White coat syndrome symptoms and conditions

Alright, listen. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for those who have found this site. My story was posted on June 20th. I would have to say that I cannot trust any doctors for anything since then. This web site has saved me money from the idiot doctors and my insanity. Really. It is so scary that when you go to the doctor they will never investigate your meds you are taking and will send you through many tests and prescribe you medicine that you don't need. I went through 4 different doctors multiple times that prescribed many different things with no effect to my condition. I went off Lisinopril and went back on Diovan and it took 8 days before I noticed any improvement. During those 8 days I got more depressed because I didn't feel any better. Then my symptoms started going away. My anxiety and coughing started to decrease. By the second week i did not need the help of sleeping pills to knock me out due to the anxiety at night and the gagging and coughing decreased.Since then I am almost back to normal. I still though have some symptoms of coughing, but not that bad. If you found this site and taking Lisinopril, please take note that your doctor is probably wrong. You are not going to die. Get off the da#m med and start living again. It may take longer than me. Don't get discouraged.It may take more than a month or so. Stay strong. I am pissed off and would love to beat the s&it out of the ones that created Lisinopril. I know we are the small % that has the effects, but get it off the market. People are dead from this med and the others are going though Hell......I feel for the ones who have had family members that have died from allergic reactions. I had an undiagnosed throat swelling that took me to the ER. I know what it was now...Take care, stay strong, get off Lisinopril, enjoy the rest of your life...

Hi I'm 36, with high blood pressure. I have been on 25mg/day hydrochlorothiazide since July 08. I went in for normal 3month check up and Dr tells me that my bottom number is to high, so she gives me yet another pill to take(yep you guessed it) Lisinopril. I filled the RX in the morning, by lunch time, I felt sick to my stomach, dizzy, everything hurt. I thought I had gotten the flu. This was just 2 days before my daughter and my mothers birthday.(both the same day) We had big plans after all you only turn 18 once. I put a smile on and went to the party, but it was living hell. My Fiance' noticed that I didn't start feeling bad until after I had taken that new pill. I only took 1 a day for 3 days and it took me over a month to feel half way normal again.

I'm a 58 year old female & I take good care of myself & I am very healthy.
I've had borderline HP off & on. I tried a Beta Blocker 5 years ago & took myself off it, since some of my symptoms were due to my Hypothyroid.

I started Lisinopril today 10 mg, I felt a central nervous system affect almost immediately. Tonight, I'm feeling very tired which I think is due to the Lisinopril. My BP today was 152/98 it was 140/98 the week before @ the doctor's office. Tonight @ home it was 115/70 & 100/68
I have been monitoring myself @ home & some of my readings are a little high but a lot of them seem normal. I'm getting a better monitor tomorrow. I know, there is such a thing as white coat syndrome.
I could lose 15-20 lbs. which might help too. I'm very active but that doesn't seem to help.
thanks for all your postings, it has really helped me...
My doctor did mention getting a cough as a side affect.

I was on 10mg of Lisinopril for 6 weeks (switched from Azor). After the first 3 days, I was having trouble swallowing . . . this went away 2 days later. Then, I was having trouble breathing, sinus problems, dizziness and constant FATIGUE during the course of the 6 weeks. I am a very active, energetic, 30 year old male. I'm not overweight, and play basketball 2 or 3 days a week. I really think I have White Coat Syndrome (170/110 at dr's office - 130/75 at home), but better safe than sorry.I could not even run for more than 5 minutes straight without feeling like I might pass out. I would have to say during those 6 weeks, I was functioning about 50% of normal, at best. I tried to stick it out to see if the side effects would go away; they only seemed to get worse over time. My Doctor said it was the "summer fever" and allergies. I felt it was the medication, especially after reading these posts, so I switched doctors. My new doctor took me off of this medication. He said Lisinopril can has been known to effect your lungs and cause breathing problems. He is located in the same practice as my previous doctor. Why she didn't inform me of any side effects, I'm not sure (thanks for nothing). All of my terrible symptoms were gone within a week. I am now taking Bystolic (5 weeks), and feel normal again. My father has been on 30mg of Lisinopril for 12 years, and never had any problems. I believe everyone reacts to medications differently. I am now on my 3rd medication in 7 months, and think I have found the one that works best. I guess I'm just one of those people that has trouble adjusting to medication. Good luck to those of you that have not found the right medication yet.

I was prescribed 2.5MG of Lisinopril yesterday because BP is very high every time I go to the docs. The only thing is that it drops to normal every evening. I decided to check the side effects and found this site. I am now terrified start taking this medication because it seems I am going to be suffering!!! I am already on sick leave with work related stress and having had a very bad fall earlier in the year I truly believe that coping with these horrible side effects would drive me completely over the edge. I have phoned my doctor and asked for a respite while I lose some weight and take more exercise - I am determined to get BP down naturally. Lisinopril looks like hell!!

I started Metoprolol 6 months ago while in the ER. I was weak with a virus and every time I got up and did anything, my heart would race and would feel weaker. I have white coat syndrome so while I was in the ER my BP went up to 227/110. They gave me 25 mg of Toprol and a prescription for 12.5 mg a day. I have gained 17 lbs in 6 months, have zero energy, tired all the time, insomnia, and am depressed for the first time in my life,ad I know it has to be from the Metoprolol. I tried to quit it and 3 days later my heart was racing so bad and my blood pressure was real high. I want to try to quit it but am afraid to. Any suggestions on how to quit it?

Am I the only one who has gained a lot of weight while on Lisinopril? I have gained over 40lbs in 3 years. I have also experienced odd muscle cramping and have never made a connection to this and Lisinopril. The pain in my ear, side of my head, and my jaw was unbelievable. ENT dr thought it was TMJ or nerve damage. He was not able to really pin down the exact cause. One month later I was bed ridden with severe back pain, which I have never had before. MRI showed nothing. Headaches are daily, cough, leg cramps, chest pain, decreased sex drive, and definitely have feelings of depression. I have never made the connection between the changes in my personality, health, and lifestyle to this medicine; but now I have. I will be immediately contacting my doctor to discuss alternatives. My BP when I started was 150/90 and now is 112/70. Please let me know if anyone has also had the weight gain like I have experienced. I know I am going to have to have hard facts to show to my doctor. Thank you.

This e-mail is an update of my July 11 post. I gotta tell you, I feel like a million bucks compared to when I was taking lisinopril. I quit taking it, monitored my bp and went to my doctor to confirm with him that what I was doing was ok. I didn't have extremely high bp anyway. I think it went up when I visited the doc so I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension (white coat syndrome). Anyway, nearly all my side effects are gone. No more coughing and gagging, no more achy-crampy feelings....sleeping like a baby! Feeling so much better motivated me to get a tread mill again. Life's a crap shoot so unless I've got something life threatening going on...I'm not taking medicines anymore. My bp has been good even though I've been off the stuff only 2.5 weeks. Also, my memory and vision has improved remarkablely. I'm on the mend from this experience and caution everyone to PAY ATTENTION to side effects! Who knew some of this crap could make you think you're dying? I'm going to go the diet and exercise route.....learned my lesson. :)

Hello All!

I have been on lisinopril for about 2 years and haven't noticed any side effects. Sometimes I wonder if all the times I was not feeling well if it was because of Lisinopril. At times, we all try to figure out why we are feeling bad and diagnose ourselves. My main reason for registering with this site was to see what others are saying about this drug. The doctors will give and tell you anything, but the best advice sometimes is from people who are actually taking the drug.

I really want to get off of this drug and I am talking to my doctor about it. I also noticed that when I am eating right and exercising regularly that my pressure is not high, it's actually excellent. I also believe that I have white coat syndrome. I really dont want to be taking this drug or any other drug if this is the case.

Update: I posted a message on 2/15, detailing my experience with Lisinopril 5 mg. I'm happy to report that the marathon coughing is finally over :) Yes, it felt like the coughing would never end! It gradually subsided in a span of two weeks. I would still occasionally cough as I noticed that there still seems to be an abundance of phlegm. But at least the constant coughing is gone. And, no more stress-incontinence as long I don't start the hacking cough. I feel so much better. I'm not as dizzy or light-headed. I'm still on Benicar 20mg (an ARB II ? not an ACE) and HCT 25mg. So far, no intolerable side-effects. My bp is controlled and will soon go for a follow-up visit. Just hoping I won't have to take this poison again.

One thing I noticed, on the following day I stopped Lisinopril, I had difficulty swallowing like even a teaspoons worth of food. It lasted for about a week and I was bloated. I was sure that I was having a bad reaction. But overall, things are generally better. I can say that life is good again :) The doc said that for some, it does take some time for the body to rid itself of the Lisinopril.

I disagree with the guy who implied that perhaps these are perceived symptoms. I think not! I am living proof that indeed, Lisinopril is the culprit. Like I said, I was never on any prescription drugs for the long haul other than your garden variety antibiotics. When I developed pregnancy-induced hypertension during my third pregnancy, I was put on Methyldopa for a few months. Any drugs I take, I always notice adverse side-effects. I'm in-tuned with my body when it comes to that, as are most people here who had complaints. So to suggest that these are "general and can be caused by and associated with many things" -- is an ignorant comment. It's not mass hysteria. Most people who posted here have already suffered the side-effects before they read what others wrote. They know from experience and observation that their condition was not normal after taking this drug and not because they first compared symptoms with other people.

You wrote: "Perhaps I would feel different if there had been a strong and relatively immediate reaction to the drug, but much of what I read suggests to me that people have other issues and problems, not a side-effect."

Wrong! Even the doctor concedes that many people do have these bad reaction to this drug. Not everyone is wired the same way, so naturally, some won't notice immediate side effects unless they're extremely allergic.

I have been taking verapamil for seven years, but I have to watch the dosage. My doctor took me up 3 180mg pills a day but that made me so tired and weak in the legs I could not take my daily short walks
I reduced to 1-1/2 pills and am able to take my walks. If I get a headache and find my pulse quite strong, I will take a additional half or whole pill for just that time. Doctors always want to go by the BP readings they get in the office, but surely by now everyone knows that the reading can be high from the "white coat syndrome" and that BP varies widely all day every day in every person.

I have been taking Lisinopril for some years now. First 5mg daily, then 10mg. I suffer from white coat syndrome i.e. my B.P soars when I get it taken at the doctor's. It has been as high as 198/122. I bought a B.P measure - the sort where you wrap a cuff round your arm. My husband has learnt how to take my B.P. & it is now usually around 120/70.
As far as side effects go I have these: cough; depression; anxiety; weight gain; hair thinning; memory loss; searching for words. ice cold feet, head sweats. I am 59 and don't know how many of these symptoms I would be showing anyway. A lot of women of my age who are not on lisinopril have thinning hair, gain weight and forget words. They also have hot flushes. This is the trouble you don't know exactly whether it's the drugs or not. anybody want to reply to this?