Lisinopril and cardiologist

My husband had all of these same side effects... Bloating in the stomach, swelling in the ankles, sick as a dog!!! Vomiting, burning sensation in the chest, wheezing, chest pressure... He was on it 2 days before I found this site and discontinued use.. I gave him benadryl for the allergic reaction which is what this is .. It is called Intestinal swelling, some people get it on the inside and others on the outside in forms of rashes and such. I took him off of this immediately and gave him benadryl and lots of water. Almost immediately he was up and walking and talking and color began to return to his face. He had been sitting on the coach unable to move hardly or talk since I brought him home from the hospital... I read that this medicine is actually made from snake venum.... Enough said...
How many of you would not react if a snake bit you. I argued with the cardiologist and finally decided it was my way or the highway.. A lot of times the pharmacist can tell you way more about a drug than a doctor.
By the way if you are going to kick this drug be aware that you will still have some bloating and irritation due to side effects from this drug for usually 1-2 weeks.....My husband is almost through this... Good luck everyone and thanks for your posts.

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

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.

Hi, I am a 47 year old female. Last month (June 2009) I went to the doctor because I had a bad migraine that wouldn't go away. After a week of suffering I went to my Doctor and my BP was high, so she put me on Benicar. I took it for 3 days and then I refused to take it anymore. After taking it I couldn't hardly get off the couch, and I was dizzy, and had a tightness in my chest with chest pains. The doctor changed my prescription to lisinopril and the chest pains got worse along with that deadly cough. I went back to my doctor and told her that I wasn't going to take lisinopril any more because of the chest pains and the caugh. She said that she didn't think it was the medicine and she gave me an EKG and I failed it. I went 2 days later and had a nuclear stress test and failed it too, then I had a heart cath and the cardiologist said that my heart was perfect, it wasn't my heart. Needless to say it was the meds that the doctor had put me on, those nasty side effects. Now I just moniter my BP and I'm to scared to take anything because of the side effects. I wished I could make the doctor pay for all the test I had to take. She should have just listened to me when I told her it was the meds. After failing 2 test, I thought that I may be really having a heart attach, Very scary. Just listen to what we are saying " DON'T TAKE LISINOPRIL" Oh yea after heart cath I called my doctor and told her that I was not taking Lisinopril any more because that was what was causing my problems not my heart and she said just to let all meds get out of my system and come back in a week and we would try something else. yea right. She's not getting any more of my money. I've come to realize that every thing has side effects, so before I take anything else I will look it up first. Be careful what you take!

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'm a 36 years old with now real history of bp prob. but my family do. I had a few occasion with an evalted bp ove a 8 month period. I was recommend by the ER doctor to start taking amphenol first then the cardiologist recommend this one. I should have stayed skeptical about taking any meds. I just start taking the lisinopril med at10/12.5mg for 1 week now and everything I am reading i am having most of those side effects. I wished i would have checked this site out first. I sleep most of the day, stomach aches dizziness etc.

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 a 52 year young female with sudden onset of high blood pressure. Was seen by a Cardiologist and given the usual tests such as EKG, treadmill, and so on. My tests were fine and he put me on Lisinopril HCTZ 20-25mg. After taking this medication for one week my blood pressure was within normal limits however my pulse races at times and I must sit down until it passes. I have been experiencing pain in upper back when taking a deep breath and mild chest discomfort. Further tests are underway to determine if I am having lung problems such as pulmonary hypertension. Has anyone had similar symptoms? Thank you

I began taking lisinopril 8 years ago(age 26) when diagnosed with aortic insufficiency. I was in excellent health physically and mentally at the time and my heart condition was and still is very minimal. This drug has literally broken down my body and I have developed chronic conditions. The minor side effects were the fatigue, dizziness, and lethargic feeling. As time went on I developed stomach issues, insomnia, skin conditions, memory loss, mood imbalance, and low platelet production. I never questioned or linked any of this with something that was considered by doctors a safe drug. After much confusion and weariness it literally dawned on me! I stopped the drug with agreement from my cardiologist, and for the first time in many, many years I am coming back to life. As the days go by and the aftermath of this drug leave my system for good, I amazed as each of my health problems disappears. I am sleeping the whole night, thinking more lucidly, and enjoying a calm stomach. I take my health seriously and I sincerely advise anyone to avoid the slow death of lisinopril.

am a 61 year old male and after a heart attack 7 years ago they put me on Lisinopril. I gained 20 pounds and look pregnant with 8 months of starting it. My stomach looks like I am pregnant.

My mother called the other night and said she had symptoms of a stroke.
I took her to the emergency room and the doctor looked over her medications and immediately diagnosed Lisinopril as the culprit and it was not a stroke. She stopped taking Lisinopril and immediately the symptoms disappeared and her stomach bloating disappeared.

I went to my doctor today and insisted he take me off this poison . Over the last 7 years I have gained over 40 pounds, all in my stomach.
I am hoping this does me good.

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 wrote in December, described the cough, my problems with this drug, I was on 40 mg prescribed from my cardiologist, I went to see my doctor last week, she increased me to 80 mg, bp was lower, but not enough, she had blood drawn, I think maybe by the grace of god, I did not start taking the higher dose yet, this morning I get an urgent call, from my Cardiologist office, to stop the Lisinopril immediately, I am now scared to death, and scared for my life, they said the Lisinopril, is effecting my kidney function, my kidney function lab work is way up, now I am going cold turkey with this medication, hoping my bp does not reach a dangerous level, need more blood work, a visit to cardiologist next week, and now a visit to a urologist, I am scared to death, I feel like crying WTF!

I am 67 yo male. have had angioplasties, 2 way by pass , right carotid cleaned out, aterial fibrulation , pacemaker ,have had tinnitus most of my adult life and take many meds. My cardiologist put me on lisinopril again (don't remember why it was discontinued before). Thanks to this site I am understanding the unusual things going on with my body. Sweats, blood red face, terrible ringing in ears, sweaty stinky feet/ jock rash, cough, stuffed up sinus, runny nose, and the heavy chest, shortness of breath and chest pain. After taking this med for 2 weeks had scheduled pace maker check up and mentioned symptoms. Tech ignored my concerns. Will call my pcp tomorrow and get the low down.

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

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

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

been on Lisinopril for several days as my old medication (Coreg) was too expensive since I am off my previous insurance program. This medication is the pits to say the least. I have been gasping for air and having a problem breathing. Also, i am having chest pain, palps and tightness. Had to go on the web to see about the side effects. I have been exhausted and almost too tired to check on the side effects. Glad I did. My husband had been on Lisinopril for over a year and his temper is out of control. He is very edgy to say the least. Since there are so many side effects involved with Lisinopril, the doctors need to be made aware. It appears the manufacturers of this drug are not educating the doctors concerning the side effects. If doctors won't listen, find one that will.

Hi I am 45 an been taking 5mg Lisinopril daily for the last 5 years, I am also a very active racing cyclist. Over the last 12 months I have seen my performances drop by 50% and I am so tired all the time, I also feel short of breath, been to docs he ran all the normal tests, nothing showed up, also,I now get terrible headache above my right eye whenever try any exercise. Watch out for grapefruit, it must react with the meds, my throat swelled up almost closed, horrible experience, I now ger blurred vision and muscle weakness. Not on, I have taken myself off the meds to see if things get back to normal, I will be able to monitor the situation based on my cycling performance results and will report back.

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 have been taking HCTZ for 8 years due to having problems with swelling after having my first child. A good while later, I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension but having irregular heartbeats. My cardiologist added Lisinopril.

I had the same problem with cough and feeling like something was stuck in my throat. I went to an ENT and they could find nothing wrong - but I've been taking major amounts of Musenix for years to help clear my lungs. The feeling that my throat was scratched or something stuck in it have never gone away. Why didn't any of my doctors put two-and-two together???

It just clicked in my head recently that I had also started to have hair loss around that same time I started taking HCTZ. I had a lot of hair so it wasn't that much of a concern for years but is now more of an issue. I spoke to my internist 2 weeks ago and she thought it may be the HCTZ. She said to stop taking it that night. I questioned if I should taper it off and she said no reason to wait. (No mention of the Lisinopril and hair loss).

Two days later, I could hear a crackling sound in my chest/lungs when I opened my mouth. I called the doctor and her assitant said to let me know if it didn't get any better. Two nights later, I was extremely restless and coughing. I couldn't get a breath. Lots of crackling noise - fluid in my lungs. I had to stand up and work hard to get deep breaths - all night. Around 4 am, I decided I better take the HCTZ or I was going to die - so I did and the fluid started to leave my lungs and I was better by noon the following day.

I want to get off both of these medicines asap - I don't want to wind up a bald, dead 41 year old women leaving behind two young children and a husband.

Anyone else have similar issue when stopping HCTZ? What results have you had with resolution to hair loss after getting off the medicine?

Oh, also have had a headache going on 10 days for the first time in my life. I think it was from quitting the HCTZ "Cold Turkey".

Lisinopril is poison, literally!!!! I have had high blood pressure in the past and recently it became a bit too high. My doctor placed me on Lisinopril. I am 41 years old and have NEVER had any problems with my heart rate. After just 5 days of taking this poison I had to be rushed to the hospital with a heart rate of 178 bpm!!!! 2 days later I have intense kidney pain. I am glad I found this site to answer my questions. My cardiologist's nurse's response when I asked her if the Lisinopril caused my kidney pain "Oh no, it couldn't be the medicine". The ER doctor's response when I asked him if Lisionpril could have caused the rapid heart rate "Oh no, it couldn't be the medicine". What are these people on????????? It's like the work for the medicine companies! I can't wait to show the nurse all of the stuff I have printed out about Lisinopril.....No one should ever take this poison, ever!!!!!!!! Stop before you take it and don't take it. It has even killed people before from kidney failures. Read up about it first, I wish I had..........now I am stuck with it in my system and don't know how long before it comes out completely.

I originally posted my side effects on January 8, 2007. I had been taking Lisinopril for about 1 year prior. The dry hacking cough was driving me mad, so my cardiologist switched me to ATATCAND on February 9. On February 28 I posted that I had my first full day without a cough. Well, it is now March 24 and I have been cough-free for 3 weeks. Most of the other side effects have subsided also.
I know that only a small percentage of people taking this drug report this side effect. I normally do not react to any medications, but this stuff is poison, literally. I wonder if only a small number of people have side effects, or if more people have them, but do not report them, or are treated with other meds for their problems.
If you have a dry hacking cough and think it may be related to Lisinopril, don't wait. See your doctor and tell him that you are allergic to ACE inhibitors. It is well know by my primary care doctor as well as my cardiologist that this allergy exists.

I knew something was wrong, and I made an appointment with my cardiologist. I have a new doctor, who switched my BP med from propanolol to lisonipril. Im not one to do this usually, but i am overweight and my ankle swells, so the dyharetic idea sounded good. I also have mitral valve prolapse. Beta blockers controlled this extremely well, but now I feel like I need a valve replacement. I came on line to search the relationship between MVP and Lisinopril and WALA! I will kep my cardiologist appointment, but I am going to continue being my own doctor. Symptoms dont lie.
Oh, by the way my wife was just diagnosed with a thyroid problem, and yes you guessed it.....she's on lisinopril.

Back on January 8, I posted side effects that I was experiencing from Lisinopril. On February 9, I stopped taking it and was switched to Atacand 8 mg. Today, February 28, I finally had my first full day without a dry cough. My new prescription still needs adjustment since my BP is still in the 150/70 range, but I am due back at the cardiologist on March 4. I will post again when I am completely rid of the dry hacking cough.

Last week, I was prescribed to take Lasix, along with Klor-Don (potassium supplement) for Congestive Heart Failure. Also Levaquin for pneumonia.

I returned to doctor, to state that the Lasix was not having an effect on my urinary habits at all.

SO, the doctor prescribed 60mg Lasix per day, 30mg Klor-Don per day, with an additional 5mg og Lisinopril per day.

Now, everything I read about Lisinopril, is that it should not be taken with Lasix, or any potassium additive stuff.

Plus all the side symptoms that lead to my first prescriptions, are exactly the side effects of Lisinopril. How in the world would I ever know anything was working?

Also, my BP is 108/81. Doesn't look high to me.

Any thoughts? I watched my Dad wither away after being presented additional prescriptions when ones weren't working. To me, it complicated his problems. I'm not about to get into the same piss*** contest with doctors & prescriptions.

I'm fortunate (so far!) that my experience with Lisinopril has been mostly uncomplicated, judging by what I'm reading about what others have gone through. I've been taking only 2.5 mg per day (a scrip given to me by my generalist; my cardiologist subsequently said she would have started me on 30mg!) for about a week. BP is mostly good with occasional unexplained spikes up to 135-ish over 80. No cough, nothing else to note, except the DREAMS! I've always been one of those people who tend to remember dreams, and they've often been vivid, but these are *intense.* Not necessarily bad (though there have been a couple that caused me to wake up suddenly from fear or revulsion), but vivid, intense, active, and memorable. I'm evaluating whether, over time, this will affect my energy level; i.e., what does this mean for quality of sleep?

I am a reasonably healthy 57 year old male, 6' 1", 220 lbs. I started taking Lisinopril 10mg about 1 year old for HPB. My BP was all over the chart, but averaged at about 160/80. After being on Lisinopril for about 1 week, I noticed that my BP would be about 130/70 in the mornings, but jump back up to about 150/75 in the evenings. I have never achieved the 120/70 range that others talk about. It was also at this time that I developed the tickle and dry cough. I lose sleep by waking up coughing. The cough also comes on at any time, day or night. Sometimes I cough until I feel my head is going to explode. I never cough up anything. Always dry.

Over the last year, I have had other side effects that have come and gone and come back again. Among them have been itchy skin, numbness in fingers and toes, chest pains (EKG's and stress tests were fine), stomach pains, back pain, jaw pain, pounding heartbeat, racing heartbeat, loss of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, vivid dreams (when I sleep), feelings of dread and recurring thoughts of something happening to family members.

Since I do not have any prescription coverage in my insurance, I was happy to find a $4.00 drug, but now that the refills have run out, I think that I will ask the doctor for something else.

I have been on Lisinopril starting at 5 mg and increased to 10mg about 1 month ago with increasing side effects. I have had the dry hacking night time cough since I started on the medication which I could deal with. I started to notice knee joint pain recently which I never had before. I also have loss of taste and food does not seem appealing like it used to be. The most disturbing of the symptoms though started several weeks ago and I have been getting this quick shooting pain in my throat/neck area. I recently had an echocardiogram and saw my cardiologist and everything is the same and stable so I don't think it is anything cardiac. I feel in my gut it is probably due to this medication. Anyone else have fleeting throat/neck pain while on this medication??

I am a 53 years old female diagnosed with diabetis for about 5 years, now. Currently, I take 1500 mg of metformin to treat the diabetis. A year ago this month, my bp went up to 164/88. That's when my doctor put me on 5 mg of lisnopril. The 5 mg dosage brought my bp down to about 140/84, it never went down to 120/80, even after using for one year. I can say that since I've been on this medication, I have been extremely fatigue. Several times I told my doctor about the tireness and that I thought it was due to the Lisinopril. She just sort of disregarded my complaint. She said that what I was feeling was due to menopause and the diabetis. About three weeks ago my bp went up to 171/88, so she decided that it was time to increase the dosage to 10 mg and to put me on hormone replacement therapy to reduce the fatigue. I told her that I didn't want the 10 mg of Lisinopril because I believed my fatigue was due to it. She insisted that it was best for me and that HRT would help.

Well, what I've done was decrease the dosage to about 2.5 mg on my own. And what I notice was that my energy level seems to be returning. I been feeling better and my goal is to start taking the 2.5 mg every other day until I can completely stop taking this stuff.

Today, I noticed that my arms felt a little heavy like and my heart seems to flutter a bit. I would like to hear from some of you that stopped taking Lisinopril, what were some of the symptoms that you experienced and for how long. I know that getting off a med can be dangerous, but staying on them can be just as dangerous, too.

Dizziness, fainting, rapid fall in blood pressure.
Not sure that this is a problem with Lisinopril, but would be interested in any comments. Have been taking Lisinopril for about 15 years, 10mg/day, BP been stable in the 130/75-85 range until it rose to 140/102, between Sep'06/Jan'07. Was spending the winter months in Spain and on returning to UK in May 2007 agreed with doctor to increase dose to 20mg/day. BP, diastolic reading remained high in 95/98 range. To cut a long story short doctor suggested 10mg Amlovasc (Amiodipine) which is a Calcium Antagonist in addition to the 20mg Lisinopril. This 'worked' and BP was then down to 130/84 range. No particular side effects apart from some dry cough. However 5 days ago I collapsed, fainted for a short period, poor vision, comforted by first aiders until ambulance arrived. Was sick before ambulance arrived and then felt much better but they measured my BP as 80/40. Had various checks in emergency (this is in Spain) ECG etc and now waiting for appointment with cardiologist. Since this event I have seen on the Amlovasc info sheet that it may interact with ACE inhibitors which is what Lisinopril is. I wonder if this possible interaction was the reason for the collapse etc? I have also been taking Benecol (Stanol Ester) since August 2007 to maintain my cholesterol at an acceptable level. This has been successful. Once I have had the consultation with the cardiologist I hope to know more.

Have been suffering from bad muscle cramps in the back of my calves, Cardiologist trying to find out why. I believe it is from the Lisinopril (40 mg a day). He has taken me off of Vytorin, that hasn't helped. pharmacist believes it is from the Lisinopril, my primary doctor doesn't think so but I am glad that I have my Cardio b/c he will try anything and believes in side affects that meds can cause, since reading all the other posts I can't wait to tell him and hope that is the answer. I miss walking and right now can't go a half mile without severe pain in my leg calves

My husband has been prescribed Lisinopril recently. It has caused his (blood pressure to drop too low) (always below 90/50). The Cardiologist lowered the dosage to once a day. However, I had to buy latex gloves in order to handle this drug because I would break out in (small bumbs which resembled fire ant bites). It also makes the inside of my (mouth tingle and swell). Strange drug!!! My husband's blood pressure is still too low. We see the Cardiologist tomorrow.

Just went through an arteriogram after failing the EKG part of a thalium stress test. No blockage was found. I had experienced chest pain radiating into my arms upon walking just a half block or up steps, so my internist ordered the stress test.

The nurses and doctor kept asking if my heart rate was always this low (about 40-46 while recovering from the arteriogram), and I said it was usually in the 50's. I had constant headache, frequently with upper right jaw pain (dentist said all was okay there). I took more and more aspirin and ibuprofen to counteract the pain.

My neck was killing me--thought it was from work, but I had never had this much pain and stiffness before. I had increased heart palpitations and extra beats. I am also on Atenolol for tachycardia, and I thought I was fine, until my doctor thought I needed more blood pressure medicine to get the BP below 130/75. I questioned his thinking, but went on and took the lisinopril.

The cardiologist told me to stop it for 5 days to see if I feel better. I have had two days without headache now, and that is a miracle! My heart seems more stable, too. It is too soon for me to go walking, but I bet I won't have the same chest discomfort as I did! I don't think my heart was beating hard enough or fast enough to take oxygen to my muscles when I was exerting myself. This stuff should be taken off the market!

I was prescribed lisinopril after I underwent open heart surgery for aortic valve replacement last July. Initially I was on 40mg, and was successively reduced to 5mg, which is where I am now. Basically, my dosage would be lowered after I would start to complain about side effects (dizziness, fatigue...), which my cardiologist would attribute to my recovery -- i.e. my blood pressure would stabilize, hence the higher dosage would lower it too much). Well, now I'm down to 5mg, and I feel worse than ever. I'm dizzy all the time, I have severe aches in my joints -- particularly in my knees and elbows, stiffness in my hands, pain in my feet, extreme fatigue, weakness in my arms, shortness of breath, and mild chest pains. My cardiologist maintains that it's not the lisinopril, yet after running full bloods, my primary doctor can't find a single thing wrong with me. I tried getting off the lisinopril for a little over a week, but I didn't feel any better. So, my question is this: does anyone else feel as crappy as I do, and how long does it take to get this drug out of your system? I'm only 34 yrs old, I'm not overweight or otherwise out of shape, and this is really affecting my ability to work and to spend quality time with my wife and 10 month old son. Ugh.

i was on lisinopril for a year and a half when it hit me like a ton of bricks.... i was twenty three years old and in super health, other than the moderatly high bp. i became very tired and dizzy like someone flipped a switch. At first i thought i was just coming down with a bad cold but after a week i knew it most have been somthing more. I was tired all the time, had problems with my sinuses, headaches, nausea, heart palpatations, dizzy, felt like i was going to faint all the time. I couldn't get to sleep at night and if i did i didn't want to get up in the morning. Even after 10 hrs of sleep i felt like i had just played two football games. I am one of the most optomistic people you will ever meet and i felt like i was going to die... I had no idea what was going on with me. I saw many doctors and they all told me that it was in my head. I felt this way for over a year when i suggested to my Dr that maybe it was the lisinopril. She really didn't think so but we stopped taking it and started a beta blocker. i have been off the lisinopril for 4 months and feel a ton better but still have a long way to go. Could anyone tell me how long this will last and what i could do to speed up my recovery... thanks CP

Hello. I started taking lisinopril 20 mg about 1.5 months ago because of hbp and I also started taking toprol for rapid heart beat 1/2 a month before that. Although it did lower my hbp it made me feel lousy. I started getting anxiety all the time, aches in my body (stomach etc), nausea, dizziness, spaced out, and numbness in my hands. My father passed away about 2.5 months ago and so I figured that the anxiety was something normal given the circumstances. I thought that the other side effects were part of the anxiety. I felt as thought I was going to go crazy or die. I also started to become a hypocondriac thinking that if I had a pain in my stomach it might be stomach cancer etc. It was not until I found this site that I see that lisinopril and/or the toprol might be the thing that is causing me to feel lousy. I was always healthy and I never had anxiety. I understand that I shoud feel a little anxiety and sadness because of my father, but I don't feel a little anxiety, I get intense panic attacks. I feel as thought I can't get back to normal, I just feel as though I'm not myself. I want to stop this meds as soon as possible before I, too, get worse side effects. Please let me know if you all think that it is the medications or is this just part of the griving process. All I know is that I started taking this pills and all this started to happen.

how lucky am i , to have found this site...... started taking lisinopril about 5 years ago......... developed tinnitus.......... dizzy to the point, that i had to give up my garden. could not bend, and get up without almost passing out......... developed acid reflux. ( my cardiologist said it was from my hbp meds ) my reg dr. said " bull.".... he's nuts ) (sure on the staff at mass general, and he 's nuts ........)that was 6 mos. or so after starting lisinopril.......... now i have numbness from my elbow to my hands.. from my knee to my feet..........hands and feet warm...... cough........ cough has been worked up, as i am a smoker......... negative......has worsened in past year......... skin rash.. localized on back, but that all over feeling of itching........ new in past 6 months...... the big symptom.............. leg cramps......... so severe, i wake up crying at night., 3 to 4 times. so tired from no sleep..... cramps in back, hands....... after reading the comments on this site, i will call the pharmacist, and see if i can stop, or have to be weaned off........... i am 64, in excellent health . size 8....... used to run up the stairs in my home...... since starting all of the c--p, i feel as tho my health has gone downhill.......... thanks for all of the info from people like you.. this is a nasty drug.............. sue s
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I have bipolar, and for a year I was willing to attribute my symptoms to that illness. I started the lisinopril when I moved and made a bunch of life changes, so I didn’t connect the onset of the symptoms with the med. Every night, though, I would get sick around 5 or 6 PM (I took lisinopril in the morning): nausea, headache, body aches, extreme lethargy, shortness of breath, fluttering feeling in my chest. These symptoms were so bad that twice I went to the emergency room. (Unfortunately, I presented as a bipolar patient with anxiety, so my treatment was less than comprehensive.) I swapped out all my bipolar meds to rule out drug interactions, but never touched lisinopril because I thought of it as a “safe drug”. My PCP (who prescribed the lisinopril) referred me to a cardiologist who did a battery of tests. I stopped the 30 day heart monitor after 3 weeks because every time I had cardiac symptoms, I checked out fine. The only option left seemed to be that the symptoms were psychosomatic, which scared me because I had no idea how to tackle that. I finally decided to investigate lisinopril and found this site by accident. It was amazing to read all the posts that were similar to my experiences. The day I discontinued the lisinopril in the morning, that night I did not get sick. I waited until I had been well for a week before concluding that the symptoms were indeed side effects of this med. It’s been a couple of months since I discontinued the lisinopril. And I have not been sick once, though I do struggle regularly with the bipolar. (I do monitor my blood pressure regularly: there’s a reason why everyone tells you to do that!) I feel stupid for not suspecting lisinopril earlier (I’m the kind of person who has a PDR and quizzes doctors on pharmacological modes of action) but I just thought that someone would flag it if there could be a problem.

I think those of us with a chronic illness tend to try to make symptoms fit within the framework of our known disease models. I’m writing a book and would welcome input on any aspect of bipolar or about dealing with chronic illness in general.

This site is a blessing. Congratulations on finding it!

Hi,
A cardiologist prescribed Lisnopril 10mg for me three days ago because my BP was above 160/90 even though I was taking HCTZ. All day yestersday, I was extremely energyless. I went to the gym to see my trainer, but could not lift a finger to exercise. I feel like I have a fever, but I do not have one. I've had headache since yesterday. I slept 10 hours last night, but woke up still extremely tired and unable to function properly. I have dizziness, uneasiness, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest area, and I feel strain around my eyes. Today, I went to the emergency room, because I knew something was seriously wrong with my heart or that my blood count was low. There was nothing. After reviewing several postings on this site, I realize these are side effects of Lisinopril. As of today, I am off this. I wil see my physician on Monday. Hopefully, she will understand.

I have been taking lisinopril for 3 years. My cardiologist believed I had a virus that attacked my heart. He prescribed lisinopril for my hbp. It has worked to lower my bp but I am experiencing all or at least a majority of the symptoms that everyone is complaining about. I have on multiple occasions stopped taking the medication but experience extreme exhaustion to the point that I can not function. I did not notice anyone having a problem stopping the medication. Please if you have any information let me know my Dr. does not believe me. Thanks.

I am an otherwise healthy, fit 50 year old male with mild hypertension (typical reading 140/95). Was put on Lisinopril following an atrial flutter episode. While my BP was lowered (typical reading 125/83), I experienced extreme fatigue and dizziness - felt horrible, like I had been poisoned. With my cardiologist's consent, after 2 weeks I stopped and switched to Cozaar. After 3 days, I feel vastly improved. BP readings are a little higher - 125/93 this AM. I do not know if Cozaar will ultimately have side effects, but cannot imagine they are worse than Lisinopril, at least for me.

I am a very athletic and active 37 yo male. I suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and I needed to get cardial clearance before my procedure could go ahead. I have really no medical history other than Mitrovalve Prolapse. The doctor diagnosed me with hbp and put me on 10mg of Lisinopril the first week of January 07. all was ok until after my surgery. I started experiencing the side effects in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Here is a list of symptoms Ive experienced in mostly random, erratic times.

-Mild Cough(thankfully)
-Loss of motivation
-Heart beating out of chest with elevated blood pressure(huh?)
-Pangs of anxiety and mild panic
-Hot flashes (like hearing shocking news)
-Weak in the knees (after flash)
-Mild headache (like caffeine headache)
-Shaky hands
-Irritability
-Cold and hot sensations in hands and feet
-Slightly cloudy vision and sore eyes
-Cramps in calves and forearms
-Random muscle ticks
-Sore neck (could be from my arm sling)

I went to the ER 3 days ago after an episode and got an ekg and it looked fine. The doc thought maybe I was withdrawing from alcohol from the way I was fidgeting. I was a mess. I felt like crap the rest of the day. I called my cardiologist and he (his nurse) suggested Atenolol in addition to my Lisinopryl. I cannot wrap my mind around that. Are they really trying to poison us? Since then I have been eating better and drinking plenty of liquids but I still get the pangs, just not as bad so far. It is affecting my daily life and I dont want it to affect my healing. After reading thru endless posts on this site I feel angry and truly feel I should find an alternative. Thank you all for posting!

I was definetely warned by my cardiologist that I would feel cough symptoms. He also told me NOT to get pregnant. I am concerned that I am on Lasix and although the recommendations are to take 6 - 8 glasses of water while on Lisonopril, this is contraindicative to the Lasix which already gets rid of excess water. My newest concern is that I have read weight gain as one of the symptoms and if I start gaining weight, this will cause pressure on my heart. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED WEIGHT GAIN?

Started taking lisinopril in july 06. Within two weeks had to go on nexium.About three months started having chest pains & shortness of breath.Had stress test the whole nine yards everything was great. Cardiologist took me off the meds,been off for about two months symptoms slowly fading. B.P. is 125/77

I have been taking Lisinopril for 7 months. The cough started after 2 weeks, so I went to a doctor thinking I hada strange kind of flu. I sometimes can´t speak after coughing, seems that my vocal chords have an irritation. This doctor prescribed me antibiotics, as it seemed that I was experiencing some kind of pneumonia. I was fine for 2 weeks, but again I began with the dry coughing, specially at night and when running a little. After I visited my Cardiologist, he told me that my cough was a reaction to Lisinopril, so now he has prescribed me another medicine.

I have taken Lisinopril for over a month now. I have been miserable. It wasn't until a couple of days ago when I surfed the internet about what other patients were saying about this medication and I decided to take half a pill yesterday and today. The side effects subsided some, not all the way, but manageable. I was getting this weird pressure in my head and eyes; neck, shoulder and back pain; hair loss; and it felt like I had a lump in my throat. I've gone to an psychologist, opthamologist, cardiologist and have a future appt. with a neurologist. After reading what others have felt, I emailed my PCP today and told her that it's the Lisinopril that's causing all my pains, stress and miseries. I told her that I want to change meds, but instead she suggested to get off the meds and see how I feel. I also have vitamins that we ordered last week in her office so I will be taking the vitamins 3 x a day. I'll keep you posted.

Has anyone else experienced a pins & needles feeling in their hands and feet? I have been on 20MG daily for about 1 1/2 weeks now and the past few days my feet and hands are bugging the living heck outta me, they feel like they are buzzing from time to time. I am also dealing with "the cough"

I have an appointment later this week with my cardiologist and would like to get off this med! I am currently taking 10 MG twice a day, and my motivation is missing and I feel like the world is passing me by.

I am so glad to hear I am not the only one in this boat with this drug.

Thanks for listening and understanding.

Please bear with me as this is a bit of a long story. I was put on lisinopril 5 years ago for hbp (not bad - 140/85). 5mg of the drug quickly controlled it. But at a check-up a year later my doctor heard irregular heartbeats and added a beta-blocker to control heart rate. For the next few years I had terrible depression, throwing my whole life into a mess. Eventually I couldn't even work. I also had terrible joint pain all over my body, the cough, poor sleep, nightmares, red face, and skin so dry I was embarrassed to meet people. The depression clouded my thinking to the point where I just thought I was aging really rapidly and really badly. I never thought of the meds. Stupid, I know. Finally someone told me that beta-blockers can cause depression. That was all. I went to a new doctor and asked to go off the beta blocker. Miraculously, despite horrible withdrawl symptoms, mainly rapid heart rate (I too, went to the ER a couple of times), I immediately felt like a new person. Most of my side effects were gone but my heartrate has never been normal or regular. I have been off the beta blocker for 6 months and my bp is ok. Recently I went to a cardiologist because of the irregular heart beats and rapid heart rate. He renewed my prescription for lisinopril and scheduled me for a bunch of tests but now I'm wondering if the whole disaster has been from taking lisinopril all this time. Neither of my doctors have ever even thought of it but I've been doing some research, including finding this site. I know you don't just stop taking bp meds. Any input out there on getting my doctor to consider this as a possibility and also any other family of drug that would control bp without all these side effects?

Wrote previously about my miserable side effects from Lisinopril. Did have the cough which I hope will eventually go away. I finally went to a cardiologist after months of many side effects, the worse being lack of sleep, waking up every hour or two and not being able to get back easily. The gagging has stopped and dizzyness and heatburn has subsided. I swear I have had every symptom others had with the exception of joint pains. Been off the pill only a few days and already I am sleeping so much better without waking up every hour or two and without the heart palipations that went with it. I cant believe how good I feel. Havent noticed the heartburn since then either. Wish I had figured out what was wrong with me sooner. Even the doctor and pharmacist didnt realize my problems until I got on this site. I just know the doctor was beginning to think I was a hypocondriac and I know they dont appreciate us checking on what they are prescribing but I had to research this and you have no idea how I bless this site and the people sharing their side effects. After two trips to ER you would think someone would catch on but all side effects are not listed. I feel like a new person and just poured my Lisinopril down the toilet where it belongs.

Apparently, I am allergic to the 20 mg. of Lisonipril the doctors gave me to take once per day to regulate my blood pressure, which shot up unexpectedly 6 days ago and landed me in the local cardio unit.

I have never had high blood pressure, but I had a dangerously high spike that the ER staff had trouble lowering.

Within 24 hours of beginning to Lisinopril on Friday, I started getting a deep ache in the center of my hip joint in both legs. I thought it was just stiffness from being in bed for over two days, and maybe a reaction to all of the drugs they used on me when I was in the hospital.

Nope. It got worse, and by Sunday night, I was taking aspirin every 4 hours just to cut the pain enough to sleep.

I took my next pill on Monday morning, and the joint pain started getting worse, and were traveling down my leg as muscle pain.

I tried walking up and down stairs, walking around campus, and sitting in my work chair--nothing helped, and the pain just kept getting worse.

I looked up possible side effects for this drug, and the one I found from the National Institure of Health (NIH) site on Lisinopril stated that muscle pain and cramps were a dangerous side effect and that I should see my doctor immediately.

The pain was coming off and on in waves that I could practically time with a watch.

So, I called the office of the cardiologist who took care of me in the hospital, so I could get this medication changed, and see him if necessary.

No dice. His secretary wouldn't even take a phone message for the doctor, because I had not been in to see him before in his office, and all my records were at the hospital (which I found out later, she could have had FAX'ed to her immediately, doggonit).

She said I had to go back to the ER to be seen in order to determine what was going on, etc.

I called my military primary care center, and told them my tale as my cramps grew worse by the minute.

They said I had to go back to the ER, and that Tricare would approve it.

By the time I arrived, I could barely walk, and I stumbled into an ER gone mad. Seems that the entire county got messed up at the same time, and everybody's case was different, but severe.

The only other hospital in the region was in the same shape, and was calling the hospital I was in to see if they could take some of their patients (they couldn't). We even had guys lying on gurneys who had been medevac'd in from other places who were waiting in line to get into ICU.

What a madhouse. The staff took an EKG on me as soon as I arrived and it was OK, so they sent me for a chest X-ray (the results of which I was never told), then left me alone in the hall.

The pain in my hips, back and legs was absolutley agonizing, and grew worse whenever I sat or walked. The pain made my head hurt like hell, too, and made me nauseous, and my vision was becoming very blurred.

I was left unattended for nearly three hours, until I finally fell apart, hobbled into the ER nurses station and keeled over--I woke up vomiting in a securty guard's arms.

They left me on the floor for a while until they could round up a wheelchair, then sort of folded me into it until they could find a free gurney. I lay around for another hour until someone came and started looking me over.

The ER doc said that he "had checked the literature, and that there was nothing about anyone having muscle cramps or joint pain from taking Lisinopril unless they were also on a water pill". I asked him to read the information sheet I had brought from the NIH, but he didn't bother.

I was not on any diuretic, but I was convinced that he didn't know enough about the drug to know for sure what it could or couldn't do.

The info I found on the government medical web sites definitely DID indicate that severe muscle weakness or cramps could occur, and it mentioned nothing about water pills having anything to to with these symptoms.

Anyway, they took blood work (came back normal), and gave me a shot of Xanax, which did nothing to help the pain at all.

Six hours after I arrived in the ER, the doctor finally got around to calling the cardiologist who had cared for me when I was a patient there a few days before.

After another hour of rolling around in tearful agony, and contemplating the beautiful freedom that death could bring, the nurse came back in and gave me a big ol' shot of Demerol. That worked, thank the Maker. My pain subsided to a bearable level, and I passed out.

In the end, the cardiologist's diagnosis was to take me off of Lisinopril, give me a shot of Demerol right away, and then send me home with Darvocet and Flexeril to keep my muscles relaxed and joints relatively pain-free until the drug clears my system (it's one of those that is supposed to "build up", so it takes a few days to clear).

They did this and sent me home--nine hours after I arrived. I will be put on something else by my primary physician when I see him on Friday.

I definitely think my problem was related to the new drug, and I will know for sure in a few days. Thank everyone for your posts; they have provided me with lots of useful information and confirmation. I will be very careful when taking any new BP lowering drug, and will gather plenty of information if I have any problems, so that I can convince any ignorant physician who needs to know what he or she does not.

I was diagnosed with angina two weeks ago..I was put on Lisinopril and Lopressor..After ONE week I cannot STOP coughing..it is so bad I now have an earache and pain in the back of my head and neck. I took a nitro pill and it did not help which rules out an angina attack..Doctor on called tonite told me to STOP the lisinopril which is most likely causing this cough. I've been up two nites from coughing. I am so tired. I can't sleep...I am in so much pain...how can I ever tell if I'm having an angina attack or heart attack. I will be seeing a cardiologist next week to discuss treatment......what's up with this medication????????

I am 58 years old , I have a family history of heart disease. I have had 7 heart attacks since the age of 39 in 1986. My blood pressure has always been a little low even though I was a smoker. My normal bp for the last 20 years has been approximately 115/75. I had a quintuple by-pass in 1997 at the age of 50. I have done GREAT until April 20, 2005. I had another MI, and 6 days later, April 26,2005 I had another MI. I was prescribed lisinopril. Since approximately mid June, 2005 I have had EXTREME anxiety and mild depression. My PCP and Cardiologist tell me it is not the lisinopril. I do not believe they could possibly know ALL the side effects of lisinopril!! Any one out there with this problem???