I was on Lisinopril for one month and it took 18 months for the s...

I was on Lisinopril for one month and it took 18 months for the side effects to go away. The cough, the inexplicable weight gain, the exhaustion, the bloated tummy, aching muscles and joints, swollen eyelids, etc. Luckily, my doctor did listen to me and got me off it as soon as I could get a call through to him instead of having his nurse block calls and tell me that I could take codeine laced cough syrup. I explained to her very carefully to look at my chart--I am allergic to codeine. My doctor switched me immediately to Cozaar when I was able to talk to him directly. The pharmacist looked at what I had been on and asked why I was being switched. When I explained, he said that the side effects were commonly known and really affected people. The coughing inflamed my bronchial tubes to where they were going into spasms. I was on an asthma inhaler for a month to heal them. That wasn't pleasant, either, because I didn't tolerate it very well. I am at the point now that whenever I am put on a new medication, I immediately search the internet for side effects. I don't want to go through 18 months of misery because I wasn't told or the insert wasn't clear about possible side effects.