Lisinopril and allergies

I'm a 65 year old type 2 diabetic with low-functioning thyroid. I was put on lisinopril over a year ago to prevent kidney problems. I have been on 10 mg tablets. Even before I was diagnosed with diabetes I had low blood pressure so that was not a problem.

My main side effects are hair loss, coughing, insomnia and leg cramps, joint pain. I think the lisinopril is pulling nutrients from my body. I told my family doctor about the side effects I had found but he seemed more concerned about the possibility of kidney problems than any of the side effects. I know my hair loss is not age related as both of my parents had full heads of hair when they died and my mother was also a type 2 diabetic.

My blood sugar is under control, tests usually 85-90 twice a day, last A1c was 5.5 which is quite good. I take Byetta and metformin twice a day, levothyroxine, enablex. I recently started taking magnesium as it was besides calcium plus D, a multivitamin all ordered by the doctor. I also take crestor. Feels like all I do is take pills!

My weight is 166 but I'm short, 4' 10", so still heavier than I should be for my height. I try to get exercise but have degenerative arthritis in lower spine. Funny that I developed bursitis in my right hip recently, I just thought the arthritis was spreading. Now I'm not so sure it might not be due to the lisinopril also. I stopped using it yesterday so we'll see how long it takes my body to recover from this drug.

Does anyone have any experience with how long it takes to stop coughing or for the hair to regrow after quitting lisinopril?

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!

I have been on lisinopril since december 08 for hypertention. My symptoms didn't appear immediatly. But as time went by, I started to notice extreme fatigue and a dry hacking cough. I ignored it at first because I was diagnosed in april of 08 with myastenia gravis. I thought it was just complications with my illness. So I told my internist about my symptoms and of course at first he wanted to blame it on allergies and sinus. I have never been so bothered with allergies in all of my 39 years so I new it had to be the pill. I have recently been to my doctor with continued complaints so he has taken me off of the pill and wants to see me back in 2weeks.

ALLERGIES, bee sting, Sulfa drugs: there's another caution about Lisinopril I just discovered. Not only is this drug not to be used with people who have history of dehydration, it is contraindicated with people with allergies such as bee stings and SULFA drugs. Do not take your med provider or pharmacist word, find out for yourself before swallowing something that could be POISON to you! God bless and good luck to all of you.

I am a 31 year old male, in decent shape (play basketball, volleyball, workout at least 3 times a week) but I have a family history of high blood pressure and have had it myself as long as I've been tested. Went to cardiologist as a check up on my slightly enlarged heart, long story short, ended up on Metoprolol (25mg) beginning of 2008 and have been fine but no real help with bp. Then was put Lisinopril (5mg) a few months ago and my blood pressure was great at last checkup. However during that time I had a couple of weeks where I was very dizzy, that sort of feeling your brain is taking a second to keep up with your head as you get up, along with a fogginess and what seemed like sinus issues but I chalked it up to weaning off of a small dosage of Zoloft I had taken for over a year. I also developed "the cough" everyone refers to, but since it is winter in New England I chalked it up to dry heat, even though it was a choking cough unlike any I've ever had before. Also during that time I seemed to completely lose my sex drive, again figuring it was just something to do with the Zoloft or general anxiety. Then in the past week I started getting a constant headache, having really interrupted sleep, very foggy and out of it, tired, dehydrated, constipation, nausea, all things that I would normally associate with allergies or some kind of sinus/flu, but yet I couldn't really pinpoint anything that would be causing it.

Then I finally started looking up things about the meds I was taking and came upon this site, and guess what? Everything and every way I was feeling was described in hundreds and hundreds of posts on this site. I don't think my side affects were quite as strong as some have experienced (for instance the cough is very infrequent, like twice a day) but I have only begun my journey with Lisinopril. So despite the warnings, I decided to stop taking it a few nights ago, and almost instantly I began feeling better the next day and since then.

I have since called my cardiologist and he has recommended I switch to Diovan, basically saying that based just on the cough symptom alone, he wants me off of Lisinopril as this is a known side affect. Now I am left debating whether or not I want to continue down this path of trying different combinations of pills to poison my body in order to lower my bp. It seems like others have noted marked differences between taking Diovan and Lisinopril, where the Diovan has been much more tolerable than Lisinopril (with a great decrease in any side-affects) but I'm 31 and although I know it will be very difficult to reduce my bp on my own (believe me, I've tried) maybe I'm too young to start with the "last resort" of these toxins. Just reading about the possibility that Lisinopril was robbing my body of zinc or other minerals, so that my immune system is greatly weakened, likely being the cause for most of the symptoms, is enough to ward me off of pills altogether. It's a sad statement on the state of health care in America when I am left to basically make such an important decision on my own, because I can't trust that my doctors aren't just working in the interest of the drug companies to boost their income. I don't want to have to choose between a silent killer and a horrible existence filled with "side-affects".

In the end, based on some of the reports on here, I think starting on 40mg of Diovan will be fine, but I will certainly be VERY wary of anything unusual and immediately find other options.

For just over two years I suffered with chronic sinus infections and I could not understand what the cause of it could be. My doctors (two sinus specialists and also GP) did not even know about this side effect of Lisinopril. I was on antibiotics five times last year. The sinus specialists told me I must go for sinus surgery. I tried to remember when my sinus problems started and tried to link it to something else. Then I realized that I started taking Lisinopril in September 2006. Shortly after this I had my first severe sinus infection and I almost had pneumonia from it. Shortly after I recovered (after taking a strong course of antibiotics) it was not three weeks then I had it again. I had sinus problems the whole of 2007 and 2008. I decided to do some research on the internet to see if the infections are related to Lisinopril. I was shocked to discover that so many people reported the same side effects. I requested my GP to change my BP medication to a different group (Non-ACE Inhibitor). I cannot believe the difference. No more sinus infections! Also, I had flu once so far and I managed to recover from it without the use of antibiotics. This is a real breakthrough for me. I am just glad that I found this forum.
JM, South Africa

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

I was on Avalide for a while did not like side effects of tiredness, vertigo like side effects, went to my doctor she took me off and put me on lisinopril 20mg I have to say I rather have the symptoms from my first BP meds than this one! have been on it 2 and a half months. It sucks! I watch what I eat exercise on a regular basis, I lost a total of two pounds in a two week time period whoopeee!!! I should have lost two pounds in the first week never mind the second week but two lousy pounds! its like an uphill battle, I am done and going back to the Avalide, oh yeah and I have that irritating dry scratchy cough I thought was due to allergies, it wakes me up or never let's me sleep through the night. This Med stinks!!!!

I've been on Lisinopril-HCTZ 10-12.5 for 8 months now. I hate it. So far I've experienced:

- dry cough
- headaches
- chest pains (under my left rib cage area. Its a sudden sharp pain that lasts maybe 2 seconds, then its gone. It'll do that a few times a day)
- stuffy nose (doctor told me it was allergies. Put me on allergy medication, have been on it for 2 months, and it hasn't helped)
- trouble breathing
- rashes
- fatigue (doctor assured me it would go away after a few weeks, but it hasn't)
- dizziness
- no menstrual cycle (this medication has stopped my periods all together)

I've had it with this crap. My primary doctor wasn't the one who put me on it. I haven't been able to see my primary doctor because I don't have insurance and couldn't afford it. I've been going to a community clinic. I'm willing to pay to see my primary doctor than continue going there. At least I'll know I'll be taken seriously.

Gil
I just wrote an entry concerning a potential problem of fatigue and tiredness which may be related to the ingestion of 20mg. of lisinopril on
a daily basis. I suggested the possibility that another BP Rx--Inderol might be better for some patients; of course, each person needs to check with his or her own physician to choose the right BP medication--often a matter of trial and error. I've been taking the lisinopril for almost three years; I started out with 10mg., then more, then 40mg./day. After retiring, my doctor and I found that I could get the same effect with half as much lisinopril; it took a few months after retiring. So now I'm taking 20mg. of lisinopril/day.
In the past 3 months or so, I've been experiencing a lot of tiredness and the need to sleep much more than is usual for me. I think it may be the lisinopril, and I've made and appointment with my doctor to discuss
a different medication. Everyone should check with his or her own physician before changing medications or taking new ones.
I neglected to mention that lisinopril is an ACE Inhibitor while Inderol is a Beta Blocker. Also, lisinopril is sometimes prescribed with hydrocholorothiazide. Hydrocholorothiazide is a diuretic. My physician first prescribed the combination of lisinopril and hydrocholorothiazide. However, in checking out this Rx on the internet, I noted that if one had an allergy to sulfa, it would be best not to take the hydrocholorothiazide since this diuretic is connected with sulfa in its formulation. My physician then prescribed only lisinopril and not the lisinopril/hydrocholorothiazide combination.
Again, each person needs to check with his or her physician to make sure they are getting the proper prescribed medication. It is also my belief that it's a good idea to read the literature provided by the pharmacy about any medication and also check the new Rx on the internet so one can know about the possible side effects and also any allergies(connected with the new Rx) one might already know about and have, as was the case with my taking hydrocholorothiazide.

I am taking 20 mg in combination with 12.5 HCZ. It has kept my BP in the normal range of 110/75. In the first day of my lisinopril regimen, I experienced a strange tickle at the back of my throat. My doctor said it was probably nothing. That gradually, over 6 months developed into fits of coughing that hit 2-3 times an hour and continued throughout the night. It was the coughing that made me finally decide to stop the drug. I also had constant mucus drainage down the back of my throat that I'm convinced is connected with the Lisinopril as well, although my doctor disagreed and said I had a low-grade, long term infection. Well, after 3 courses of 3 different antibiotics, it was still there. In the last week, I developed increased coughing fits, and was having an allergic reaction causing rashes under my arms, and itching in all the tender places. Doctor said the rashes and itching was a reaction to the Hydroclorothyazide. I'm now on Norvasc 10 mg. Hopefully this will be a better experience and still give me good control of the numbers.

I was put on Lisinopril in June by mid July started with the throat clearing then a choking feeling. Doctor saying its allergies, then post nasal drip, started Musinex plus Robitussin, so after nothing worked and I kept coughing they FINALLY, 12 weeks later ,says Oh I bets it's the Lisinopril DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't get anything to stop this choking cough its horrid I have been off the meds 5 days today, Its so hard at work and when trying to sleep I can only pray for some relief soon.......................

I am so glad I found this page. I was on Lisinopril and I just quit taking it 30 days ago. I have developed a cough and at times when playing sports I begin to feel like I cannot breathe. My doctor has prescribed a new medication but I hear lisinopril will stay in your system for approximately 90 days after you stop taking it.

I have also seen an Allergist just in case it was allergies and just by luck he had attended a conference recently regarding the side effects of Lisiopril. He diagnosed me with having the side effects but still took blood samples for further testing,

~ Mig

I was on 10mg of Lisinopril for 6 weeks (switched from Azor). After the first 3 days, I was having trouble swallowing . . . this went away 2 days later. Then, I was having trouble breathing, sinus problems, dizziness and constant FATIGUE during the course of the 6 weeks. I am a very active, energetic, 30 year old male. I'm not overweight, and play basketball 2 or 3 days a week. I really think I have White Coat Syndrome (170/110 at dr's office - 130/75 at home), but better safe than sorry.I could not even run for more than 5 minutes straight without feeling like I might pass out. I would have to say during those 6 weeks, I was functioning about 50% of normal, at best. I tried to stick it out to see if the side effects would go away; they only seemed to get worse over time. My Doctor said it was the "summer fever" and allergies. I felt it was the medication, especially after reading these posts, so I switched doctors. My new doctor took me off of this medication. He said Lisinopril can has been known to effect your lungs and cause breathing problems. He is located in the same practice as my previous doctor. Why she didn't inform me of any side effects, I'm not sure (thanks for nothing). All of my terrible symptoms were gone within a week. I am now taking Bystolic (5 weeks), and feel normal again. My father has been on 30mg of Lisinopril for 12 years, and never had any problems. I believe everyone reacts to medications differently. I am now on my 3rd medication in 7 months, and think I have found the one that works best. I guess I'm just one of those people that has trouble adjusting to medication. Good luck to those of you that have not found the right medication yet.

HELLO EVERYONE....IM SITTING AT WORK AND JUST DECIDED TO RESEARCH THIS DRUG LISINOPRIL...BECAUSE I AM REALLY BORED....WHEN I GOOGLED THE NAME I CAME ACROSS THIS SITE.....OMYGOSH...I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY...I HAVE BEEN TAKING Lisinopril FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW....I ALWAYS READ THE INSERTS THAT COME WITH THE MEDICATION BUT I NEVER SEEN THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT WE ARE HAVING ON THE INSERT...I SING IN THE CHURCH CHOIR AN I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY MY VOICE WOULD BE SO HORRIBLE AND MESSED UP..I AM SO HAPPY I GOOGLED THIS DRUG...DOSE ANYONE KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES BEFORE YOUR BODY GOES BACK TO NORMAL AFTER STOPPING THE DRUG....

I am a 62 yo female who was prescribed Lisinopril in February. Within a week I had such a continuous horrible dry, hacking cough that I trouble communicating with others. This cough was particularly bad during the night. I have had to live with water and cough drops as my constant companions. I can honestly say that I have only slept through the night once from February until last night. My PCP finally decided that I did not have a sinus infection and that a codeine based cough medicine was not the answer and switched me from Lisinopril to Avapro on Monday, June, 2nd. According to my PCP it could take up to a week for the cough to go away.

I have been on Singular for 3 years, the Dr prescribed
this for allergies. This past year I have noticed an increase in
sinus drainage constantly and a cough. Also some wheezing when I
lay down. A nurse told me today about
the write up on Singular and coughing because of Lisinopril.
Well coincidentally just last week I decided to stop the Singular and
no more sinus. drainage. NO MORE SINGULAR FOR ME and I am also telling my friends about it.
Signed Relieved and no more cough

For three months I have had a hacking cough. I was on pro-air, symbicort, nasanex, singulair, and allegra plus atenolol, lipitor. I went to my family dr. four times during this period and ended up with a pulmonologist last week and an allergist this week. My main doctor, a nice young doc, suggested it might be the linsinipril was causing the cough. His P.A. even had me off it a week. Bottom line is this: it takes longer than a week to find out if the cough is from Lisinopril and the cough does not come as a result of Lisinopril until you have a n infection or cold. I had been on the Lisinopril for two months when I got a cold at Christmas. I have been hacking ever since. Blood work and skin tests today revealed no allergies. I am to go off all allergy meds and the lisinopril. I am hopeful the hacking will subside.

45 year old female - 10mg per day taken at night for kidney protection. CONSTANT cough to the point I sometimes gag and get a pounding headache. Sinus drainage, leg cramps at night, itching red skin, can't sleep at night, very irritable. I actually thought I had a bad cold for the last 3 months with some allergies kicking in - BS - it is the Lisinopril - I know that now after reading hundreds of people saying the same thing...I e-mailed my doctor today and told her I want off this horrible drug!

Thank goodness I typed in "Dry cough "and "gag." I found this site and now I know WHY I can't seem to get over this "cold."

I've been on lisinopril for about 3.5 weeks and I was beginning to think I had suddenly developed allergies. I get this terrible tickle and I try to fight it, because I know once I start coughing, it will take a while to settle down again. My eyes water, my head throbs, and I reach a point of nearly gagging. In addition, I get to deal with the added pleasures of menopausal stress incontinence. I'm MISERABLE!

I've been needing to schedule an MRA for another non-related issue, and I have been putting it off due to concerns about being in the MRI machine and not being able to catch my breath.

Thanks to all of your input here, I'm calling my doctor tomorrow. Enough is enough!

Help!! I need some advice. I'm 47 and have been diagnosed with HBP. I'm 6'2", 250 lbs. My Dr. has prescribed Lisinopril, which I'm suppose to pick up today. I've never been on any prescription medicine before. Don't have any known allergies. My BP averages 138/90 in the am and 170/117 in the evening. My fear is once I start taking this medication, am I on it forever? The side-effect described on this board are frightening. Any advice??

I take Lisinopril and have for about 4 years. No side effects, but over about the last year I noticed increased coughing--like a smoke who quit. I "weeze" regularly, especially while laying down. I'm going to stop the medicine for 2 weeks starting today and will report back and see if the cough improves.
RJP

I have been on Lisinopril for about 6 months now. Was taken off of Labetalol after having side effect of persistent congestion. So now on Lisinopril I'm experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing, hands fall asleep and go numb to the point where I can't even feel my fingers, and starting two weeks ago I had vesicles on my feet that I treated with Elidel and they responded, then I got extremely itchy skin on my ankle and lower legs which is not going away with lotions (I have always had dry skin, but never itchy like this). Is this due to poor circulation due to too low of BP? What's the deal? Has anyone had these symptoms? Is there another drug that has no side effects? Does reducing the dosage of Lisinopril help eliminate side effects? Is it possible that Singular, Rhinocort or Elestat (all for allergies) can cause any of these symptoms? I'm tired of my body negatively reacting to drugs that I "need", especially the BP drugs. A heart attack or stroke is certainly worse, but these "side effects" are ridiculous! Help! Any ideas? I'll check back in to read your responses. Thanks.

I've just started my third month on Lisinopril. The cough I assumed was either caused by either my recent exposure to airbag powder in an accident or allergies that had to go untreated since most medications don't work with HBP. Sometimes I just can't stop. I'll be fine and then the tickle starts and then the hacking. At night, I try to sleep with my head elevated so I don't gag. I insisted on a followup visit with the prescribing doctor because of the strange tingling I was experiencing in my hands. Wake up fine, take Lisinopril and by lunch time my hands felt like they were "fuzzy". Skin tingling like from cold, but hands actually warm. Doctor didn't believe this to be side effect of medication, but it looks like from the comments I've read it could be. I've also experienced the tiredness or lack of energy, but then sometimes at night it's hard to sleep. I really would like to stop the Lisinopril (10 mg dose). I didn't like what I read about Diovan either. Anyone going holistic?

I took the horrible drug for five weeks. I have been to the doctor 3 times. They gave me anti-biotics and said I had brochitis. I have a terrible sounding cough and mucus, I missed over two weeks of work and sent alot of money on medicine. I stopped taking Lisinopril 10 days ago, I feel better but not 100%. My doctor says that if will take a while for the cough to go away. I so mad because I really believed I was dying and took chest x-rays and a TB test. My boyfriend has been giving my dirty looks, and guess he think he going to catch somethimg This medicine has ruined my summer and my vacation, because I'm afraid that I will gave a coughing attack so I stay close to home or if I do go out I keep cough drops and cough syrup in my purse. I feel like a drug addict.

Doctor prescribed, but wanted to check side effects before taking it, am glad I have! Anyone else that's a smoker with mild hypertension (140/90) taking this med? Now I'm afraid of taking it because I already have a problem with coughing and post nasal drip, choking sensation, near vomiting. Also am on Celexa 60 mg for depression and anxiety and certainly don't want to take something that's going to increase my anxiety! Any others taking Lisinopril and Celexa?

My husband went on Lisinopril in Feb 07, his bp went down and was regulated his headaches almost left but then he had sinus surgery in mar or apr. He has now developed muscle twitching and now the "doctors" say he has Motor Neuron Disease.... I refuse to believe after reading everyone's side affects that this 41 year old with no family history of this other than 1/2 siblings with high bp that he has this disease. He has experienced neck stiffness like it is broken (had MRI) no broken bones or slipped disc, he has had the chills, hw has vision blurred issues, heaviness in his legs, left side of his body more prominent than the right, he has crazy dreams and thoughts, he feels like he is dying, he doesn't however have any coughs, he has anxiety which they put him on anti depressant. After reading others comment I researched this med, it was developed by venom in a poisonous Brazilian snake. My husband as a child would get bitten by wasps, fire ants etc.. they would rush him to ER for meds and he used to take shots if stung, swells up like a balloon. So in my theory this med has the snake bite affects and I believe this has caused him to have this neuron disease but I can't prove it. His muscles twitch all the time. I believe this drug has been slowly poisoning him to a eventually paralysis to death. I have begged the doctor to take him off. He has but now he is on Atenolol, which is not much better but has no snake venom or ACE inhibitors. Please people email me. I am desperate we need to band together.
Thanks you Joann

I have been on lisinopril since January 07. I had a drug eluting stent put in my heart Feb 05, and after a bad experience with Beta Blockers had to go off of them, and try to find natural ways to help my heart/pulse rate. The lisinopril has helped with the pulse spikes, and lowered my bp, but the past three months I have been experiencing really bad cramps on the left side of my body and in chest. Very frightening and uncomfortable, wake you up in the middle of the night. both legs, and kidney area. Cannot carry my purse or anything heavy on left side. Also had bad cough in the morning. It got so bad this weekend thought I was going to have a heart attack. I awoke this morning realizing that maybe, just maybe it is the BP medication. Would not be the first time I have had problems with the poisen doctors hand out. I want to find a natural supplement that will lower my bp, without the lisinopril it was about 150/90, not great, but not too crazy. I think I won't refill the lisinopril and see how it goes....any ideas out there?

thank god I found this sight! Tossed my Lisinopril in the trash can. I have been on it for about 8 months. I suffer from allergies and thought nothing of the cough/ tickle that I was experiencing....Except that it got worse, and never went away. My husband complained about my coughing at night. My boss was always telling me to go to a doctor ( which i did- and said it was allergies) and everyone in general got tired of hearing me cough/hack all the time. Then I started having really bad coughing fits. I cough so bad, I thought I would pass out. The whites of my eyes would turn blood red. Sometimes I would be close to vomitting. It was awful to be in a meeting at work and start one of these coughing fits. It sounded awful, and everyone looks at you while you helplessly sit there coughing your brains out. Screw it. I can't live like this. I am overweight. I know losing weight will help my bp alot, and have been working out some. I've lost 10lbs, but could stand to lose another 50. I'm now more motivated to work on this.

My main problem with Lisinopril is the coughing. Coughing, coughing. coughing. I will be fine for 2 to 3 hours and then start with this awful cough. People will actually turn away from me if I am out shopping and a cough begins. I presume they believe it is contagious. Sometimes I end up vomiting and I cannot catch my breath. Coughing at night is really a problem because of lack of sleep. Doctors believe my cough is due to allergies because I have post nasal drip. However, none of the medications they have given me stop the coughing. I never had this problem until I began taking Lisinopril. Lisinopril is my first Blood Pressure medication.

Has anyone on Lisinopril experienced upper GI problems such as Achalasia, trouble eating, reflux, or getting food 'stuck' in the esophagus?
My wife has lost 50 lbs in a year due to inability to eat from what was initially diagnosed as Achalasia (rare disease that affects the operation of the muscles in the esophagus and/or lower esophageal sphincter at the top of the stomach). However, Botox injections in the LES provided little relief which is not typical for Achalasia patients. She tests negative for Barrett's Syndrome and any form of Connective Tissue Disease (or arthritis).
My MD recently put me on Lisinopril (another horror story); while I was researching the drug, I noticed that it could cause muscle weakness. My wife backtracked the date that she was put on Lisinopril and it coincided with the onset of her GI problems. While monitoring her BP several times a day, she has cut back to 1/2 dose and has shown a marked improvement in the last 10 days. (It is too early to say with certainty that Lisinopril is causing the GI problems.)
Has anyone experienced similar problems?

I started taking Lisinopril for my bp about 2 1/2 months ago and even though it did lower my bp, I started having strange side-effects. It started out with drowsiness throughout the day, no matter how much sleep I got. And, waking up feeling drowsy even after 8-10 hours of sleep. Then, I started getting strange aches and pains throughout my body, like I was getting over a stomach flu. My asthma also flared up and I started having to use my inhaler for the first time in almost 15 years (usually I just need it after exercise.) The side-effects continued to get worse over the next months with increased fatigue, drowsiness, coughing, anxiety, muscle aches, poor concentration, feeling like my nerves were "shot," headache, weakness, tightness in my lungs, numbness in my hands and feet, and just plain feeling bad.
I made an appointment to see my doctor because I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. It crossed my mind that I might be feeling this way because of the Lisinopril. I stumbled across this website and after reading everyone's testimonials, I decided to stop the Lisinopril. I haven't taken it in 3 1/2 days, and I am already feeling much better. I would rather try a more holistic approach to lowering my bp then taking Lisinopril.
I hope this helps someone else out there who might be going through the same thing.

I have just called my dr. for an appt. I was not researching Lisinopril I was looking for info to email someone - happened to spot the first post...I nearly fell over! I now know I am not losing my mind, because that's how I've been feeling - the cough, the weary feeling, palps, my anxiety increase, etc. etc. Low readings that I'm wondering if I'm still alive, and this head detached from my body,, feeling, sort of walking like a well in control drunk, if that makes sense to anyone, a feeling like "iI'm gonna have a stroke" feeling in my head...it feels "tights". I started this med. last year, and feel this has been a gradual on-coming train! I have anxiety, and try to keep it under control myself, since I took prosac for about a week, talk about looney - look up another charming side affect - akethesia - nasty. For one poster who said we're all overweight nuts, I am 103lbs, I do a mile every evening, and eat very healthy, thank you.

All you are Hypochondriacs. If one person says this medicine is causing this, then of course; you all have the same problem "some how." Isn't this weird? It is called the "placebo effect." Normally all the people involved in the testing are given "Lisinopril" (or some other drug), then the placebo group is given a vitamin supplement, the group receving the vitamin supplement is being told they are receving "Lisinopril." Mysteriously?, the "placebo group" is all feeling better and their symptoms are gone. This is due to the fact that all these people in the "placebo group" have interacted with eachother and have told eachother "I feel better" than of course everybody feels better. So WEIRD!! So, my point is this forum is all your peoples "placebo group." If you guys never heard of these side effects from this forum you would have never experinced them. Hypochondriacs all of you are. This is a very good medicine that is helping all of you make up for your peoples lack of self-disipline to control your diet or exercise enough to lower your blood pressure naturally. So be thankful. Lets not complain about false side effects because John has them. I wonder what the side-effects of that cheese burger are that caused high blood pressure. It is funny, I don't see a forum for that. So deal with your so called "side-effects" that are associsted with "Lisinopril" or go on a diet people. Get over it!!

My husband has been on Lisinopril for three months. Right after he started to cough. The Doctor treated him with antibiotics for pnumonia, and then broncitis. Then medicated him for acid reflux(thinking that was causing the problem) Still no luck! He then was sent to Ear,Nose,and Throat specialists who treated him for allergies. No luck either. His regular Doctor then thought is might be the Lisinopril!! Well, he has been off this drug for a week and still coughing with nasal drainage etc.and is exhausted all the time. Any Idea how long this will last..and when I will get my fun husband back? At least long enough to get a kiss without a cough!! Thanks for any ideas.

WOW! I have learned a lot from reading these comments concerning Lisinopril (I take 20mg each evening). I started taking it about 5 days ago. I took my BP a while ago because my stomach was hurting and my head was pounding! To my surprise it was 101/67. I am not thinking that is normal....Any suggestions? My bp has been borderline for the last 3-4 months after taking meds for severe allergies.

I started taking Lisinopril 5/31/2006. I started coughing in June. At first I did not think anything of it, since every summer at the height of allergy season, I always have a coughing spell for 4-6 weeks. But this time, it did not go away and seemed a lot worse. I did take a cough medicine (codiclear DH syrup). This is the only cough syrup that I have found that has ever helped any cough I have ever had. It did help slightly, but usually only to help me get over my coughing a little easier. When I coughed, I had what you would call coughing spells. When I coughed, it would only last for about 2-3 minutes. I would cough until I could get a little bit of phlem up and then only after that, would it start to subside. I would have these spells about every hour or so. I coughed to the point of throwing up and like others, it got worse at night where I would wake up every 1 - 1 1/2 hours coughing, sometime waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep at all. The one thing that seemed to help a little was water. I always had to keep water with me 24/7. I would drink about 16 oz. every hour. It sound like a lot, but it was necessary just to survive the coughing. This continued for about 4 months when my doctor thought I had Reflux and prescribed a reflux medication. This really did not help at all. She then prescribed another reflux med and said if this did not help, I would have to have a micro-oscopy (sp?), where they put a microscope down your throat. I still at this point thought it was still allergies, so I went to my allergy specialist that said it was not allergies and he thought it was a sinus infection even though I had no symptoms. He prescribed an expensive antibiotic, which did not help, then ordered a CAT scan which showed my sinuses crystal clear. After 6 months of coughing, throwing up and not sleeping, I decided to go online to see if one of my meds was keeping me up at night. To my surprise I came across information that Lisinopril causes persistant dry cough. I immediately went off after consulting my pharmacist, since it was a holiday weekend and on Tuesday called my dr. to let her know what I found out. She prescribed another bp med. It has been 2 weeks since I have been off Lisinopril and I am just now starting to see an improvement. My coughing is about 50% better. About 2 weeks ago I also asked my doctor to prescribe a coughing pill that I had been prescribed before. It is Tessalon, or the generic Bensonatate. For the first time in 6 1/2 months, I finally slept most of the night without coughing and only woke up once or twice to go to the bathroom. I also took my cough syrup to at night. I just saw my doctor today and she also precribed a steroid inhaler to help calm things down. Even though the lisinopril is out of your system after 48 hours, depending on how long you have been coughing, it may take a while for things to calm down because everything is irritated from coughing for so long. I hope this has helped, because I know how hard it is to find information that might help when things seem hopeless. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or need some advice or support.

My grandma had told me about a cough she had had for sometime - completely unrelated but she told me she went to the doctor and told them she was tired of coughing. SO - I have been on Lisinopril for 3 1/2 years and have a had a eprsistent dry cough the whole time. I also have allergies so I had chalked it up to that the whole time. I went to the doctor last Friday and told them I wanted help with my "allergies" as I was tired of coughing - intermittent - dry - 8-10 times a day with a post nasal drip to follow - waking me up at night and socially embarrassing. The nurse linked it to the Lisinopril but said it is usually only a side effect for those with asthma. The doctor came in and ultimately switched me to Atenolol. In a mere 3 days my cough of 3 1/2 years has all but gone. I have had only one fit since then! I was also experience extreme windedness with the slightest exertions - i.e walking up hill or up a flight of stairs which I had also chalked up to the "allergies" - I have also noticed that is all but gone as well. I had no idea this was all linked to the Lisinopril! Thank God for my grandma who was tired of her own cough too, which encouraged me to seek help for mine. I feel so much better.

I just found this site. Whew, I am not going crazy! I began taking 5 mg. of Lisinopril a couple of years ago and it didn't seem to help my borderline blood pressure. We moved to another state and the the new Dr. upped it to 10 mg. I have been on this for a few months and have experienced several of the symptoms others have shared. My coughing, especially at night, can be horrific. Since I have allergies, I thought it was associated with them, however, I never had coughing spells like these, until Lisinopril. Other symptoms included heart burn and dull headaches. The most significant problems I have had are sleeplessness, a few anxiety attacks at night, diarrhea and serious dizziness. I have gained weight and my Dr. wants me to lose 15 pounds. But no matter what I do I can't seem to shed the unwanted pounds.

I spoke to my previous Dr. who told me to take Imodium for the diarrhea (common complaint in people over 50) and didn't seem too concerned about the sleeplessness. The dizziness has begun since being on 10 mg. and has been progressively worse. Maybe I should also go off the Lisinopril. Now there are concerns about diabetes-none in immediate family that I know of.

I have been coughing and coughing for at least 5 months now, I had no idea that it was related to my blood pressure medicine. I learned it from a bank manager who ask me if I had allergies. I explaned to her no, I am not sure what it is. that the doctor thought I had asthma and gave me an inhaler and everything but that did not stop the cough. I am so glad she told me about her experience with some blood presure medicine. I am going to the doctor on Thursday and can't wait to let them know what I found out. I have been coughing so much and its making me so tired. What a great website to find out information.

I was put on Lisinopril for high blood pressure one month ago. I had previously been on Benicar but could not afford it to be quite honest as I am a single mom. Anyway I developed the dry hacking cough right away but thought it was allergy related as the pollen count around here is unbearable. Finally after taking all kinds of over the counter meds for allergies to try and ease the cough, I finally went back to the doc to be treated for the allergies ? only to be informed by the doc of the cough as a side effect of taking Lisinspril. I had no allergy at all ! He immediatley switched me to Diovan ( I think I have that spelling right as I don't have the bottle in front of me ) and so since I am still coughing some ( not as bad ) and since its just been 2 days I thought I would look into seeing how long this cough was supposed to last after discontinuing the medicine so hence I found my way to this web site listing side effects. Haven't found out how long I might still have the cough after discontinuing but hope its not much longer. Anyway just wanted to post and warn all about the cough. It is horrible and kept me up all night long for weeks and would choke you without warning. Awful stuff althought it did the trick where the blood pressure was concerned I can not justify the cough.

I had been taking Lisinopril for about 10 years for high blood pressure, and had the terrible cough everyone talks about. I didn't know it was from the medecine. Over the 10 years the doctor kept raising the strength of Lisinopril until the dose was 40mg. As the cough got worse, they started treating me for allergies, so I was taking Naseral and Loratadine. Finally I asked to see an Allergy doctor!!! They tested me for Asthma, and asked a lot of questions. The Allergy doctor said He didn't think I had any allergies, but that 10% of the people taking Lisinopril had the same cough. I was taken off all allergy medecine (was given Nephedepine in place of the Lisinopril) It has been 2 months now and the cough is almost gone!!! A little side benefit is that the restlessness in my legs at night is gone!! Alleluia!!! I will never take Lisinopril again.

I just was prescribed this medication after going to a new dr twice and having very high BP. My last reading was 170/110. I've been on it 3 weeks now. The dr NEVER once mentioned the cough as a side effect.

I noticed it started 2-3 days after I started the medication and thought it was my allergies since I have severe allergies. The cough kept getting worse and worse, as did my tiredness. I'm up ALL night coughing my brains out from this crappy drug!

I'm 27 yrs old and now am wetting the bed thanks to coughing so hard at night!! I'm embarrased to have to sleep with a towel underneath me because I'm coughing so hard (even in my sleep) that I'm leaking urine.

I went back to the dr yest thinking I was sick because of the severe coughing and horrible sore throat. Not until I found this and many other sites did I realize it was the Lisinopril! The kicker is that yest my BP was just as high as it was pre-Lisinopril! I'm going to stop taking it as of tonight, especially if it's not even working!

How long did it take to have an effect on your BP? 3 weeks should have been enough time for it to work if it was going to IMO. I can't stand the coughing anymore! Even the codine cough syrup my dr gave me isn't helping me sleep. Now I just hope the cough won't linger for weeks like I've heard it can.

For the past year or so, I've had a tickle in my throat that only comes when I lie down or try to sleep at night. I can't shake it despite water, coughing, or spraying my throat with Zycam +D for coughs. It's been driving me mad and ruining my sleep. I told my doctor and he said allergies and prescribed allergy medicine. Did no good. Now, just today, I think it might be related to Lisinopril, which I've been on about the same amout of time. I'm going to stop taking it today to see if that stops the throat tickle. If it works, I'm going to ask my doctor for another med. Anyone else found something that works instead of Lisinopril. This annoying tickle has just about send me over the edge. I'm even waking up my husband, who can sleep through anything!

I have been taking lisinopril for about two months. Shortly after I started taking it, I noticed a dry, annoying cough. As it was winter time, I didn't worry about it too much. Several people had been sick with coughs and colds. I did notice, however, that it kept getting worse. I mentioned it to the doctor during a routine checkup. She checked my lungs and throat, and said that it was most likely allergies, and that my lungs were clear. I would wake up during the night, coughing so hard I would almost vomit. My throat felt like it had something caught in it, and would occasionally be swollen. Two night ago the symptoms got so bad, I felt like I was suffocating. I also experienced minor joint pains, and thought that was from the flu.

I called the doctor, and they said that these were side effects of lisinopril, and they called in a different prescription for an alternative blood pressure medicine. When I went to the pharmacy to pick up the new medicine, I mentioned to the pharmacist that I was allergic to the lisinopril. She said that the same thing had happened to her, with the coughing, etc.

I would avoid this medication at all costs, or at least stay on top of things with the doctor and report any side effects of the coughing. Don't let them just tell you its allergies ..... it is allergies, but it was the pills that I was allergic to. (As a side note, this is the only medication in 50 years that I have developed a reaction to ...... ).

I had been on Lisinopril for nine months when I developed a sinus condition which appears to be attributed to allergies. I have not had allergies before. My doctor put me on Flonase, Singular and Zrytec to alleviate the sinus condition but after three months I still am plagued with it. I am now having a terrible time with sleepliness. Prior to the sinus condition I developed a tickle in my throat that lead to frequent coughing.
I asked my Doctor if Lisinopril could be causing these problems and his answer was negative. I am going to tell him to get me off this medication.

I started on Lisinopril 3 weeks ago and have had increasing problems ever since. First, I got the cough, which I was warned about by my pharmacist and my doctor. I also started having sudden, sharp pains in the toes of my right foot, like I was having an electric shock. I also had several severe leg cramps. Then my right knee started hurting and I had not injured it in any way. I have also had very severe burning eyes, that I atributed to allergies. My ankles also stay very swollen, something that has never happened before. Within the last week I have experienced extreme shortness of breath, tiredness beyond belief, a feeling that I could lay down whereever I am at the moment and go to sleep. I had no energy whatsoever, zero. last night I went to bed at 6:00pm and got up this morning at 9:30 am that's 15-1/2 hours! That signaled the end of my taking Lisinopril, I am not taking any other medication, so that has to be the culprit.
It is now 1:20 in the afternoon and as I did not take the lisinopril this morning, I feel much,much better as far as my energy level is concerned. We will have to wait and see if any other side effects appear or disappear, I'll let you know.

I am going to print out a lot of the comments on this forum and take them to my doctor and pharmacist.

Thank goodness I found this site...I couldn't understand where my persistent cough was coming from till I received a pamphlet from my drug provider and saw coughing from Lisinopril.

I have been taking the pill for five months and over the last two months I started with a slight cough which I thought was an allergy...never had allergies, but thought it was Spring..by now in July I have a choking cough and from the remarks I have read I can relate to the choking tightening feeling in my throat and when I go to talk..my throat closes and it hurts to cough..feels like a bronchitis cough..I never smoked either..
My doctor is on vacation and I have an appt in two weeks..
Does this cough cause further harm to you...Why does it make us cough..It has helped my pressure also I take Hydrochlodrate (probably didn't spell it correctly)...I have to carry water with me even when I go to church..because out of nowwhere I began this choking cough..

Again, great to be able to relate to someone els with same issues..

I am sorry I every took Lisinopril. The doctor perscribed it because I was getting headaches every day for about 4 months or so. But when I took this drug all of a sudden I developed drainage thinking I developed allergies. Then I got a scrating feeling in my throat that wouldn't go away. The next thing was I would cough after eating, and I would cough so hard to the point I would wet my pants. I talked to a different doctor that told me to read this web site. Sure enough it showed that this was a side effect of Lisinopril. Uncontrolable coughing is a sign that you should not take this drug!

I have sat here for almost 2 hours reading about all the horrible side effects from Lisinopril, much of the time with tears rolling down my cheeks. I am a 47-year old woman who was prescribed this drug about 5 months ago. My Dr. told me that the most common side effect was a dry cough. Shortly after, I did develop a cough, but was certain it was due to allergies (although my friends with allergies weren't coughing their lungs out). Like another person in this forum, I began obsessing about what could be causing the cough. I changed my sheets more often, began vacuuming more. I even considered purchasing a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze air purifier. I also tend to be a worrier, and over the past couple of weeks, I have thought of my dad, who died of lung cancer 2 years ago. Could I have it too, even though I never smoked? I have also noticed a feeling of significant sadness. I attributed that to grieving my youngest son getting ready to go off to college. Now I'm not so sure. I seem to cry at the drop of a hat.

I am so grateful I searched the web for "Lisinopril and coughing". Your comments have helped me to feel a little less anxious about the really scary thoughts I've been having, and have encouraged me to call my Dr. and have my meds changed. I have to admit that the drug did lower my blood pressure, but it's not worth it! I'm exhausted by lack of sleep! I also plan on buying my own bp monitor, because when I go to the Dr.'s, I always have "white coat" syndrome, and my bp reads high. After I sit for a minute, and my exam is done, they take it again, and it has lowered.

Good luck to all of you, and again, thanks for all your wisdom!