Lisinopril and cough

Ok...now I am really angry. I posted in early June. I am 7-8 weeks out from stopping the drug (only took for 2 weeks) and, while I feel better in the am, I continue to have "attacks" mostly at the end of the day after work or when going to sleep. I have minimal dry mouth/cough (keep drinking water/peeing constantly but ok because I am eating foods to dump water which is why doc wanted me on this poison to begin with). The feeling woozy and nausea has subsided. I continue to have racing heart (happens when about to fall asleep and causes anxiety/insomnia), sharp pains all over the chest and in left arm (constantly think I am having a heart attack/stroke), tingling/burning in hands/feet, and to top it off shooting warm burning pain (very annoying) up and down legs (this is new). My doc told me to get off all my supplements (because he knows nothing about them and thinks they are complicating the picture...now I think he is ignorant). I restarted my CoQ10 which is protective for the heart and the racing has stopped so far (been a few days). In my research, most of the symptoms fall under "peripheral neuropathy" which can be caused by toxicity from drugs. Natural treatments suggest making the body more alkaline and detoxing the organs by eating nutritious foods (organic when you can), exercise, drinking lots of water (with lemon and cucumber slices which make the body alkaline and purify the organs) and taking alpha lipoic acid. To treat the neuropathy make sure you are getting enough vitamin C, E, and B complex with B6, B12 and folate/folic acid (I take B100 caps). Please research these before taking anything and make sure its right for you. I used to say check with your doc but, in my experience, most don't know about natural treatments. I will post again in a week to let you guys know how its going. Best of luck to all.

For those of you taking this drug and want to get off, please know it takes 3-4 weeks (longer in others depending on your metabolism) to be "totally" out of your system. Don't think you'll feel better in a few days. Give it a least 6 weeks to show significant change in your symptoms. I know, my husband took this and was having mental sluggishness, depression, confusion which led to many other tests. He has been off the drug now since Sept 08 and off the anti-depressant too. Guess what...no depression has returned since being of this drug. He's back to an aspirin a day, what he took before this nightmare began. Anybody taking this drug should stop immediately. It's the drug from hell!

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

Like many of the stories here, I had developed a bad cough. I would start hacking and gagging. Sometimes I would be dizzy after the episode. I stumbled across this site when looking for answers to my coughing and gagging. I have been on Lisinopril for about 6 months now, and it seems to correlate with the the coughing episodes. I have had sinus CT scans, many drugs, and no answer nor relief.

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

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

Hi,I am a 43 year old female who has high blood pressure. I have been taking 10 mg of lisinopil for about 8 weeks. I started getting the dry cough and always felt like clearing my throat. I went to the ENT and was told that I had acid reflux. I am up most of the night coughing and choking. I am wondering after reading the complaints that this med might be causing it. I am now taking Nexium for the acid reflux but the dry cough is still happening. My high blood pressure was only 145/90 so I am thinking of going off the meds and try to get the BP down on my own.

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

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

I took 20 mgs a day for 5 days in September of 2006. I developed a terrible cough, but worse than that, severe chest pains & shortness of breath upon exertion. I still can't go up & down stairs; my pain is brutal and it's going on 3 years since it all began. Before I took the lisinopril, I hadn't been having any chest pains or trouble breathing.

Is there any hope of recovery? My doctors all say they've never heard of this kind of side effect; that lisinopril is a very common drug; it's clear that I have reduced lung function & definite pain & symptoms, but there is no way to isolate the exact thing causing it or to figure out how to make it go away; just to control the symptoms.

My theory: the lisinopril triggered an autoimmune response in which my body physically tries to reject my own lungs. Any thoughts on that one? I had been taking cozaar as an ACE inhibitor to slow the rate of my renal failure; I have type 1 diabetes and hypoparathyroidism, and while I needed meds before this episode, all I had to do then was manage my diabetes & I was able to live normally. Since this, it's been nearly impossible to do ANYthing. I am at the end of my rope & I want this to stop. But 3 years later, and while the shortness of breath is improved, the pain is actually worse now. I could sure use some advice & support. I'm on my way this week to get set up with a new dr. because we've moved, and I'm going to have to go through this whole thing again. Also - I'm trying to compile a list of other people who have had side effects with chest pain & shortness of breath. Also anxiety & panic attacks as collateral damage.

I was on this medication for 2 weeks. I have never been so tired. The other day I could hardly walk I hurt so bad and was so weak. My hips hurt, I had the cough. No appetite and all I wanted was sleep. I went to the Dr. and he took me off the medication. However I don't think the physicians are aware how bad the side effects are. They kind of look at you like your over reacting. I really thought I was falling apart and had something bad. So thank you everyone for this site. I feel so much better now.

Started Lisinopril eight weeks ago and took it for three weeks. I suffered the consistent cough. However the worst was the altered taste. It is worse than just metallic, it is bitter and food taste can change mid-meal. The problem started after the first week taking the medication and has not gone away even though I am five weeks since the last dose. I am concerned as to how long it takes this side effect to go away.

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.

ok ive been on lisinopril for about 4 months. the cough is annoying and its not all that bad but the thing I notice most is the constipation, and its causes one more side effect that most men are afraid to talk about and thats erectile dysfunction. The doctor told me this would improve after ive been on my meds for a bit but after 4 months the ED has gotten worse. I forgot to take my meds for a couple of days and for the first time since taking this stuff things are improving. Im 39 yrs old and am in ok shape but not bad. I have a physical job and am fairly active. The ED, reduced sex drive, cough and cramping of the right calf after 4 months ?????? If I stay on this what next? Anyone else have any ED problems with this drug???.

Has anyone out there who has been on lisinopril gotten very sore tender breasts? I recently increased the dose from 10mg. to 15 mg. because my BP was getting higher and it seems like I've had this stinging aching sensation in my breasts since then? I've also had a tickling cough since I've been on it--worse at night.

I'm on Lisinopril-HCTZ and have been for not even a month and I'm having those coughing spells so desperately, that I almost pass out. I can't stop coughing all day and night, now another doctor says I have asthma, but I don't think I do. I think its the adverse effects of this medication. I can't eat because it feels as though my esophagus is closing up all the time, I've been living on soup mostly since I started these meds, otherwise I can't swallow. I have to get off this medication because its causing decreased lung capacity already and I've only been on it two weeks!

I have been on lisiniprol with hctz on 10mg dose since October 2008. My BP averaged around 144/95 before taking the med, now averages about 122/78. The problem i am having is this constant "tickle" in my throat which has been giving me coughing fits. When i breathe in deep i can feel a sensation to cough, sometimes my throat feels tight and sore, the first time i felt this was December 2008 and the doctor said it was a touch of post nasal drip and this was before i have read stuff on this board. Has anyone else experienced this kind of sensation in the throat? sometimes when i talk i even have to cough, i experimented once and did not take my dose and it seemed my throat felt better but then noticed my bp went right back up, i guess i better tell the doctor to get me off of this drug. She did tell me that the cough was part of the side effect. thanks and hope someone answers this.

has anyone used low dose lisinopril for kidney issues? i'm having an acute attack of nephrotic proteinuria and the kidney doc wanted to start me on lisinopril but we are waiting to see my latest round of blood work. my blood pressure has remained low (110 over 70 average) and since i've had asthma and other respiratory allergies, i'm pretty sure i would get the dreaded cough.
i am otherwise healthy, all vitals are great, except for high protein in my urine and low protein in my blood. my kidney functions all test normal. the kidney doc thicks it may be resolving on it's own so why should i risk the side effects & toxins of lisinopril?

I am 47 never had high blood pressure in my life very active.When seen by a new dentist he took my bp and tipped me off that it was a little high.After a month of constant bp readings the doc put me on 10mg lisinopril.After two weeks no side effects went back to get a new bp reading normal.All is good so i thought.I have never been on any medication in my life other than an antibiotic here and there.I now have temple headaches,trouble concentrating at times, the little cough and the worst is the burning itching hands!My fingers are just enough swollen I had to remove my wedding band that i have never taken off in 25 years.I after reading all of this am going to other measures to lower my bp.Its scary when you feel worse than when you started....

I have coughing and itching skin.

I started taking Lisinopril about six months ago. 20mg twice a day. I have the cough. I do sing-a-longs and folk music, so the cough is a real pain. This winter my hands were so dry, the skin was pealing off. My hair felt lifeless. I wake up and can't get back to sleep. I have had a cold twice this winter. I don't know how much of this is due to the meds. I have cut back to once a day and my hands are better and my hair feels better. Some days my lower number on my BP is very low. Tired all the time. I'm going to try cutting the pills in half and cut back some more. I hate to change meds because they all seem to have serious side effects. Oh, yeah, I'm 74.
...Cariboubill

My wife talked me into going to the doctor yesterday for the first time in nine years. I started having a bad cough and fever with weakness since Sunday. Normally I don't get sick very often and if I do I'm able to pray through it where it doesn't linger on. However; this time the cough pretty much went away but the fever did not. While at the doctor, they took my blood pressure and said it was 156/96. The doctor said they needed to put me on medication right away. I suggested that I knew that I needed to lose weight and eat better which I recently have done. I had taken my blood pressure a few months ago and was 167 over 100 so there had been some improvement. I went ahead and filled the prescription for 20 mg of Lisinopril. I took one yesterday. I had much difficulty going to sleep which I don't have a problem with normally. I have a trembling sensation going on in my back still today. Because of these symptoms I google searched this drug to find out more about it. Because of all the testimonies, I will be discontinuing taking this. Give your life to the Lord and He will give you His. God bless.

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

I've been on Lisinopril 20mg for a week now. I have been having the hoarseness, leg cramps, tired (no energy), getting no sleep, and cough. But what worries me most is my blood pressure has dropped to what I think is TO LOW, (example: 87/60, 90/58, 96/66 89/68. I called my dr. 2 days ago and explained my concerns. They told me to cut my 20mg pill in half and we will decide what to do at my next appt. which is in a few days. Even after cutting the pill in half, my bp is still running 96/67, 98/66. Should I demand to be taken off the Lisinopril and be put on a different medication?

I had a slight cough for a while, but don't any more. I have been on 20mg for a couple years. About 6 months ago, both knees started hurting, but thought I was just getting old. (49). Then everything started aching. If I am moving, then I'm fine, but if I sit for any length of time and try to get up, I hurt all over. I don't know if it is this med, but reading all these posts make me think it could be. I just need to get my weight off and get off of this!
Also, I got to this site because I started having a sharp, fast pain just below my left ribcage. 2 yesterday, but about 10-15 today. Good thing it only lasts about a second, because it is bad. So-could this be from this drug, as well?

Oh my god! I am so glad I looked this up. I had been on 20 mg Lisinopril for 1 year and it was not lowering my blood pressure and I noticed I was more tired than usual and was coughing at night a little bit. I went into the doctor and he increased my dosage to 40 mg. I told him about my coughing and he said "Its probably not the Lisinopril." My blood pressure went down but my coughing has increased and my throat feels like it is closing up. I have to keep cough drops by my bed just to get through the night. I wake up every couple of hours and my nose is very stuffy. My glands are swollen and you could tell by looking at me. I have been experiencing more frequent headaches as well. Not sure if my weight gain it also a side effect but I have put on 10lbs since being on it. I decided to stop taking it yesterday and today my throat feels a little better and I can swallow easier. I am going in on Monday to get a different drug, hopefully one without all these side effects.

Took Lisinopril for several years but recently changed to a different medicine due to a very severe cough. Also noticed that shortly after stopping Lisinopril my problems with psoriasis has just about cleared up completely.

Update from previous post.One month since I came off lisinorpil. 40 mg per day. I halved my dosage every three days until I stopped. Coming off the drug was worse than quitting smoking. I stopped smoking 3 years ago, not one puff since.
Lets review results.
Heart palpitations - gone
abdominal pain - gone
Stamina - returned
Brain function - returned
running nose - gone
allergy symptoms - gone
erectile dysfunction - gone
starting to lose the weight, 4 years ago 185, max 224 on nov 2008, now 215
normal bowel movements - returned
I actually feel like I remember. I see a chiropractor once a month and went yesterday. She asked me what I was doing differently from my last appointment. Looked like I had lost weight, coloring better, spark in step and face. whole body was less tense. Listen to your body, it will tell you when somethings not right. The only thing I have changed is stopped taking lisinopril. I still take 25mg of hctz. BP is stable. today 130/79.
My ex MD is still puzzled by the results.

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.

gagging cough,perhaps intestinal angio edema,but my hair will grow.
also i was having frequent,urgent urination,i thought it was possibly because i drink liquids frequently due to hot flashes from peri-menopause, but after taking lisinopril/htcz 10mg, my urinary symptoms improved, no urgency, go figure!

by. catcat

Okay, I got off this Drug after talking to my doctor. If you are getting the cough get off of it. Contact your Doctor ASAP because it only gets worst . In my case it was really bad.They script it because it cheap.

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.

been on lisinopril for about 4 years i have had the cough but though is was due to asthma that i have in the last 6 months i have knee and hip feet ankle leg pain i can barely walk can't hardly get off the couch or even out of bed will i am going to see the doctor will try some thing else does anyone have any suggestion b/p around 140-75 some times a little lower

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

hi ive been on lisinopril for 10 weeks now , just 5mg a day , after 2wks this cough started , tickly ,and burning in my throat sometimes, clearing my throat from time to time , also difficult in swallowing too, went back to doc 4wks ago to see if he would change it , but he said to try bear with it for a few weeks more, now since the weekend my throat has got worse and im going back to the docs tomorrow to definitely get it changed, its a nightmare this drug

Someone, please tell me how long this coughing will last! I took Lisinopril for 4 weeks. During that time I had many of the same symptoms that I'm reading now, but didn't realize what was causing them. But after 3 weeks of a constant dry cough that led to gagging more often than not and cough attacks every hour on the hour even at night, I turned to the Internet to research tickling coughs. I too was sure I had throat cancer after experiencing lung cancer just a year ago. After reading all of these experiences from all of the people on this site, I was relieved yet furious. I called to inform my doctor of the side effect of the coughing that was keeping me from going anywhere but work (I'm a teacher so you can imagine how difficult that is). I was consuming 10 - 15 cough drops a day and night which was not helping my weight issue. She prescribed Toprol which I researched and read that it should not be taken if you have had a history of lung issues. Needless to say, I'm not going to take that either. My blood pressure is pre-hypertension so I believe I can control that myself with exercise and diet. It's been 5 days since I stopped taking the Lisinopril and the coughing has not subsided at all. I was up every hour on the hour last night and that was with taking a sleep aid.

I was prescribed this about two weeks ago. I knew I had high blood pressure and decided to work on getting it lowered. I started taking this and immediately had headaches in my temple...then numbness up by my cheeks and something that felt like hot flashes. I would get dizzy, was extremely tired, couldn't concentrate and had one of the worst cases of diarrhea I had ever experienced. My distant vision became very blurred. However, I thankfully never got the cough.

I spoke with the doctor about this and she said that there was no way this drug was causing my headaches. I'm scheduled for an MRI tomorrow and she wanted me to have a temporal biopsy, which I think is drastic.

I read an article from a medical journal that low blood pressure can cause headaches. This was just published last spring of 2008. I started getting the 24/7 headaches 3 days after I took Lisinopril. Aspirin or pain relievers never helped.

I took myself off of it two days ago. Yesterday I was so weak and tired with headaches all day long ...however today, I'm beginning to feel much better with much more energy. The numbness is disappearing in my cheeks and the headaches have greatly reduced.

I am thinking about a natural alternative to this ...losing weight...exercising and going on the dash diet. Unless of course the MRI shows something. I also thought about cutting the dosage of the pills in half or to one quarter.

am 66 and was put on this stuff in August of 2008...was also taking lovastitin and doctor increased that by 10 mg to 20.....with the two I started belching,and having the cough with phlegm....loss of appetite....and constipation....last week doctor changed meds and put me on Diavon, and simivastitn which seems to be working better...also put me on Nexium for the acid reflux due to the Lisinopril....

I am a 35 year old woman and my doctor put me on lisinopril 10 mg at first I had the cough that I see almost everyone gets,but I could deal with that then I started getting very tired all the time,I had started working out and was feeling better since I had been diagnosed with hbp,I ws following the dash diet ,it is said to be real good for hbp.I started taking lisinopril in may and by November I was a complete mess, My doctor never told me of any side effects so I read the little paper that the drug store give you on the side effects but it does not do this justice!I was so weak and tired I could not get out of bed,On thanksgiving I went to the hospital and told them I have no energy I feel sick all the time and dizzy,of course they sent me home thinking I was insane because I was crying ,I felt depressed all the time I did not know what was going on .About two weeks later very close to Christmas I started having palpitations at first I just thought it was stress from the holiday then they came more often ,I was so scared I went to my doc. told her I was have palpitations and she blamed it on my weight! ok now I am overweight but I have lost almost forty pounds and was walking four days a week ,then I said to her do you think it could be the lisinopril ,then she said something I will never forget she said well who put you on lisinopril? I was done then I said well you put me on the drug ,her face went white she said oh yes you should stop taking it I will give you a different one ,so I went home and took it for week and the palpitations kept getting worse so I went back to her and told her I was still having palpitations so then she gave me an e.k.g. and found nothing of course.I told her I was going to stop taking the meds all together and she then said she wanted to see me in two weeks ,In the meantime my boyfriend made an appointment for me to see a heart doc. ,he took another e.k.g.(did I mention I have no insurance)and said there was nothing he could do that I need an echo and a holter moniter for 24 hours to tell him whats going on .I had been off work for a month now so I had no money left so I started crying but my boyfriend paid for the tests to be done which cost a pretty penny .I am still waiting for the results of those tests yet but the more I think about it the more I wonder if I was having lisinopril panic attacks?I have stopped taking all blood pressure meds and my bp is most of the time 120/80 sometimes it is lower sometimes it is higher but I would rather not deal with the side effects of the drug until I really need them!

49 year old male started 4 years ago at 20mg and 10mg HCTZ. some results in lowering BP. 2 years ago MD upped it to 40mg because BP inching up. quit smoking 3 years ago, not one puff since. After MD upped mg the side affects have really kicked in. I experience all the side effects listed on this site with the exception of the cough which I started with but went away after a couple months. I have had stress tests, Holter monitor for heart arrhythmias, mri, blood work, stool samples, colonoscopy, and all sorts of other tests all coming saying I'm ok, yet I don't feel ok, I get progressively worse. After 4 weeks of 5 day a week exercising with weights and aerobics to get in shape to return to racquetball I have had it. I couldn't last 45 minutes my second day out. I felt like I was hit by a truck and it took a couple days to recover.
My MD attributes the issues to aging. I going for a second opinion and third if necessary. I am told by my MD that there are no studies showing these side affects for this medications. However I look at this web site and find it hard to believe that these doctors just haven't seen any evidence of what we are all suffering from. Why don't doctors really listen to patients. We are asked to listen to our own bodies and told we know our bodies better than anyone, yet when we bring up these issues we are treated like children.
No real answers, just questions

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!

After a year of trying to figure out what these symptoms were from, we have it narrowed down to Lisinopril. I would feel upper abdominal pain, which within a period of several hours would migrate to the lower abdomen, followed by several more hours of vomiting. I didn't notice a cough, just pain, nausea and vomiting - every 15 minutes for 6-7 hours. It landed me in the hospital twice, my GP couldn't figure it out, my GI doc couldn't figure it out, finally sent to a GI doc at a well-known teaching hospital - no dice. I too was tested for genetic disorders, had CT scans, ultrasounds, capsule endoscopy - no irregular results. I was on 2 prescriptions - birth control and lisinopril. We switched the BC, to no avail. Finally, we switched my blood pressure med to Methyldopa, no more symptoms. This drug ruined a year of my life.

My experience with Lisinopril is similar to many others here. Mine is further complicated by the combination of drugs I am taking.
Due to my BPH I was taking Proscar and Doxazosin (4mg), the Doxazosin helping with hypertension as well (140/90). My doctor decided to add 5mg of Lisinopril to augment and help lower the blood pressure some more. He also liked the overall helpful aspects of the Lisinopril on the cardiological system. After about a week and a half on this regimine I was having dizzy spells and light headedness.....disconcerting when driving. I also had the infamous dry hacking cough noted my almost everyone. I stopped taking the Lisinopril and things went back to normal.
On my next visit to the doctor, he wanted me back on the Lisinopril but trying 2.5mg doses. That seemed to be OK for awhile. I have now added Flomax to my regimine and noticed the same dizziness problem. So I am staggering my pill taking which seems to be helping somewhat.
However, after three weeks on this program, I am having severe dry hacking cough episodes, 5-10 times per day. Also have to be careful when I stand up due to dizziness. Additionally, I am having sporadic insomnia problems that are out of the ordinary for me. Also, runny nose, sneezing and a tightening feeling in the chest and abdomen.....Almost like a mild flu. The tightening feeling is more like a caffeine overdose high...ergo the insomnia.
I attribute the hacking cough to the Lisinopril. The insomnia could be the same or possibly the Flomax. I'm not sure about the tightness. I plan to stop the Flomax next week when I go back to the Urologist and will stop the Lisopril at the same time and see what happens.
I would be interested in any input readers may have on my dilemma.

I just starting to take this Lisinopril 20mg. I could not tolerate the side effects The Cough memory lost tunnel vision, Rash Angry . I quit taking it after three days . This Stuff is poison.

I too have light headedness,dizziness,cough & ED problems. have been on Lisinopril 3 Months. Hated the stuff. Finally got my Doctor to change. Trying Diovan now.Why can't someone do something about this drug? Doctors just won't believe anyone! After 1 week I do feel a lot better,never really realized just how bad I actually felt on it.We'll see how the Diovan works,but am I early of this one too.

Coughing, eye pain and aggravated psoriasis!
My doctor recently took my off Lisinopril as it was causing me constant coughing. I have been off this medicine for about 2 weeks and the cough is gone. Also I noticed how GREATLY improved my psoriasis has gotten since stopping Lisinopril. In general I feel a lot better since I stopped this medicine and cannot tell you how happy it has made me to see such an improvement with the psoriasis.

I got off Diovan because of diminished energy, drowsiness, and all-around lack of ability to focus after several years on it. I didn't realize it was the Diovan until I got off it and got on a weight loss med: Phentermine. I felt like I was 20 again. But that was short-lived of course because you can only take that stuff for 90 days, max. Diovan was bad for me. Then the Doc prescribed Lisinopril and I was on that for a couple of months until a week ago. I'd been suffering with a dry cough for a week when I told the Doc about the side effect and I've been off Lisinopril for 7 days. The cough is still but slowly going away. Bouts of coughing are no longer every hour on the hour but about 2-3 times a day and still all night long. I'm off of any BP meds now and my BP is 150/90, same as it was on both Lisinopril and Diovan. Apparently it takes a while for the Lisinopril coughing spells to go away.

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

the stomach upset and heartburn were unbearable. i told my doctor about them and she told me to take nexeum, never said it could be the lisinopril. from the beginning i had the cough and what i thought was a sinus infection. 2 days after i stopped taking lisinopril ALL symptoms went away.

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