, and generic capsules are widely available. Amlodipine and benazepril each appear in other combination products too, such as amlodipine with olmesartan or valsartan, or benazepril with hydrochlorothiazide, so it is worth checking that you are not taking two products from the same family by accident.
How do you take it?
It comes as capsules in six strengths, listed as amlodipine/benazepril in milligrams: 2.5/10, 5/10, 5/20, 10/20, 5/40, and 10/40. The usual adult dose is one capsule once a day, and the dose is stepped up after about 1 to 2 weeks if blood pressure is still above goal. The daily ceiling is 10 mg of amlodipine and 40 mg of benazepril, so 10/40 is the most anyone should take in a day, and doses above 20 mg of benazepril are usually split into two doses only when a doctor directs it. People who are small, frail, older, or already on other blood pressure medicines are often started at 2.5/10. Take it with or without food, at the same time each day, and swallow the capsule whole with water. If you miss a dose, take it when you remember, but skip it and go back to your regular schedule if your next dose is close; do not take two capsules to catch up. Keep taking it even when you feel fine, since blood pressure comes back up within days of stopping. Stop the capsule and call a doctor right away if you find out you are pregnant, if your face or tongue swells, or if you faint.
Side effects to know
- Common: A dry, tickly cough that will not clear, ankle or foot swelling, dizziness or lightheadedness in the first days or after a dose increase, headache, flushing, and tiredness are the usual effects, and many people notice nothing at all.
- Serious: Stop the medicine and get help now for angioedema, meaning swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing or swallowing, which can start after the first dose or after months of use. Also get urgent care for fainting or near fainting, a slow or irregular heartbeat with muscle weakness that can signal high potassium, yellowing of the eyes or skin, very little urine, or new chest pain.
Who should not take it?
Do not take it if you have ever had angioedema on any ACE inhibitor such as lisinopril, enalapril, or ramipril, or if you have hereditary or idiopathic angioedema. Do not combine it with aliskiren if you have diabetes, and do not take it within 36 hours of sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto). Taking it alongside an ARB such as losartan is generally avoided because the combination raises the risk of low blood pressure, high potassium, and kidney injury. Tell your doctor about potassium supplements, potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone or triamterene, and salt substitutes, since all of them can push potassium too high; about regular NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen, which blunt the effect and can harm the kidneys; about lithium, whose levels can climb; and about mTOR inhibitors such as sirolimus, which add to angioedema risk. If you take simvastatin, keep it at 20 mg a day or less while on amlodipine. This combination is not recommended if your creatinine clearance is 30 mL/min or less, and it needs closer monitoring with kidney artery narrowing, heart failure, liver disease, or a collagen vascular disease such as lupus or scleroderma. It should not be used in pregnancy: stop it and call your doctor the day you learn you are pregnant, and talk with your doctor before using it while breastfeeding, since both drugs pass into milk in small amounts. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can raise amlodipine levels and are best avoided. Alcohol lowers blood pressure further, so keep it light, avoid it entirely in the first days on a new dose, and expect more dizziness if you drink.
When is it an emergency?
Call 911 if your lips, tongue, or throat swell, if your voice goes hoarse, or if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, and do not wait to see whether it settles. Call 911 for fainting, chest pain, or a collapse. Too much of this medicine causes a large drop in blood pressure with severe dizziness, cold and clammy skin, confusion, a racing or very slow pulse, and it can progress to shock; if a child swallows a capsule or an adult takes extra, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away, even if the person seems fine, because amlodipine acts slowly and problems can appear hours later. Also seek same-day care for a heartbeat that feels slow or irregular along with muscle weakness or tingling, for a sharp drop in how much you are urinating, or for yellow eyes or skin.
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Common questions
What is the maximum dose of amlodipine and benazepril in a day?
The ceiling is 10 mg of amlodipine and 40 mg of benazepril per day, which is one 10/40 capsule. Most people start at 2.5/10 or 5/10 and move up in steps after about 1 to 2 weeks if home readings stay above goal. Never take two capsules in one day to make up for a missed dose or to force numbers down faster, since the main result is a blood pressure drop steep enough to make you faint. If you are already at 10/40 and your pressure is still high, the next step is adding a different class of medicine, usually a thiazide diuretic, not more of this one.
Can I drink alcohol while taking this medicine?
Alcohol lowers blood pressure on its own, so it stacks with this capsule and can leave you dizzy or lightheaded, especially standing up from a chair or getting out of bed. Skip alcohol entirely for the first several days after you start the medicine or after any dose increase, which is when your body is still adjusting. After that, occasional light drinking is usually workable for most people, meaning up to one drink a day for women and two for men. Heavy or binge drinking raises blood pressure over time and works against the medicine, so it undoes what you are taking the capsule for.
Is amlodipine and benazepril safe in pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
No. Benazepril acts on the renin angiotensin system, and drugs in that group can injure or kill a developing fetus, particularly in the second and third trimesters, by reducing fetal kidney function and amniotic fluid. If you learn you are pregnant, stop the capsule and call your doctor the same day so a pregnancy-safe blood pressure medicine such as labetalol, nifedipine ER, or methyldopa can replace it. If you are planning a pregnancy, ask about switching before you start trying rather than after. For breastfeeding, both drugs pass into milk in small amounts, so discuss it with your doctor; many parents are moved to a medicine with more nursing data instead.
Does it matter whether I take it with food?
No, you can take the capsule with or without food, and neither drug needs a meal to work. Pick one time of day and stay with it, since steady timing keeps your blood pressure level rather than swinging. If the capsule makes you feel queasy, taking it with breakfast usually helps. Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice, because they can raise amlodipine levels and increase the blood pressure drop, and be careful with potassium-based salt substitutes, which can push your potassium too high when combined with benazepril.
What are the signs of taking too much?
An overdose shows up as a large drop in blood pressure: severe dizziness, blurry vision, feeling faint or actually fainting, cold and clammy skin, confusion, and either a racing pulse or a very slow one. Amlodipine is slow acting and stays in the body a long time, so symptoms can build over several hours rather than right away. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 immediately for any extra dose, including a child getting into the bottle, and do not wait to see whether symptoms show up. Call 911 if the person collapses, cannot be woken, or is struggling to breathe.
Why do I have a dry cough, and do I need to stop the medicine?
The cough comes from the benazepril half. ACE inhibitors let bradykinin build up in the airways, which produces a dry, tickly cough that often gets worse lying down at night. It is not dangerous and it is not an allergic reaction, but it does not respond to cough syrup and it usually will not fade on its own. If it is keeping you awake or making you hoarse, tell your doctor; switching the benazepril for an ARB such as losartan or valsartan clears it within days to a few weeks in most people. Swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat is a different problem entirely and means stopping the drug and getting emergency care.