Lisinopril side effects

Hi. I posted two times in June, took lisinopril 2 weeks in April and was having side-effects 7-8 weeks out. I began a simple detox (lemon in my water, lots of water, more vegetables), took some supplements/vitamins and the racing heart, tingling, chest pains diminished greatly. My blood pressure became near normal on its own over May/June but shot back up sky high the day I went back to the doctor on June 22!! (of course). It is slowly normalizing again. My bloodwork showed high liver enzymes and that is why I believe that it took so long for the drug to clear my system. Lisinopril did not cause the high liver enzymes as I had that before the drug was prescribed. It is processed mainly by the kidneys so could cause problems there.

I believe that my body was in trouble and the elevated liver enzymes and bp were the first signs. I think the lisinopril took me over the edge. I had one very bad panic attack at night this week with racing heart, horrible chest pain, left sided tingling and bilateral hands/feet tingling. I really thought I was dying. I had never had these symptoms before starting that drug but now I think that maybe I was in a hypoglycemic state. All this to say that, in my research, I came across books by Dr. Sandra Cabot (Unlock the Secrets that Keep You Fat, The Liver Cleansing Diet) that explains alot of the problems I am having (which many of you have mentioned also). These are systemic, affect the vital organs/functions of the body (ability to lose weight, high bp, achy joints, etc), and are pre-diabetic/pre-liver disease states. The book gave me a lot of hope because we can get our bodies back in working order through proper diet, exercise, and supplements. Dr. Cabot has a great website too. Google her and check it out.

Hello everyone. I too am experiencing the same problems described here from Lisinopril. On January 1st of this year, ( 2009 ) I was taken to the hospital emergency room and admitted into the hospital under the assumption that I was having congestive heart failure. After a barrage of tests it was determined that I have diabetes and I was already taking hydrochlorothiazide ( 50 mgs ) for water retention. I was prescribed Lisinopril ( 10 mgs ) and told to cut my hydrochlorothiazide in half. Everything was fine for about a month and then it started...
I had noticed on the bottle of Lisinopril that the one side effect in some patients was a dry cough but disregarded it since it didn't seem to be affecting me. After being on Lisinopril for a month, I began having this awful dusty feeling in my throat. It actually feels like someone has a bellows filled with dust which they've placed in my mouth and released a spray of dust which caused me to have this feeling of needing to cough almost to the point of choking. I don't have this cough all day long. It only happens intermittently throughout the day. Sometimes when I am standing or sitting but mostly when I am laying down in bed. I've also noticed that it seems to have somewhat of a consistent schedule. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I would take the pill every morning around the same time. However, I've stopped taking it about a week and a half ago and still seem to have somewhat of a pattern of when the coughs occur. Strange.
Another thing I noticed is that I've seemed to have an excessive amount of saliva which would also cause me to choke at times. Have any of you experienced excessive saliva with this medication?
I've been trying to lose weight without success and I'm wondering if Lisinopril has something to do with that as well. After reading all of these comments on this forum, I am wondering if doctors as well as The American Medical Association should take a closer look as to whether the side effects of this medication out weigh the benefits and/or what this medicine is supposed to be helping the patient with. So far I see no positive effects from this medication.

I am a 51 year old black male. I went to my doctor and she prescribed 50mg ic lisinopril for my HBP. I went to the pharmacy and got the drug. I decided to find out about the side effects before starting the drug. After reading all these scary stories, I have changed my mind from even starting this drug until I meet my doctor and show her what I have read. Is there anything else I can do to bring my blood pressure down other taking a drug? Because all these prescription or over the counter drugs have some side effects that would make you more sick than what doctors prescribe it for. Thanks for all the stories

I am a 41 year old Black Male, retired Army, athletic, and active. I was treated for HBP on 31 may 09. After taking the meds (Lisinopril) for about 2-3 weeks, I developed a chronic dry cough 24/7. It feels like something is always stuck in my throat or sticking me in the side or back of my throat. I am having chest pains also. sometimes I feel depressed for no reason and very irritable. I has sex with a woman a couple weeks after I had the meds. I really thought she had given me an STD or HIV or something. I even went and got checked for everything and made her do the same. I am glad I found this site. Thank you all.

54 year old Male, Retired Marine, Very physically active, with Type II Diabetes; 5mg. Thanks for this Website. Started Lisinopril 3/25/09. Took it for 25 days, found this website and stopped taking it immediately. I had severe JOINT PAIN. It started in my hands, then feet, knees were next, then moved into my shoulders. The pain was the worst I've ever felt. Approximately 60 days after stopping the drug I went to see the Dr. after the Pharmacist told me Lisinopril should have been out of my system after 2 weeks. The Dr gave me Steroids (Prednisol) which completely eliminated ALL pain in 2 days . I was tested for Polymyalgia Rheumatica, however the my Sed Rate was normal. The blood tests did reveal that my RHEUMATIOD FACTOR is elevated (34.3 where the normal range is 0.0-20.1 IU/ML). Was told that if the pain returned, then I would be referred to a Rheumatologist. 3 Days after finishing the dosage pack of Prednisol, the pain/swelling in my hands and shoulder has returned. Going back to see the Dr today to discuss next steps.

Although the doctors don't agree, I believe Lisinopril caused this pain, and although out of my system now, triggered something that isn't going away.

The rest of this describes the roving pains I experienced.

Hand pain included swollen fingers, inability to make a fist or type on a keyboard. After light yard work on Sat., shooting burning pain up the inside of both arms. Trying to close your hands into a fist, you can feel the tendons up your arm burn with pain. Motrin did not alleviate the pain. Hot water did not help.

Pain in my knees each morning. The pain worsened over night and frequently causes you to wake up. The pain was like your knees were being squeezed in a vice. No position is comfortable. Motrin sometimes helped, but after awoken, getting back to sleep was impossible.

Feet swollen. Couldn't wear any shoes for extended periods. Loosening the laces helps, but still caused pressure which becomes unbearable and the shoes have to come off.

Shoulders; This is the strangest one. First pain was in the left shoulder, like I had impacted a brick wall at a full run (actually no trauma occurred). The pain felt like someone had stabbed it in my shoulder in the socket. At it's worst, no position is comfortable. Had to put my arm in a sling. 5 Days later, the same type pain moved to the right shoulder.

i was given lisinopril by my doctor for hbp,about 2 months later, i started having blurred vision,severe lower back pains,leg cramps,constipation,mood swings like i didn't care about nothing in life anymore,short head pains,breathing problems,and i almost moved out of the house with my wife because i was always depressed for no reason and i was upset because she didn't understand,this medicine is dangerous and poison.i pray that the lord will lead us and guide us to the right doctor with the right medicine. god bless you all and continue to have faith that the lord will heal us all in Jesus name.i thank him right know for revealing this to us,he is still on the throne and he still loves us.

I started this drug 2 weeks ago for borderline HBP. My dosage is the 10Lisinopril/HCT. 3 days into starting it I started having a bad dry cough, worse at night. This has continued and kept me up for and hour or more, and also get a sore throat from all the coughing. When walking up the slight incline in my backyard, I'm getting short of breath. About 4 to 5 hours into the day after I take this-my brain or thoughts begin to feel cloudy or confusing and I feel very dragged out and no motivation to do anything even though I have tons of stuff to get done. On a couple of my days off--I laid down and went out like a light for an hour. Upon getting out of bed one morning after a week on this I was so dizzy I had to hang onto the wall! The mind cloudiness seems to lessen in the evening. I am a very active 56 yr. old female. Not overweight-live out in the country and was feeling pretty darn healthy before taking this med. Talked to the nurse at the clinic and she said to give it a little while longer for my system to get use to it. Well-after reading posts here I think NO WAY. I cut the pill in half today as I read that it is dangerous to "cold turkey" blood pressure pills...and I have to say I feel MUCH better today and motivated and not dragged out so much. I'm going to see if there is something else that can be prescribed. My BP is down to normal-but that's about the only thing good I can say about this drug so far.

Have been taking Lisinopril for some five weeks after Amlodipine did not suit me - flushed cheeks and headaches. Have also been taking antibiotics for intestinal problem. Thought it was a/b that were making me feel so ill. Finished them a week ago. Now just take water tablet (Bendroflumethiazide) Simvastatin and Lisinopril.

Lisinopril makes me constantly tired weak and woozy - no energy - it it difficult just to walk around my home. I am not the happy person I used to be - feel like a zombie - no appetite very shaky and slightly nauseous.

Trouble is damned if you take them and damned if you don't.

59 year old female. A history of hypertension started on Lisinopril in April of 2009..I am so GLAD I found this site! I have developed a severe chronic cough. This cough keeps me up at night ( and everyone else in the home)
Severe soreness in every joint in every part of my body. I can not sleep, serious fatigue, I have had mental confusion, short term memory loss I NEVER had the mental confusion or memory loss. I went to my Dr. 2xs he put me on antibiotics, told me I possibly had aspirated mucous in my lungs or had "silent reflux" no matter what I have taked or done none of the above symptoms lessened. Therefore, I started to do my own research and wound up here on this site. I am going to my doctor tomorrow informing him of the side effects ( which I would have thought he knew) and asked to be put on another medication for my hypertension. My question I have that there does not seem to be a easy answer is how long will it take to reverse all these symptoms? Truthfully I put all these symptoms in to the "just getting older" category. Thank You so much for sharing

Started taking lisinopril April 6th of this year. Have had many of the symptoms listed in these posts. I just thought I was still having symptoms from being sick. I have had a lot of anxiety and depression, as well as chest pain and heart palpitations. My hands were ice cold and had severe stomach pain. My head felt very cloudy and numb. I have had every blood test possible, 2 EKG's, a brain MRI, cervical MRI and brain MRA, and a chest x-ray. So far, everything is normal. I saw this site a few weeks ago and on June 8th, I stopped taking lisinopril. I have started feeling better, not completely, but definitely better. I am supposed to go back to my doctor on the 29th. He did not agree with me that these symptoms could all be caused from this drug. He reluctantly agreed that I get off it for these 3 weeks. I am still taking Hydrochlorot with no symptoms. Not sure what to tell him when I go back. Are any of the other blood pressure drugs safe???

Wow, is all I can say. I just found this website this past Thursday morning before going to my Doctor. I am off it now and back on Diovan thanks to this forum. Here's my story... I switched from taking Diovan to Lisinopril-hctz about 3 months ago because it was way cheaper. I started getting a mild runny nose, and cough that didn't go a way.It was getting harder to sleep as the days went by. I tried sinus, allergy, cold, and cough medicine with nothing helping. I went to a different doctor at a local after hours clinic and they gave me a steroid shot for allergies. I have never had allergies all my life. I am 36 yrs old and work outside for a living. I knew something was wrong and started to get a little worried. I went back to see my main Doctor on May 5th and he switched me from Lisinopril-Hctz to 30mg of Lisinopril because I thought I was going to the bathroom more often. I questioned the side effects again and was told you just get a dry cough and what I had is allergies and gave me a prescription for Astelin. Not long after, my hell began. I started having the EXTREME coughing, gagging until you vomit, stuffy runny nose, and I was starting to get a little anxiety. Not to mentioned scared at this point. I could not sleep at night due to the coughing fits. I would sleep best after I had some drinks at night, so that became my sleep aid. I got a respiratory infection late May and took a Z-pack and Lohist 12d. I got a little better. This past Sat I woke up with a sore throat and something like a cold. Sunday morning I woke up with the sore throat that was worse and a panic attack! I was freaking out, pacing around wanting to go to the ER. It took 3 hrs to calm down and fell asleep. Sunday night anxiety kicked in again at bed time and I didn't know why. I just knew something was very wrong with me and mentally I was losing it. I took some melatonin and still couldn't sleep because of anxiety and coughing. Monday I was afraid of what was going on mentally and started to question if I was safe to be by myself if a bad panic attack occurs. I scheduled an appointment to see my doctor on Thursday. Hoping I could make it till then. Monday night I took a melatonin trying to stay calm and keep anxiety down. Could not sleep, bad coughing and gagging, but started to wind down about 1:30 am when it started. I was laying down making my ears pop/click and for some reason I could not make my right ear pop before my left ear. All the sudden anxiety kicked in full force. It took a long time to calm down that night. I finally did get my right ear popping before the left one. Its sounds funny but it wasn't at that time. It was official, I have lost my mind. I did not sleep at all wed night before my appointment. I did find this website that morning before going and felt better after reading other posts. After talking to him I switched back to Diovan. He still was leaning towards allergies though. He told me to take benadryl at night and claritin during the day and my coughing may take about 4 weeks to see improvements. I had my hopes ups on Thursday, but after reading a lot of posts here I am still discouraged about the outcome. For those of you that had anxiety attacks at night, how long before those stopped? Also how long before the coughing and gagging starts to slow down or end? Is there anybody that stopped taking Lisinopril, but symptoms have not improved? I am glad I found this forum and happy to be back on Diovan. Right now with the way I feel with the sore throat, coughing, gagging, vomiting, sinus pressure, anxiety, I am still unsure on the outcome and what may come next....

I HAVE NEVER been on any meds before in my life. I was given this for blood pressure and let me tell you. Depression has kicked in along with real bad thoughts. I told my doctor and she said this medicine don't do all this stuff we are saying it's doing.
I know one thing before I took this mess I wasn't feeling like this and I have my family to raise I don't care what the doctor say I am not taking this mess and I know my feelings are real!!!! This medicine should be band and I am so glad I came across this site. I was only on this medicine about 2 weeks. I quit it and my doctor I got a new one who thinks with diet I can control my b/p God Bless everyone for telling me your story I thought I was going crazy

I have always had a full head of thick hair. In the last two years since starting Lisionpril I have started having noticeable thinning on the top of my head - I first thought little of it but now with all of the postings I have read I think the Lisinopril may be a contributor. My hair texture has also changed from smooth to dry and brittle - that should not be a heredity factor.

I have been taking this medicine for three years. This morning I woke up and my right upper lip was completely swollen. While at the ER, the doctor said that it was a common side effect--even if the person had taken it for a prolonged period of time. I had to go back to the ER about 3 hours later because my mouth became even bigger! As I was checking in, a nurse looked at my mouth and said, "Oh, you take Lisinopril, right? I see that reaction all the time here, plus, I had it myself." The second Dr. came out and told me my airwaves and oxygen were okay and that I was just going to have to wait it out (they had earlier prescribed me Benadryl and a steroid). Then he explained he had to stop using the medicine himself because is tongue became swollen. This is a common occurrence. And if you are like me, you assume if you are going to have a reaction to a medicine, it's going to be rather early. This side effect can take time before it shows. Be careful, apparently it is a very common incident with this drug.

Just found this blog. I was on 10 mg Lisinopril for a few weeks for moderate BP. After about 2 weeks I started getting muscle aches cramping at night in legs and arms. I am also in physical therapy for ankle tendinitis. Thought pains were from that but they did not go away and my arm pain continued through day. I never had arm cramps before. I told my Dr and they said they had not heard of this reaction to the med but said go off of it for 5 days and then back onto see what happens. I stayed off for 2 weeks. BP started to creep up again. I had in the meantime decided to start breathing meditation to see if I could go a more natural way. I have only done breathing techniques for a week so decided because BP was gong up would try taking 1/2 dose of Lisinopril one am at 5 mg. I was ok till later in evening, pretty wiped out. I thought that was no big deal. But when I got up next am and took another 5 mg, I had diarrhea and kept peeing all day. I am not on the diuretic version of this. It was like my kidneys went overdrive. I could hardly move my legs and arms, VERY weak muscles, very sleepy and the cramping was starting to come back , though not as severe as before. I also have palpation and pain in left chest, seeming more like nerves than heart though. I usually push my physical therapy and can do anything they say but could hardly do anything and therapist said quits and told me to call doctor asap. I left them message on their phone with symptoms and have not heard back from them today but I am not taking this med again in the am!

I was on Lisinopril for 6 years, and feel as if I was robbed of those years of my life. I experienced depression, anxiety, racing heart, body heaviness, abnormal EKG's, chronic hives on hands and feet, extreme hives all over my body off and on, swelling of face, lips, eyes, hands and feet, extreme fatigue, and insomnia. I was sent to cardiologists, allergy specialists, psychiatrists, and then pain specialists when, after 2 years of Lisinopril, I developed extreme lower back pain. None of these doctors ever mentioned that any of these symptoms could be side effects of the Lisinopril. After 6 years, I one day ran out of the Lisinopril and did not have the money for a refill, and after only 3 days without the medication, all of the symptoms stopped, except for the low back pain. I felt like a totally new person, and was able to resume my life once again. Though I still suffer from extreme low back pain, I'd take that any day over all the other debilitating symptoms. I'm still not so sure that the Lisinopril did not induce the problems in my back, which continue even after 3 years off the Lisinopril. (As a side-note, my doctor put me back on the Lisinopril 3 months after I quit it, and within 3 days ALL the symptoms came back. Needless to say, I stopped it immediately.)

Can Lisinopril raise my liver enzymes - my ALT keeps going up -
but the rest of the liver tests are normal

My ALT test has been elevated - could Lisinopril be the cause of
the elevated liver enzymes?

Today is a new beginning for me after finding this site about the harmful side effects of Lisinopril and all this time I thought I was going crazy. I was put on this drug in 2006 for elevated B/P of 130/90. I had just recently completed 20 years in the Marine Corps and was in the process of starting a new career so of course I was going through a very stressful time in my life which may have been the cause of the recent spike in b/p. I went to see the doc for a checkup and she put me on 10 mg of lisinopril. I first noticed the dizziness soon after taking this drug. I was working out with some Sailors since I got a job working for the Navy and we had a bet on who would finish first in a three mile run. I thought this would be easy for me since I used to run everyday as a Marine with run times of under six minutes a mile but this time it was different. I was the first one to the half way point but then my body began to shut down to the point I could barely run. Everyone passed me by and when I crossed the finish line I had to sit down cause I thought I was going to pass. Let me remind you that this was only a three mile run, I was used to running thirty to forty miles a week. It is 2009 now and I very rarely workout due to the pain I experience afterwards. I have the constant feeling of gagging and I thought it was allergies but I refused to start medication for that. I remember the times that I used to stand up at work and shake my arms out because of the numbness in my arms and hands. I always have the funny feeling with the left side of my chest not sure if my heart is just going to give out on me. My wife always notices how I'm always massaging my chest muscle. I tell her it must be arthritis to quell her suspicious. I too had to remove my wedding ring due to the smelliness in my hands something I never had to do even while serving my country overseas. Thank you all for your posts, you have turned the light on for me to all the aliments I have been feeling these past few years. I have been off lisinopril for three weeks now and I am already feeling like my life is coming back. Hopefully, I'll be able to run that marathon that I always dreamed about. Again, Thank you all!

Ok...now I am really angry. I posted in early June. I am 7-8 weeks out from stopping the drug (only took for 2 weeks) and, while I feel better in the am, I continue to have "attacks" mostly at the end of the day after work or when going to sleep. I have minimal dry mouth/cough (keep drinking water/peeing constantly but ok because I am eating foods to dump water which is why doc wanted me on this poison to begin with). The feeling woozy and nausea has subsided. I continue to have racing heart (happens when about to fall asleep and causes anxiety/insomnia), sharp pains all over the chest and in left arm (constantly think I am having a heart attack/stroke), tingling/burning in hands/feet, and to top it off shooting warm burning pain (very annoying) up and down legs (this is new). My doc told me to get off all my supplements (because he knows nothing about them and thinks they are complicating the picture...now I think he is ignorant). I restarted my CoQ10 which is protective for the heart and the racing has stopped so far (been a few days). In my research, most of the symptoms fall under "peripheral neuropathy" which can be caused by toxicity from drugs. Natural treatments suggest making the body more alkaline and detoxing the organs by eating nutritious foods (organic when you can), exercise, drinking lots of water (with lemon and cucumber slices which make the body alkaline and purify the organs) and taking alpha lipoic acid. To treat the neuropathy make sure you are getting enough vitamin C, E, and B complex with B6, B12 and folate/folic acid (I take B100 caps). Please research these before taking anything and make sure its right for you. I used to say check with your doc but, in my experience, most don't know about natural treatments. I will post again in a week to let you guys know how its going. Best of luck to all.

I am taking Lisinopril for high blood pressure for 5 days now. I have been experiencing depression, swollen right hand, tired, but sometimes not able to sleep..very low energy.I need to know if i should stop taking this medication or not but i can not contact my doctor until Monday. I also am taking other blood pressure medications but this one seems to have the side effects I am having.

For those of you taking this drug and want to get off, please know it takes 3-4 weeks (longer in others depending on your metabolism) to be "totally" out of your system. Don't think you'll feel better in a few days. Give it a least 6 weeks to show significant change in your symptoms. I know, my husband took this and was having mental sluggishness, depression, confusion which led to many other tests. He has been off the drug now since Sept 08 and off the anti-depressant too. Guess what...no depression has returned since being of this drug. He's back to an aspirin a day, what he took before this nightmare began. Anybody taking this drug should stop immediately. It's the drug from hell!

(42 year old male 6 ft 217 lbs) Testosterone dropped like a stone to 174 in April. To give you an idea how low that is normal range is 280-870. Symptoms include severe short term memory loss, confusion, panic attacks, many times unable to complete a sentence without losing track and of course E.D. Got off this in mid April and started a diuretic instead.(started lisinopril June 05) Bloodwork in early June shows testerone up to 207. Hmm, up 33 points after being off this medication for 6 weeks. Maybe I'm an anomaly when it comes to men using this medication. Any man considering this med would be advised to test testosterone before starting and 1 year later to see if there is any correlation.

OMG...I want to thank everyone for their comments, as I thought I was just crazy, I have not been able to walk more than 25 steps in three years because of this stupid Lisinopril. I could honestly just cry. Three years have been just taken. My daughter was 8 and now she is 11. We have not been able to go to the mall one time because mommy's muscle pain and weakness is so bad and it is just embarrassing to try to walk around a mall or the airport. I am only 39 there is no reason my primary Dr. should not have caught this. I have been referred for and had multiple MRI's, cortisone injections, nerve testing and nerve blocks, taken Tramadol until I can not take it anymore. Thank you all of you. Thank you. God Bless you, in Jesus name, Amen.

READING ALL THESE POSTS SAVED MY SANITY. I ALSO WAS COUGHING AND GAGGING AS MENTIONED FOR MONTHS. DR TREATED US FOR MONTHS WITH ALLERGY MEDS, ANTIBIOTICS AND ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HELP US DURING A HORRIBLE ALLERGY SEASON IN FLORIDA BECAUSE OF LACK OF RAIN. WHEN ALLERGY SEASON ENDED I WAS STILL COUGHING AND GAGGING, NAUSEA AND ANXIETY. I TOLD MY DR. THAT I HAD READ ALL THE POSTS AND HAD EXPERIENCED MOST THE SYMPTOMS AND SHE IMMEDIATELY TOOK ME OFF LISINOPRIL AND SWITCHED TO AMLODIPINE. THERE WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATE RELIEF. AFTER A WEEK OF USE NOW THE COUGH AND CONSTANT PHLEGM AND TICKLE IS NEARLY NON EXISTENT. I HAVE RETURNED TO A NORMAL LIFE! PLEASE, THIS DRUG EFFECTS 80% OF THE PEOPLE TAKING IT IN THE SAME WAY. THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

I started having pains in my fingers about 2 months ago,the doctor suspected Lyme disease and put me on antibiotics for 10 days yet the pain in my fingers and the cramps in my hands continue to plague me and robbing me of much needed rest .I also hurt some where new everyday that last for a few days and goes away ,but the pain in my index fingers are constant. I m sick of the pain and would rather take my chances with high blood-pressure.I am so glad I found this page. it was amazing how many people have the same symptoms I have ..I am convinced that the meds are causing my pain.If anyone has any suggestions for me I will be happy to hear them.THANKS

Hi I'm 36, with high blood pressure. I have been on 25mg/day hydrochlorothiazide since July 08. I went in for normal 3month check up and Dr tells me that my bottom number is to high, so she gives me yet another pill to take(yep you guessed it) Lisinopril. I filled the RX in the morning, by lunch time, I felt sick to my stomach, dizzy, everything hurt. I thought I had gotten the flu. This was just 2 days before my daughter and my mothers birthday.(both the same day) We had big plans after all you only turn 18 once. I put a smile on and went to the party, but it was living hell. My Fiance' noticed that I didn't start feeling bad until after I had taken that new pill. I only took 1 a day for 3 days and it took me over a month to feel half way normal again.

Is there anyone who has taken lisinopril and had a mri of the brain that has showed white lesion on your brain that are unexplained? Also how long do you think it takes to get this drug totally out of your system?

Like many of the stories here, I had developed a bad cough. I would start hacking and gagging. Sometimes I would be dizzy after the episode. I stumbled across this site when looking for answers to my coughing and gagging. I have been on Lisinopril for about 6 months now, and it seems to correlate with the the coughing episodes. I have had sinus CT scans, many drugs, and no answer nor relief.

within 4 days a dry cough started at night and day, now I have a thick clear phlegm in my throat that chokes me if I do not clear it .I spend quite a bit of time spitting up to clear my throat.I was fine before, I have been trying allergy medicines and nasal sprays nothing works.I am glad I read this site as I did try to stay off it for 5 days and the same symptoms persisted,but now I know the side effects can last for weeks so I will be contacting my Doctor to change it

I am 47 year old female with 5 days of headache and high diastolic bp. Doctor prescribed lisinopril. It made me want to sit for hours without moving. I was sleepy but could not sleep, cloudy thinking, anxious, thought I was going to die, had pangs all over my body and in extremities, racing heart with difficulty catching breath, etc to all the above symptoms. I stopped it after two weeks. I had bronchitis for four weeks. Then I developed dizziness/nausea and burning in the hands and feet. After researching that, I took a B12 and that tingling symptom cleared in a few hours. I don't know if the drug changes the metabolism in your system. I still am fatigued, occasionally have racing heart, and problems with sleep. Don't know how long it may linger in the system. Can't seem to find an answer. It has been 2 months since I took it and 6 weeks since being off it. By the way, my BP is now typically 117/82 with loss of 15 pounds. I prefer to treat naturally. Look up Taurine, CoQ10 and Hawthorne and see which may be best for you.

I began taking Lisinopril back in early February. Within days, I developed a horrible cough, that was so severe, it induced vomiting - not food, just a clear sticky mucous. The vomiting happened 5-6 times per day following a stressful coughing bout. I saw my PCP, was diagnosed with a "bad cold", prescribed cough medicine and inhaler and sent on my merry way. The vomiting was happening while I was driving or sitting at my desk at work; it would come on so suddenly that I rarely had time to get to the bathroom. When this didn't clear up after several weeks, my PCP took me off the Lisinopril for about 10 days, but there didn't seem to be any change in the symptoms, so went back on the Lisinopril. I have had Abdominal, ENT, and Brain CT Scans to investigate the cause of this problem as I am a breast cancer survivor. Thankfully, the scans were clear. I have also had an Endoscopy, and have seen an allergist. I also developed a metallic taste in my mouth that was horrible. After doing research on the Internet and speaking with others who have also experienced similar symptoms, I contacted my PCP and took myself off the Lisinopril in mid-April. The coughing has been reduced, and the volume and frequency of the vomiting mucous has reduced as well. Here I am seven weeks off the medication and I am still have side effects. One of my doctors said that it could take several more months to see a complete improvement. Had I been aware of the potential for these side effects I would have never gone on this medication in the first place. I do know folks, however, that take Lisinopril without any side effects, so it works great for some. My BP is now creeping up again, and I am not sure what replacement drug will work best for me.

I am a 62 year old female and started taking Prinil, which contains Lisinopril, 3 months ago. On the second day the dry cough started and also my vocal cords felt paralyzed. After 12 days I was told to stop taking the medication. I still have a very hoarse voice and problems with my speech. Have been to two throat specialists and there is nothing wrong with my throat. Has anyone had such symptoms. If so please reply.

Wavy feeling of anxiety in my head (like I used to get from codeine). Fuzzy feeling in big toes. Dry, choking cough when I lay down at night. Now, I am morbidly obese and have bad acid reflux. If I don't take Prilosec every day, I cough. I also have sinus/allergy problems. So I take Claritin-D. And for health benefits, I take baby aspirin. So I'm wondering if it is the combination or if I am getting ready to have a stroke. It's my own fault for being so overweight, but it is frustrating. I also have swollen ankles and legs. And lately I feel like I have to pee too frequently and that I'm not quite able to finish. This worries me because I was feeling like this before I found out I needed surgery to remove an ovary due to a very large cyst. I wonder if I am getting another one.

It gave me the worst gout I've ever had, terrible gout from my toes to my knees. I'm still trying to rid myself of the Lisinopril in my system. It's still doing it's nasty work at keeping the gout going. I'm taking cherry and celery seed extracts. they are helping but the going is slow. I also have red puffy itchy eyes with bags under my eyes and am wondering if the Lisinopril has caused that also ?

I am male and 46 y.o. I've been on this for 6 weeks and I have gained 6 pounds. I've been eating the same things and going to the gym like I always do. I have also noticed that I can't do the same workout intensity as before. I wear a heart rate monitor and so I can tell that it takes less effort now to get my heart rate to a higher level than before. In short, I can only do about 80-90 percent of my previous intensity. My clothes don't feel tighter but I think it must be fluid gains even though I am on Hydrochlorothiazide as well. I'm concerned I'm going to keep gaining weight. I already have weight issues to begin with and had been keeping my weight steady for 2 years after losing 35 lbs. Has anyone here found an alternative to Lisinopril that treats their bp without the weight gain issues?

I am a 38 year old female on Lisinopril for approx. 2 months on and off. I am in excellent physical shape and ideal weight with a family history of hbp. I immediately noticed negative side effects from this drug. Extreme fatigue and confusion the first day I took this pill. The first month it was in combination with water pill and that was a disaster. I could not stop craving salt. I stopped taking this on my own and went back to the Dr. She then prescribed the Lisinopril w/o the water pill and the salt cravings were not as severe but I was constantly hungry! Yesterday I decided to not take the pill and see how I felt and of course I was NOT tired or having any unusual hunger issues. There was an immediate difference! I also have the dry cough which until now I thought was something I had p/u from one of my children and could not shake. This drug is ridiculous. I have taken meds for bp on and off through 2 pregnancies over a 10 yr. period and the pills are worse than being pregnant as far as exhaustion and cravings!!!! This is very scary and I know hbp is deadly, but there are other meds which do not come with all the negative side effects. I will keep experimenting until I find one that works for me. This pill is headed for the trash!!

This my second posting for this drug I feel has caused me more harm than good. I posted earlier telling my age of 57 and have been on this crap for 8yrs plus.
I suppose it is a lot to do with me never having complaints to the my doctors involved ,
just assumed these doctors knew what they were doing . I am so sorry for not finding this site sooner. Folks , as I previously stated , joints, weight gain , etc
are just a few symptoms this stuff causes.
I've been off it for ten days, can't really express how much better I'm feeling.
All I can recommend ,if there is another alternative, take it. This stuff was awful for me.

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking, memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

I have been reading all the posting about this drug. Was just prescribed it. I don't think I will take this drug now. Does anyone know of anyway to lower the bp naturally as I have to bring mine down. I know that stress can sometimes trigger the bp to rise. Just not sure what to do now.

I see there are 2,150 postings on this website for Lisinopril side effects. Out of the 2 pages of postings I have read I have only seen 2 post that gave positive feedback regarding this drug. I am scared to read anymore postings this is sickening me more and more to know that peoples lives are being altered in such a way.THIS DRUG IS AWFULLLLL!! IT IS RUINING PEOPLES LIVES! Something needs to be done about this.The pharmaceutical companies are making billions of dollars off this drug and it's making people sicker than they were before they started taking this.I wish I would have known of this site before I started taking this drug now I have things going on with me that may be irreversible. I stopped taking Lisinopril 1 1/2 months ago and am still having awful complications.This drug isn't just affecting pregnant women and infants, it's affecting thousands of people.While I love children and am very sympathetic my life along with everyone else on this site and everywhere else in the worlds life is beneficial. I mean a lot to my loved ones and so do all of you, with that being said something needs to be done. This drug needs to be reported to the FDA we need to ban together and do something does someone have to DIE for something to be done about this drug?! Until something is done other people will be affected by this drug and maybe by the time they read these post it will be too late for them.

I was prescribed Lisinopril by my doctor. I am a diabetic so my doctor told me this medicine would protect my kidneys(although my kidneys are fine). I was prescribed this medication at the end of February beginning March of 2009.About two weeks into taking the medication I got the first reaction I started getting these rashes that would come and go,then my lips would tingle and get numb then they would instantly swell at that point. When this first happened I thought maybe it was food I had eaten. I bought Benadryl and after a few hours it went away. (second attack) A few days later the symptoms worsened the rashes got worse and the swelling in my face got even more worse. Still thinking it was the food I ate I took more benadryl. This time the swelling lasted overnight the next morning I was fine.(third attack) About four days after that I was sitting at home talking with family and my face got very itchy around the lips my chest started to feel tight then instantly my lips got gigantic. My family members got scared and advised me to stop the benadryl and call my doctor fast. That night when I got home I called my doctor they were closed but the emergency nurse told me to come and see my doctor the next day. When I saw my doctor he immediately told me it was the Lisinopril that was causing the attacks and that I should discontinue using it and that my next attack may be fatal but I should be fine, keep taking the benadryl he told me. I got home and immediately trashed the Lisinopril. Just when I thought it was all over a week later (fourth attack) I get home after work watching television all of a sudden I get this terrible itch all over my body like bugs were on me, I hopped in the shower got done still this terrible itch all over. My lips tingled like crazy all of a sudden my body was full of bumps/hives everywhere my eyes were swollen shut, throat felt like it was closing up, couldn't hardly breathe, my lips were bigger than ever before. I was rushed to the emergency room, before I left I had taken 4 benadryl 25 mil tablets when I got to the emergency room I was seen almost immediately they pulled me in a side room gave me 2 shots of benadryl a shot of another medicine don't remember the name,a shot of pepcid,plus two pills I can't think of at the moment. I was in the ER for five hours waiting for the swelling in my body to go down,well the hives went away but my lips were swollen for at least 72 hours. I was diagnosed in the ER with Angioedema. I saw my doctor within 24 hours of my ER visit he prescribed me an epi pen he also made me get a life alert bracelet and told me to always keep benadryl with me. He told me the medicine should be out of my system it shouldn't happen again but just in case it does I should keep the epi pen handy,the bracelet,and benadryl always beside me.Well since that visit I have been taking benadryl every single day because I keep hive/rashes, now the edema is spreading it's not just the lips I get this painful swelling in different spots on my body. As I am writing this @ 2a.m I have to take off work today June 3rd 2009 because my lips are so swollen they feel like they are about to burst. I can't afford to miss all of these days of work and I definitely can't afford an emergency room visit which are $150.00 each visit so I have to wait and see my doctor @ 9:15 a.m. I refuse to go to work in this condition these breakouts are affecting my life for the worse. This is just a brief synopsis it is really much worse than this though. I am 31 years old and when I have these attacks people look @ me frightened like i'm contagious or something.I went from being only allergic to morphine which gave me hives once, and that was minor to having allergic reactions almost everyday along with a lot of other symptoms to this drug. I really hope something can be done about this. PLEASE TAKE THIS HORRIBLE DRUG OFF THE MARKET!!!!

I took my dose on a full stomach just before bed and am not having the side effects , the dry cough and a little night restlessness was it.Again thanks to all for sharing. It is 9am .

I am glad I am not alone with this issue . I have experienced most if not all the side effects.It would be impossible to be employed in any activity under these conditions.I changed the timing of to afternoons after I ate and it helped a little.I,ll go to night time this week end see what happens.
It did drop b/p fast,but the effects are just to much.Doctor said to stay out of sun wear hat etc.I thought my arms were dying, shoulder joint pain ,having to stop while shopping to catch up with spells light headedness,head aches,numbness all over,and bad concentration.I am on 20 mg pink round lisinopril.

Don't take this medicine!!!! I was on this stuff for only four days and by the third day I was like a zombie. Every muscle in my body was killing me I felt like I had run a marathon. I couldn't think straight I was lethargic. My mood was terrible. It all started on the third day. I stopped taking it today and already I am starting to feel like my old self again. I am only 25 y/o I cant believe the negative side effects could out weigh the benefits of taking this drug. I also can't believe doctors prescribe this stuff. My only assurance was the fact that as soon as I told my doctor about how I was feeling he told me to stop taking it and just take my water pill. I am going back tomorrow to get prescribed something else. Hopefully that goes well........

Hi,I am a 43 year old female who has high blood pressure. I have been taking 10 mg of lisinopil for about 8 weeks. I started getting the dry cough and always felt like clearing my throat. I went to the ENT and was told that I had acid reflux. I am up most of the night coughing and choking. I am wondering after reading the complaints that this med might be causing it. I am now taking Nexium for the acid reflux but the dry cough is still happening. My high blood pressure was only 145/90 so I am thinking of going off the meds and try to get the BP down on my own.

I have been taking Lisinopril 10mg tablets once a day for years and have had good luck with it, Never any side effects. I also take Lipitor 10mg, with great results and no side effects. Guess I am lucky!!

Ive been taking lisinopril 5mg for over five yrs or more did not have side effects ive read about on here until feeling unwell over the past 12months maybe longer, joint pain, 6 months ago i could hardly walk, pain in left knee and pain in right foot, weight gain, pounding chest, dry cough, thank god for finding this site, soon as i did i stopped taking it that was about 5 weeks ago, i feel a lot better, even though my bp might be up i don't care id rather live with it than take this crap. and i feel that its just getting out of my system so you maybe talking a couple of months depending what strength you are on, to getting out of your system, hope my post will be of help.
S. in UK

55 yr old female, taking this medication for couple of months...these
are my side effects...tired all the time,severe anxiety, can't sleep, my
legs ache and I am in pain, dry cough, headache and depression.

Alright here goes. Im 25 y/o male have had high blood pressure since I was about 15. Last week my doctor took me off Norvasc and put me on 20mg Lisinopril. I have been taking this drug for only 4 days and am experiencing extreme fatigue, muscle aches, insomnia. I am so tired but I cant sleep. The pain in my legs is terrible when I lay down. I feel like a zombie. I just called my doctor and am waiting for a response from him. I don't want to believe it is the lisinopril causing this but what else could it be. I feel like i am dying............