Lisinopril and blood pressure

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

Thanks

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

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

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

I have been taking it for almost a week. I was swimming and got this awful leg cramp and had to get out of the pool. I got some potass. pills and took a couple before I noticed it wasn't recommended. Dear me! I couldn't go to sleep last night and rolled a lot and just couldn't relax I'm hoping things get better in the next few days. My back was hurting a lot today so don't know if there is a relationship or not. I hope this gets better as this medication did take it down a lot from 166 to 110.

I'm just not used to taking medication at all, but want to live awhile.

I just started taking it, but yawn a lot. I couldn't sleep last night so don't know if it is from the medicine or not. I can't get up too quickly after being in bed for awhile as I feel light headed. My appetite has decreased and probably depressed as I don't feel energetic at all. I will probably talk with my doctor about this even though it has taken my blood pressure down a lot.

Hello. I haven't posted anything in a couple of months, but as usual, I'm always searching for more information on natural supplementation that may help your blood pressure. If you're interested, please e-mail me and I will send you the information links. Take care :-)

I am taking 20-25mg of Lisinopril and have been for about 1 month. First, I have to say the stuff works - my blood pressure went down immediately. Recently I have noticed a dry bottom lip (neither water or chopstick helps) and I am drinking AT LEAST 12 glasses of water a day and still feel thirsty. Anyone have similar side effects?

I have been on Lisinopril 2.5mg for HBP for a few months now. Not thinking it had anything to do with anything, I started to develop severe muscle and joint pain in my hips all the way down to my feet. I was starting to think I had arthritis or RLS. The pain is really bad and I have taken ibuprofen and used muscle rubs without success. I went on vacation for a week and accidentally forgot to pack the med. Well I had no problems until when I came back and started back on it. The pain has gotten so severe that I called my MD. She recommended I stop taking it and see her in a week. I even ordered a tens unit and started taking potassium supplements. I see on some posts not to take the potassium so I will set that aside for now. As for the coughing, I am a smoker and cough and hack my brains out anyway. So I can't really say its making me cough. This pain though has kept me up at night and I toss and turn because of the pain. I hope now that I stopped taking the med these pains will subside soon.

I have taken lisinopril 20 mg. for 3 years. my blood pressure is consistently 120/80 or lower. I also wake up coughing but attributed the cough to years of smoking. Interesting that coughing is a side effect

I am a healthy, active female on a low dose of premarin from a hysterectomy last year, went on a low dose or Lisinopril last June and within a month, was at the ER twice for heart attack symptoms. My EKGs were perfect, thyroid, electrolytes, etc. and we determined, my sis has two MDs that I was over-medicated because the panic attacks started there after and were nightmares! My doc said menopause triggers these even on hormones, I know my body and I was being poisoned with Lisinopril! Been off a month now and this is my first weekend I felt normal w/no more stroke/heart attack signs thank the Lord! Any ideas on what we menopausal women can take for high BP? There is life after this drug but if it high BP runs in your family, some kind therapy is needed for us middle aged gals!

I was prescribed Lisinopril last September due to hypertension level blood pressure that was at "emergent level" as determined in the ER. I had no other pre-heart attack symptoms other than headaches at night in sleep..

Prior to taking the RX I was doing 1 hr gym works outs 3-4 times per week, walk/jogging 3 times per wk 2-3 mi ea. NOW I'm lethargic and fighting to keep active. Joints are easily taxed and take several days to weeks to recover from what used to be routine.. Cough is dry and hits at night or day and leaves a general feeling of fatigue. Memory is impaired. Twitching muscles all over like little electrical impulses being shot off and extreme cramping of upper leg muscles when sitting down to stretch. Intermittent "heart flutters". Nothing I've every experienced before.

I'm heading in for followup now that I've read this forum. I had no idea of the severity of side effects. Here I thought I was being saved from eminent heart attack or stroke.

Raising two children and can afford to be lethargic or forgetful or worse.

Thank you all for your postings. You are indeed the life savers.

D.

I have been taking Lisinopril about 6 weeks it has lowered by blood pressure from 135 over 75 to 105 over 55, I feel dizzy and seem to get angry very easily. I was started off on 10 mg when I complained It was reduced to 5 mg by cutting my pill in half but my bp went back up to 125 over 70 which I guess is a little high. The above bp number are averages my bp can vary about 10 points from day to day.

I have been taking lisinopril for almost a year and it has decreased my sex drive. It has also decreased my blood pressure which is more important. My wife would prefer me to be healthy and doing it less often than dying on top of her. The only recent major problem I have had is dizziness and vomiting. I took it a few days ago and found myself sweating and dizzy. I tried to eat something and vomited it up in a mnute or so. I think changing my diet and exercising is more important than taking snake venom to open my veins. I am going to get off this stuff and try to eat right and exercise. I am a Black male 6'2" and about 265lbs. At 44 I should not be feeling dizzy all the time. Before this drug I took barley pills which made me dizzy as well. The nausea and dizziness are terrible and I think I will come off this stuff permanently after seeing my doctor. I do get nervous when I go to the doctor but I also know that I eat too much and at the wrong time and I need to exercise more. Worrying about the economy isn't helping either.

August 2009
My provider gave me a Rx (cozaar) to reduce and maintain my blood pressure. When the cost of the brand name cozaar became unmanageable, I was given an Rx for generic lisinopril, which I have been taking now for about 2 months. Within 2-3 weeks of taking the lisinopril, I developed a tickle in my throat, resulting in a minor, but consistent cough. I see, from the side effects posted on your website, that many others have found the cough resulting from taking lisinopril. I am immediately discontinuing my use of lisinopril. Thanks for the "heads up".

I've been taking Lisinopril for about three months and wonder if this could be causing my anger. Before this medication I was definitely not a angry person but lately even the smallest things set me off. Has anyone else experienced this type of side effect from this medication? It has definitely regulated my blood pressure maintaining at 120/80

Thanks,
M.

I am a 52 year old female and began taking 20mg. of lisinopril about 6 weeks ago. My blood pressure was very high 174/111. I feel terrible on this drug! I'm tired all the time, zero energy. I either can't sleep or sleep too much. I am a smoker but my coughing seems worse. I have a very dry mouth at night, I feel very depressed, crying a lot. Granted, I just lost my beloved nephew to suicide in May, but I can't shake the depression I feel. I am allergic to bee and wasp stings and was never asked this by the doctor. I'm going back next week and asking for a different medication

I was taking lisinopril and as far as my blood pressure goes, it worked great. However, after taking this drug (and Diovan and Benicar as well,) over time I developed Gastritis and GERD. I've switched to Micardis recently. Day 5 today and I don't get the sharp stomach pains I would get 20 or so minutes after dosing Lisinopril. IMO blood pressure is important to control. There's 100's of these type of drugs out there. I suggest to keep on trying different ones until you find one that works for you. This is number 5 for me (I tried Tekturna, which did not give me the digestion side effects, but was not effective for my bp.) I went with Micardis next because it's formulated differently than the Diovans and Cozaars and Lisinoprils, and so far so good. Wish me luck.

Well, let's see now.................
I am a 48 year old female who has always been healthy.
4 months ago I went to the clinic for stomach pain that was gnawing at me. That's when my nightmare started. I was told to go straight to the local hospitals ER room because my Blood Pressure was 238/127
I was kept for 2 days in the cardiac unit. Tests were run and they all came out perfectly fine. I was then put on 50 mg toporol along with 20 mg Lisinopril. I was sent home and couldn't hardly function. Nauseous and dizzy, I was hanging onto walls just to go to the bathroom. Doctor switched me to Diovan instead of the lisinopril but insurance would not cover it. So once again I was switched to Avapro taken along with toporol.
By the second day on Avapro I was itching extremely and my skin was on fire. I called the Doctor once again and he said to Quit the Avapro and just take the Toporol alone. Well, within 4 days I ended back up in the emergency room with an elevated bp of 204/107. Once again, I was kept overnight and put on Labetelol (an alpha and Beta Blocker).
I did quite well on this med for a month and then the bp levels started to rise once again. I called the doctor this evening and was told to take 20 mg of the Lisinopril I had in the medicine cabinet along with the Labetelol.
It's been two hours and I'm starting to itch from the Lisinopril now....sigh.
Thank God I go to the clinic in the morning!!
I am really getting anxiety problems from dealing with these meds!!
Hopefully I can get everything straightened out. I am willing to hang in there until I can find something that works. It is obvious to me that I need HBP medication. I just wish They could find the right ones for me without having to go through all this . To all of you that have high BP, Hang in there. If one med doesn't work, keep trying!!
God Bless All Of You!!!!

I am 33 yrs old. One night I was sleeping and about 12am, I woke up with my heart racing and I was having a squeezing feeling in my chest. I went to the ER and my blood pressure was extremely high. However, when they were running tests on me, they found that I hadn't had a heart attack and I was diabetic. The doctor gave me a stack of prescriptions to start taking. A few months later I went to see a different doctor, one that accepts my discount plan, and he took me off everything but metformin and 5 mg/day lisinopril. Since that night, the beginning of March, I am not the same person. I am keeping my diabetes under control, and my blood glucose is always in normal range. My last A1C test was 5.8. However, I am to the point of paranoia concerning the dead tingling feeling that I have in my feet. It is very on and off. There one minute then gone the next. It's not a feeling of numbness, because I can feel the slightest touch. Now from very little research I have already come to a conclusion that its the lisinopril. THE COUGH is enough to make me depressed and moody on its own, but now I'm thinking that my major mood swings are also coming from this drug. I cry all the time because I am worried that the diabetes is effecting my feet and that is what the doctors tell most people. My doctor said that I haven't been diabetic long enough to worry about neuropathy and that the sensation in my feet could be from a million things. Then almost every website I've looked at so far has hardly anything good to say about Lisinopril. I want to stop taking it, but don't have the money to afford an expensive medicine. what should I do? My blood pressure is usually around 102/68-70

I have been using Lisinopril for just about a month and have not had any of these absurd side effects that everyone keeps talking about. This medication has lowered my blood pressure dramatically. The only side effect that I did experience for the first two weeks was nausea and diarrhea. Other than that I seem to be perfectly fine. As long as you take it how you are supposed to and don't miss a dosage, you are fine. We are not doctors and we can but shouldn't make the decision to stop a medication. It is life threatening and you should get a second opinion if you are not happy with your "experience" with the medication.

well im a 19 year old female. i know that sounds crazy but i have really high blood pressure.usually 140/90 they think its due to the small left kidney thy tried me on different kinds..but my feet ad face would swell. they told me they wanted to stick me other best out there..but didn't want to stick me on it without being on birth control.. ad just turned 18 at the time and didn't want to be on it yet.soo they stuck me on ic atenolol. they started out at 25 mg . the dosage ended up going ay up to 150. it is the highest te medicine goes. so i decided to go on birth control to try this pill that would apparently be the most effective.thinking that i would just go n this new pill i went in to change medication... they had me stay on the 150 of ic atenolol plus 5 mg of ic lisinopril. then they raised it up to 10mg of the lisinopril. i had a problem with forgetting t take it. but these past 2 months i ave remembered everyday. so when i started getting chest pains and pains in my arms that felt like i ha just gotten a shot by huge needle. i though maybe it was because ijuss started retaking it... ut its been over a month and ive gained 10pounds..have been nauseated, dizzy,loss of energy, and the pains in my arms and i didn't sleep at all last night because of te tightness in y chest.i was scared to death that if i went to sleep i would have a heart attack in my sleep or something. ad then whil laying there. i jumped because i felt shock in my lower back.. i thought was going crazy so i got online to look up side effects and came across this. and now im calling my doctor to get taken off the ic lisinopril..and now maybe the atenolol to because i am afraid of blood pressure medication

I don't have any of the side-effects that are mentioned. The drug is designed to reduce blood pressure and heart rate. If you do not exercise or are over weight, your days are already numbered if you have had a heart attack. A persons has to exercise appropriately and get their heart back into shape or they will remain unhealthy. One person mentioned that their BP was 129/142. That is a very high BP. Yes it reduces you ability to do the same rigorous exercise. Reducing the drug (breaking it in half), taking it after your evening meal helped me. The pronounced effect is for about 8 hours after taking the drug. Taking it at about 5-7:00 PM or right before you go to bed works well, because it reduced your Heart rate and BP. Taking it in the morning after taking coffee is a mess-up. A number of drugs should not be taken when you want you most energy. The lingering effects are reduced. Certainly everyone is affected differently. I am 59, I have my heart attack at 56. The exercise, weight loss, and salt reduction are very important for anyone. Fluid retention increases blood pressure. If you are on Lisinopril and eat a lot of salty seasoned foods, your body will not react normally and you will feel terrible and have the combined effects of excess sodium on the systems in the body, especially nerve responses. I can not explain the coughing and gagging. I have GERD and keep it under control with Acidifex; however, after loosing about 10 pounds, (I weight 187 at 5'11'') I do not seem to need the drug.

Stop taking the drug and you may die, taking drugs off the market because a few people have problems is stupid. More people have died from tobacco and excess alcohol than all acidents, wars, murder, and the like, and we have done very little in comparison to deep pocket drug companies.
I understand how the drug works and how it doe3s not work. If you don't do what the doctors says....everything, especially dieting properly, exercising, and reducing stress,

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.

I have to agree with the July 11th comments. This medication should not be on the market. I was on Toprol XL for years and experienced side effects from that. Then my doctor recently changed my medication and put me on Lisinopril. Within days I started to experience dizziness, fatigue, muscle weakness, insomnia, racing heart ( these attacks would last for 30-45 minutes following muscle weakness ), weight gain, and oh my goodness the COUGH. That would start shortly after laying down and I would go on coughing for 2 hours. Between the cough and the insomnia what was the point of sleeping. I have been to the doctor twice complaining of the symptoms and they look at me like I am nuts. The worst part is the racing heart episodes which make me feel like I am having a heart attack. The amazing thing is, after all the tests that have been performed since I started this medication, I am a very healthy person. So why is it the doctors I have seen,who have run all these tests, at the cost of my medical insurance, never thought that maybe it is the side effects of this medication. WHY don't doctors listen more and WHY don't they take the time to inform themselves of these medications before prescribing them. They need to LISTEN more to their patients, after all
we know our bodies better than they do. My blood pressure is 104-63 with a heart rate of 110. I am 53 yrs old and my blood pressure should be between 129-142. Don't you think there should be a red flag some where?
This is where my trust factor is zero. I think the more medication doctors can prescribe the sicker it makes us. I can't speak for all doctors but I have seen 4 doctors and not one of them seemed to be looking out for my best interest. DON'T START THIS MEDICATION. Apparently there have not been enough case studies on Lisinopril. Oh by the way did you know that taking this medication increases your chance of a stroke by 60%. One more side effect. Thank you for this web site.

July 8, 2009
I took Lisinopril for 2 months and began noticing soreness and stiffness cramping in my legs. Joint pain and general muscle weakness. Biggest indicator was my inability to ride road bikes (bicycle) nearly as much as normal. I did not have the muscle strength or stamina to ride like before. On one ride I had such sever cramping I had to get pick up, first time in 18 yrs of bicycling. It also states to not use sodium or potassium supplement while on this medicine, which I was doing for cramping. Also because I was borderline hypertension I did not notice any decrease in BP while on this. I have stopped taking this medicine. nn

This is a good forum and I am thankful I came across it. I had hardly ever taken medicine (other than cold/flu medications) in my life. I am a 36-year old male and in pretty good shape. My wife and I had been under considerable stress in recent years after our baby son passed away. Plus, we are both teachers so the everyday nature of our jobs can be stressful. I had frequently gotten a sensation of chest tightness and it was very uncomfortable. My blood pressure was elevated at times (130/80 or 140/90 range). One time it shot up to 153/93 and that scared me.

The doctor ran an EKG on me. Everything normal. Then, I wore a 24-hour Holter monitor. Again, my results were fine. He then prescribed me 10mg of lisinopril. After I started the drug, the chest tightness seemed to worsen. I always have this squirmy feeling inside, like body parts are moving around in my chest area. It is hard to describe but it kind of feels like parts are pulsating or are inflamed at times. Weird. I would wake up at night and start feeling nervous without thinking about my situation. The tension would just come on quickly. Other symptoms are dizzyiness, anxiousness, headaches and fatigue. One of the other forum writers said he or she felt tired all the time. Same here. All I want to do is lay around when I know I could be doing something constructive. I push myself to get up but it is difficult. Lastly, this drug also definitely affects sexual performance.

Now, I have quit the drug after taking it for 2 weeks. The final tipping point was when I was doing a morning walk/partial jog yesterday. I jogged the second half and when I slowed down to walk, I immediately got dizzy and had blurred vision. I managed to get to the front of my house and fainted. I remember making a grunting sound as I fell flat on my face in the yard. Luckily, I landed on the grass. I got up slowly, walked into the house and laid on the carpet. I felt very fatigued all day. Granted, I had only drank water before I went out and my blood sugar was probably low so that played a role. But I also think the lisinopril has screwed with my system and might have caused this since I have never had that happened before.

In hindsight, I suspect I have a problem with anxiety and that was the culprit for my problems before I took the lisinopril. As far as the chest tightness and anxiety is concerned, I will do my best to manage my anxiety with natural remedies (the herb Valerian works okay) and commit myself to better diet and exercise.

Does anybody know how long it takes for lisinopril to completely exit my system? I drink a lot of water. In my case, I took it for approximately 14 days.

This drug should be taken off the market. My Dr. warned me of a cough when he gave it to me but did not tell me that you would literally drown in secretions from the drainage in your throat. I have been on it 2 weeks and my quality of life has diminished considerably. During the day its as if a little man with a squirt bottle of acid is spraying my throat. At night the same thing but lying down produces uncontrollable drainage. I have to keep a spit cup by my bed and hardly get any sleep. Have tried allergy medications to no avail. I threw it in the garbage today. I would rather monitor my BP 30 times a day than live thru this.

My question is if you have been on this drug and your Dr. took you off, what did he use in its place? Would Beta Blockers be better? Who has experienced this and is now free of it? What is the alternative drug? I called my Dr.'s office today and they have Benicar waiting for me in the AM...anyone know about that one? I am desperate!

I have been on lisinopril for over 3 years - 5 mg/day. I am a 52 year old female in great shape and exercise daily. For over a year now I have had muscle aches, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, foggy brain feeling, insomnia, fatigue, some tingling in extremities. I also sometimes get these spells where all these symptoms come on at once. It's very strange. Been to numerous doctors including, PCP, 2 neurologists and a rheumatologist and after many tests they all come up with nothing. After reading posts at this site I think it may be the Lisinopril and with my PCP's permission stopped taking it 11 days ago. My blood pressure is fine - I am monitoring it daily. My symptoms still remain. Does anyone know how long these symptoms may continue? I am grateful for any additional information you could provide.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'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.

I have been on 5mg of Lisinopril for a month now. My blood pressure dropped from 160/110 to 105/70. I have had ZERO side effects and I consider it a wonder drug. I just want to redress all the negative comments here - not every one gets side effects!

I am a 49 year old female who started on 10 gm Lisinopril 2 weeks ago for high blood pressure. I've had a couple instances of light-headedness and headaches, nothing serious, but I have developed a real bad dry cough that I can't control. Sometimes it's bad enough I gag and almost vomit, and am loud enough I can be heard all through the office - very embarrassing. I've gotten up in the middle of the night to leave the bedroom so I won't disturb my husband. Other than the cough I have no complaints and actually feel better now than I did before I started. I read somewhere that iron supplements help the cough and I have started taking these to see if it's true; so far I think the cough is not as bad but still as frequent. It's only been a couple of weeks so I want to keep going for a few weeks longer to see if things get better or worse.

I have been taking lisinopril for ten days, and have experience headache,coughing, extreme fatigue, and swelling of my ankles and legs.I called the Dr. and he sent me to the lab for blood work and urine sample. I have not heard back, but im taking myself off the lisinopril. I will continue to take the atenolol for my blood pressure

I really don't know if this has any connection but here goes. I am 60 years old with no significant medical issues. My blood pressure has been creeping up over the past few years. Because of my job (professional pilot), I addressed the blood pressure issue with my family doctor and she prescribed Lisinopril. I was on the medication for a little over 3 months when all of a sudden with no warning my heart rate jumped to 185 and remained there for almost 2 hours. I underwent an angiogram (no significant blockage) and an echocardiogram (negative). I have an appointment with a Cardiologist in two weeks to continue follow-up with a stress test and possible electrophysiology study. Attempting to figure out what happened I started looking at what in my life had changed in the past few months. To my surprise I ran across this information on Lisinopril (rat poison).

i am 43 years old and pretty healthy.A couple weeks ago I had a "spell" and went to the doc. they said high blood pressure 198/178. they put me on LISINOPRIL 20 mg. i have severe headaches and nausea and vomiting. has anyone experienced the nausea?? or Vomiting??

I received yet another email from someone who has had a recent MRI due to memory difficulties and the MRI indicated brain shrinkage. This drug is breaking the blood brain barrier, causes depression, and is shrinking the brain. I know of 3 people who began Lisinopril and over a period of less than 2 years, have had MRI and their brains indicate shrinkage. We are wondering why Alzheimers is becoming an epidemic. More people are being prescribed Blood Pressure medicines at earlier ages, particularly Ace Inhibitors because they are cheap and these drugs are pentrating the blood brain barrier and causing a drug induced brain damage that mimicks Alzheimer symptoms. It begins to appear as depression, so, they treat the depression with anti-depressants. They improve for a period of time and then the symptoms of memory loss, difficulty retaining, concentration issues, mental sluggishness begin to present again. The Doctors are in denial, not us who are posting these symptoms. The obvious is oblivious. You cannot take a healthy individual who never took anything more than an aspirin and within 17 month of taking this medication have depression, memory issues and brain shrinkage. I hope if there are any Doctors that read this site, they pay attention to their patients and watch those people on Ace Inhibitors who then follow a pattern of memory problems and depression. It's much more than depression. I bet if all those people who experience memory difficulties got and MRI, there brains would show shrinkage.