Zestril symptoms and conditions

Well, I beg to differ with "huh1051" regarding the snake venom. This is straight from "Wikipedia"... History/brand names
Lisinopril was developed by Merck & Co. and is marketed worldwide as Prinivil or Tensopril and by AstraZeneca as Zestril. In India it is marketed by Micro Labs as Hipril. In the United States, a generic version is available. Like other ACE inhibitors, it is derived from the venom of the jararaca, a Brazilian pit viper (Bothrops jararaca). So, "what" do you believe!!!???? This drug breaks the blood brain barrier which is probably why so many people get depression. However, I "think" this drug is causing more than just depression. It's shrinking the brain and affecting memory.
bellabear

I have been taking BP med's for may years now, and too have been ordered by my Dr's. to change from time to time. After many years on the same drug, I was ordered by my Dr. to change to Zestril, 20mg daily. I had absolutely no problems with that drug at all, but after only about 3 years was forced to change because of insurance company ignorance. I was then placed on Lisinopril 20mg, and within only a few months I've begun to lose my hearing in my right ear. I have a constant hissing/ringing in my right ear, and have been tested for hearing and told I have a 90% hearing loss in that ear. After reading some of the postings here, and elsewhere, I have found that Tinnitus is a definite side effect. Not only upset about all this, but angry that I didn't investigate earlier. Please be careful with med's people. Please pay attention to any and all side effects...

Thank You

I am taking Adalat XL 60 mg. once a day.. as far as BP went was working fine.. They found I needed a stent in my heart... specialist put me on metropol 12.5... after the operation i went back to him.. BP was 80/53.. wow, no wonder I was feeling tired.. he advised me to stay on it.. NO WAY.. just my Adalat XL is working fine.. BTW.. and for the Gladys1948.. a few days after i started the metropol (lisiopril) I noticed a floater in my right eye... was disconcerting.. but is slowly leaving since stopping the drug.

About 8 years ago I was prescribed Zestril by a private physician, after joining Kaiser 6 years ago I was switched to Lisinopril. 20mg/day. I had no problems until about 9 months ago when I suddenly had a SEVERE rash on my arms, back, and legs. After 3 physicians and an ER visit no one could identify the rash and no one asked about BP medications. I changed soaps, foods, clothing, and took lots of Benadryl. No improvement.

I never considered the Lisinopril because I had been taking it for so long.

My last physician was a very knowledgeable female doctor who confirmed that even after years of Lisinopril the side effects can suddenly appear.

It has been two weeks since stopping the drug and my condition has slightly improved but still very bad. Doctor says it could take weeks, months, or longer for symptons to leave.

My biggest complaint is that no previous physician including the ER never inquired about BP meds or Lisinopril. Incompetent at the least, bordering on malpractice.

Has anyone has similar symptons after a long use of Lisinopril?

After doing a little internet research I found this interesting bit of information regarding Lisinopril:

Lisinopril was developed by Merck & Co. and is marketed worldwide as Prinivil or Tensopril and by AstraZeneca as Zestril. In India it is marketed by Micro Labs as Hipril. Like other ACE inhibitors, it is derived from the venom of the jararaca, a Brazilian pit viper (Bothrops jararaca).

I am a 60 year old female and have been on Lisinopril (40 mg.) for at least10 years. Before that I was prescribed Zestril, but a generic was often substituted (Lisinopril). So it's hard to say just how long I've taken the Lisinopril. I'm amazed to read the side effects listed here. I've experienced almost all of them at one time or another. It's scary. I've tried to quit the Lisinpril a couple of times, sometimes just because I ran out of the prescription. But now I am substituting a natural supplement for the Lisinopril. I'm trying Holistrol (HiQi). I've been on it for about a week. I checked my bp when I started the natural and will check it again after a week. It was high when I first checked, but I had been off the Lisinopril for a few days by then. I'll continue to monitor and take the natural supplement and then will report back.

These side effects are very similar to those experienced by people diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrom ( both of which I've been told I "might have"). My diagnoses came from several doctors in my hometown and even from the Mayo Clinic. I'm wondering how many people with these diagnoses are taking Lisinopril?

My side effects are starting to leave my body, but after so many years, there are many layers of toxins to release. But I am confident that I am doing just that ~ releasing toxins!

Thank you for listening and especially for sharing your side effects. This is bad stuff in my opinion and I'm glad to have started the process of clearing this poison out of my body.

Ann

I am a 57 yr old female who has been taking lisinopril for about 4 years, after the Zestril became too expensive. I have had the cough and intermittent shortness of breath for several years, but really did not attribute the shortness of breath to the drug until it became quite severe recently. I stopped taking it three days ago, and of course, am concerned that my BP will be out of control. I exercise, eat pretty well, and am about 20 lbs overweight. I also experience abdominal bloat that by evening I look six months pregnant, but no ankle swelling. I hate that. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, still the bloat. Anyone else bloating? My question, have any of you who stopped taking the drug finally experienced an end to the shortness of breath? I notice I can still exercise moderately, and have the shortness regardless of sitting or exercising. Anyone out there truly get relief for symptoms and how soon after stopping

I have severe itching, with dark rash spots on most of the body, with nervousness, panic attacks and weakness in the arms and legs, and flu symptoms. I take have been taking 20 mg once a day for about 10 years. Previously taking zestril, I had to change because of insurance costs, and have had these symptoms almost from the start. I was told by the pharmacy that zestril and lisinopril were the exact same ingredients, so I thought I was allergic to something else. The itching is now so severe, I have purple spots and scars on most of my body. I finally went to the dermotoligist and he did a biopsy, which reveiled the allergy to lisinopril.

I was on 50 mg Toprol for about five months when pressure went up...doctor put me on 100 mg. During the 50 mg time, I did gain some belly weight, extreme swelling of the ankles, and a feeling that my heart was beating too fast even though it wasn't. When I went to the 100 mg pill, within a week I have a rash all over...bumps that itch like crazy. I have noticed more chills...then a feeling like a hot flash. I am weaning myself off...four days of 50 mg, couple days of 25 mg, and now I'm even splitting that. My doctor told me to go right to another drug...Zestril. I'm going to try to wait a few days. Even though I am tapering off of Toprol, the rash is still here. Maybe it takes awhile for the Toprol to be completely out of system.

well, let me tell you. I have been taking this med for about 1yr. now. I was on zestril and doc put me on the generic.(lisinopril) I started having alot of complications from this med that are listed. It made my pressure go down but so did the zestril. pain in my left side under breast area, twitching under my right eye, diarhea, and alot of dizziness. I finally had enough and went back to zestril and what a difference I feel. no more dizziness and the other side effects are gradually going away. been on zestril for only a week. I never had the cough but I feel this generic form of zestril is absolutely no good. The cost which is cheap for this generic is in no way worth the side effects. Good luck to you all.

There is something seriously wrong with this generic drug, maybe quality control. It now has 68 pages of complaints, and continues to grow rather fast. It seems even worse than other ACE inhibitors, even the brand-name/non-generic versions of this same med, like zestril or prinivil. It is obviously toxic for some people, like me. I compare this to other meds I know about that have 1 or 2 pages of complaints.

For what its worth, a bit of extra zinc and selenium seem to help a lot with the cough, also with other problems from this med. Also vit-c and vit-e. Best of luck to all.

I have been taking Lisinopril ever since my insurance company would not allow me to take Zestril. With the Zestril I had more coughing. It took a long time to stop that but now with Lsinopril I feel I have no side effects. I've been taking it for over 5 yrs with no serious side effects. However, recently I had to up my dose from 2.5 mg to 5.0 mg which isn't a lot.
DUring this past week I have noticed I am very emotional, and am wondering this could be a side effect. I am a little more tired also but that is all I've noticed. Has anyone else felt this way?

Wow, what a web site!

A male, I have been on Zestril/Lisinopril for 11 years and no other drugs. I have had most of the mentioned side effects periodically at some time during that period but I noticed them mostly after 5 years of use.

After reading many comments, I panicked! I must get off this drug. I don't like taking drugs because I worry about the many unknowns. Maybe I should live with high blood pressure and tough it out until I am hand fed in a wheel chair.

Then I remembered the psychology professor who asked everyone in the class what day they were born. Next class he handed out a horoscope to everyone. Most, if not all in the class exhibited surprise at how close to the truth he was about them.

Then he said pass your horoscope to the person on the left. It turned out they were all the same horoscope. People read into general comments their own experiences.

If you look at the side effects mentioned in this web site you will see they are all general and can be caused by and associated with many things. I have family and friends who are not on lisinopril, but tell me they have the same symptoms.

Those of you who have nurses or doctors for friends must surely have heard about how, as they learned about diseases and symptoms, they felt for sure they had the desease. This is a common feeling among medical undergraduates.

As a non-doctor, my understanding is that high blood pressure is not normally, immediately life threatening. It does damage over time to your organs.

So if you suspect side effects, advise your doctor and stop taking them for a month or two and see if your problems subside.

I have tried this and have been unable to conclusively determine a side effect. Perhaps this is because my perceived side effects seem to change with the seasons, climate and time.

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.

I've been on lisonopril since 1997 or so...never thought to really check the side effects...felt horrible since right about that time. Mainly light headed and terrible lethargy. Felt sleepy all the time. Was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea and many outdoor/indoor/and food allergies. Went through septoplasty, somnoplasty, sinus surgery, etc..nothing seemed to help. Ran out of my zestril meds this morning so I did not take any until late this afternoon when I finally had time to stop at the drug store. I felt better than ever all morning and soon I as I took the lisonopril, I ended up in bed sleeping 2 hrs later. I looked at the side effects warning and it mentioned feeling sleepy, lightheaded, headache and sudden weight gain...exactly what happened to me back in 97!....Now that I found this site I think I've found the culprit!! I never thought it could be that simple!!

I am off this stuff and on the phone to my doc on Monday!!

Here is the deal, everyone has a pre-disposition to certain health related issues, and you can thank your ancestors for that. As it relates to hypertension, I would recommend staying away from Lisinopril. It may be effective in lowering your blood pressure, but it is very effective in making you cough, anxious, depressed, etc. etc. One must evaluate the trade-off in quality of life. First and foremost, the medical profession loves to suggest that low blood pressure is more important than being happy, cough free and erect. My philosophy is live each day as it is your last, help the less fortunate, and think positive. That will help to keep your blood pressure in check, even if your genes tell you otherwise. Prior to going on Lisnopril, my BP was 150 over 100, I am 40 years old, eat well, exercise, and try not to indulge in excess. After taking Lisinopril, it lowered my pressure to 110/85, but I felt like crap. After quiting the drug 1month ago, my BP has gone up to 130/90, but I don't care...I feel like I am myself again. Whether I live to be 41 or 80 doesn;'t matter to me at this point, especially worrying about blood pressure. I am happy and helping others, and that is what counts. My advice is to live strong, deal with your genetic predisposition, and don't worry about your blood pressure as there is no clinical evidence that you will crash and burn anytime soon.

I'm not the only one, great. I knew about the side effects that some drugs can cause, but I've been seriously thinking of alternative treatments. taking lisinopril and before 'zestril' for about 5 years. I also take bendrofluorazide. extremely painful joints, cough, dry mouth, dry eyes, insomnia., can have bouts of fast heartbeats, and I'm tired all the time.. there must be something better out there... need to detox!

Ziggy,

This drug will lower your blood pressure, and a few people report no problems with this drug.

However, if you do have problems with it, they will last with you very long after you quit. By the time you notice the problems, you might never be the same anyway even if you then quit.

If you have problems your doctors will not suspect this drug at all, and instead will prescribe psychological medications. If you that route, you'll never be the same.

Since this drug is meant to be used for the rest of your life, if there is anything bad in it, it just keeps building up in your body. It is very hard on the liver.

If you have to take this drug, for god's sake, don't take the generic version (lisinopril). Try the Zestril or the other one (Prinivil?).

I'd strongly suggest trying all natural treatments first. Weight loss, exercise, and there are a variety of herbal treatments, there's calcium and pottasium. Of course most doctors won't even discuss natural treatments, as if there are none.

And, here the really important thing: measure your blood pressure at home! Do this before you take any medication, so you have an idea of what your b.p. is normally. Doctors hate the idea that you can measure your own b.p. There is a well known condition called white-coat hypertension in which patients exhibit higher blood pressure in the doctor's office than at home. We are not really concerned about temporary high blood pressure caused by temporary stress (like going to see the doctor). What's important, as I understand it, is that the b.p. goes low enough for a good duration of the day.

I use an Omron HEM-773. Its an automatic unit, and seems pretty foolproof. I have also given one to my mother recently (I didn't know she was taking medication for hypertension). When she measured it, she found out that her b.p. at home was much lower than in the doctor's office, and, the doctor had been trying to get her to take more medicine that it turns out she doesn't need.

If at home you are just boarderline, then by all means go natural instead of taking any of these lifelong drugs.

Erik

I've been taking zestril, then prinivil, and finally lisinopril for the past 15 years. A year ago I developed a lump in my throat and saw 4 different drs. about it who have diagnosed me from menopause to thyroid. But no one knew what was causing this sensation. I'm begining to think its something serious after I've been getting edemas on the back of my neck and the side. Finallly a pharmacist suggested it could be the lisinopril doing it. Callled the dr. switched to avapro, which is similar to lisinopril. After still some swelling within 3 hrs. of taking this nasty drug, he switched me to toprol xl. well its only been 2 days, but the swelling has not shown up.
Does anyone know when this lump sensation will finally go away? Its driving me nuts............. After a year of this I'm going crazy and can't believe not one doctor warned me of this side effect. Please advise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i changed from zestril to lisinopril a couple of years ago, and been tired siince, i thought, and the doctor thought this was probably slight depression, i have had chest pain, (tightness in the chest), also have had anxiety issues, spent a couple of days in the hospital running heart test and blood work finding nothing, again the doctors saying from depression, and anxiety. i have not put two and two together before reading this web site, this explain the way i have been feeling, asking the doctor to change my med very soon.

Nothing new really...same lump in the throat, same hacking cough, same switch from Zestril 10mg to Lisinopril 5 mg, same lightheadness, feeling of being overall faint, chest pressure and pain under ribs and in arms. I did not take the dosage last night. Today was the first day I felt decent in three or four weeks. You can be sure that was the last pill I'll take of that.

Switched from Zestril to Lisinopril in Jan 2004 - Starting in February have had incredibly severe leg crams eleven times; numbness and tingling in arms a couple of times; extreme fatigue; dizziness and light headedness, large weight gain. Numerous medical tests have not revealed cause. Visited a dietician today to discuss weight gain, and she immediately connected my syptoms as a possible side effect to Lisinopril, and suggested I discuss the possibility with my doctor. Internet research indicates many others have similar symptoms from Lisinopril.

I wonder how many people here are taking the name brand (Zestril or Prinvil) vs. the generic? I have most of the same side effects people here talk write about but they didn't start until I was switched to the generic. The generic will most likely be called just Lisinopril, the name brand will be called by name, Zestril or Prinvil. Even though lisinopril is the active ingredient in the name brand the generic has no name other than lisinopril. I can't believe the generic is as pure as the name brand and I wonder if that's the major cause of problems.

I have been on and off lisinopril since 1997. i have type 2 diabetes and my dr at that time prescribed zestril for me. Two days later while catching the bus to work, both legs went numb and threw me to the floor. i was taking 20mgs at that time. I was constantly getting bach pain and numbness in legs and feet. Now i'm back on zestoric (lisinopril/hczt), but i split the pill and still get side effects. Most recently ended up in ER with severe itching, swollen face, and eyes. Had to have eye surgery. I hate this drug, but it is the only med that keeps my bp low. Perhaps I should try getting 5 mgs then i wouldn't get side effects.

Greetings,
My father has been using Zestril (lisinopril) for a few years. He has had the dry cough everyone has spoken of during the time he has taken it, until I ran across this msg. board I never linked it to the meds. His coughing often lasts for 5 minute bouts and would occur once every couple of hours.

Also he has joint pain in his upper arms, no energy, blurry vision and lack of concentration. All of which could be age related but the cough seems to be a common denominator for many users of this BP med.

Just my 2 cents... Take Care All

October 7 Guest, are you sure you are using your monitor correctly? 138/75 sounds a great reading, but the other one would bring you near to passing out! I've read that 0.9% of Lisinopril users have stomach effects. On one or two occasions I've been part of this 0.9% myself. I started on 10 mg and have now been on 5 mg for a long while. Not qualified to give advice, but if I were you I'd be questioning the 20 mg dosage you have been prescribed. I'm 54, slim and do regular work-outs/hillwalking by the way, with no heart problems to date. Am on Zestril brand.