Lisinopril side effects

I am 56 years old and I was put on Lisonpril about three months ago.

We had just moved to a different town with a new doctor. The reason I went to the doctors was that I had a bicycle accident where I went over the handle bars (front brakes locked up on me). I was also due for a periodic check up. I was sore from my bike accident (jammed my LH wrist, RH elbow, both shoulders and knees). The doctor had no x-ray machines so he sent me to the urgent care, nothing was broken. My doctor said that I would be sore for awhile and gave me some Vicaden pain medicine.

Due my periodic exam the doctor suggested that I go on Lisopril because I am a diabetic, even though my blood pressure is OK. He said that he actually takes it because of the preventive nature of the drug.

Well, as the weeks went on I continued to have aches and pains in my joints (wrist, elbow, shoulders and shoulders), wch I thought was from my bike accident. I also play seniors softball which is not a very agressive sport. Well I've had a pulled hamstrin and archilles tendon pull during playing. Thought this was normal but these injuries continued to plague me.

At nights sleeping my shoulders & neck would ach. My knees would shoot pains. My ankles constaintly ache, day & night.

A friend of mine told me about taking black cherry juice for joint pains, maybe from gout. After taking this black cherry juice it seemed to help, but still not normal.

Today I stopped at our local taven to have a berr and talk softball with the guys. I broke out in a heavy cold sweat and almost pasted out, lightheaded. I thought I was having a heart attack or something. Being very concerned I told my wife who is an RN. She read the side effects of Lisonpril and it clicked. This web site helped me figure it out also.

I am taking myself off Lisonpril today and expect improvement and my life back. I thought all this was from my accident and getting older. I am excited to see the results, which I feel very positive about.

I was put on a small dosage of Lisinopril about 6 months ago for extremely HBP. At first I thought I wasn't having any ill effects but about two months after the initial does I started breaking out in hives and would have an incident every 4 or 5 days of extreme swelling in my mouth and lips. IT never dawned on me that the meds might be to blame but after extensively eliminating all other factors I called my doctor and asked to be taken off. She agreed that was a good idea and had now put me on a beta blocker instead. I actually started to relax a bit thinking my problems were over but a few days ago it happened all over again. I woke up to extreme facial swelling so now I don't know what to think. I had been off of the Lisinopril for almost three weeks when the last reaction happened, could that STILL be the culprit???

i took lisinopril for 5 months for moderate high bp. stopped taking it 3 weeks ago because of the incredibly intrusive dry cough which often led to vomiting, and the feeling of utter exhaustion and muscle aches. some days i could only take one step at a time. i made stupid mistakes at work and found difficulty in multi-tasking, eventually questioning my ability to continue working. but even after 3 weeks i still cough with distressing frequency, peeing my pants and throwing up--and i'm as stiff, sore and tired as ever. after talking to friends who had experience with lisinopril, i now fear it may take many months to return to normal. having no insurance, it's not always easy to just run to the doc for this and that. i'm going it alone now. i am a 62 year old woman.

In 2007 I was diagnosed with HBP and enlarged prostate at the same time. I was working and had medical coverage with my PCP at Nova Southeastern University. The doctors there are very good. They put me on Terazosin for both. I quickly developed severe rash, hives, swollen face, neck, throat, etc and had to go to emergency. They took me off Terazosin and gave me Flomax for the prostate and Lisinopril for the BP. The Flomax works fine-noside effects that I can tell except decreased semen production. I am a 58 year old male. But I quickly developed a cough and the took me off Losinopril right away and put me on Diovan, which worked great with no discernible side effects. Then I lost my job and had to go to the VA for my medical in January of 2009. Because my medical history included my emergency visit for a severe anaphylactic reaction to Terazosin, they allowed me to stay on Flomax. But I had no such record for the cough caused by Lisinopril. So they insisted that Diovan was too expensive and I had to try Lisinopril. Despite my complaining about the previous experience they insisted. I was given a little pink pill which did cause me to develop a minor cough. But being a good soldier, I decided to live with it. Then in August I noticed that my refill no longer had a pink pill but a larger yellow pill. And that was when the problems started. I first felt like food particles were stuck in my throat and nothing could get them out. That feeling would eventually disappear on its own only to later return. I visited the emergency room several times with severe flu like symptoms, including a severe cough. I also discovered a yellow film covering the back of my throat. And my tongue had a thick yellow coating on it that went all the way to the back. In some places this had strands that extended above the back of my tongue for about a half inch. In addition there were bumps on the top of the back of my tongue. This stuff could not be scraped off. The emergency doctors would examine my mouth and throat, tell me nothing was wrong and refuse to take a throat culture. They scheduled an appointment with ear, nose and throat and then canceled it. Eventually they scheduled a CT scan, which showed nothing abnormal. Finally my PCP examined me and said I had a severe allergic reaction to Lisinopril. So a week ago she took me off Lisinopril and put me on Amlodipine. I'm actively researching the side effects of that and will get off if I see anything I don't like. But my goal now is to find natural substances to treat both the enlarged prostate and the HBP. The yellow coating on my throat is beginning to disappear. Still no difference with the yellow coating on my throat. I believe I have seen slight improvement in the cough, but not nearly enough for my liking. I worry whether I will ever be able to get rid of it. I do have more energy now. Any idea how long it will take to get rid of this cough?

I too was given Lisinopril for high BP. The cough started within a few days, along with the post-nasal drip. I never related the symptoms to the drug until I started searching on the internet. By this time 3 months had passed and I have bought and taken every cough / cold remedy on the market. Tried using a Neti pot twice daily, cough drops, syrups to no avail. I haven't had a day without coughing every couple of hours since August and I cough to the point of vomiting. I can't sleep at night and am driving my partner nuts. Thank GOD I finally realized what was causing this cough and got my Dr. to switch my meds to Atenolol (no cough side effect). Unfortunately, I have been off Lisinopril now for 15 days and am still coughing. I've seen very little improvement. I have read in severe cases, the effects sometimes linger for MONTHS! *UGH* I think I fall into that category. I am trying to keep my sense of humor about it all and hope that I can stop coughing my Christmas!

went into anaphylactic shock tongue and face swelled and cut off breathing. had to have a traech put in temporarily. have had three throat operations and have only 60 percent of windpipe left.4 doctors knew immediately it was from lisinopril.how do they allow this on market when doctors know all about it.

Oh my God I feel like I want to cry. I am so glad I found this site, I thought I was going crazy. So my pressure was up so on the 10/20/09 he prescribed me lisinopril I started taking it.I went to the emergency on the 11/10/09 I stayed int the hospital for 3 days. My chest was hurting,pain and tingling in my arms and legs, pain behind my eyes, cramping in my abdomen, a feeling in my head of light headedness,a feeling like i was losing my mind like on the verge of insanity, a feeling of a pain in my left side like i was having a stroke, Shortness of breath. I think that I experienced just about every side effect listed in the book. And you know the funny thing about this is even while I laid in the hospital bead and them not finding anything wrong after several ekgs,chest xray, and cat scans they still gave me the same lisinopril while i was in the hospital and these doctors were getting frustrated with me because they did not find anything wrong with me but all along it was the lisinopril wow thats crazy!

Thanks for the info guys you might have just saved my life I am done taking that medication I'll diet and cut back on the salt.

Thanks

M. T
Orlando, FL

My housemate started Lisinopril 5 months ago and he is now a totally different person. What was once a swee,t giving guy is now a cranky, bad tempered person that I don't even know. He has no sex drive, his taste is so altered that he's cut way down on eating and has lost so much weight he looks like a skeleton. He's always sleeping and has no energy to do anything. He complains of cramping, back aches, hoarseness, cough and I could go on and on. I made him stop the drug 3 days ago and I'm praying that the effects will go away soon. I'm so happy I found this web site and that there are others that are in the same boat-I don't feel like I'm battling this alone.

Extreme tiredness, ache behind my eyes. I have been on Lisinopril for about six months (10 mg). I wake at 7 a.m. and by 11 a.m. am so tired and feel so bad that I have to lie down and nap. Finally I decided to take it a night rather than in the morning since it was making me tired. That seems to be working. I started the new regime about a week ago and am functioning much better during the day. I didn't run across this comment in the testimonials so thought it might help someone. This is my own idea, not my doctor's.

I am sitting here in tears reading about the side effects others have had on Lisinopril. I am a 43 yr. old woman who started taking it exactly 1 year ago and about 3 months ago I started coughing at night and feeling like my throat was closing or clogged with mucous. It has just gotten worse and worse and after 2 rounds of antibiotics and various other meds....it's still worse. About a month ago I started having sore ankles out of nowhere. I have been walking like an elderly person as my ankles are so stiff and painful. Until now it had never occurred to me that it could be related to the lisinopril Yesterday my Dr. finally said that the cough is probably the Lisinopril and took me off of it. I didn't believe that this could be true so I decided to look online and these other experiences are what I found. I am just praying that it will go away......I haven't had a solid nights sleep in so long and even my dog won't sleep in my room anymore because my cough keeps waking him up. My 3 year old wakes up every time I have a coughing fit and it is terribly inconvenient during the day too. ....

I am so happy I found this website, I have been taking Lisinopril for about 5 years now. I have been have dizzy spells or the tunnel effect for about 2 years now. I thought I was going crazy! I can't drive, sit in a meeting, or even sit through church and it's getting worse. I call my mother and just sit and cry thinking something is wrong with me. I'm so glad all of you came here to tell your experiences. I will stop taking this medication RIGHT NOW!!

My mom has been on Lisinopril for about 18 months. She is 80 years old and while she has not had as extreme side effects as some people she has gained about 15 pounds over the last year or so. She is not a big eater so I have found that odd and then just this week out of the blue she woke up with hugely swollen lips and nose. We went to her physician and he took her off of the lisinopril. He said this was a side effect of the drug. She could barely talk or eat her lips were so swollen.

i have been on lisinopril 10 mg hctz for about a year now, bp is good averages now with the med 120/73, i do get the cough sometimes, also tightness in the throat, but the scary part now is i have been losing my hair rapidly in spots, one in the middle of the head and on the back of the head. I am 50, fair head of hair, my barber said i might have alopecia, but i wonder if it is the drug causing this, i see a dermatologist on dec 10th, anyone else losing hair in patches?

I have been on lisinopril for 4 years and today was the last one I will take. The doctor told me this morning to get off of it. I had shortness of breath, hoarseness, coughing til I gag, cramping, loss of hair and itchy skin and rash. I cannot believe that for 4 years I felt like this and never connected it to the medicine. I hope tomorrow will be a good day for me. I have suffered for 4 years because I thought I was just spiraling downward. I couldn't take walks anymore and always related it to my stressful job. I am on the right path now.

I have been on lisinopril for approximately 4 years. I feel like today is the first day of my life back. I went to a different doctor and told him my symptoms. He told me to stop taking lisinopril and gave me a prescription for something else. For the last 3 years or so, I thought I was spiraling downward. I have had shortness of breath, hoarseness, coughing, mucus in throat until I gag, red face, itchy skin, loss of hair and cramping. I was afraid to tell the doctor all this, so I lived with it until one day I went to an allergist. He found me allergic to a lot of food and things. I have been getting shots and all and still did not feel better. I am praying that all these symptoms were from the lisinopril. I will find out within a couple of weeks if I feel better. After reading all these stories, I probably don't even need allergy shots. All the symptoms I read about, I have. I want my life back and I cannot believe that there is a medicine out there like this.

I am a 51 year old woman and I have been on Lisinopril for about 12 months. At first it was 20mg, then increased to 40mg per day. I started having shortness of breath and decided to cut back to the 20mg after a month or so. I am a nurse so I often adjust meds that I am on. I found this board about two months ago. I am so glad I did! I have BP of about 126/82 on meds. I have just stopped the 20mg two days ago, after developing more chest pain. I have lost all the weight that I needed to and eat a low salt diet now. I already feel better today. Chest pain is almost gone. I see my DR. tomorrow about all of this. I am going to try to stay off all HTN meds if I can! I had so many side effects that I never realized were being caused by this horrible drug. Some of them included: chest pain, shortness of breath, rib pain, extreme hair loss, tingling in all extremities, joint pain, muscle pain, headache, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, difficulty thinking and comprehension, memory loss. I just wanted to let others know that I also know this drug is very dangerous. I am hopeful that I will continue to feel better as the weeks go by.

I have experienced extreme hair loss. I've been taking 20mg per day since Aug 22, 2009. That is when I went into Peripartum Cardiomyopathy or Congestive Heart failure after childbirth. Fortunately I have not experienced any of the other side effects. I have a cardiologist appointment this Friday and I had planned to discuss this with him. I want to know if the hair will grow back. No one seems to have an answer for that. I'm also taking Coreg (beta blocker).

I started taking lisinopril about 4 mos ago, controls my blood pressure well but I have been going crazy trying to figure out what is causing these loose watery stools. I was off it for a few days (forgot it when traveling and stomach returned to normal - hurray!). I had restricted my diet (I also have food allergies) and am thrilled I can drink coffee again.

I have been taking lisinopril for more than 5 years now and just happened upon this site the other day. After reading all the posts I was amazed to see so many others describe the same side effects that I have had for years now, ie) pain in my chest and left arm that has led me to think I am having a heart attack. I have had 3 EKGs over the past several years and every time it was normal but the pain has persisted and to the point of not being able to sleep at night and constantly wondering if I am having a heart attack, it has been incredibly frustrating!!! So when I found this site I was very relieved to know that I am not alone here. I have also recently discovered a natural product that has helped many lower their BP, it is called Pro-Argi9 Plus, you can check it out at this link, ******, it could change your life as it has for many.

I am 40 years old and was prescribed lisinopril/HCTZ 20-25 a little over two weeks ago. I went in for a little congestion and low grade fever. I am a teacher and have many kids out with the flu, swine flu, etc. and felt that I needed to get checked. I came out with 5 medications, one of which was lisinopril. I have never had bp problems in my life. I am almost certain that the nurse practicioner wrote me down for something else and the dr came in and changed. I am usually a very calm person but in the last two days have experienced what I thought was a panic attack and anxiety, horrible anxiety. I haven't been able to face my students which isn't like me at all. During the first week I took my students on a field trip and had a really great day with them- much less stress than a normal day. I got home and my bp was around 138/98. I thought that was kind of odd. It has been under control since I started taking it. On this same day, I got blistered on my face and wasn't outside much at all. I have Rosea and thought that it had been aggravated. I believe now that it was the lisinopril. I know that it has a diuretic in it, but it doesn't make me go frequently. Instead I get a sudden urge and have had two "accidents" recently. I have a sometimes dry, other times full of mucous, cough to the point of nearly gagging. My neck muscles were already stressed out and tight, but have gotten worse. I feel a tightness in my chest constently. My lips are so dry that they peel all the time. I have no appetite and when I do eat I get nauseous and almost feel like vomitting. I have been lightheaded and dizzy. I am not sleeping and feel extremely tired all the time. But these last two days have been awful. I love being around people and right now can't stand the thought of it. I am guessing that lisinopril has caused much of these problems. I am about to go see the doctor today and think they will want to put me on some sort of nerve pill. I hate that!!!! I have a plan to achieve everything that these meds are supposed to. Exercise, change my diet, go see the chiropractor, do more relaxing things for myself and take better care of me! After reading these blogs I believe that I am going to take myself off of lisinopril and see what happens. My hubby is also on it and just last week developed an oozing sore and his left cheek - could be the lisinopril. I will pray for all of you bloggers and those who are unaware. This is definitely a poison to our bodies. I think I even read that it contains snake venom. Is this true????? I will update in a few days. Good luck and God bless!

Lisinopril works! I have been taking 5mg three times a day for years. No side effects. The Dr. told me to take 15mg once a day. Is this a time released tablet? I am 77 years old and a diabetic. I test my blood sugar 6X a day. This way I can control what I eat. Sugar problem was diagnosed 5 years ago with levels running from 40-385. I was depressed & worried about my health. This drug resolved the problem. My best advice is talk to your Dr. and your pharmacist. Friends, family & neighbors mean well. Consider the source!

I have only been taking Lisinopril 10mg for 3 days now and have been experiencing stomach cramps (continual) and muscle cramps in my legs and feet. I was placed on this drug after discovering my high blood pressure in the ER. I went in for kidney stones and came out with other concerns. I also feel as if I get winded easily and feel weak. After reading all the other blogs on this site I think I'm going to discontinue this med and see if things improve. There's got to be a better way! I'm only 41 years young!

I have been taking Lisinopril for years. Also I've taken numerous tests to find out why I'm so fatigued, sleep all day and more tired afer sleeping even,severe knee pain at night when laying down only... I had also put on a huge amount of weight in a month or two when I started taking it now that I come to think of it. Oh my gosh. As I continued reading everyone's posts I wanted to cry. Has this been my problem after all these years? I sleep my life away for the last few years and I'm only 40. Before I started taking it, I worked out extreme 36 hours a week and worked 50 to 60 hours a week. Now my day is trying to get up to make it to work on time for 8 or 9 hours! I've already sent an email to my endocrinologist to request a different prescription and I am not using Lisinopril anymore!! Are there any class action suits for this? This has really taken a lot from me. I only hope this is my answer, which it sounds like it is! Thank you so much for sharing your stories. I will return after time to reveal my results!

Just to start of, I just got out of the emergency room for heart attack symptoms which I later found out were caused by my cholesterol med that I was just put on 2 weeks ago, Litportal. Well after looking this up on google and found out many people had the same affects I figured well if that made me have so much pain maybe I should look up Lisinopril w/ body pain. OMG, was I speechless. After reading the blogs I was sure that the Lisinopril was causing all my pain which doctors had diagnosed as Fibromyalgia after 8 years of testing. I was put on Lisinopril 8 years ago after my reg brand was not covered by my health insurance. Didn't think much at the time because it was suppose to be the no name brand of what I was taking. Well, it started off with weird things happening. Pain in my ankle and wrist like I sprained them. Shooting pain in arms and legs. Vision problems, numbness on one side of face, stomach pain, just feeling like crap. Months past then other weird things happening, not feeling like I slept at all even though I did for 8-9 hours, body aches all over, anything I did made me hurt. Then years past and it was everyday, wake up with pain and go to bed with pain. Not able to do simple stuff like play with my kids or go grocery shopping knowing I was going to hurt even more and that percocet was all that would relieve it. After 8 years of this I am totaling drained. Just cleaning my house kills me. Everything got even worse after the years and still gets worse. Going to the doctors knowing they think I am crazy and it's all in my head. Family members questioning my pain. I would always say, if you could be in my body for one day, just one day, you would know the hell that I have been through. But today, a new life came into me, after reading tons of blogs on the side affects of Lisinopril. I am just hoping that this is what it is caused from. I am 39 years old now, my 30's completely wasted, and do I mean wasted. To think that this has all been due to a little pill taken daily for 8 years. I thank everyone who has posted on this blog, because if it wasn't for you, I would have no hope. Now I do. And I am schedule for an appointment in 3 weeks to change my meds. What I thought I would have forever may soon be gone. Or at least some of it. Thank you.

That's it!! I have had it. A couple of years ago, Dr prescribed Lisinopril HCTZ for my high blood pressure. 6 months later, 'Hey your cholesterol is really high.' So she prescribed Crestor. Then 6 months later, 'Oh Crestor can cause liver damage, we'll need to check your liver.' I know doctors mean well, but they seem to all be trained to simply prescribe a pill. The average senior citizen takes 12. Daily! I have had it. I refuse to take the lisinopril any more. Last night: zero sleep due to the cough. Hacking and coughing, trying to 'hock-up' the crap draining down my throat. The wheezing at the top of my bronchial tubes. Unable to inhale enough air to cough. Peeing in my pants. Disturbing everyone else in the house. This is just bullsh--. Hey, how about another tip: Did you know the HCTZ can cause artificial inflation in your cholesterol numbers?? Guess what: after switching 5 months ago to the lisinopril plain, not with the HCTZ... you got it cholesterol went down. Down by 80 points, too! I made no other change during that time, not in my diet, exercise or anything else. So effective today: (1) No lisinopril (I'll check my BP daily), (2) increase my Kelp and selenium for my thyroid, (3) stick on my insulin-resistant diet, (4) reduce my caffeine intake. I'll keep this site posted on my progress.

I to can say that Lisinopril has caused me to have the worst coughing ever. I work as a receptionist and sometimes I have to but the call on hold to be able to cough. This is terrible I spoke to my doctor and he just gave me a prescription for another medication. My sister in law told me as well that Lisinopril made her cough. I have not taken it for 3 days now trying to clear up before starting the new medication but I am still coughing from the it, hopefully it will stop soon as this is driving me crazy. I now find myself having this ugly white flem that at times when coughing spits out of my mouth. This is so terrible, doctors must tell you this when given you this prescription not after the fact. Good Luck to all.

It took me forever to get this poison out of my system. Took 11 months to figure out what was causing my skin to look grey, itching head to toe, female infection, horrible stomach pain and more.....for some reason doctors are denying these side effects. I was put on it for slightly elevated blood pressure. Like everyone else you want to trust your doctor but you have to be your own advocate. If you think something is not right then do something about it and don't rely on another human being with a medical degree to let you know when you can quit taking poison.

My whole torso, stomach area and sides along with upper and lower arms broke out in an extreme rash which was painful, oozing, welts, open sores and some bleeding. This lasted from @ mid July 2009 to present, Nov. 2009. Using A&D ointment, oatmeal baths, many vitamins and plenty of water it is just now settling down to symptoms of pink(raw) skin and not so severe pain with still some itching and flakey skin.

I have been off the drug 4 days now. My BP is running around 175/85. This is to high. My doctor is supposed to call me tomorrow and let me know what to do. I refuse to take the lisinopril ever again.

I am 51 year old woman and have been on Lisinopril 5mg and Bendroflumethiazide 2.5mg for many years now, about 8 (not sure). I got the dry cough to start with and then it vanished, to be replaced with a productive cough. I get, at any time, but thankfully not all the time, a constant need t clear my throat and a wheezing in my breath. I am producing copious amounts of mucus and this is what sets it off. It most often happens after eating or after I have been sedentary for a long time so I get it a lot when in bed. I cough until it all clears away but sometimes I am sick, or I cough myself dizzy and come over all peculiar. It is not a listed side effect but I never had this before. My hair has suddenly thinned, hairdresser told me he has notice a big change in my hair (am menopausal but not through it yet, I suppose my age and meo could be cause of thinning hair). I suffer from terrible stiffness in my feet. Sometimes I can hardly walk as my legs and feet as so fatigued. I will limp upstairs one at a time. Other days I can s[rint up! No regular pattern but I have started using a walking stick often as one ankle is very weak and can give way. Could it be the Lisinopril? I had three day bout of my taste buds going haywire about four years ago but it righted itself. Now I have it again, only not quite so bad. I can taste tea and coffee and savory foodstuff mostly as normal but sweet things either are tasteless or bitter. I don't know if I should go doctors or not. Does anyone else get this constant hacking cough due to excess mucus suddenly being produced. Tenalady are making too much money out of me due to this, lol!

I am so glad i found this.. i have experienced a lot of the things that everyone else has.. i have been on lisinopril for six months and i am only 26 years old. I frequently have tingling in arms and legs and am usually kind of nauseous or dizzy. Mentally, i have never felt so down before and i thought it was just normal to question things in my life at 26, but i think it may be because of this drug.. i have a doctor's appt in three days and i am going to try and get off of this drug.

Hello everyone! I am a 28 yr old male, and I have now been taking this drug for about 1 1/2 yrs. What is so overwhelming to me is that I have been having some of these side effects, but it never occurred to me that they may have been caused by this medication. My side effects are not major, but they do really affect my self esteem and I think have some what depressed me a bit.

None of us have direct physical evidence that this medication is the cause, but I don't think this is a big coincidence. Below are what I believe may be side effects of this medicine:

Unlike before I now feel:

-Anxiety (im always nerves, and was blaming debt for it)
-Decrease in sexual drive (also blaming my financial problems)
-Joints popping all the time (blaming my gaut)
-Bigger forehead because of minor loss of hair (blaming age)
-Problem falling asleep (blaming financial problems)

and again im always scared, even if everything is ok (ive been holding together because on the other hand, since i was born, I have always been a very strong minded person). This is really depressing because two years ago, nothing would be scare me, I mean nothing, I was afraid of nothing. No matter what time it was, or what situation I found myself in, my buddy down south would be ready for action, now when im going to have sex, im all worried hoping that it works!, (dont get me wrong, it works like 90% of the time) but before it would work 200% of the time, i mean i was turned on by a damn broom, and now its not the same. This really *ux!

I have been blaming everything on my financial ruin that I am currently in, but am having second thoughts on what is causing all of this. This site has really opened my eyes and given me a whole new theory and even hope.

I once asked my doctor that if I went home and got on a diet, exercised and did all that was necessary, would he consider taking me off the pill or lowering my dosage and he immediately said NO. I mean he almost didn't even let me finish asking. He told me that If i wanted to go in a pine box to stop taking it. So he scared the crap out of so I have not stopped taking it. I can afford to go to different doctors because i don't have insurance or money to pay for the visit. I wonder if this doctors has advised me based on his financial convenience. I mean is it possible that a doctor may lie? I never thought doctors would lie. Im afraid of just getting off the pill, im afraid that all the doctors are going to tell me not to get off of it. my bp is usually about 130/85 some times up to 140/90.

I would appreciate peoples thoughts on what I should do?

Thanks everyone that takes part in this blog! it is really helpful for people like me that have no money to get advice.

Hope everyone makes the right decision!

Regards!

My husband had all of these same side effects... Bloating in the stomach, swelling in the ankles, sick as a dog!!! Vomiting, burning sensation in the chest, wheezing, chest pressure... He was on it 2 days before I found this site and discontinued use.. I gave him benadryl for the allergic reaction which is what this is .. It is called Intestinal swelling, some people get it on the inside and others on the outside in forms of rashes and such. I took him off of this immediately and gave him benadryl and lots of water. Almost immediately he was up and walking and talking and color began to return to his face. He had been sitting on the coach unable to move hardly or talk since I brought him home from the hospital... I read that this medicine is actually made from snake venum.... Enough said...
How many of you would not react if a snake bit you. I argued with the cardiologist and finally decided it was my way or the highway.. A lot of times the pharmacist can tell you way more about a drug than a doctor.
By the way if you are going to kick this drug be aware that you will still have some bloating and irritation due to side effects from this drug for usually 1-2 weeks.....My husband is almost through this... Good luck everyone and thanks for your posts.

I just happened to do some research about lisinopril, and happened to stumble into this website. I am 43 years old, newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetics, i also have a history of hypertension and migraine which is under control. my physician just switch my medication from Norvasc to lisinopril, Im already on my 3rd week of taking it, 20mg a day, however, i noticed that i have more frequent headaches, more of a migraine headache that pulsate in one side of my head, i tried taking some over the counter medicine, but with no relief, i went back to see my doctor, and i was given some sumatriptan for the migraine, but at the back of my mind, i already suspected that the lisinopril might have triggered my migraine headaches, i have a relief when i take the sumatriptan, however the migraines keeps coming back. and its been seven days already, i was not able to work one day, because the migraine made me nauseated and vomit. i was doing well with my other medication, and never had migraine like this that last for 7 days up to now.after reading the comments. i have second thought of taking this medication.it seem like it might be the one that triggers my migraine headache. what do you think?

I have been taking Lisinopril HCTZ for two weeks and experienced no side effects except one which concerns me. At this point I am not sure if it was caused by Lisinopril and would like to hear if others had something similar. I am 72 and in good condition and several weeks ago went up a mountain near Boulder. I managed quite well. At that point I had not taken any medication for two weeks having run out of Benicar HCT. A few days after starting Lisinpril I went up a mountain again and this time I was dragging my heels and my wife had to frequently wait for me. If this happens again I will dump Lisinopril and try to manage without b/p pills. If I can't I will return to Benicar but I deeply re resent the Benicar company's price gouging because they have Benicar on patent. Benicar costs 40 times more per pill than Lisinopril.

I have been taking 20mg Lisinopril for six days for 140/100 BP reduction. Muscle cramps, muscle pain, dizziness, ringing in the ears (which I already had, but this medication has made it MUCH worse),some heart palpitations...generally scary and, on balance, I am going to find some other solution. Frankly, this is like taking a slow acting poison.

My husband took this med. He died a year ago. He had lots of these side effects but we never related it to the lisinopril. I watched him take his last breath and the life go out of his eyes. I will never stop seeing them when I close my eyes. These people need sued but I live on a widows pension and wouldn't know where to start. If anyone trys I will surely help all I can.

ok, i have been on lisinopril 10mg hctz for about a year now. sometimes i feel the cough, sometimes my throat fells tight , but one thing that scared the hell out of me just in the last few weeks was a sudden bald spot on the top of my head, granted i am 50, but i have a reasonable head of hair, i also, to my surprise found a little bald spot usually where a man does not go bald down toward the back of the head. I just walked by my haircut lady to ask her if i had this bald spot two months ago and she said no way and to hurry and see a dermatologist, i am truly thinking its this dam drug, anyone else experience sudden hair loss in strange places on the head? thanks.

Wow it's amazing how at this time there is forty seven pages of people making this up! I really think the maker of this drug should be burned at the stake, I still have palpitations after taking this drug for about 8 months . I have been off of this drug for about 8 months now and feel way better then I did while taking it. I have started a diet and exercise plan and now my bp is normally 117 over 70 , I'd say thats pretty good for still being over weight (I have lost forty two pounds so far) I am not taking any meds right now because diet and exercise has worked so far for me . And I went through hell thinking I was dying while taking this med with the palpitations , chest pain , dizziness , fatigue , tingling in my hands and feet , burning sensation in my feet , and depression . Is anyone suing the maker of this drug ? I think we should all get together and get this off the market so nobody else has to go through this !

I don't know if the lisinopril is the cause but I have had may things going on and something caused them. My feet and legs itch until they feel like there on fire. My hair seems to have just died. It's crisp and breaks off when I comb it. I have used all kinds of products trying to strengthen my hair but no luck. My pinky finger and the ring finger on my left hand have been nump for several months. When I comb through my hair I hit a spot that shoots pain to my right ear. My doc said the numb fingers was from proping my elbo on my desk. He said it would go away if I propped it on something padded. So for several months now I have used a foam pad about an inch thick to prop it on. There still numb. And the muscle in that had has weakened. In Aug. I was rushed to the hospital. my potassium was very low. My colon was infected. My kidneys were infected. My temp was 104. My whole body was shutting down. Im still taking the lisinopril 20/25. I am calling my doctor tomorrow and tell him im not taking it anymore. Im so glad I found this site. Now I at least have an idea why im falling apart.

My whole life 120/70. Two months ago 160/103 wtf. I am on my second month of lisinopril. I am pretty sure it has caused me to be absent minded and grouchy. I was never these before. Worse yet for me is that I am a life long runner. I live to exercise so that I can enjoy the more fun things in life. beer wine and good food. ( I am 47 years old) I ran my first marathon 26.2 miles in January. I now have trouble running three miles with out getting fatigued, dizzy and winded. This sucks!!! any advice would be appreciated.

I have been on Lisinopril 20 mg for the past 9 years. I can't believe I have taken it for such a long time. I noticed some strange chest sensations 2 years after taking it but pushed through it. Then I developed breast cancer and went through the chemo and radiation while continuing to take it. In the last 2 years and more recently in the last 3 months, I felt so many skipped beats that I had to check it out and I also have had significant hair thinning. I had a holter monitor, resting EKG, lots of bloodwork and was told that everything was normal. Normal???? Then why was I feeling so rotten and scared every time my chest decided to heave or get funny sensations in my throat. Doctors do not want to hear these types of complaints especially when you think it is related to a medication that they ordered.
So I decided to try an alternative approach. I have been taking fish oil, coenzyme 10, cholesterol nutritional supplement, Vit C, Vit E. I started these about a month ago while still taking Lisinopril. I finally stopped the Lisinopril yesterday so I'll see if I have any improvement of my symptoms.I also went to a website that showed 1% of people can have skipped heartbeats while on Lisinopril Here is the URL
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Hope this helps many of you who have similar episodes. MHS

im a 28 yr old male taking this med for 3 weeks i developed a rash type thing on my balls and penis they are itchy and red kinda raw ive also had swollen lips that cracked in the corner of my mouth. ive also developed a allergic rash on my face that made my face swell to the point i almost cant see out of my left eye my ears are red hot swollen and f ing itchy my doctor told me to take a couple bennies and stop the LISINOPRIL to see if that was the issue at hand ill come back to reply to let you know if this is my allergic reaction any body know a good bp med that doesn't suck ?

I'm 54, started taking lisinopril in jan 09. I took for about 3 months and noticed a decrease in libido. My pressure was pretty much in control, so I stopped taking it. I started again around 1st of Aug 09. Approx 3-4 weeks later, I began to experience severe pain in my left shoulder and arm. It began to move into my neck and back. I went in for an EKG to ensure I wasn't having a stroke. It was normal. I experience dizziness and headaches. I wake in the night and my 2 left fingers on the left hand are completely numb. The pain in my neck is now moving to the right side and some shoulder pain seems to be apparent. I noticed pain in other joints as well. I'm unable to work out at the gym as I usually do due to the pain my my left arm. I highly suspect these symptoms to be caused by lisinopril. I've been taking 20mg and was just switched to 20 mgm Hct. a week ago. X-Rays were taken of my neck and shoulder last week. Haven't' heard from the doctor as of yet. I was on Diovan before I lost my job and health benefits. As a vet, the VA put me on the Lisinopril. The Diovan worked fine for me, too expensive for us vets I guess. I am discontinuing the Lisinopril as of today 10/24/09. I feel like I imagine a ninety year old would feel with these aches and all. I havent' admitted it, but I believe I'm feeling mildly depressed as well. Let's see what a week of purging this from my system does. f. D.

Thanks for the post on urticaria. I occasionally have red itchy flaky splotches on my face though I usually had attributed this to high sugar-- though I hadn't worried about it before. When I got swine flu it got really bad but antibiotics seemed to have helped. It doesn't bug me. Though in relation to the other post about depression I'd be interested to know if others have had low hormone levels as well.

So what do we do? Wean? Cold turkey? Find and alternative? I didn't take my dose yesterday and felt better than i have in months. My bp was also in normal range. I haven't taken it today yet, and I'm thinking of taking a half dose a day until i can see my doctor, because my bp is a little up today.

If none of the other postings tell you to get off of this drug, I certainly hope this one will. I began taking 5 mgs. of Lisinopril after visiting my Physician due to back pain. I have been a runner my whole life and went in because I had pulled my back out. I was very nervous; hence the high blood pressure….I was told by the nurse that I probably had white-coat-hypertension. Anyway, after being scared out of my mind, by this Doctor, I agreed to go on this drug, even though, at 50, I had never taken any other kind of drug in my life….HATE DRUGS! I began having heart palpitations after the first day on this drug, and one month after taking this poison, I began experiencing severe itching on my head, neck, and top of my back. I had just visited my salon and thought it was due to hair dye, which I had never had allergy to before. The itching increased and then I started getting severe cramping of my legs. I called my Dr. and was told to purchase organic shampoo/conditioner/soap, and that the leg cramps were probably Restless Leg Syndrome. He told me it was DEFINITELY NOT from the meds. He told me to let him know if the cramping got worse as there was something else that he could prescribe for it. This itching went on gradually for about 5 months. I purchased ever kind of organic shampoos, etc. with no relief, and the cramping of my legs became unbearable. Then, in April of this year, every thing starting to happen. I began itching all over my body and when I itched, it left big red welts wherever my nails hit. After about a week of this, I began breaking out in hives here and there. Went in to the Dr. and told him that I thought this medicine was doing this. This Dr. assured me again, that this would not be the cause of this and told me to take Benadryl and come back the next day so that he could see if I was any better. The Benadryl helped immensely and upon the next Dr. visit, he told me that I had come down with some sort of allergy and it was NOT due to the medicine. Went home and itched my body raw for the next week. Now the hives had turned into huge welts with water in them and my body began swelling with each new day! I stopped this poison on my own and was told to come back in to the Dr. immediately. I was put on Prednisone and told to take massive doses of Benadryl and this idiot Dr. still insisted that it was not from the Lisinopril….my ankles, arms, etc. now were almost double in size and the itching was unbearable. The seven day pack of Prednisone didn’t do a thing. I will say, though that after three days off this poison, my leg cramping subsided and my heart palpations did as well. I decided to take this in my own hands and went to see another Doctor. The Doctor I had been seeing, I found out, owned the Center where he practiced, and I believe he kept having me come back just to make more money. By now, my entire body had huge sores and pits and scales on my skin….I felt like a leper. I went to a Holistic Dr. and told him my story and he could not stop apologizing for the agony that I had been doing through. He told me this was ridiculous. His nurse asked me if I had ever heard of Johnson Steven’s Syndrome, and told me that she thought I had it. I was immediately sent to a Dermatologist and given steroid shots….which did nothing. My skin was pealing off each and ever day in flakes and I itched so bad I wished I were dead. I underwent skin biopsy’s and blood tests which came back showing that I was overwhelming reacting to some sort of allergy. This Dermatologist, who was excellent and didn’t even charge me due to his concern for what I had been through, sent me to an allergist. My small stature body had now increased 25 lbs due to water retention and sores covering my whole body. I can not put into words the agony I was in. Upon the visit to the Allergist, he recognized immediately what I had. He said he saw this type of thing, (not this bad, however), often due to the Lisinopril. Why didn’t that other QUACK Doctor stop this from the beginning…I believe it all comes down to money! Anyway, after almost 6 months of the hives, sores, etc., I am finally seeing a bit of improvement. My legs and back and back of my arms are permanently scarred…they are poke-a-dotted due to the huge hives and massive sores, and I still itch all night long if I don’t take my Benadryl. Who knows what the Benadryl will have done to me in the long run. Please, please look into this medicine and all other medicines that you take. There are holistic, natural methods of getting your ailments under control. Through my experience, I have encountered the most money-hungry, unprofessional Doctor in the world, but I have also experienced the most considerate well-intentioned Doctors. Please do your homework, and find a Doctor that has your best interest in his sight. Through this ordeal the only thing that sustained me was prayer. I have always been somewhat superficial about my looks, weight, etc. and this truly was an eye-opener. It’s amazing what these medicines can do to you, and don’t you wonder if the Pharmaceutical Companies don’t know all of this and could care less due to their hunger for money?!!!! It’s gotten to be a sad world. God Bless!!

Hi, folks, I posted back on September 22nd here, and have also responded to a few of your postings. I fear a lot of people visit once but never return here. That's a shame. An ongoing conversation might help us all.

Anyhow, I pretty thoroughly hate all the anti-hypertension drugs since every one that I've been given has caused me suffering and, in many cases, damage either temporary or permanent. I'm now on Cozaar, very expensive but I'm hoping it will prove tolerable.

One thing I would recommend is for all of you to look up a book by a research scientist, Richard Moore, Ph.D., M.D. It's called "The High Blood Pressure Solution." You can find it new or used at Amazon or perhaps even at your local bookstore or library. Dr. Moore taught at the University of Indiana, and was adjunct at the University of Vermont and also New York Stony Brook. A top level researcher. One of the great things about his book is that he explains, at the cellular level, what is the cause of most cases of hypertension. Not all, but most. The chapter on the science is high school level science, but you can skip it if you wish and still get the important stuff. After reading his book, for the first time I really understood the roles of sodium and potassium in blood pressure. It's not helped my BP very much, but at least I know what's going on. For those of you who've just recently developed high BP, it could possibly help you a LOT.

Bless you all, folks, and good luck. We all need it!

Glad I found you all. I have a couple questions. I am on 5mg Lisinopril and am already weaning myself off. What other meds do you recommend for blood pressure? Can we just stop taking it? I've only been on it for a couple weeks. I check my b/p daily and it is usually good. So I don't believe I have "high" b/p. I think it went up during pain and stress and my doc decided to keep it in check. I've been getting a lot of headaches and dizziness. I also have MS and Graves disease. So I'm confused and complicated.

Thanks

So. I have read a lot here about side effects. What have you guys switched to (i.e. what BPM are you taking now)?

Who has switched to something else and been pleased with the results?

Need specifics please on an alternative.