Cardace Protect 5 Tablet is an anti-hypertensive medicine primarily used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and reduce the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. Besides this, it also lowers the raised level of bad cholesterol (especially for those at high risk of heart disease). High blood pressure is a chronic condition in which the pressure in the blood vessels is high. The blood exerts high pressure on the walls of blood vessels (arteries), leading to hypertension. Heart failure can occur when your heart cannot pump the blood sufficiently required to the remaining body. A heart attack is the blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle.  The blockage is most often a build-up of fat, cholesterol, and other substances, forming plaque in the arteries that feed the heart (coronary arteries).  Heart attack and brain stroke happen simultaneously, as, in a stroke, the blood supply to the brain gets interrupted, causing a part of the brain to die.

Cardace Protect 5 Tablet is made up of two medications: atorvastatin and ramipril. Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering medication that inhibits the enzyme responsible for fat production in the body. It lowers bad cholesterol (also known as LDL or low-density lipoproteins) and triglycerides (TG). It raises good cholesterol levels (also known as high-density lipoproteins or HDL). Ramipril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor that lowers high blood pressure by blocking angiotensin II, a naturally occurring substance that tightens your blood vessels. This relaxes blood vessels in the body, reducing the burden on the heart to pump more blood. Cardace Protect 5 Tablet reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart-related chest pain when taken together (angina).

You are advised to take Cardace Protect 5 Tablet for as long as your doctor has prescribed it for you, depending upon your medical condition. The most common side effects of Cardace Protect 5 Tablet are increased bleeding tendency, constipation, headache, muscle pain, weakness, headaches, decreased blood pressure, dizziness, muscle pain, increased blood glucose level, and cough in some cases. Most of these side effects of Cardace Protect 5 Tablet do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects are persistent, reach out to your doctor.

Try not to stop taking this medicine of your own. Stopping Cardace Protect 5 Tablet abruptly may worsen your condition and increase your risk of a future heart attack. Tell your doctor if you are sensitive to atorvastatin or have any active liver disease, active bleeding issues (like a peptic ulcer or brain haemorrhage), muscle problems (myopathy, rhabdomyolysis), pregnant or planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding. Patients should inform the doctor they are taking Cardace Protect 5 Tablet before any surgery is scheduled or any new medicine is taken. Atorvastatin, present in Cardace Protect 5 Tablet is a pregnancy category X drug, so it is contraindicated in pregnant women. As it may cause harm to the fetus if administered to pregnant women. Inform your doctor that you are taking Cardace Protect 5 Tablet if you are going to have any surgery.

Cardace Protect 5 Tablet is composed of two medicines, namely: Atorvastatin and Ramipril. Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering medication that blocks the enzyme required to make fat in the body. It reduces bad cholesterol (also known as low-density lipoproteins or LDL) and triglycerides (TG). It increases good cholesterol levels (also known as high-density lipoproteins or HDL).  Ramipril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme or ACE inhibitor that lower increased blood pressure by blocking a naturally occurring substance known as angiotensin II that tightens your blood vessels, thereby relaxing blood vessels in the body which reduces overload on the heart to pump more blood. Together Cardace Protect 5 Tablet reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart-related chest pain (angina).

Tell your doctor if you are allergic to Atorvastatin, or Ramipril, have any active liver disease, active bleeding issues (like a peptic ulcer or brain haemorrhage), are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. The patient should inform the doctor they are taking Cardace Protect 5 Tablet before any surgery is scheduled, or any new medicine is taken. Atorvastatin, present in Cardace Protect 5 Tablet is a pregnancy category X drug, so it is contraindicated in pregnant women. As it may cause harm to the fetus if administered to a pregnant woman. Co-administration with anticoagulants like warfarin may cause gastric bleeding and other bleeding problems. So, if you are using any blood-thinning agents, let your doctor know about this. Cardace Protect 5 Tablet contains Atorvastatin which can cause muscle problems like myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. So, any signs of muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, during the initial months of the treatment should be closely monitored. Patients with active liver disease should use Cardace Protect 5 Tablet with caution. The safety and effectiveness of Cardace Protect 5 Tablet have not been established, so its use should be avoided in pediatric patients or children less than 12 years of age. Discontinuation of Cardace Protect 5 Tablet may lead to cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, and angina (heart-related chest pain). Hence, you should consult a doctor before stopping the dose of Cardace Protect 5 Tablet . 

• Eat a healthy diet rich in soluble fibre like beans, legumes, whole grains, flax, apples, and citrus fruits.
• Try to replace most of your saturated fats with unsaturated fats that can reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol quickly. Foods like avocados, olive oil, fatty fish, and nuts contain many heart-healthy unsaturated fats, so it’s beneficial to eat them regularly.
• Try to adopt a Mediterranean-style diet rich in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fish, low in red meat and most dairy.
• Try to give priority to more fruits and veggies in your daily meal as these contain antioxidants that help to lower LDL - low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol)
• Minimize the intake of added sugar. The American Heart Association (ADA) recommends one should not eat more than 100 calories (25 grams) of added sugar for women and children and no more than 150 calories (37.5 grams) for men every day.
• American Heart Association recommends sodium chloride intake (table salt) should not exceed more than 2,300 mg per day as part of a healthy eating pattern.
• As a precautionary measure, do not consume alcohol and quit smoking.

• Diagnostic tests like complete blood count (CBC), blood sodium and potassium levels, kidney function, and liver function should be monitored while taking treatment with Cardace Protect 5 Tablet to check for side effects. 
• Your doctor may recommend regular monitoring of electrolytes as ramipril in Cardace Protect 5 Tablet may increase your potassium levels. 

Hypertension: High blood pressure is a condition in which the pressure in the blood vessels is high. The blood exerts increased pressure on the walls of blood vessels leading to hypertension. It is expressed as systolic/diastolic blood pressure. Systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats or pumps blood. Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries between the heartbeats. Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) by a blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer). Normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. Symptoms of high blood pressure include headache, dizziness, nosebleeds, changes in vision, chest pain, weakness, and dyspnea (shortness of breath). However, most of the time, the signs and symptoms of hypertension are none. Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump sufficient blood to the remaining of the body.

Heart attack: A heart attack generally refers to a blocked flow of blood to the heart due to the blockage of arteries. The blockage is most often a build-up of fat, cholesterol, and other substances, forming plaque in the arteries that feed the heart (coronary arteries).

Stroke: It occurs when the blood and oxygen supply to the brain is limited or stopped. When the brain does not receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients, it dies within a few minutes. If not treated early, it is a life-threatening condition that can lead to brain damage, coma, and even death.