I am a reasonably healthy 57 year old male, 6' 1", 220 lbs. I sta...

Some of most serious side effects of generic lisinopril are uneven heartbeat, palpitations, chest pain and etc. Please consult your doctor as soon as possible. Are you taking any other medicines along with lisinopril.
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Thanks for the reply. No I am not taking any other meds. All of the side effects you mentioned were noted to my cardiologist. The palpitations I have had since 1979 off and on. The chest pains are not severe, just nagging, and they go away as quickly as they come. Most times they go away when I change my position. I don't have uneven heartbeat, just rapid and pounding at times.

All of the adverse side effects you are mentioning can be typical of lisinopril. The most common being that of the dry cough! Here is a list of adverse effects and how commonly they occur in the general population.
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Cardiovascular: Orthostatic effects (1%), hypotension (1% to 4%)

Central nervous system: Headache (4% to 6%), dizziness (5% to 12%), fatigue (3%)

Dermatologic: Rash (1% to 2%)

Endocrine & metabolic: Hyperkalemia (2% to 5%)

Gastrointestinal: Diarrhea (3% to 4%), nausea (2%), vomiting (1%), abdominal pain (2%)

Genitourinary: Impotence (1%)

Hematologic: Decreased hemoglobin (small incidence)

Neuromuscular & skeletal: Chest pain (3%), weakness (1%)

Respiratory: Cough (4% to 9%), upper respiratory infection (1% to 2%)
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These statistics were taken out of Lexi-Comp, which is a highly dependable resource (not some random internet site). It is a database that is accessed by pharmacists, hospitals, and other health professionals. I realize that you may not know what all the terms mean, but you can look at the list yourself and see that many of the symptoms line up. Vivid dreams are not related to lisinopril as far as I know.

It worries me that you have these side effects and you don't have to, especially the cough since it is so common. There are so many other options out there for you from different drug classes and the majority of them have generic versions now so don't worry about the prices. All of the drug classes work by a different mechanism in your body to lower blood pressure.

The reason why your blood pressure may be lower in the morning is due to something called orthostatic hypotension which is also listed above. A basic definition would be for you to think about the headrush you feel after you get up too fast or when you get up after being in a rest position for a long time (which is what happens to you when you wake up in the morning). Your body just takes extra time to "readjust" when all the blood has been drained to the lower section of your body.

Make sure that you keep a low salt diet, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and try to get regular exercise most days of the week. A brisk walk 3 days a week will provide lots of benefit!

You need to talk to your doctor as soon as possible about switching to a different medication because you shouldn't suffer. Don't discontinue your medication until he prescribes you something new because we don't want to do anything abrupt to make your blood pressure shoot up. It may be helpful for you to keep a pad handy so you can chart your blood pressure readings. Try checking a sitting BP reading, one where you laying down, and one where you are standing...just to see if there is a pattern in what happens.

Please get checked up!!!