Ziggy, This drug will lower your blood pressure, and a few peo...

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