Lisinopril side effects

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
******
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.

started taking lisinopri 5 weeks ago. feel headache, neck pain, bed leg cramps that wake me up from sleep. the worst is the anxiety, can't concentrate at work, shaking as if i am cold, can't sleep because anxiety, heart palpitations. I stop taking this 10mg yesterday because this is no life.

I greatly appreciate the comments posted on this site; I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and because I had not seen a doctor in > 3 yrs was prescribed Lisinopril to protect my kidneys. I had a concern about taking HBM because my average is 118/78 – 120/80. My prescribed dose of Lisinopril is 10MG but I cut the pills in half because I was extremely leery of possible side effects, doing so my BP is around 117/74. I will keep watch over every change that takes place in my body; and protest if things appear seriously out of sorts; thanks again for your comments, they are invaluable.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SITE! I was beginning to feel that I was getting old too quick. I have been on Lisinopril for about a week and for the past two days I have had such severe muscle and joint pain that it even hurts to type this, it is in my hands, elbows, knees, and feet, and I look like a little old lady going to the store all hunched over and barely able to walk and I'm only 29!!! I don't care what my doctor says I'm quitting this medication today and going back on my old meds. Hopefully this excruciating pain will go away.

I'm a 55 year old male. I started taking Lisinopril about two years ago at the 5mg level. In April , my doctor increased it to 20mg. I had a sensitivity to sunlight at the 5mg dose. After about two weeks on the new dosage I was having speech issues. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out.I had to form the words in my mind to speak.At the time I thought I had a small stroke. I went to my cardiologist as the first step. He sent me to several specialists. I've had 2 cat scans, an MRI,EKG. sonic grams.and other tests. They found no cause for the speech problem. Recently I connected the dose increase to the speech problem. I'm waiting to see my doctor to discuss the issue. Has anyone had similar problems with Lisinopril?

I was taking 20 MG of Lisinopril for approximately 1 month, getting a bp reading of about 155/95, so my doctor increased the dosage to 40 MG. About 2 weeks after that, my BP is up a lot, to about 190-200/95-110. Anyone have a similar reaction?

Oct-14-09 I found your site on Oct-1-09, read several stories with very similiar symptoms of my husbands, and at that time, wrote one of my own. Today several weeks later, I must tell you what has happened. I printed several of your stories and shared them with my husband's Dr. After his Dr. read a few, he in fact agreed that my husband might be having these reactions from the Lisinopril. He instructed my husband to stop taking the medication. It has been a little more than a week since my husband has stopped taking Lisinopril, and I am happy to report that his symptoms have decreased significantly. I had read the warnings about this drug before my husband started taking it more than a year ago, but it never occurred to me that this drug was his problem. In the past year he has seen a neurologist, stomach specialist and a endocrine specialist. Not one Dr. had even questioned the use of ths medication!! Had I not stumbled onto this site and read your stories, I know that my husband would still be taking this drug, We would still be searching for ANSWERS to the cause of his continued symptoms. It scares and saddens me to think of the many people who are taking this drug, who are suffering and don't know that the drug is causing all of their pain. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories, God Bless!! A.

Started taking Lisinopril approx. 6 years. ago. Shortly afterwards I started a spiral downwards for no apparent reason. Did not connect this med. Shortly after starting it I was put on Synthroid for low thyroid. Started having loss of balance, dizziness, vision problems, muscle and nerve pain. B/P went up instead of going down. Have been to every type of Dr. (Neurologist, Dermatologist, Endocrinologist, Internist) and every nerve & muscle test and blood work came back negative. I have extreme cold in my hands and feet, increased back pain. headaches. This past week I have broken out in a rash on my torso and down both legs. The doctors answers are that I'm suffering from depression. The irony is that when the symptoms first started I questioned if I could be having a reaction to the medication and they flat out said no. After reading some of the comments as of today I am discontinuing the Lisinopril and will searce for something natural. I'm fed up with doctors and really short on cash from all the money spent trying to find an answer.

Extreme Fatigue, Anxiety, Muscle and Joint Pain, Extreme Hair Loss, Chest Pain, Heart Palpitations, Vision Problems, Vibrating sensation on my insides, Tingling and burning in all extremities.

I am 61 years old. I started taking Lisinopril 10mg, once a day about 6-7 months ago. Because of cough, I switched to Diovan 80mg, once a day (samples from my physician friend). After running out of Diovan samples, I started taking Lisinopril 5 mg, once a day again about three months ago. For better BP control, I ended up again taking Lisinopril 10 mg, once a day about 5-6 weeks ago. I started to simultaneously suffer from having persistent, extensive and progressively worsening joint and muscle pains in my both sides of neck, both shoulders, both upper arms, left elbow, left lower arm, both wrists, both hands, all fingers, both knees and left calf muscles. I had difficulties walking, moving my arms, shoulders, doing anything with my hands at the peak of the pains about 7-8 days ago. In the night, my fingers were very stiff and uncomfortable that I hardly could make a fist and I had difficulties getting up to go to bath room because of pains. I felt like I were a 90 years old man. Even Cataflam and Advil did not work well to relieve the pain. As a retired physician, I started to suspect it was Lisinopril-induced side effects. I searched on Google and found this web site. Now, I realize that I am not alone. I got my Lisinopril from CVS Pharmacy. I immediately stopped taking Lisinopril about one week ago. All my joint and muscle pains have been dramatically subsiding (although not completely disappeared) without taking any NSAID pain killer. Even "cough problem" became much worse during the same time. I am convinced that Lisinopril I got from CVS caused my serious, extensive, multiple joint and muscle pains. Perhaps, FDA should look into this side effect: whether it is common ACE inhibitor related side effect or it is possible manufacturer, country origin of the product related problem (made in a non-USA country and imported by CVS?). I would never take Lisinopril again. Posted by myh810.

I just started taking this drug three days ago, and I am already having such bad side effects that I don't want to take it anymore. I am only 29, but have a family history of high BP, and went to the doctor last week to find out my bp was 175/90. Since starting the drug, I've been getting dizziness, but last night took the cake. I woke up around 4:30 with horrible nausea. I ran to the bathroom where I fainted while sitting on the toilet lid, wanting nothing more than to vomit. I remember waking up and looking in the mirror, and my face was as white as a sheet, as were my lips. I looked dead, and it scared the hell out of me. As I came to, I suddenly had diarrhea hit me, and once that was over, I felt better. My husband thinks my body is trying to get rid of the drug. In addition to all this, I am having palpitations and feel that my heart is beating too fast. I know that part of this is nerves, because I'm scared of taking this medication, but the fainting and nausea ARE because of the drug. I called my doctor today, and she wants me to come in to get my BP taken again. I am so scared that she won't lower the dose or (better yet) switch me to something else, because my bp always goes up at the doctor's office when I get nervous, every time. Oh, and I also started metformin last week because the doctor tested my blood sugar and it came back 250. Could it be the combination? I don't know. I just know I have only been on this stuff for a few days and already hate it and feel that it's bad for my body! It's very scary.

I have been taking Lisinopril for 3 - 4 years. I am 43 with high blood pressure. I often have a light headed feeling/dizziness. My biggest problem/concern is I find it very hard to concentrate. I feel tired often and have a foggy feeling. I have always just written this off to the stressful job that I have. Reading these posts has made me think that this bpm may be the problem. Sometimes I will forget to take my med on the weekends and, now that I think about it, I've felt great on those days. This message board has been a real eye opener. I need to talk with my Dr. If anyone has actually changed to another/more effective BPM - let me know.

I have cramps in the legs and feet often too.

I have stopped taking lisinopril now for about 2 months. My sinus problems are 99% gone, but my joint pain has worsen. Can anyone tell me how long the joint pain will last?

I never really thought I was having a problem with Lisinopril which I have been taking regularly for 6 months. I am a 54 yr old female and going through menopause. I thought the memory problems and tiredness was due to this, never associated it with the drug. I really do not have a cough, just a kinda post nasal drip that causes me to clear my throat often and I am stuffy a lot. Now after reading these post, I wonder! I will stop for a while and see what happens. I do not think I have a blood pressure problem yet but the doc said since my mom did and mine fluctuates (most times in his office) and menopause, I should take it. Will keep posting

I am a 44 year old male, been on Lisinopril for almost 2 years. My insurance stopped paying for whatever I was on prior, and gave me this. I was told only side effect may be a dry cough. OK, never got the dry cough. Great I thought ! Last year, I developed a bilateral rash on both arms, and both sides of my waist. I dealt with it.. went away for a while, and now back with a vengeance... arms, elbows, buttocks, both sides, and chins... the scratching is unbearable.... Im guessing based on what Im reading on this site it could be the lisinopril ? Please comment back if you've had similar.....

My post is going to read similarly to all the other posts. It's 2:45 a.m. and I got up, feeling like I was having a heart attack. I went online to see if I could learn more about Lisinopril. I've been taking 10mg for just over two weeks. I've been short of breath, wheezing, sore throat just started, had chest pains and palpitations, lowered body temperature, and mild anxiety. I was put on this medication to lower significantly elevated blood pressure -- at times as high as 212/106. That scared me! I don't want to have a stroke and yet, on this medication, I feel terrible. My BP is lower which is good and my headaches have subsided, but considering the side effects I've already experienced, I'm reluctant to continue with this drug. I see my doctor on in a couple of days and I'm hoping she has a better option. I also take Atenolol and am wondering if upping that dosage is a viable option as I've had no notable side effects with that drug. Thank you all for your posts.

WOW! My Mom is 65 and having a lot of these same issues, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, itching, tired ALL the time, depression and she is really "foggy". Her feet are so swollen she cant walk! Her Dr acts like she is just seeking attention and just orders more blood work! After reading all of your comments I am sure its the Lisinopril! Her doctor told her she should NOT stop taking the meds because she could have a stroke! I am angry he is using this scare tactic. I live 2000 miles away but I ready to make a road trip to get this madness to end! She really needs to find a new Dr and stop using this dangerous drug!
Thank you all for posting these issues!