Lisinopril side effects

I am a 60 year old female and have been taking Lisinopril 10 mg for a two weeks now.

My BP had been creeping up slowly the last few years. Since I'm thin, don't smoke, limit my salt, exercise regularly and eat mostly a light Mediterranean diet, there weren't any lifestyle adjustments I could make. So, my doctor suggested the Lisinopril.

The first few days on the drug were rough. I was weak, very tired, had chills and just generally felt unwell. At night there was a pressure in my head that made it difficult to sleep. I also had a tickle in my throat that caused an occasional cough.

But my pressure went from 178/100 to 90/60 in just one day. So, I decided I would tough it out and try to adjust. And I have. On about the fourth day I began to feel human again. Slowly the side effects have modulated so that the only thing I notice now is that I tire out easily. But my BP has stabilized at round 115/75, which I'm satisfied with. I'm hoping that the longer I take it the less tired I will be.

Well, so far after trying Bystolic, for ummm about 5 days and feeling like crap from that med and now after reading this as my Dr. now wants me to try this Lisinopril! I think I will try a natural alternative, I started taking Bee Pollen this past Sat., Google it, you will be amazed at all the benefits of Bee Pollen, I was!! I think I will wait and see how that works, mordern meds seem to cause alot more harm then good not to mention posion the body! Which, in turn, causes you to need more drugs, these dug companies are no dummies after all!! The sicker they keep ya the more money they make not to mention the more bonus money the Dr's get for writing "their" drug of the month, that the drug rep pused the day before! So this prescription will sit here I will NOT take it, I will find a natual alternative. It is your body, listen to it, treat it right and it will treat you right! And to the person that said "my Dr. wpn't take me off Lisinopril or change to another drug" Ok since when did your Dr. own you? I say run, find another Dr. If this Dr. cares so little about your health that he dismisses how bad you feel!! I'd won't not trust this person with my health! Thank you but no thanks I will take my chances and try the Bee Pollen!!

I started taking Lisinopril for high blood pressure January 6, 2010. The side effects are hot flashes memory issues my sex drive and sleep issues and depression but I'm not sure if this is due to the medication as far as depression. I believe in alternative medications other than pharmaceuticals if anyone knows what to take other than this please let me know thank you. I also take vitamins multivitamins bee pollen royal jelly and omega fish oils and hemp seeds as well.

Hi, its me again, just wanted to share this with everyone. I contacted the FDA in November of 2009 informing them of the dangerous and poisonous side effects of this medication Lisinopril, how it took control and nearly claimed my life. It is Feb 2010 and still no response. There are individuals out there just like you and I who are suffering from this posionous drug. We who have experienced the side effects from this drug know exactly what it can do to your boy and time is critical to our sisters and brothers who are still taking and suffering from this posionous drug. We must join together asone and get this medication (Lisinopril) off the market. We put our trust and faith in our doctors and pharmacists to take care of us, but they have let us down big time. We didn't derserve to suffer the way we have from this medication and I refuse to believe that the majority of our doctors and pharmacists didnt know about the dangerous side effects from this medication and we must not stand by and watch our love ones suffer the way we have from taking this medication. If we must go all the way to Washington, D.C, CNN news, Fox News, we must let the world know that lisinopril is poisonous and deadly. To the doctors and pharmacists who cared enough to inform your patients about the side effects of this medication, God Bless you, thank you, thank you, we all thank you. P.S. Will someone tell mehow did lisinopril pass FDA inspection????

I am losing my hair, have had such mucous at night I have to have Advair, my heart races at night,
severe depression. Got so constapated I developed fissures in lower colon. Have had such
problems breathing and racing heart, stopped the medicine 4 days ago. I feel like a different
person. Will take my chances on taking nothing. I had been on the medication a year and
although I am 73 it turned me into an old woman. I cannot describe how much better I have
felt, today the 4th day and my blood pressure turned to normal. I had had stints put in a
year ago and they put me on it. So no more for me..................JZJ

I have been taking lisinopril 20 mg for about 9 months. About a month ago I started having this feeling of internal shaking or vibration. It's not visible on the outside of my body. I feel it all up and down my spine, in my pelvis, down my legs. I went to my dr. and she doubled my dose of lisinopril and it's a lot worse now. Before I was having this sensation about half the day and now I have it all the time. I also have the dry cough, weird taste, my hands fall dead asleep when I am sleeping even if I am not pressing on them at all, I'm cold all the time and I feel sluggish and stupid. I also had urticaria on my arms all summer and my doctor didn't think it was related. My BP was pretty high without it so I am afraid to stop taking it, but I am wondering if the weird vibrating feeling is a side effect of the lisinopril. Has anyone else had this sensation? It's not painful but it's distracting and making me crazy.

59 year overweight old male. No drugs or alcohol. BP was 160/90 so M.D. prescribed and I have taken 10 mg Lisinopril once each morning for the past 9 days. Two incidents of severe nocturnal leg cramps including one last night. Cramps wake me screaming and moaning in severe pain, seriously scaring my wife. Occurs about two hours after I go to sleep. Although my leg feels strange the next morning, I have no concious recollection of the leg cramps! I will not take this medication again and will ask my M.D. for an alternative.

throbbing headache after exercise, pains in arms and legs feels like someone is squeezing my arms and legs, dry throat, cough, difficulty breathing when lying down, hot flushes, dizziness, absolute fatigue, depression, feeling completely isolated and told i am having panic attacks, i am definetly not, i know the difference between the two, palpitations, heart racing and seemingly missing a beat, loss of sleep, pain in my kidneys and in glands underneath my arms, cough, and very dry throat, i am stopping this medicine immediately after six weeks of hell, frightened to drive i am so light headed and crying at work i feel so weak, think i will take my chances with the bp being borderline, i am not overweight, swim twice or more a week, well since taking this medication i feel like a pensioner whos whole life is on hold, i am also having stomach pains after i eat, i cant stand another day like this.

02/02/2010 I switched from diovan 320 mg to lisinopril 40 mg because of cost, Within 24 hours my nose started to run, I had severe headaches, fatigue, and loss of sleep. I don't have the cough yet but it sounds like it's coming soon. My doctor only told me about the cough. I have sleep apnea and sleep with a mask on my face, coughing is out of the question for me. Thanks to everyones feedback on this site I called my doctor and went back to diovan . I would rather pay more and be sick less. I also wrote to the F.D.A and asked them how this poison got approved in the first place.

I'm a 44 yr old male and was prescribed Lisonipril for high blood psi prevention. I do not have high BP currently.
The first month I developed what I thought was a cold. Headache, bad cough,weezing lots of mucus. It was bad enough to get anti biotics from my doctor. The cold symtoms never got better, I saw a allergist and had all test done for every allergy. He gave me a breathing machine to take home as my lungs were full and I could not breath correctly. Night time was the worst, coughing started once I layed down, sometimes choking on the mucus. I noticed my sex drive was way down, I have always had a very healthy sex drive and this was distressing. I was always tired, depressed, irritable. My hair began to get dried out and dead feeling, I thought it was my shampoo or something. My mouth was so dry I began carrying a water bottle around with me. I have rashes on both legs that itch severely. I remember saying to my wife, I feel really sick, like all around bad. Something is wrong. I never get colds, I have perfect numbers cholest is 166. I know when something is wrong. I ran out of pills before the weekend and did not take any for 4 days. I began to feel less sick and could breath. I took my first pill in the 4 days and that night was feeling ill again. I looked up side effects that night and was shocked. I trusted my doctor, never thought this little pill was responsible for all this pain. 3 months of lost productivity. It been just one day off the pills, I can only hope I return to normal.

I'm a 56 year old woman and had been taking Lisinopril for about a month and a half when I developed this thick mucous in my throat. Two weeks later the dry hacking cough started. I work with the public and this cough has ruined my life. I finally went to the doctor thinking I had some kid of sinus/allergy thing. He told me to stop the Lisinopril. I've been off it for 7 days and I still have the thick mucous and cough. I gag when I cough, I have awful coughing spells, I can't have a normal conversation because I start coughing. Because of the severe coughing, I don't have control of my bladder! Just when I was enjoying my "golden years"! Thanks to all of you for your comments. I didn't believe the doctor, but I believe the rest of you. So, now I'm wondering...when is this cough going away? And you know what? The Lisinopril didn't lower my blood pressure anyway.

I started taking lisinopril 3 weeks ago. and 7days later I had no drive what so ever. i stopped and now things are back to normal 3 days later. I am going to try some of the other alternatives I saw posted on this site, such as apple cider vinger and gralic pills, also changing my diet. I hope that will help. Thanks for the advice!

I have been on Lisinopril for 7 years with no side effects at all (bar a few days of feeling slightly dizzy at the beginning, but that quickly disappeared). I consider myself very lucky that I can tolerate it so well. BUT, my bp rose a bit at my last test and my doctor put me on an additional med - Amlovasc. I've been taking this disastrous drug for a fortnight and that was enough. The side effects were so bad (swollen feet and ankles, joint aches, depression, constant peeing, stomach pains) that I have taken myself off it. No doubt the doc will not be impressed but no way am I sticking with it.

Best of luck to all bp sufferers out there!

I'm a 38 year old male and was prescribed Lisinopril a few months ago for high blood pressure. I've had a bald spot for several years, but since going on the medication it's gotten increasingly worse and a lot more noticeable to the point where friends and co-workers are noticing. There's significant amounts of hair showing up on my pillow and in the shower, and I think the pills are responsible. It was never this bad before.

Im really glad I found this form and this is not the only form that is out there about this drug my PCP prescribed me Lisinopril 10mg today for slightly elevated BP as well as metformin 1000mg for high blood sugar. But after this form and researching this dangerous drug I am not going to even take the first tablet of Lisinopril :) I already threw it away what a waste of 4 dollars It would have been nice to research it before I filled the prescription but o well thank you all for posting everything about this horrible drug GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

I was put on lisinopril last week for BP (no instances of high BP in prior checkups). Since taking the drug, I have been in the emergency room twice. Once two days after starting the drug when I woke up at 1:00 a.m. sweating and heart pounding; the second time today when my left arm started throbbing. My left arm is going numb and I have pain in my wrist, elbow and especially the shoulder. Motrin does not to stop the pain and I have never had joint pain before. I have had at least 3 EKGs and 2 chest x-rays in the last week with no remarkable results. BP is low/normal 118/74 but pulse is high (96-104). I have a docter's appointment Thursday and I am stopping medication today. I have never felt this awful before and the trips to the emergency room are getting expensive especially when they can't find anything wrong.

A note: I have asked to stop taking this product and told the internist I did not want it. I have also experienced fatigue, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, feeling disoriented.

Earlier today somewone wrote that all bp med. have the same side effects, I have to dissagree. You can't watch tv and not shake your head when a new medication is advertised. The list of (possible) side effects is almost laughable if it wasn't so scary. I don't know why one person will have a reaction to a med and another won't, and sometimes the reaction is imediate and other times comes on slowly. But to my point. There are 4 or 5 different TYPES of bp med. They all work differently on your system and all come with their own set of side effects. That as I said before may effect one person but not another.
Now I do agree that High Blood Pressure is a silent killer. For those who do not have problems on this med. feel lucky and I wish you the best. For those who have had sometimes disabilitating side effects, don't give up sometimes it takes time and trial but find a alternative that you can live with. If your dr won't help find another dr. Be smart reserch every med prescribed
and don't be afraid to speak up, It's your life. I was told lisinopril was not the cause of my coughing, leg aches, headaches,
and sinus problems, but after demanding a change, guess what, 2days later, no simptoms, and after 3 weeks, still doing good.
good luck and good health, Rick

I began taking Lisinopril 10mg per day for hypertension about one year ago (Jan 2009). At first I had mild dizziness and drowsiness that subsided after a couple days. After a couple weeks I began to experience sexual dysfunction for the first time in my life (I was 48 years old at the time). I did some experiments and determined the dysfunction began about 30 minutes after taking the medication and diminished as the day went on, so I'm able to "schedule around it" if you get my drift.

Other than that, things were fine until a few months ago when I developed a dry cough. One night, out of the blue, I was suddenly wracked with a cough in severe spams that ended with abrupt vomiting although there was no nausea leading up to the cough. Since then I've been having daily coughing bouts, sometimes ending in nausea, most frequently at night while in bed or while at rest in front of the computer or TV. It seems to happen less if I'm on my feet moving about. It always begins with a sudden itch or tickle at the back of the throat and the coughing is uncontrollable. Cough medications don't have any effect but cough drops do help some.

I stopped taking the medication and the cough gradually subsided until it was completely gone by the third day. Sexual dysfunction is still an issue. I feel clear-headed and alert for the first time in a long time. Both the side effects themselves and the loss of sleep due to coughing had me in a near-delirious state. I have an appointment in two hours with my doctor to discuss this.

My blood pressure did go down quite significantly, but it takes a few weeks. After about six months, it seems like it has been gradually climbing again, though.

Did anyone develop abdominal pain/pressure/discomfort/gas long after starting lisinopril? I developed these symptoms about 10 days ago but have been taking the lisinopril since September 2009? Is it possible to develop a side effect so long after starting the medicine?

Reguarding my first post on January 28, 2010 concerning my husband's 25% loss of kidney function w/in the last three months.
My husband has been taken off Lisinopril and in a week more blood work will hopefully show if this drug is contributing to his loss of kidney function.

I have been on it for two weeks and have had no side effects. Every BP meds on the market have the same side effects. When I first found this page I freaked out, because I wasn't told of the possible side effects the ACE Inhibitors can cause. But, you could have the same effects from a bee sting. It has lowered my BP from 140 / 90 to 120 / 75 and I don't get the shaking from the high bp anymore. Good Luck to everyone who has to take bp meds! Please take them and don't quit unless your doctor tells you to. If my best friend would have listened to his doc, he would still be hanging out with me today.

First, I want to thank everyone else for taking the time to post their experiences with this drug – you helped me understand what’s been going on. I am truly sorry so many of you have had severe symptoms, as mine pales in comparison.

I have been taking 20mg Lisinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets in the 90 day Wal-Mart container since May 2009, one per day. I also take Metoprolol, which I’ve taken in the past by itself and never had a problem. I’m taking these medications for borderline high blood pressure and benign palpitiations. In October 2009, I drove myself to the ER because of rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure and some chest pains, which were diagnosed as due to my hiatal hernia and esophageal reflux – this is now an open question for me, as I’m wondering whether Lisinopril had a hand in this, if not causing it then perhaps aggravating it. Anyhow, other than possibly that, I had had no symptoms until I developed a dry cough 6 weeks ago. I experienced the same throat tickle and feeling of slight obstruction in the throat as others have described, and I also felt constantly as if there was something on the back of my tongue but there never was. The cough has gotten progressively worse, sometimes keeping me up at night, but it usually calmed down with Hall’s cough drops. I had no fever, no sinus drainage, nothing except the cough. I also had been experiencing random, shooting pains in my calves, feet, knees and thighs as well as my left hand’s knuckles aching when I made a fist. These weren’t constant, they would come and go quite unexpectedly, and most often would occur of course when I was in bed – sometimes those kept me up too. I put it down to aging (but I’m only 53!) until today, when I finally recalled that my doctor had warned me to look out for a dry cough, so I Googled ‘Lisinopril cough’ and thankfully found this forum. I’ve already called my cardiologist’s office and told them I’m not taking this drug any more and that I want to know what medication they’re going to recommend BEFORE I get the prescription filled so I can research what side effects THAT new stuff might bring with it.

I can only echo what others have said – never again am I going to accept any medication without first researching it. I will check back in once my symptoms are gone (if indeed they stop as expected) so you’ll know how much time it took.

Again, thank you so much for taking time out to let others know.

I have been on Lisinopril for about 10 months.....after 2 months I began having occasional trembling in my hands and legs....also heartburn which I did not have prior to this drug......I changed my diet for the better and got more exercise ...as a result I started taking just 1/4 of a 20 mg pill and my BP stayed normal....however, in the last 2 months I began having a dry cough and a "swelling" feeling in my throat, stupid cough is embarrasing and have also begun feeling an occasional tightness in my chest....
I have been researching this drug tonite because 3 days ago I began having a excruciating headache along with high BP , so I took another 1/2 tablet of lisinopril.to lower my bp....two hours later the headache came back, I checked my bp and it was high again! I took another 1/4 lisinopril and now the headache became excruciating...........took Ibuprofen out of desperation even though it raises my bp a little....
I got the headache back about 2 pm and have not been able to make it go away...tried to sleep but my head was just throbbing every time I laid down....
I took 3 baby aspirin and put a hot water bottle on the back of my neck.....I literally thought I was going to die! My head pounded so hard and I had nausea with it, and then my legs began to tremble uncontrollably ......I took another ibuprofen and am feeling better even though my BP is at 157/98....I don't care ...I never want to have another headache like that again....I can still feel a little pressure in my head like it wants to come back the minute the Ibuprofen wears off.....
I am going to call the doctor tomorrow and tell her that I refuse to take this drug any longer....

Thank you all for posting and helping me realize that it's the drug that is making me sick.....this drug should be taken off the market immediately!

I was put on lisinopril in November of 2005. I tolerated it well then. In 2009, I started having off and on hoarseness, and went to every doctor possible to find out what was causing the off and on hoarseness. Iwas taken off the lisinopril by a lung doctor in March of 2009. Then on January 12th, 2010, I had a follow up appiontment at one of my other doctors, and my blood pressure shot way up, they told me to contact my family doctor, who started me back on the lisinopril, ever since I've been back on it, I can't seem to tolerate it, and my doctor refuses to take me off of it. HELP. Is there a better drug that I could take, if so, what is the name?

I have chronic(daily) diarrhea and it might be a lisinopril side effect. I have considered stopping
lisinopril, but don't know all the risks involved.(I take it for hypertension)
D.J.

Lisinopril brought my BP down very quickly. I do intense exercise a few times a week, and my BP after exercising is low. Lisinopril occasionally makes me feel faint when I stand up quickly. This effect is more pronounced after I finish a four hour bike ride. So I'm wondering if I can skip the Lisinopril on the days when I plan a long ride.

I plan to ask my doc, whom I trust, just curious what others think.

My 69 year old husband has lost 25% of his total kidney function in the last three months. He had no physical side effects, but his routine blood work showed there were problems, thus he was referred to a kidney specialist. After several tests and more blood work, the first kidney doctor recommended a stent for the right kidney. The right kidney is noticably smaller than the left and we have been told the right kidney is reacting one way and the left kidney is reacting another way to the blood pressure medication. My husband got a second opinion yesterday and the second kidney doctor said more tests were needed to determine what has cause the loss in kidney function. He definitely mentioned Lisinopril as a possible reason, however my husband has been treated for high blood pressure for years and it under 120/80 and he has diabetes which is controled by diet and excerise. We also learned that as we age we lose 1% of our kidney function each year and it usually this starts around 50 years old.

SEVERE THROAT SWELLING
I'm so glad I found this site. A couple months ago, the back of my throat swelled up for no reason. It happened 2 or 3 more times but I didn't think much about it.

I haven't had a cold in over 30 years and I rarely get the flu so I reached for my home remedies. I gargled with some apple cider vinegar and alternated with warm salted water about once every couple of hours. In between, I sucked on some Hall's Harvest Cherry lozenges with echinacae, C and zinc until the swelling went away.

2 days ago, the swelling came on suddenly and became so bad as the night progressed that it practically shut down my airway. I could not speak so I couldn't telephone anyone for help. I could barely breath when sitting upright and not at all when lying down. It felt as though the top of my throat was collapsing onto the bottom. I did not have a fever but I felt chilled. I tried gargling but I couldn't expel all of the water from my swollen throat. Finally around 5 AM, I found some old alka-seltzer plus for flu and took it for the pain in my throat because I couldn't swallow Tylenol. It took 2 hours before the pain eased enough for me to swallow the really tiny thyroid pill I take daily (took a lot of water too because the pill got stuck.)

After reading the posts on this site, I realized that the two mysterious blisters on my wrists had to be from this Rx. I've never had any skin problems so it seemed really odd. Today, I've been dizzy and lethargic. I've also had severe bouts of itching and the odd cluster type headaches that came and went mysteriously.In addition to all of these symptoms, my fingers were swelling too. I would never have connected the dots on my own. Sheesh!

My doctor has been out of the office since my symptoms started and won't return until tomorrow. In the meantime, my Mom insisted that I stop taking the drug immediately. Most of the swelling in my throat has subsided but my throat is extremely sore. I'll be on the phone to my doc at 9 AM. I live alone and could have died.

ADVERSE REACTIONS RUN IN FAMILIES
My Mom had a severe reaction to lisinopril last summer that sent her to the hospital. In the middle of the night, her entire face swelled to twice its normal dimensions. She had the cartoon face (just like Will Smith had in the movie, Hitch). She required several days of steroids and benadryl to clear the lisinopril from her system. The next day her doctor told us that the adverse reactions to lisinopril tends to run in families. She said you could take this Rx for years with no problems and suddenly have a severe reaction like this. Afterwards, I learned that my uncle had also gone to emergency because of swelling from lisinopril.

This drug is risky. If you had symptoms, BE SURE TO TELL FAMILY MEMBERS who may also be taking lisinopril! This is no joke. In fact, it dangerous!

Im 25 years old 180lbs 5'9 height muscle build and im taking this medicine for 3 days now and I don't feel anything and it taste good, the only problem is my blood presure is still the same 150/96 so pretty much this drug is useless, probably just a candy.

Thank God for this sight! I have had major side effects and didn't connect them to the lisinopril until I typed in "Lisinopril and constipation". I was switched from Diovan(no problems) to lisinopril in July 09. The insurance was the reason.After one month of being on the lisinopril I developed a cough,I started gaining weight,and developed chronic constipation. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I went to my gastro doctor and He gave me a new disorder called IBS. I thought,this isn't right,something is not right as I did not think I had IBS. To cut this story short,I got up this AM,thought about my meds,and decided to type into Google,"Lisinopril and constipation",and now I see I was right,it is the Lisinopril that is causing ALL my problems. I didn't take it today and I am calling my Doctor immediately to ask for a substitute or a waiver to get back on to the Diovan/hct. Thank-you,Thank-you,Thank-you!

HOPE MY EXPERIENCE CAN HELP!!!!!. I was rushed to the ER on Sunday, January 24, 2010 from my doctor's office. It felt like something was blocking my airway in my THROAT. I could not swallow nor catch my breathe. I could not !!BREATH!!!. The ER doctor asked me about all the meds I am taking and the ones I've stopped taking. LISINOPRIL, the doctor looked in my throat and told me the I have "ANGIOEDEMA" and it was caused from taking LISINOPRIL. Swelling of the throat and the uvula and the mucus. The ER doctor told me to take Zyrtec and Zantac150 every 12 hours for symptoms-both over the counter. I am not all the way better but I'm on my way. My breathing and swallowing is much better. I hope that my experience can help someone.

My boyfriend age 41 was put on lisinopril, for what reason, the doctor said for an irregular heart beat, being an alcoholic he put unnecessary stress on his heart. He started off with 5mg, then the doctor up it to10mg. by mistake and then lowered it to 2.5mg. My friend was simple minded an never on medices before in his life. He started having confusion, disoriented, sleepless nights, deep coughs more mucus than usual coming up and having hallucinations. After being on the 10mg. of lisinopril he died. His family went over his medical records an found his health conditions weren't as serious as we thought and we feel he died from being posioned from Lisinopril. His doctor said he was to have a blood test every month, but she never reviewed his last blood test which was 17 days before he died, if she had she might have been able to save his life. Be your own advocate when going to the doctors, ask questions, find out side effects of meds., ask why your taking them, how they will help you and read all information from the pharmacy.

I am a 57 year old female and i'm writing to tell others about my experience with this medication which is poison itself. I started taking lisinopril in April 2009 for nearly a month and a half everything was okay but in May I came down with flu like symptoms and a severe cough that would not go away. I continued to get sicker and sicker with the cough until my body was severely sore from coughing all day long. I went back to the doctor from May 2009 until September 2009 and everything that was given to me failed to work. The doctor tested me for tuberculosis which came back negative and the doctor also told me that I may have acid reflex which I knew that she really did not know what was wrong. I never thought it was the lisinopril that was making me sick because of the short amount of time I was on the medicine. I went back to the doctor and she wanted me to start taking breathing treatments because my breathing was affected tremendously. One night my breathing was so bad I had to borrow a family member's breathing machine and before that I experienced many sleepless nights because of this medicine and living a normal life again seemed impossible. Everywhere I went, whether it was to pay bills, or school, whatever I needed to do was very difficult because I was coughing non stop and became weaker and weaker over time. I did not know what was wrong with me, I thought I had contracted a fatal disease and my daughter who lived in another state had to quite her job because everyone included me honestly thought I was dying. I continued to get sicker and sicker and I almost passed out but with the help of a friend I was taken back to the doctor. I told the doctor that it was something seriously wrong with me. She took my blood pressure which was 170/100 and she also stated that my heart was racing so fast that it sounded like it would jump out of my chest. She referred me to a heart specialist that same day but all the tests were normal. After consulting with my doctor after the tests were done she was all out of answers but finally decided that it may be my medication so she took me off and within three weeks my health improved but I continued to have minor problems due to the medicine. My legs still ache till this day, I experienced so many symptoms with this medication other than the ones described but I just wanted to share my experience with the medicine. For me if I had the choice of dying with dignity or continue to take this poison lisinopril, I would chose death because what I experienced with this medicine was far worse. Some one needs to take this medicine off the market soon before it claims a life, it probably already have claimed lives. No one should have to endure the terrible symptoms I and others that took it have experienced. I've met alot of women recently with high blood pressure who were sick and the first question I asked them is what type of medication they were taking because they had some of the same symptoms. Bingo! Linsinopril, I advised them to get off the medication as soon as possible because the worst is yet to come. I've had so many doctor bills from doctors not knowing what was wrong with me, heart test, test for tuberculosis and more. I came so grateful to come across this site to see that i'm not alone because the doctors made me think I was crazy but I knew something was wrong. I wish you all the best of luck!

I am 36 in very good health, non-smoker, drink Alcohol 3-4 times per week. I have been taking Lisinopril 10mg for 6 weeks. I did experience the dizziness for the first week and the cough. My cough only lasted two weeks although I have noticed I still experience a heavier mucus flow. I am having heart palpitations especially at night, my Dr explained to me this is normal and I must admit they are not as severe as they used to be. I also am experiencing slight headaches - especially if I have not drank any water for a period of time (maybe due to the diuretic also in this medication) also slight itchiness but not a severe as some of the other patients who have posted. I feel somewhat ignorant to HBP I didn't even realize I had it?!!! However my BP has been lowered to 120/80 from 160/90 my father (62) had a triple bypass last year and has recovered remarkably well. I do not want to die of a heart attack or stroke I have way too much going on in my life :) I will research the Apple Cider Vinegar pills and the garlic idea. My annoyance with this medicine is that I cannot seem to feel the effects of Alcohol, being from Europe I am used to having a glass or two of wine or a good beer with my meal. I'm also upset that I should not go out in the sun for a prolonged period of time. Other than these two "irritations" I am happy to be healthy and alive.

HI, Just a follow up from my last entry 2 weeks ago. I had sevier side effects from the Lisinopril including extream nasil drainage down my throught along with a cough that would end with me vomiting. I also experienced tingling in my hands and bad charly horses in my legs. I have been off of the med for 2 weeks and can gladly report that I have non of the side effects. zero. I haven't felt this good in over a year. My doctor and my pharmasist are both at a loss and don't know what to make of it. But I can tell you that this medicine is a killer. For those who do experience side effects, find an alterative and do it now.
Thanks
Good luck and good health, Rick

Have been on this med for about 1 month. Am 45 year old female with fibromyalgia. Was having chest pain (not sure if was heartburn) but have strong family history of heart disease and high blood pressure. When dr checked blood pressure was 150 over 92. Am a little overweight 5'4" and around 154 lbs. Dr put on this med and also ranitidine in case pain is heartburn. Have been getting really sad, feeling very alone, having stomach pain, still having burning chest pain, trouble sleeping, dizziness, getting angered very often and easily at work. (not normal for me) but also constipation and when trying to go to bathroom-feel such pressure in my head-like going to blow off and face, ears, chest get blood red. Anyone else have this happen? Have so many weird things with my body with fibromyalgia wasnt sure if it was side effect or not. Also no libido.

I am a 55 y/o female who has had hypertension for over a year now and have fibromyalgia and arthritis. I just found out the hard way on 1/18/10 the poison this drug is for my system, and thinking that I would rather live with the pain and fatigue of the joints anyday over the hell I have been through this week. I was put on 20 mg a day of lisinopril last fall when my HCTZ alone was not controlling hypertension. I suddenly woke up on 1/17/10 with pain in the middle of my chest, like a pill was stuck, and couldn't swallow without pain. I went to bed that night thinking it was esophagitis and would call the doctor in the morning. I woke up early AM on Monday, 1/18/10, with lip swelling like I had had Botox, plus severe itching around my mouth and chin, terrible itching deep inside the ear canals, a slightly swollen and stinging tongue, and a rash that looked like bad dermatitis. I knew then that I was having an allergic reaction to something, so I took Benadryl and went to the doctor first thing in the morning. They didn't diagnose an allergy to lisinopril, but started me on 40 mg prednisone per day anyway with continued Benadryl and omeprazole. I ended up later in the day at the ER with continued esophageal pain, worst itching of my life on face, neck, and underarms, continued ear itching, and continued lip and tongue stinging/burning sensation. The ER doc said it was the lisinopril causing all symptoms, to immediately stop taking that, and increased the prednisone to 60 mg a day for 5 days. No problem, I tho ught. Most of the symptoms were abating pretty good, and I thought the drug was probably just about out of my system. Wrong! By Thurs. afternoon 1/21/10, my hands became extremely tight and swollen, and turned really red and itching that about drove me crazy. I was experiencing waves of feeling chilled then alternately burning up like I had fever. I went back to the doctor on Friday, 1/22/10, and was assured that I was just now having a reaction to being on both the prednisone and the HCTZ, because one is trying to retain water, and the other to shed it, but like it would just get better. I stopped the prednisone Friday night, but spent another hellish night of itching. By late Saturday morning, 1/23/10, I was scrambling for a ride to the ER, because the itching was driving me crazy, especially all over my scalp and my face was now broke out in a red blotchy rash with pimple-like lesions, had some shortness of breath, kept going from feeling chilled to burning up, and had developed acute gastritis. I literally felt that I was going to die. After spending all afternoon in the ER, my stomach is doing better, but I continue to have the on again/off again cold/hot sensations, continued itching with welts on my face, neck, upper neck, and in a line down the sides of my chest underneath the underarms. I didn't need to be told to stop the prednisone, as I had already done that Friday night, and just continue the Benadryl, and come back to the ER or call my doc if problems continue. I have only slept in spurts all week, and am just miserable. I pray I make it through tomorrow without ending up back in the ER.

I am a 55 y/o female who has had hypertension for over a year now and have fibromyalgia and arthritis. I just found out the hard way on 1/18/10 the poison this drug is for my system, and thinking that I would rather live with the pain and fatigue of the joints anyday over the hell I have been through this week. I was put on 20 mg a day of lisinopril last fall when my HCTZ alone was not controlling hypertension. I suddenly woke up on 1/17/10 with pain in the middle of my chest, like a pill was stuck, and couldn't swallow without pain. I went to bed that night thinking it was esophagitis and would call the doctor in the morning. I woke up early AM on Monday, 1/18/10, with lip swelling like I had had Botox, plus severe itching around my mouth and chin, terrible itching deep inside the ear canals, a slightly swollen and stinging tongue, and a rash that looked like bad dermatitis. I knew then that I was having an allergic reaction to something, so I took Benadryl and went to the doctor first thing in the morning. They didn't diagnose an allergy to lisinopril, but started me on 40 mg prednisone per day anyway with continued Benadryl and omeprazole. I ended up later in the day at the ER with continued esophageal pain, worst itching of my life on face, neck, and underarms, continued ear itching, and continued lip and tongue stinging/burning sensation. The ER doc said it was the lisinopril causing all symptoms, to immediately stop taking that, and increased the prednisone to 60 mg a day for 5 days. No problem, I tho ught. Most of the symptoms were abating pretty good, and I thought the drug was probably just about out of my system. Wrong! By Thurs. afternoon 1/21/10, my hands became extremely tight and swollen, and turned really red and itching that about drove me crazy. I was experiencing waves of feeling chilled then alternately burning up like I had fever. I went back to the doctor on Friday, 1/22/10, and was assured that I was just now having a reaction to being on both the prednisone and the HCTZ, because one is trying to retain water, and the other to shed it, but like it would just get better. I stopped the prednisone Friday night, but spent another hellish night of itching. By late Saturday morning, 1/23/10, I was scrambling for a ride to the ER, because the itching was driving me crazy, especially all over my scalp and my face was now broke out in a red blotchy rash with pimple-like lesions, had some shortness of breath, kept going from feeling chilled to burning up, and had developed acute gastritis. I literally felt that I was going to die. After spending all afternoon in the ER, my stomach is doing good, but I continue to have the on again/off again cold/hot sensations, continued itching with welts on my face, neck, upper neck, and in a line down the sides of my chest underneath the underarms. I have only slept in spurts all week, and am just miserable. I pray I make it through tomorrow without ending up back in the ER.

I would like to stop Lisinopril, but do you have to go off of it slowly? Will call my Dr. and check back with his answer. Am experiencing extreme hair breakage.

Ok I'm back. I started taking the Apple Cidar Vinegar pills along with amlodopine after I stopped the lisinopril. Huge difference! It did take some time for the L-poison to get out of my system but I believe it's clear now. New problem with amlodopine...swelled up legs , feet and ankles after just 2 days on amlodopine. Serious swelling as I couldn't see any bone structure and could not wear shoes. I stopped the amlodopine immediately and it took 3 days for the swelling to subside. During that time I started taking garlic pills along with the ACV pills. Now I'm on no prescribed meds whatsoever and haven't felt this good in I can't remember when. Checked my BP this morning and I'm at 132/94. Huge change from the walking dead man 180/120 while on lisinopril. I'm not there yet but I'm convinced I can control my BP without the killer drugs. I thank God for stumbling onto this site and I wish I could thank whoever started it. Saved my life big time and I will be eternally grateful. To those that think Lisinopril is not a poison, think again. It nearly killed me. STOP TAKING LISINOPRIL NOW !!!!
It's YOUR life....not your doctor's.

Jeff...once again enjoying life.

In addition to the other side effects for LisinoprilI posted a few days ago, I also have a severe upper and lower respiratory infection which started the day after the first dosage of lisinopril. Now, ten days later I have just gotten over the gagging and coughing fits which did go on for a couple of hours a day just as another poster stated. The feeling of a lump in the throat is just now disappearing as well as the problem of not urinating much (weird). So I guess it takes about a week for the sympoms to subside and that's only after taking this stuff for a few days. I imagine this drug could cause great physical damage if continued.

It was my first attempt at blood pressure medication. I'm healthy, exercise hard on a regular basis, not overweight and 50 years old. Blood pressure has been high from when I was young...runs in the family. After 2 weeks of use I noticed several side effects, the worst being loss of memory. I am not even close to being a forgetful person but I noticed I was forgetting to do simple things that were dangerous. Didn't open the flu on a fireplace, left the pellet furnace door open while it was operating, pulled away in my truck without closing my door, and always forgetting why I went into a room. I also started feeling slightly depressed... When I went to the garage 3 times and forgot why I thought it had to be the medication. Although it lowered my blood pressure I couldn't handle it anymore....I gradually started regaining my memory after a few days and now after a month of being off of it I feel back to normal. Reading this information helped me make my decision to quit it. Knowing others had felt the same way.

I've been taking lisinopril for about 4 weeks now. I found that if I take it at night before going to bed, I don't have as much of the debilitating dizziness and nausea that I did when I took it in the morning. The cough seems to be gone also though the constant mucus-like feeling in my throat is still there. I have also noticed lately that I have been having strange cluster type headaches after taking the med. Has anyone else experienced this? I am not going to take it tonight to see if I have the headaches tomorrow.

I was on Lisnopril for only 2 weeks, 10mg everyday for high blood pressure...starting coughing with the mucus...couldn't stop, hard time sleeping at night, tired...Went to my Dr., She took me off the Lisinopril. That was a week ago...still coughing, not as bad. So if anybody knows how long it will take to get this drug out of your system, I would like to know...I have read you could have the cough for a couple of months...This drug needs to be off the market....The side effects are terrible and the doctors don't warn you how severe the side effects can be...

I have been taking Lisinopril for about 10 years and have had no side effects that I am aware of. My BP is controlled down to about 128/80 from about 140/90. I take 2 pills daily of 20mg of Lisinopril combined with 12.5 mg. of HCTZ (a diaretic). I also exercise for 30 minutes on most days and have been a vegetarian for about 10 years.

I am a 41 year-old female with high blood pressure and cholesterol.The Dr. prescribed Lisinopril 5mg to protect my kidneys on Dec.15,2009. I was rushed to the Emergency room on Dec.22, 2009 with heart palpitations and shortness of breath. The E.R., Dr. said i was having an anxiety attack. Okay, here's what happend next, I couldn't sleep ,heart palpitations at night, headaches, crazy in the head[went to the men's restroom and used it.}, I've been going to Winn-Dixie for 10 years and I didn't know my way out of the store. Sinus Infection, pain in left leg while asleep, problems swallowing like a ball of mucus is stuck in my throat, tightness in my jaws.There are side-affects from Lisinopril and I have them. Today is my last day taking this medication.

I am a 50 year old male, in good health and physical condition. My Dr. prescribed Lisinopril for my high blood pressure (it was consistently around 130/85) about six - eight months ago. I did not notice any side effects until about three weeks ago when I caught a head/chest cold. The cough will not go away and now I have wheezing. I will be fine for hours and then go into a coughing fit for an hour or more. I cough so hard it makes my head hurt and is very annoying to me and those around me. About five months ago I spoke with my Dr. about a problem I had swallowing. He said that it was probably acid reflux (which I have never had a problem with in the past), now I think it is tied in with this medication. This is the only medication I am on. BTW, I have been monitoring my blood pressure and it has not gone down consistently. In fact, my Dr. started me on 5mg and then moved me to 10mg. I exercise regularly. I think I am going to try some of the alternative options discussed in this blog (celery and garlic pills). I'm done with Lisinopril!

I have been taking 2.5 mg of lisinopril now for a week. The first day of taking this medication, I began to have extreme sinus drainage all night. After a about five days of this med, my legs started aching at night to the point of my having to sleep with a heating pad. I am used to walking 3 miles at one time, but yesterday my legs started aching the first five minutes and now today after walking five minutes, my legs ached even worse, but I continued walking anyway for thirty minutes. By the time I got back home I had to pull myself up the steps and then lie down before I could stand in the kitchen and cook my supper. My bp is very often 160/80 and my only other drug is synthroid for a thyroid problem. I am 5' 6 1/2" in height and weigh 135 lbs. I eat 5 fruits and veggies a day and don't drink or smoke. This medication also makes my throat feel as though it is closing and it is difficult to swallow. I am 59 years old but if I felt like this for the rest of my life I'd rather take a chance on a stroke. My cholesterol is fine so I think I will follow the celery advice. I did this once before but didn't keep it up. It's important to get the organic celery because of the tendency of celery to soak up toxins from the soil. Also green tea twice a day I noticed before has lowered bp. No more of this prescription crap for me. I've never had any bp med that didn't have bad side effects. There is no telling what this stuff is doing to people in the long run. We won't know for years to come.

I just stumbled across your website and realized I am not alone with the Lisinopril problem. Over the last year I have been very dizzy and lightheaded,feeling faint and tired all the time. I went through the medical merry go round, including brain and spine mri, cardiac catherization,nuclear stress test,. They sent me to an ENT who put me through another series of very expensive tests. From there it was a pulmonary specialist who found nothing wrong. After all this and reading your other posts, it has to be the lisinopril. I do no take any other prescription drugs. I am truly at the end of my rope. The only comfort is knowing that I am not crazy as the docs would have me believe.

my wife had a radio wave ablation last jan to cure her a-fib, it worked but she has been on lisinopril 5mg since then. she started having chirping in her ears and nasel flem, short term memory loss, irritability, and a hard time sleeping. she also takes 25 mg of metoprolol. bp runs about 140/84 beats 65-70 per min