Lisinopril and anxiety

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!

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!

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.

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 a 51 year old woman and have been taking Lisinopril for 8 months. I have a total lack of sex drive now and have felt sad and depressed often. I also have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. I had severe dermatitis (rash on trunk and back) about four weeks ago that required medicine to clear up. I thought it might be my bra, but now, after reading a few posts, I'm thinking it's the Lisinopril, too. Shortly after the rash my thick hair started thinning quickly. I, too, am afraid to step into the shower, as so much hair comes out it clogs the drain. It feels and looks very thin now. I have not added any new routines or products to my life to be causing these symptoms, except the Lisinopril. I went through menopause at age 43, I plan to visit with my Dr. next week about switching meds.

I forgot to mention the incessant tingling in my arms and hands and periodic numbness/tingling in my face.....but the muscle weakness and anxiety are thee worst side affects. I also just started having a cough out of no where. I am stopping this med, at 26 years old I should be able to bring down my HBP with diet, exercise, and weight loss.

Wow, amazing that I am not the only one with Lisinopril side effects that are life affecting! First off, I am 26 years old, overweight but never had HBP until my son was born 4 months ago and now it won't go down. I average in the 130's/80's. I have only been on Lisinopril for 9 days and I have been having extreme weakness in my limbs, horrific anxiety, and my chest feels like I am about to have a heart attack. Had an echocardiogram 2 months ago and all was normal except trace tricuspid insufficiency, which the cardiologist said was nothing to worry about. I ended up in the ER yesterday thinking I was having a heart attack because I almost passed out and was so weak in my arms and legs. Blood work was all normal and I had two EKG's, which were normal despite a slightly elevated heart rate, because I was freaked out. I decided I am going to stop taking the Lisinopril and see how I do. I will control my own HBP with exercise and weight loss.

Funny, I've been on Lisinopril for 4 yrs. & just noticed the tip of my tongue felt numb & with a weird taste. I thought it was from the Hysterectomy I had ungone a month ago. Nope it's due to the Lisinopril. So is the depression. WOW, I think it may be time to change BP Meds.

This is in response to someone who suggested that if you just take the pill as ordered, you will be ok. T0 put it simply , you are wrong. There are more than a few people affected by this drug. The problem is most people assume that because they have high blood pressure their health is already compromised and they put the weird symptoms and problems they have on their overall health.
I started taking Lisinopril 5 years ago and not once did my doctor connect my sudden problems to Lisinopril.
I was told I needed my right shoulder cuff repaired cause I was overweight and I believed it. I was told I had GERD cause the abdominal fat was pushing the acid into my throat. I believed it. I started having menstrual problems I was told I was getting old ( I am on ly 42 years old). I believed it.
I started having memory and concentration issues I was told I was too stressed at work. I believed it. Started having heart attack and stroke symptoms. I was told I had high blood pressure and I needed to lose weight. I believed it. My knees and joints started giving out.. again I was told I was overweight. Lose weight and I will get better. I believed it. Started having rib cage pain like shingles and I was told it might be my gall bladder. I had a HIDA scan and nothing was found.
One day last summer I felt like I was dying a slow death and I went to the hospital and was found out I was in heart failure, heart rate was irregular and kidney function was impaired.
I was admitted to the ICU for 3 days. While in the ICU I had my blackberry and I started googling all of my meds and I came across this site and I suddenly felt like a thousand pounds was lifted off my shoulders. That was the last Lisinopril pill i took and guess what? EVERY single one of the above problems have magically disappeared.

I work in a healthcare setting where people are admitted that are critically ill. Whenever I see a particular diagnosis I immediately scan their meds and what do I see? Lisinopril. People are having joints replaced, stomach surgeries, shoulder surgeries, irregular heart beats, unexplained heart attacks, people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer and dementia on this drug. People are getting brain lesions and the list goes on and on.
There are over 30 million people worldwide on this drug. If drugs were so good why are people getting sicker and sicker.
Please don't take this drug. Do what you have to do to get your blood pressure under control.

I have been on lisinopril for a few months now, as of this past Monday I stopped taking it. I am 55 years old, blood pressure was not going down extremely fast just being on Hydrochlorothiazide, but not over the border line either. Doctor suggested Lisinopril to lower my blood pressure lower in addition to the other.

I immediately developed the cough. I have also since been to the doctor for what I thought were symptoms leading up to a heart attack or stroke. Nausea, rapid heart beat, lots of anxiety feelings, even when trying to sleep, light headed, a sudden feeling of just going to fall. They have completed an EKG and a treadmill stress test, nothing showed anything abnormal.

I am convinced it is the Lisinopril. Also, when I questioned my Doctor a while back that my blood pressure was now very low, like 107/71 on some days, he did not seem to concerned, he suggested I take one or the other every other day, so much for follow up on the patient. Did not even bother to check to see if it made a difference.

I agree with the other people, Doctors do not seem to take you serious when trying to describe your symptoms especially if you are a smoker. I know smoking is bad, but if I were not a smoker would I be treated a whole lot different. I just know that I want to see the difference being off of Lisinopril then I will approach my Doctor.

Alright, listen. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for those who have found this site. My story was posted on June 20th. I would have to say that I cannot trust any doctors for anything since then. This web site has saved me money from the idiot doctors and my insanity. Really. It is so scary that when you go to the doctor they will never investigate your meds you are taking and will send you through many tests and prescribe you medicine that you don't need. I went through 4 different doctors multiple times that prescribed many different things with no effect to my condition. I went off Lisinopril and went back on Diovan and it took 8 days before I noticed any improvement. During those 8 days I got more depressed because I didn't feel any better. Then my symptoms started going away. My anxiety and coughing started to decrease. By the second week i did not need the help of sleeping pills to knock me out due to the anxiety at night and the gagging and coughing decreased.Since then I am almost back to normal. I still though have some symptoms of coughing, but not that bad. If you found this site and taking Lisinopril, please take note that your doctor is probably wrong. You are not going to die. Get off the da#m med and start living again. It may take longer than me. Don't get discouraged.It may take more than a month or so. Stay strong. I am pissed off and would love to beat the s&it out of the ones that created Lisinopril. I know we are the small % that has the effects, but get it off the market. People are dead from this med and the others are going though Hell......I feel for the ones who have had family members that have died from allergic reactions. I had an undiagnosed throat swelling that took me to the ER. I know what it was now...Take care, stay strong, get off Lisinopril, enjoy the rest of your life...

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

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

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

i am 30 yrs old and started taking lisinopril 20 mg along with 25 mg of hydrochlorothiazide about 6 weeks ago and then lisinopril was raised to 40 mg and i dont know whats worse the high blood pressure or the side affects that im getting,tired all the time,that damn cough,shortness of breathe,diarrhea,and nausea and a racing pulse that when i was watching tv went up to 135 and my insides just started to shake.im starting to get a little scared with my high pulse .if anyone else has the high pulse due to lisinopril p;ease let me know,thank you

I'm 51 and in good shape. I ran 60+ miles in Dec, a PR 5K and then started Lisinopril in late January. Since then I have been fatigued and wiped out after running - no longer get the runner's high at all. Two weeks ago I ran 6 miles and couldn't get out of bed for two days. Family doc said quit the stuff. That was 6 days ago - ran 3 today and was pretty wiped - also seen a pick up in anxiety. Any advice? How long does this stuff take to clear your system? When can expect my stamina to return? Thanks.

Hi everyone, I was on Lisinopril for about 3 months. I ended up having a really bad panic attack, numbness, thought I was having a heart attack. I even had the cough, which was the worse. I am glad to say that I stopped taking the medicine and its been about a month now, I still have the heart racing, but its few and far between, but everything else is pretty much gone. No more coughing, no more tingling, I still get anxious (anxiety) every now and then, but hopefully that will disappear soon as well. There is hope after lisinopril.

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.

I am a 37 year old female who has inherited my hbp. I was taking diazide, which gave me headaches, but now I take the lisinopril. I get the cough, to wear it is gagging sometimes and now I am having the palpitations. How long before you stop taking the medicine does the side effects go away. I don't like this medicine at all. My pressure is down however.......

! am a 45 yo male and have been taken in 10 mg of Lisinopril for the past 4 yrs. I am 230 lbs and my doctor tells me that he would stop prescribing Lisinopril when I lose about 20 lbs. I also need to tone down on the sugars, liquor, salt etc. which makes sense. I just realized that when I saw this website, I too at times felt the dizziness, faintness, cramps on my hands, especially when I am weight lifting and playing a quick short game of basketball with my son. I am going to stop taking this for a week and schedule a physical check-up to see where my bp stands without it. For the past half of year I have been walking 4 miles per day and trying to eat healthier. I also, have been depressed, some stomach pains, headaches are like those that seem to feel like pressure near my temples. I also play the drums on weekends and have had cramps and have experienced much tendinitis on my shoulders. Anxiety and sleep problems also affect me. I notice that when I am off my dosage, I do feel much better and more energetic. I feel though I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't take this drug.....anyways...thanks for your posts!

Lisinopril has ruined my life! I used to feel great. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, so my doctor put me on this poison. I've been on it for about five years, and each year have had different medical problems. My bp was high, but not terribly high before this poison (150 over 95). After going on the poison it went down to 130 over 80. I don't think it's been worth it! I've had a dry cough from hell, anxiety, insomnia, weakness, itchy skin, hives, pain in my abdomen, kidney stones, tired all the time, and worst of all it has affected my complexion, as my face is now red from it dilating the capillaries in my face. Luckily I found this site, and made a choice to get off this poison. I went from 20mg 2 weeks ago to 10 mg, and have been off it for 3 days. My blood pressure is slightly higher 138 over 88, but I don't care. I feel much better!! The last 2 nights I slept like a baby, and now feel like my old self. Before the last 2 nights I have NOT slept an entire night through for FIVE years. My skin is starting to go back to its normal color, and I don't fell so anxious. This medication is poison, but the MDs will tell you how great it is. This medication is the silent killer! Anyways, I'm going to go enjoy my day. Good luck.

I've been on it for about 2 months, the first month nothing really happened...but the last month its just been getting worse and worse. Light headed, sweaty hands, cold feet, tinglinging in the fingers, heart palpitations, etc...the worst are the heart palps, and light headedness (I feel like I might pass out right now!). I stopped taking it today, my last pill was yesterday morning, so hopefully the side effects will subside today or tomorrow.

for those who went off the drug, how long did it take for the side affects to disappear?

There are many, many pages of Lisinopril side effects on here, very scary. I started taking this med and was only on a short while after reading these posts. I took myself off the small dose of 12.5 mg. and BP went up. I put myself back on again, but half the dose which seemed to do it for the high BP. However, I really don't like the way I feel on this drug at all. I can relate with many of the posts about the chest pressure, heartburn like feeling and a pressure feeling in my head. It's hard to tell whether it's symptoms of a stroke or heart attack!!! I've become so paranoid and lie awake at night thinking I'm going to die. You can't win -- if you don't take it you are damaging your blood vessels from high BP. What are the alternatives and are any other meds going to do the same thing? I know loss of weight and exercise are two big ones, but that's easier said than done.

Just had laprascopic surgery to remove a borderline ovarian tumor the size of a 6-7 month baby yesterday. I've been taking Lisinopril-HCTZ 10-12.5 for about 2 years now and have posted on this site before regarding my symptoms. Since this med works on the kidneys/adrenal glands and adrenal glands regulate some hormones I am wondering now about the possible connection between this med and my sudden cyst/tumor. The tumor was actually my left ovary enlarged to that size! Although benign, my very first symptom of this cyst started exactly when i began the med. It grew pretty rapid over a two year period. I have found no proof or mention anywhere and every doctor looks at me like I'm crazy, but my entire life I have NEVER had issues with my menstrual cycle or even much pain. After I began this med, I HAD to use ibuprofen every period. I began my cycle at 11 and not until 34 did I have issues - same time I began Lisinopril/HCTZ. Are their any women who are having female problems since taking this? Of course, the heart palpitations, arm and leg aches (like those of growing pains when you were a kid), dizziness, anxiety, depression, irregular sleep habits that I cannot break, increase appetite for mostly meats and proteins, some mild hair loss, abdominal cramping/tingling, hands and feet numbness, shoulder/neck pain, overall achyness, sudden/rash emotional extremes, even suicidal thoughts I know are side effects of this med.

My partner has been taking Lisinopril for the last two weeks, he has since been suffering with Anxiety and Tinnitus and loss of sleep, it was so good to hear he was not the only one, we thought it was the tablets but that confirms it.
thank you to all who contribute to this site

I was prescribed Lisinopril about a little over a year ago and initially I thought things were going great; my blood pressure was down, pains in my arm and neck subsided and my headaches disappeared. After several months of being on lisinopril I began to experience a persistent cough, insomnia, heart palpitations, heaviness on my chest and anxiety. At first I thought it was all in my head and that I was some how causing these symptoms. The panic attacks are the worst side effect ever. It is an extremely terrifying event, at least for me, to have to go through. At first I thought that is was a heart attack or something the doctors were missing but then I realized that is was anxiety. I could not understand why after 27 years of no anxiety that all of the sudden I was having up to four panic attacks a week. The doctors dismissed any claim I had so I decided to research on my own. This is when I found an article stating that certain medications could cause anxiety and this is when I came across this site. I am extremely happy that I was not crazy and that I was not alone. I have been off the lisinopril for about a week now and I feel great. As far as my blood pressure I am going to try treating it with a strict diet and exercise. NO MEDICATIONS. Again, thanks to all those that posted comments here.

I am so thankful for this site. I thought maybe it was just me. For one, I am allergic to Sulfa. My doctor knows this, as does my pharmacy. Still, they give me Lisinopril with Hydrochlorothiazide which you should NOT take if you have a sulfa allergy. From day one, I started with anxiety, agitation, nausea and what felt like a racing heart - though my pulse was normal. Day three I called the doctor and they said this was normal as my body "adjusted" to the medication. It has been over two weeks and the same thing keeps happening. I tried taking the meds at night to hopefully sleep through the side effects but no - it just kept me awake. I put another call in today and have yet to receive a return call from my doctor. I hope the doctor calls me and NOT the front desk girl because I have a lot of questions and concerns. Other symptoms I have been experiencing since I started Lisinopril are sever muscle cramping last for over 24 hours, dizziness, heavy chest/racing heart beat, restlessness and less frequent urination. For a 37 yo female who has to "potty" constantly, even throughout the night, going once in an 8+ hour period is not normal! The worst side effect though is definitely the anger and agitation. I feel like I am going to burst out of my skin or die banging my head against the wall. Last night I tossed and turned for 2 hours in agitation. I thought I would surely have a heart attack from the stress. Oh yeah my BP has NOT dropped at all (tho it fluctuates on or off the meds) on the 20 mg dose. Go figure.

I am a 35 year old female. Previous Dr. had been watching my BP for about 4 months and asking me to lose some weight - I am about 15 pounds overweight. Changed doctors due to insurance and new Dr. prescribed Lisinopril right away, 5 days ago. By the 4th day I was feeling tired, more than usual, and went to bed really early. Today, the 5th day, through out the day, I started feeling pressure on my chest, a need to breath deeply with some resistance, a weird sensation running from the heart across my chest toward my throat, anxiety thinking I was having symptoms of a heart attack. I feel slight pain running down my left arm. So, tonight before going to bed, thinking, do I have to tell someone what I am feeling? Should I go to the ER? I decided to look up side effects for this drug. And to my surprise I ran into this site. I am sooo glad to read that so many people are going through the same thing and have not had a heart attack. As I sit here, I have chest pain, and anxiety, and I was supposed to take the 5th pill tonight, but I am not going to. I will call my doctor 1st thing tomorrow and ask her to switch medications. Thank you for posting. This has helped me make a quick decision not to continue with this drug.

Have been trying to look into some sites regarding lisinopril and aggressiveness/mood swings. My husband has been on 10mg lisinopril for the past year and a half with great effect. One of the nice side effects was it seemed to reduce his aggression/anxiety quite a bit. I recently started to get the drug through mail order instead of my pharmacy...whoa, this guy has been like I have not seen him in a long time...from hating everyone to life is great....

My question is can there be a significant difference in the generics of this drug that it would have different effects on the same person??

I have only been on Lisinopril for about a
week and I knew right away that this drug
is not for me. I am experiencing palpitations,
anxiety, nausea, numbness in my right forearm and I wake up at night with my heart
beating like a drum. I can see I'm not the only one experiencing these awful side effects. I need a new medicine for blood pressure with no side effects or at least minimal side effects I can live with. I was
taking atenolol to start with but that gave me
hives! I'm open to suggestions!

I am so glad I found this web site!

Let me start by saying I am a 42 year old female paramedic, so I am not big on taking ANY medications, period! My endocrinologist has been after me for 1 1/2 years to start taking 10mg Lisinopril to protect my kidneys since I am a type II diabetic, and now because of my elevated B/P and the fact that my last set of labs showed a increase of protein, something to do with the kidneys. I have resisted taking the medication, in hopes I would lose some weight and get my B/P down. But due to an injury, exercise has not been an option for me and now that I need a surgery, I had to break down and start the Lisinopril ( the doctor will not be able to operate if my B/P is elevated).
I started the drug 10 days ago, and at first was happy I did not seem to have any of the side effects that I read about. I had researched what I could find at the time, and even talked to my pharmacist about it, since he takes it as well.
After a few days, I saw an occasional drop in my systolic pressure, down in to the 120's from the 140's/ 150's, and not much of a diastolic drop, maybe, down to 90 from 94-100. I did notice my pressure would be high if I had been moving around before checking it, and I was disturbed to find that my pulse was now on occasion running around 104 after only walking through my house to my room where my B/P monitor is. My pulse never runs that high unless I have been very active. A few nights ago, I woke up and turned over in bed, and noticed my heart felt like it was fast ( tachycardia) and this happened more than one night. I decided I was going to discuss this with my doctor this week, until what happened today. I went for an MRI on my neck, and noticed I was anxious when they put me in the tube. I felt like I was breathing heavy and figured maybe I was just nervous. Then tonight I had an acute onset of anxiety, and just felt bad all over. I had some numbness on the left cheek and other symptoms that I knew had to be from the Lisinopril, so I got online and started looking for more info, and found this site.

I can absolutely believe everything I have read here. I have taken so many patients to the hospital in my career just because they were having side effects from a medication they were taking. And that is exactly why I did not want to take this or any other medication unless I was forced to.
I am not taking this stuff again, and calling my doctor first thing in the morning. In fact, I am going to tell her that I want my cardiologist to handle my hypertension medication from now on.

I must say to EVERYONE who reads this, please, do not just take ANY medication just because a doctor gives it to you. Research all you can, ask questions, and if the doctor does not want to answer you or tries to make you feel crazy or stupid, CHANGE DR.'S!!!!! I have seen way too many bad doctors out there, and I have seen some outright kill patients. I am not saying not to trust anyone, just be very careful, and follow your instincts. I am very happy to have found this site, and I hope it helps others that read all the posts here. If I get any good info from my doctors, I will let you know.

I have been taking Lisinopril now for only six weeks .I am a 52 year old male with high blood pressure and like most Americans my body mass is slightly high by 25 pounds or so. First I was on 10 mg and then moved up to 20 mg and it has helped my blood pressure a lot from 188/104 to 124/78. I wasn't sure until I read this site that I might have been having any adverse side effects . Like all others I developed the cough right away though not too bad, but I am having a lot of confusion and an extremely short fuse with anxiety. If I get excited my bph will spike right back up to 188/104, is this normal and will it get better ? Other than what I have described I have felt like I have been making progress. I now have lower bph and I have shed some extra weight, that could also be the changes in my diet ie: reduced salt , sugar, portion size. The big thing for me is the short fuse which is very unusual for me, anyone else?

Horrific muscle cramps, twitches or fluttering in my heart/chest. Aches, pains, depression, feeling old, having lots of hair come out each day, thinking it looks like more than it should be, swollen stomach/bladder/uterus, urge to pee even when my bladder is empty. Cramps in my bladder/abdomen. Some dizziness and weird vision episodes.

They had me add these in a separate area - these are just the majority of what I can think of. Part 2 to my post.

I am still experiencing hot flushes even though I am post menopausal. I reckon it could be down to the Lisinopril pills. My dose has been doubled to 20mg from 10mg. Could this be the case? Has anyone else had these symptoms?

I was on lisinipril for 10 months. I have never felt so terrible in my whole life!!!! I am 34 years old and this was my first BP med. I had dizziness, bloating, 20 lb. weight gain, tiredness, pain in my arms, back and neck. I could barely eat yet I gained weight???? I had nausea and even vomited at times. I had anxiety, depression and my hands would shake. The symptoms would come and go so I figured this is how I have to live my life. So I tried to deal with it. I had to quit 2 jobs because of the dizziness and finally thank god found this website. After reading everyone else symptoms and knew I wasn't alone--- I decided to go to the Doctor's and get on a new med. I am now on norvac and I do not have a single side effect! All the symptoms of that poison are gone and I have never felt better!!!!!!! Get off lisinipril- It is not in your head-THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE REAL!

Well, this site has been interesting. I have been on Lisinopril-HCTZ for a few months. It has been going well but then I started taking Advocare Nutritional Supplements and, wow! I thought I was going crazy. Irritable, depressed, anxious, etc. Anyone know what we should not take with this drug and if the combination could have possibly caused my anxiety or if I really am psychotic!? No, I know I'm not and the thoughts and feelings I had were NOT ME. I hate to not be able to take something that will help me through herbs adn supplements and didn't think there would be a negative effect but I do believe I was wrong. In the past few months while on the drug I am very irritable and depressed but thought that was just due to my messed up life!

im Male 40yrs old, been on Lisinopril for over 2 yrs. Started out with 10mg, now upto 20 mg. I've noticed a consistent feeling of dizzy or unsteadiness. I've also noticed my sight is strange, not able to completely focus at times and dizzy if I spin around too quickly and floaters in view. Also if sitting or driving for long periods of time, I get a head rush or pressure at the base of my neck/skull if I stand up quickly. It lasts a min or two. I feel strange slight pressure in back of my head, that won't go away. I'm about ready to change medications.
The one good thing that I've noticed is that i used to get anxiety, but have not had any at all since on the medications. It seems to have a calming effect somehow. Maybe its normalizing my pressure, im not sure. My 2 cents.

I am a 43 yr old female and have recently developed high bp. I have been taking lisinopril 20 mg for about 1 1/2 months. I have not been able to sleep for the past few days, as my heart is racing and I have a constant feeling of anxiety. In addition, I am having trouble swallowing and my throat feels raw. I thought that the fever and aches I had last week were the flu, but after reading other similar stories, I will contact my doctor as soon as the office opens in the morning.

My father stared on lisinopril on Friday, on Monday his tongue swelled so badly that he lost his airway and by Tuesday he was legally brain dead from lack of oxygen secondary to tongue swelling. Thanks lisinopril for taking my dad.

Hi Gang,
Im on 20 mg of Lisinopril in the morning and 25 mg of atenolol at night. The Lisinoril is for my blood pressure and the Atenolol is for my anxiety attacks that i have. O.o But im still have anxiety attacks, and i don't know why. So ive had all the test, heart ultra sound, ekg's, blood work, treadmill ekg, halter monitor for 3 days. The works basicly. Im 40 and yes over weight. But i passed all the test with flying colors. Doc said he only ever wants to see me again, if im Really sick. Anyone know why im getting anxiety attacks (mine are rapid heart beats, and feeling like fainting) all of a sudden. When i started the lisinopril i had a minor cough, but not any more. Otherwise ive been pretty good with both meds. Just don't know what is triggering the anxiety!

I'm a 44 year old female, and I have been taking 40mg. of lisinopril for over a year now. I also take omeprazole 20 mg. (a sub for prilosec) every day. Before taking lisinopril, I did have high blood pressure, but since taking this medication, I have had more problems than that. I have an irritating cough all the time and phlegm in my throat so thick that I feel as if I am chocking to death. I also have a severe rash all over my body and on the bottoms of my feet, and on my hands. I am depressed all the time, have no interest in sex whatsoever, and basically feel like crap all the time. I have a very bad pain in the left side of my neck that I know is not a result of sleeping the wrong way. I have to say, I never felt this way before taking this medication, but today I got to the point that I wanted to look up side effects to see if what I'm taking is hurting me. After reading some of these posts, I believe I know what my problem is. My husband was also on lisinopril, but 20mg and had such a terrible cough that we thought he had pneumonia. He is off the medication now, and his cough had disappeared. For me, the rash, and depression is the biggest thing. I have decided to take myself off this medication on my own, and try to find another way to deal with my high blood pressure. If you know of any herbs, and/or foods that help with blood pressure, I would love to hear about them. Thank you all for the information you have posted here. I'm sure it will help others think about what the doctors and pharmaceutical companies are trying to do to us. Seems the more medications they prescribe, the worse side effects we endure. Thanks again everyone!

Approximately 3 months ago, I was prescribed a daily 10 mg dosage of Lisinopril which I've been taking before bed. Last night was the last straw... I anxiously took another baby Aspirin and lay there wondering if I needed to wake my husband. I really thought that maybe I was preventing or reducing a heart attack as my chest pains had become un-nerving. This has been going on for weeks on and off.

To name a few, various other symptoms combined with last night’s symptom-related anxiety are telling..... Coughing, chest pains, nausea, vomiting, light headedness, headaches (including Ice-Pick headaches), numbness in my toes, nasty stomach aches, and the very tangible anxiety and stress caused by some of the symptoms, particularly the chest pains. I’m so appreciative to have found this site and I truly thank God. To read the postings and matched other’s experiences with my own... It’s a real wake-up call! Last night, I vowed to start exercising daily & eating better. I’m going back to see the Doctor to evaluate and get off this med. I am relatively young but overweight and inactive with only recent elevated BP, which is believed to be transitory and stress related. Regardless, I just read...“if you're overweight, losing weight usually helps lower blood pressure. Regular exercise is a good way to lose weight. It also seems to lower high blood pressure by itself” (http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/risk/092.html). As the saying goes, “The “cure” can be worse than the cause”.... might well be true with me and Lisinopril. I hope this post will help as so many others did for me. Now I’m off for my walk.... Blessings and health to you all.

I am 44 years old, and I have high blood pressure for 4 years now. 6 months ago my doctor put me on LISINOPRIL (10 mg), it was ok for the first two month's then one day I noticed my hair started falling out little-by-little every time I would washed it. I also am forgetting things that i am supposed to do or I can't seem to remember where i put things, I also have been having anxiety feelings sometimes when I am shopping; I want to leave the store. My throat has been hurting and i have to urinate often. I am getting headache's. I went to my doctor I thought it could be stress or maybe a thyroid problem, I had test done and everything came back normal. My doctor told me it was stress. The symptoms are not going away. Today I decided to see if it could have something to do with my medication I have been taking. So I logged on to side effect of LISINOPRIL I could not believe it, there it was in your e-mail my symptoms. You don't know how relieved I was, I finally found out what was wrong with me. I Have never experienced any problem's, I have always been healthy and happy! So i know it is the side effects of LISINOPRIL, I am seeing my doctor tomorrow and changing my medication. Thank you all for your e-mail's and your experience's with this drug. Sign happy Camille.

I took 20 mg of Lisinopril and experienced skin flushing the first day. Mostly on my arms, neck and face. Has anyone else noticed this symptom?

I am 37. My BP was around 160/95. My Dr put me on Lisinopril 10mg daily. My BP became normal almost immediately. I have been on it for over a year now and here is what I have noticed. I am CONSTANTLY tired and dizzy. Any thought of walking anywhere of any distance is horrifying because of the fear of collapse. I sleep over 10 hrs a night only to wake up exhausted. I am so sick of being tired. I just want to sleep my life away. This is no way to live. I am depressed all of the time. I can't even shop anywhere because of the anxiety which comes with it. i.e. numbness in arms, rapid pulse, faintness, hyper ventalation and just pure panic for no reason whatsoever. I can't control it. When I sleep, my fingers and hands fall completely asleep. They are dead. It wakes me up numerous times every night. I can't get good rest. I stopped taking Lisinopril a week ago. My BP is below normal now. My pulse is around 55 at all times. I have never had joint pain, just extreme fatigue. God willing, I won't have to take this med again, or any med. I forgot how I used to feel. I wasn't always like this.

I've been having ringing in my ears (tinnitus) which started at about the same time I started taking Lisinopril. Has anyone else experienced this side effect?

Worked for me a number of years recently started dropping my glucose levels, heart palpitations, anxiety and swelling of the throat, tongue and neck.

I am a 39 yr old male and have been on Lisinopril 20mg daily for approximately 6 months. I found this site looking for possibly explanations for my symptoms because I feel so lousy. I have always been extremely healthy, physically and mentally fit however HBP runs in my family. I am 6', 160lbs and on no other medications. After what I have read on this site tonight, I am extremely anxious to get off of this drug.

My symptoms include: Difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, anxiety, irregular heart beat and occasional high BP with pounding in my heart. My legs become numb pretty frequently (mostly in the AM) and I have difficulty walking. I am extremely dizzy which has caused me to stop working out at the gym which I believe has in turn lead to mood swings and loss of patience. I become confused and find normal tasks difficult. I, like many others experience an odd sensation that I am going to die. I have never been depressed and have never had any of the above symptoms in my life. Lisinopril is extremely effective in lowering BP but I am barely functional at this point and after what I have read, will be making a change immediately. I want to try to get back to exercising and will try to control my BP with diet, exercise, herbs and will do that while constantly monitoring my BP.

I honestly thought I had cancer or MS but I identify with much of what everyone else has said on this site and I am now convinced it is all due to Lisinopril.

Thank God for this site!!!

Male, age 39, bp at worst 148/88 in Dr.'s office, 137/78 at worst at home, both parents had history of heart disease before passing away at age 67, 20 mg. of lisinopril.

Side effects experienced during the 9 months on this stuff: Anxiety, CHEST PAIN!, tingling in hands and feet, pounding heartbeat at night, drowsiness, stomach discomfort.

First, let me say that the medication worked in keeping my blood pressure down. I was in the 115/65 range at best, 130/80 at worst (rarely).

BUT, this stuff made me feel like absolute crap and led to many sleepless night due to anxiety. I would have chest pains along my rib cage. The pain wasn't usually in the same spot, but moved around. These sharp, stabbing pain episodes lasted anywhere from 2 minutes (pain coming every 30 seconds or so) to the entire afternoon (resulting in two trips to the ER where the EKG was normal).

With a history of heart disease in my family, I'm very aware of chest pain of any kind, and this drove me nuts until I found this website. I thought I was having heart attacks! My doctor had no idea that chest pain could be a side effect of this drug and when I told him it was #4 on the list of most side effect complaints, he was shocked. He thought it was well tolerated.

I went off the 20 mgs for about a month and then the doctor talked me into going back on 10 mgs after a doctor.'s visit and a 148/88 reading. I was fine for the first day, then the anxiety and chest pains returned along with the drowsiness (couldn't make it past 7 PM without falling asleep in the lazy-boy). Enough of this crap! I threw out the bottle. No more.

after 2 weeks of taking this drug I keep getting short sharp pains on the left lower side of my chest. EKG was fine, but it feels scary. Never had this before so I think it is a side effects of this drug. Anybody else have this experience?