Lisinopril and cough

Hi, its me again, just wanted to share this with everyone. I contacted the FDA in November of 2009 informing them of the dangerous and poisonous side effects of this medication Lisinopril, how it took control and nearly claimed my life. It is Feb 2010 and still no response. There are individuals out there just like you and I who are suffering from this posionous drug. We who have experienced the side effects from this drug know exactly what it can do to your boy and time is critical to our sisters and brothers who are still taking and suffering from this posionous drug. We must join together asone and get this medication (Lisinopril) off the market. We put our trust and faith in our doctors and pharmacists to take care of us, but they have let us down big time. We didn't derserve to suffer the way we have from this medication and I refuse to believe that the majority of our doctors and pharmacists didnt know about the dangerous side effects from this medication and we must not stand by and watch our love ones suffer the way we have from taking this medication. If we must go all the way to Washington, D.C, CNN news, Fox News, we must let the world know that lisinopril is poisonous and deadly. To the doctors and pharmacists who cared enough to inform your patients about the side effects of this medication, God Bless you, thank you, thank you, we all thank you. P.S. Will someone tell mehow did lisinopril pass FDA inspection????

throbbing headache after exercise, pains in arms and legs feels like someone is squeezing my arms and legs, dry throat, cough, difficulty breathing when lying down, hot flushes, dizziness, absolute fatigue, depression, feeling completely isolated and told i am having panic attacks, i am definetly not, i know the difference between the two, palpitations, heart racing and seemingly missing a beat, loss of sleep, pain in my kidneys and in glands underneath my arms, cough, and very dry throat, i am stopping this medicine immediately after six weeks of hell, frightened to drive i am so light headed and crying at work i feel so weak, think i will take my chances with the bp being borderline, i am not overweight, swim twice or more a week, well since taking this medication i feel like a pensioner whos whole life is on hold, i am also having stomach pains after i eat, i cant stand another day like this.

02/02/2010 I switched from diovan 320 mg to lisinopril 40 mg because of cost, Within 24 hours my nose started to run, I had severe headaches, fatigue, and loss of sleep. I don't have the cough yet but it sounds like it's coming soon. My doctor only told me about the cough. I have sleep apnea and sleep with a mask on my face, coughing is out of the question for me. Thanks to everyones feedback on this site I called my doctor and went back to diovan . I would rather pay more and be sick less. I also wrote to the F.D.A and asked them how this poison got approved in the first place.

I'm a 44 yr old male and was prescribed Lisonipril for high blood psi prevention. I do not have high BP currently.
The first month I developed what I thought was a cold. Headache, bad cough,weezing lots of mucus. It was bad enough to get anti biotics from my doctor. The cold symtoms never got better, I saw a allergist and had all test done for every allergy. He gave me a breathing machine to take home as my lungs were full and I could not breath correctly. Night time was the worst, coughing started once I layed down, sometimes choking on the mucus. I noticed my sex drive was way down, I have always had a very healthy sex drive and this was distressing. I was always tired, depressed, irritable. My hair began to get dried out and dead feeling, I thought it was my shampoo or something. My mouth was so dry I began carrying a water bottle around with me. I have rashes on both legs that itch severely. I remember saying to my wife, I feel really sick, like all around bad. Something is wrong. I never get colds, I have perfect numbers cholest is 166. I know when something is wrong. I ran out of pills before the weekend and did not take any for 4 days. I began to feel less sick and could breath. I took my first pill in the 4 days and that night was feeling ill again. I looked up side effects that night and was shocked. I trusted my doctor, never thought this little pill was responsible for all this pain. 3 months of lost productivity. It been just one day off the pills, I can only hope I return to normal.

I'm a 56 year old woman and had been taking Lisinopril for about a month and a half when I developed this thick mucous in my throat. Two weeks later the dry hacking cough started. I work with the public and this cough has ruined my life. I finally went to the doctor thinking I had some kid of sinus/allergy thing. He told me to stop the Lisinopril. I've been off it for 7 days and I still have the thick mucous and cough. I gag when I cough, I have awful coughing spells, I can't have a normal conversation because I start coughing. Because of the severe coughing, I don't have control of my bladder! Just when I was enjoying my "golden years"! Thanks to all of you for your comments. I didn't believe the doctor, but I believe the rest of you. So, now I'm wondering...when is this cough going away? And you know what? The Lisinopril didn't lower my blood pressure anyway.

Thank God for this sight! I have had major side effects and didn't connect them to the lisinopril until I typed in "Lisinopril and constipation". I was switched from Diovan(no problems) to lisinopril in July 09. The insurance was the reason.After one month of being on the lisinopril I developed a cough,I started gaining weight,and developed chronic constipation. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I went to my gastro doctor and He gave me a new disorder called IBS. I thought,this isn't right,something is not right as I did not think I had IBS. To cut this story short,I got up this AM,thought about my meds,and decided to type into Google,"Lisinopril and constipation",and now I see I was right,it is the Lisinopril that is causing ALL my problems. I didn't take it today and I am calling my Doctor immediately to ask for a substitute or a waiver to get back on to the Diovan/hct. Thank-you,Thank-you,Thank-you!

I am a 57 year old female and i'm writing to tell others about my experience with this medication which is poison itself. I started taking lisinopril in April 2009 for nearly a month and a half everything was okay but in May I came down with flu like symptoms and a severe cough that would not go away. I continued to get sicker and sicker with the cough until my body was severely sore from coughing all day long. I went back to the doctor from May 2009 until September 2009 and everything that was given to me failed to work. The doctor tested me for tuberculosis which came back negative and the doctor also told me that I may have acid reflex which I knew that she really did not know what was wrong. I never thought it was the lisinopril that was making me sick because of the short amount of time I was on the medicine. I went back to the doctor and she wanted me to start taking breathing treatments because my breathing was affected tremendously. One night my breathing was so bad I had to borrow a family member's breathing machine and before that I experienced many sleepless nights because of this medicine and living a normal life again seemed impossible. Everywhere I went, whether it was to pay bills, or school, whatever I needed to do was very difficult because I was coughing non stop and became weaker and weaker over time. I did not know what was wrong with me, I thought I had contracted a fatal disease and my daughter who lived in another state had to quite her job because everyone included me honestly thought I was dying. I continued to get sicker and sicker and I almost passed out but with the help of a friend I was taken back to the doctor. I told the doctor that it was something seriously wrong with me. She took my blood pressure which was 170/100 and she also stated that my heart was racing so fast that it sounded like it would jump out of my chest. She referred me to a heart specialist that same day but all the tests were normal. After consulting with my doctor after the tests were done she was all out of answers but finally decided that it may be my medication so she took me off and within three weeks my health improved but I continued to have minor problems due to the medicine. My legs still ache till this day, I experienced so many symptoms with this medication other than the ones described but I just wanted to share my experience with the medicine. For me if I had the choice of dying with dignity or continue to take this poison lisinopril, I would chose death because what I experienced with this medicine was far worse. Some one needs to take this medicine off the market soon before it claims a life, it probably already have claimed lives. No one should have to endure the terrible symptoms I and others that took it have experienced. I've met alot of women recently with high blood pressure who were sick and the first question I asked them is what type of medication they were taking because they had some of the same symptoms. Bingo! Linsinopril, I advised them to get off the medication as soon as possible because the worst is yet to come. I've had so many doctor bills from doctors not knowing what was wrong with me, heart test, test for tuberculosis and more. I came so grateful to come across this site to see that i'm not alone because the doctors made me think I was crazy but I knew something was wrong. I wish you all the best of luck!

I am 36 in very good health, non-smoker, drink Alcohol 3-4 times per week. I have been taking Lisinopril 10mg for 6 weeks. I did experience the dizziness for the first week and the cough. My cough only lasted two weeks although I have noticed I still experience a heavier mucus flow. I am having heart palpitations especially at night, my Dr explained to me this is normal and I must admit they are not as severe as they used to be. I also am experiencing slight headaches - especially if I have not drank any water for a period of time (maybe due to the diuretic also in this medication) also slight itchiness but not a severe as some of the other patients who have posted. I feel somewhat ignorant to HBP I didn't even realize I had it?!!! However my BP has been lowered to 120/80 from 160/90 my father (62) had a triple bypass last year and has recovered remarkably well. I do not want to die of a heart attack or stroke I have way too much going on in my life :) I will research the Apple Cider Vinegar pills and the garlic idea. My annoyance with this medicine is that I cannot seem to feel the effects of Alcohol, being from Europe I am used to having a glass or two of wine or a good beer with my meal. I'm also upset that I should not go out in the sun for a prolonged period of time. Other than these two "irritations" I am happy to be healthy and alive.

HI, Just a follow up from my last entry 2 weeks ago. I had sevier side effects from the Lisinopril including extream nasil drainage down my throught along with a cough that would end with me vomiting. I also experienced tingling in my hands and bad charly horses in my legs. I have been off of the med for 2 weeks and can gladly report that I have non of the side effects. zero. I haven't felt this good in over a year. My doctor and my pharmasist are both at a loss and don't know what to make of it. But I can tell you that this medicine is a killer. For those who do experience side effects, find an alterative and do it now.
Thanks
Good luck and good health, Rick

I've been taking lisinopril for about 4 weeks now. I found that if I take it at night before going to bed, I don't have as much of the debilitating dizziness and nausea that I did when I took it in the morning. The cough seems to be gone also though the constant mucus-like feeling in my throat is still there. I have also noticed lately that I have been having strange cluster type headaches after taking the med. Has anyone else experienced this? I am not going to take it tonight to see if I have the headaches tomorrow.

I was on Lisnopril for only 2 weeks, 10mg everyday for high blood pressure...starting coughing with the mucus...couldn't stop, hard time sleeping at night, tired...Went to my Dr., She took me off the Lisinopril. That was a week ago...still coughing, not as bad. So if anybody knows how long it will take to get this drug out of your system, I would like to know...I have read you could have the cough for a couple of months...This drug needs to be off the market....The side effects are terrible and the doctors don't warn you how severe the side effects can be...

I am a 50 year old male, in good health and physical condition. My Dr. prescribed Lisinopril for my high blood pressure (it was consistently around 130/85) about six - eight months ago. I did not notice any side effects until about three weeks ago when I caught a head/chest cold. The cough will not go away and now I have wheezing. I will be fine for hours and then go into a coughing fit for an hour or more. I cough so hard it makes my head hurt and is very annoying to me and those around me. About five months ago I spoke with my Dr. about a problem I had swallowing. He said that it was probably acid reflux (which I have never had a problem with in the past), now I think it is tied in with this medication. This is the only medication I am on. BTW, I have been monitoring my blood pressure and it has not gone down consistently. In fact, my Dr. started me on 5mg and then moved me to 10mg. I exercise regularly. I think I am going to try some of the alternative options discussed in this blog (celery and garlic pills). I'm done with Lisinopril!

I was described Lisinopril for borderline hypertension in Oct 2009. All went well for the first month or so. Then, about 3 weeks ago, I started experiencing seriious side effects:cough, congestion, nausea, stomach inflamation, abdominal bloating, dark urfine, neck & back pain, sore throat, tingling/burning nerves in arms, head, abdomion, & pelvis area, extreme itching of arms, lethargy, fatigue, dizziness, chest pains, insomnia, muscle cramping, and high anxiety and jumpiness. I called my GP, who prescribed the med, who indicated that he did not think Lisinopril would cause any ot the symptoms that I was experiencing and he wanted me to come in. When I went in, he maintained that my symptoms must be caused by another drug or another underlying condition. Since I was taking no other drugs, then I could only assume that I was dying something. I got the feeling that he was more interested in protecting himself from a lawsuit than in helping me. The nausea and bloating are the worst ( although all the symptoms are very . Has anyone else experienced these and how long will it be before they subside?

I have been on lisinopril for about a year for high blood pressure. I found that I had all the same symptoms as many of you. constant drainage, cough, tingling in fingers and hands, cramps, the cough and drainage to the point of vomiting. I took this information to my Dr. and pharmasist and they told me that they know the pill causes a cough, But non of the other symptons.
I had the Dr. change my Blood pressure pill to cozaar which is more money but works for me. This was 5 days ago. I have not coughed hacked in 3 days. I slept better last night than I have in almost a year. I am absolutely convinced that the Lisinopril was the cause of all of my sympoms. Good luck and good health. rvr

I am a 47 year old female , i am very active .. until recently i have always had low blood pressure .. but for some reason as of late my bp has been in the stroke levels at the highest 220/170 this sent me to the hospital via a ambulance ... long story short i was prescribed lisinopril to help control my bp.. OMG i have been on this medicine for a month now ... it has built up in my system .. i have missed three days of work .. i am extremely depressed in which i am usually full of zest... i am undescribaly tired tired tired all the time ... every thing is a chore .. extremely dizzy ... i can't concentrate and very very irritable ... as of last night researching and reading everyone else's comments my reaction to this drug has been validated .. I am NOT taking anymore drugs ... i called the doctors today and they want to switch me to benicar .. the side effects are just as bad .. No Thank You to drugs ...

This is my 3rd post. I have been off of Lisinopril for over 3 1/2 months, only being on it for 10 days, after experiencing alot of side effects, hair breakage, heart palpitations, racing heart, depression, raising blood pressure, tingling, numbness on legs, feet, and arms and fingers, along with heaviness, like I have weights on my limbs. The ER Dr. said it was a panic attack, which I never had in my life. I also had that dry constant cough. Still experiencing leg heaviness, numbness, and complete fatique off and on, panic attacks,and the dry cough. How long does it take for all these horrible symptoms to leave someone's body. I never had any of these symptoms before taking Lisinopril 5mg for 7 days, then to 2.5 mg. for only 3 days. Can someone respond. Thank you.

Thanks to all who have posted. I did not really make the connection that it was lisinopril that was causing my problems until I read all the postings. I'm 51 year old male w/ type 2 diabetes & take metformin, glipizide & vytorin. Don't really have high BP but Dr. perscribed Lisinopril to 'protect' kidneys. He was probably conned by the drug companies & said their text as he said it was cheap etc. Had the side effects like sexual disfunction, horrible cough, hair loss, anxiety deprtession & probably others not as severe. Stopped taking it immediatly & feel better 9 days later. Sex drive coming back, cough dimishing, depression lessing etc. Dropped a letter at my Docs office but still haven't heard from him. From now on, I will research any drug I get perscribed before taking it. Been taking this less than a year & I think fortunately I stopped in time as I think this could have been doing damage to me. Where's the class action Law Suit? Include me in when lisinopril makers get sued for making this stuff!

I've been on Lisinopril for about 4 months now, and have not really had an issue. Only side effect I have is constant clearing of my throat, not really a cough. If I did not have this medication I could die, So I can't complain.

How long does it take to have this drug out of your system and the cough to stop completely?

i was put on lisinopril /hctz 10-12.5 mg one week ago for high blood pressure, it hasnt relly lowed it yet. Pulse is stil really high. Woke up 4 days after taken it with a bad cough, runny stuffy nose. I cough so bad i vomit and pee on my self,sick at my stomach. I took my self off it one day ago and hope this crap stops.I fell worse on this med than i did when my bp was high and pule was high.

I was on cozar for high blood pressure. My insurance made it non formulary with a $50. copay so my Dr. switched me to Lisinopril. I did not make the correlation at the time but my symptoms include constant drainage and cough to the point of vomiting. I have been on nasonex for a year with little relief and reciently have tried not only other nasal sprayes but pills as well with no change. After finding this forum I have made an appointment with my ent specialist for next week to get me off of this pill.

I have been on Lisinopril for a year and a half. I get the dry tickle cough, and palpitations. I am also on Paxil, which can cause palpitations. I am on Prilosec, which can also cause palpitations. My blood pressure has been great. It still gtoes up from time to time, but that is to be expected, especially since I have aniety issues, (which can also cause palpitations). Overall, my experience with Lisinopril has not been bad.

I took Lisinopril for only 4 days or so. It lowered my BP fast, but the side effects were rough-- I had the cough and it really disrupted my digestive IBS. Plus, continual runny nose.
Very strange. Doc switched me to Diovan, which I don't want to take either. LOL
But I will find a way of lowering my blood pressure, because if it's high I am susceptible to stroke. Which is a very serious problem,not to be ignored.

I am a 33yr old mom and wife. I started taking lisinopril about 2 weeks ago when my BP was 160/112. I am a 'regular' cougher, but ever since I started taking the med, this cough has turned into gaging and exteme cough with some mucus in my throat. I cough so HARD my head starts pounding. When I go out w/ my kids and husband in a crowded place, I have to leave because I start coughing and gagging in the store, how embarissing.

I started Lisinopril about 3 months ago for moderately high BP. At first it was fine, no side effects. But about 2 weeks ago I noticed the weird tickle in my throat, lots of mucous in the back of my throat and a slight feeling of having a sore throat. I had heard about the potential cough with the medication, but not the sore throat and tickle. Also, feeling anxious and depressed. I was on Atenolol for 8 years, but read many articles about problems with it creating insulin resistance with prolonged use. Anyway, I got off the Lisinopril about a week ago. Hoping the tickle, sore throat and mucous will go away soon...I need some sleep! Thanks to all who have posted here and maybe I'll get the motivation this year to get some weight off and get my BP down.

I am a reasonably fit 51 year old male. I have been on 20 mg lisinopril for high BP for about 3 years. Normal BP is now 124/84 with lisinopril. I have had the cough, extreme rhinitis- clear mucus like a tap, then stops -- I have tried to work out what starts the mucus without success, I even had a spray to try and stop the symptoms. The spray helped but did not stop the runny nose and cough. Over the last 6 moths I have been woken up during the night with knee pains. in the last 3 weeks, my right leg feels like the tendon is on fire, my right hand is painful in the knuckles and the tendon in my right arm has seized up a few times with burning like the pain in my leg. I thought all these symptoms were just me aging..badly ! . until I did the same as most of the posts on this forum.. read other accounts and realised that the symptoms can come on so slowly that you feel it is not the lisinipril. My memory is also impacted and again I thought that it was just a senior moment.. however, senior moment is too early at 51,

I have been on this drug for 6 weeks. I had a bad cough for a week or so, but it went away. I still have some nasal drip. The drug has very significantly lowered my blood pressure from 172/118 to 136/86. As such I consider it effective. However; I have horrible concentration, suffer from major memory loss, severe fatigue, and overall feel like I've lost 33.3% percent of my brain function. It has also killed much of my sex drive. I plan on quitting this drug and risking a heart attack or stroke. This stuff is total poison.

I am not certain lisinopril is the culprit of my current major complaint, but indeed many of the symptoms noted by those who have added to this blog, I too have experienced. I had a slight cough but nothing serious and small phlegm issue in the back of my throat which I felt was definitely related to this drug. But these were such minor issues I didn't really care. But recent soreness in my left hip, which went away, then my right hip, which went away and then in my lower back and right arm, caused me to search for side effects of the only two drugs I am taking one was amlodopine at 5 mg, the other was lisinopril at 20 mg. I have found nothing on the Internet that would indicate that amlodopine is problematic (severe adverse reactions) for HBP. On the other hand this particular blog, is a mind blower. I have noted several others have described muscle aches which they never had in the past and issues with phlegm in the throat. I might add that I was taking Azor, prior to these two meds, but Azor runs about $120 a month to refill, so the pharmacist and my nurse practitioner switched me out of Azor to the aforementioned combo, about 6-8 months ago. One final note I have been somewhat more depressed over the last several months, than I have ever been in the past. The depression is slight, but noteworthy and may too be related to this drug.

I can't sleep at night for the cough ,I started taking Lisinopril about 6months ago .I didn't start the coughing until about a few weeks ago , I cough so bad that I can't sleep at night . I haven't gotten a full night sleep in weeks.It start out dry and know it has me coughing in the day as well. I have dryness in the in my mouth . I have read some of the other problems that people were having and I'm experince the same thing . I will stop taking the Lisinopril and ask my doctor for something else. I pray the coughing will stop so I can finally get some sleep.

About four months ago, at age 59, my doctor decided to start me on Lisinopril. My BP had been slightly edging up over the years and when consistently elevated at 140/90 the medication was prescribed. The original prescription was for 20mg, once a day. My BP lowered and the Lisinopril was lowered to 10mg a day. Within a couple of weeks, a clear, post-nasal drip began and some coughing. I thought I was experiencing some sinus trouble and did not associate it to the medication. I have never had any health problems what-so-ever. I began to experience extreme dizziness, ringing in the ears and fatigue. If I turned my head too fast thought I was going to pass out. I thought the dizziness was due to an inner ear infection cause I had a slight fever (99.6). He did not see any problems with my ears but prescribed a 5 day "Z" pack antibiotic just to make sure. After the 5 days there was no improvement. The cough got worse, the dizziness persisted along with the ringing in the ears and fatigue. I began to question the Lisinopril since this all started when I started taking the drug. Sure enough, blogs upon blogs of complaints from people having the same symptoms after starting Lisinopril. I stopped taking Lisinopril 10 days ago but all the symptoms continue. I'm going to try the Organic Apple Cider Vinegar remedy; I pray something works. I can't believe these symptoms are still with me. Some blogs say that the symptoms could last for months. I hope they do; I would not be able to stand this for the rest of my life!!!!!!

This Drug is dangerous to to 25% of its users I am taking another drug Benicar and not having anything close the the side affects.The insurance companies want your doctor to give to you because its cheap and some are brainwashed that this drug is great and the patients are making it up. If you get the cough stop taking it that is the first sign of trouble it will not go away is just gets worst. It almost destroyed my body and mind.

I have taken Lisinopril for one month and have experienced a chronic cough with huge amounts of clear post-nasal drip. I cough until I gag and gag until I vomit. This happens about every 30 minutes of each day. I have tremors, am lethargic, unable to concentrate at work or on the smallest of projects at home. I have coughed so much that my bronchial as well as my throat are so tender. I quit taking Lisinopril 48 hours ago and feel a little more clear-headed, but the cough is still here. I haven't had a full night's sleep for a month now. I am depressed from lack of sleep and lack of energy. I have an appointment with a new doctor and hope he will believe me when I tell him all of my side effects from Lisinopril. I wonder how long it takes to get this drug out of my symptom.

People, People, People, this stuff is POISON, POISON, POISON...read below right from Wikipedia....pay close attention to the part "IT IS DERIVED FROM THE VENOM, OF THE JARARACA, A BRAZILIAN PIT VIPER:
Lisinopril was developed by Merck & Co. and is marketed worldwide as Prinivil or Tensopril and by AstraZeneca as Zestril. In India it is marketed by Micro Labs as Hipril. In the United States, a generic version is available. Like other ACE inhibitors, it is derived from the venom of the jararaca, a Brazilian pit viper (Bothrops jararaca) . Lisinopril can also be used in conjunction with the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide and also goes by the brand names Prinizide and Zestoretic.

I believe this is slowly poisoning many people in many different ways. It's like a small dose or Arsenic you're taking every day. I check back to this site regularly because of what it's done to my husband. He suffered depression, weight loss, all interest in his passion, confusion, mental sluggishness, memory loss, and brain shrinkage. This man was an Active perfectly healthy man until he began this medication. It was a downward spiral from the beginning. We just did not recognize what was causing it. He was on this drug for 17 months. I suspected this drug sooner but let the Doctor talk me into keeping him on it. I will NEVER do that again in my lifetime. These drugs are causing significant changes to the brain to shrink it, cause depression, and mirror the symptoms of Alzheimers, FTD, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, MS and who knows what else. It some people, the symptoms happen over a longer period of time. Could be years...in others, it happens much quicker. Like I said...it's a small dose or Arsenic everyday. My husband is 95% better. He'll never be 100%. The damage is done and this drug did it...I have no doubt whatsoever. So, be good to yourself and get off it. The Doctors don't listen. You know why..."they know everything"....THEY ARE SO WRONG!

I am a 54 year old woman who was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation in August 2009. After my surgery, I was put on 40 mg. of Lisinopril by my cardiologist, along with 12.5 mg of Metoprolol and HCT. After being on the meds for 4 months, I started to get side effects: extreme dizziness to the point of fainting; shortness of breath, hair loss, pain in the back of my left arm, radiating to my back, pain in the top of my right foot, cold hands and feet, gnawing pain in my stomach, rapid pulse, brain fog (I went shopping and forgot where I parked my car), muscle fatigue, chest tightness and achiness (there are more symptoms, which I know all of you have experienced also). The dizziness and resulting low blood pressure (80/60 with a high pulse rate 100) made me quit the Lisinopril and Metoprolol altogether, as I didn't know which medicine was causing the problems. I started feeling better and the dizziness would come and go. The chest tightness is gone, but I am still having problems with shortness of breath, especially if I walk uphill. My family doctor also told me to quit the medications, because my blood pressure is stabilizing around 115/85 and my pulse rate has gone down to 86. I take my blood pressure a few times a day to make sure that it is staying low, because I don't want to be on any kind of medication! I find that breathing exercises really bring the pressure down (should it be on the high side). Diet and exercise are the keys to good health and I walk 4 miles every day to keep my heart healthy. I just wonder how long it will take for all the side effects to subside (I have been off Lisinopril for one week now, and feel so much better). Does anyone have an answer to that?

******

It shouldn't be up to us patients to find the cause of the pain we experience and we get into trouble for researching.... I was prescribed Lisinopril at the end of august to moderate fluctuating BP that had suddenly appeared after a Contrast CT scan in May. I am a competitive sportswoman very fit and healthy always 120/80 until after this scan. Crazy stuff stared happening. Yo yo BP permanent blinding head pressure pain, bulging soft veins and an uncharacteristic sloshing gut...stomach I think but may be intestines, eyesight change.... sense that connective tissue had suddenly gone too stretchy, sensation that my stomach no longer supported in the right place pulling on oesophagus, raw physical not functional abdominal pain.

I took one tablet of Lisinopril and within 15 mins as I got the expected BP drop my entire abdomen started to burn like I had a football of stinging nettles inside me! It lasted 24 hrs and I was beside myself. Saw GP following day who said as it was not listed it was not a drug reaction!! Bit of a bloody coincidence though I say. Leave it a day and try again. EXACTLY the same thing happening. I don't care what they say that is a drug reaction. I have not taken since.

The stinging stopped but I started to be unable to maintain body temperature, feel constantly faint, started getting prickly vein pain and sudden blanching in my hands unrelated to temperature. Seemed like blood was not going all the way round body.... GP says stress anxiety but that is not me and these are very real physical symptoms. Research Lisinopril and discover that ther are plenty of journal reports that this drug can, rarely, cause visceral angioedema, sudden swelling of the mucosal tissue. Rarely recorded because no one believes us when we say that is happening to ME!!

Need to understand the mechanism these drugs use to create their 'benificial' effect....

I have had same stinging reaction recently immediately following a further contrast ct scan ...an hour after scan and back home the stinging came again. I recognised it as the same. You don't forget that pain.... across chest this time too. Again I am told it is not a reaction !!! this time it lasts for over a week and I think has done some biochemical damage to my body as a consequence. Circulation in my arms completely screwed.... Arms started to scorch inside and pulse with my heart as the stinging stopped...and baffled medics. Hands by my side, they fill with blood under gravity and go deep red but the instant I elevate the hand for a few seconds it blanches completely and prickles. Pulse is normal even when hand above head but for some reason blood is not making it across the capillary bed and into the venules in the normal way. Lisinopril started this problem in August with just two doses...... I believe This drug has triggered an over production of Bradykinin which for some auto immune reason my body has not mediated.... brady kinin vasodilates by releasing by promting endothelial cells to excrete nitric oxside... un regualted this can damage the endothelial cells themselves. As capillaries are only one cell thick it doen't take much to damage the network. Bradykinin is also implicated in contrast reactions .... unregulated for many days in my case I believe has gone on to do some extensive damage to circulation.. we have capillary beds everywhere and I can feel my lungs are not happy.....
Getting anyone to take this serously is a real challenge. I know I have reacted. I am being told I have not as all usual blood tests are normal. I can demonstrate this bizarre reddening/blanching and it is happening on the inside too. I am sure the process of investigating using chemicals has screwed my body chemistry.
I also believe that physiochemitoxic changes in delayed reaction to contrast have resulted in seriously altered osmotic pressures in my body that have affected the tensile strength if collagen network. Suddenly my fingers are super flexible, my skin has suddenly lost significant spring back tone, my stomach feels as though it has stretched and distended deep into abdominal cavity and the connective tissue supporting it stretched or given way. It is not a very nice feeling. I cannot get it taken seriously at all and it has ruined my life.
This started In may when I had chest pain and burping and because I had a newly discovered left bundle branch block they suspected heart attack which angiogram ruled out. I think I reacted to contrast as early as then but didn't realize. I had prickly abdominal pain when I was discharged which I had never had before......

Until May i had never been to the doctor with anything..I am 51, sensible intelligent and articulate. I know my body really well through years of training for events and competitions. I know when I say something is not normal that I am not being oversensitive, and yet through out this as new things started to emerge and I felt my body reacting to be told you are not reacting is unbelievable. I did not know for sure that I was reacting to contrast til after the last scan in October. Unfortunately I think that it is too late..

I've been on Lisinopril for four weeks. Off as of yesterday. The cough the last two weeks has been incredible but I did not connect the dots. Thought I was just sick. I've had incredible -breast pain- and - breast lumps-. Happened previously with over the counter cold meds which took months to clear and made me think i had cancer.

My bp is not high enough to lose a breast for!

On October 21st, my Husband and I had a fine day enjoying the wonderful fall countryside. Coming home happy we enjoyed a late supper. A short time later our nightmare began. My husband said he was experiencing a throat tightening and his mouth felt funny, he indicated we should head for our small town hospital's emergency room. Bob is now 63 but a most healthy person, taking only blood pressure meds. He had no need to be in the hospital since a tonsil removal when he was 24. This was soon to change. By the time I parked and entered the emergency room they had given him several injections of various meds. Yet his mouth and throat continued to swell, the doctor showing me bob's airway, indicating it was traveling from left to right and about 75% closed. Acting quickly they brought in more medical people, sedating Bob and placing him on life support. I was told this was a allergic reaction to Lisinopril, a drug Bob had taken for three years. Five minutes later would have been too late. This happened so fast! Bob remained on life support for five days while his entire body swelled, I could do nothing as the man I had married 40 years lay there hooked to machines. Much happened during the next eleven days Bob remained in the hospital, including moving him to a state of art hospital. Perhaps this move saved his life, but most importantly he is now home regaining his health. I stopped the drug lisinopril myself, I can't take a drug that has been this instructive, and to think you are taking it to save your life. Bob followed up with a specialist who warned him this could happen again as it takes 3-6 months for Lisinopril to completely leave your system. I realize this happens only rarely, but in my opinion that is too often. I have become very aware of the side affect warnings now, and I hope by telling of our experience we help someone else.

>>>>>>>LIVER TRANSPLANT<<<<<< I am 30 years old. A wife and a mother to a 5 year old and a set of 8 month old twins. I was prescribed Lisinopril and about 6 weeks after being on this medication. I started noticing that I was extremly tired, nauseous and then nauseous and then my urine started to turn really dark orange. I went to my doctor because I knew something wasn't right. To make a long story short. The doctor ran test after test just to tell me that it he believed that I had Hep A. I layed in the bed for 2 weeks becoming more jaundice as advised by my doctor. Finally I was taking to the ER. I was immediately flown to Oshner Medical Center in New Orleans, La to have a Liver Transplant. I was told by the doctors there that the Lisinopril had done this to my liver. By the grace of GOD I was only on the donors list for 15 hours and the liver was a perfect match. After the surgery I was told that I only had about 48 hours left to live. This all happened to me 47 days ago and I give all the glory to God for saving my life. I'll be praying for all of you. 12-6-09 / 9:08pm

I'm 55 yrs. old with no history of HPB. Recently my Dr. said I my BP was elevated and put me on the very expensive drug Cozaar (50 mg) Since it was $76 every 30 days, my insurance company said to see if the Dr. would prescribe Lisinopril (10 mg). It's only $10 for 90 days at Wal-Mart. He agreed to do that and I took if for four days before breaking out in the worst rash I've ever had. It started around my ankles then up my legs and was itchy like hundreds of mosquitoes biting me all the time. I was on vacation and had to find another Dr. for some advice. I told him a rash is listed as one of the side effects of Lisinopril and he said, "Don't read that stuff, it's NOT the Lisinopril." He gave me a steroid shot and prescribed some steroid cream which helped, but didn't cure it all. I took myself off this drug well over a week ago after being on it for only six days and even though some of the rash is better, I'm still breaking out in new areas of my legs. I also had the severe cough, was lightheaded, had chest pains, shortness of breath and generally fatigued. Since I have stopped the Lisinopril on my own everything is better, except the rash. It continues but not as bad as it was.

i have been taking 20mg/12.5 HCTZ for 8 months. i had no idea that any of these symptoms (except 1 or 2 posted on PDR sites) was related to the lisinopril. now i'm just disgusted for not making the connection sooner!! i thought i was having blood sugar issues all of a sudden where i've had none in the past. i had/have every one of these symptoms over the last several months on a regular basis. not constant but one or several at a time and extremely aggravating!!
light headedness, dizziness, blurred vision, incontinence when laughing or sneezing, swelling of lips, cough, heartburn, muscle and stomach cramps, ringing of the ears and shakiness.
i have an appt with dr. for recheck in January but i'm not waiting. i am so glad i stumbled upon this link and know i'm not losing my mind!!
thanks to everyone that contributed!

I am also one of the many here who is grateful to find this site. I have only been taking 10 mg daily for a few months, but have started to have muscular cramps in very odd places; around my ribs and sides, and lots of foot and calf cramps. I have also had three scary incidents of cramps near my heart, I have to get up and stretch and they go away., but one of the cramps felt like it was seizing up my right kidney at the same time as my chest; very strange. I also have a hard, hacking cough that literally causes me to wet my pants, it's just very awful and inconvenient. Some days, my head feels like it is splitting open from the cough. The cough/gag cycle in the morning is very upsetting. I also have noticed that I am very short of breath, and also find that to be very annoying, as it interferes with my work. I am calling my Physician tomorrow after reading all of these comments and asking for a different BP drug. This one is awful.

In 2007 I was diagnosed with HBP and enlarged prostate at the same time. I was working and had medical coverage with my PCP at Nova Southeastern University. The doctors there are very good. They put me on Terazosin for both. I quickly developed severe rash, hives, swollen face, neck, throat, etc and had to go to emergency. They took me off Terazosin and gave me Flomax for the prostate and Lisinopril for the BP. The Flomax works fine-noside effects that I can tell except decreased semen production. I am a 58 year old male. But I quickly developed a cough and the took me off Losinopril right away and put me on Diovan, which worked great with no discernible side effects. Then I lost my job and had to go to the VA for my medical in January of 2009. Because my medical history included my emergency visit for a severe anaphylactic reaction to Terazosin, they allowed me to stay on Flomax. But I had no such record for the cough caused by Lisinopril. So they insisted that Diovan was too expensive and I had to try Lisinopril. Despite my complaining about the previous experience they insisted. I was given a little pink pill which did cause me to develop a minor cough. But being a good soldier, I decided to live with it. Then in August I noticed that my refill no longer had a pink pill but a larger yellow pill. And that was when the problems started. I first felt like food particles were stuck in my throat and nothing could get them out. That feeling would eventually disappear on its own only to later return. I visited the emergency room several times with severe flu like symptoms, including a severe cough. I also discovered a yellow film covering the back of my throat. And my tongue had a thick yellow coating on it that went all the way to the back. In some places this had strands that extended above the back of my tongue for about a half inch. In addition there were bumps on the top of the back of my tongue. This stuff could not be scraped off. The emergency doctors would examine my mouth and throat, tell me nothing was wrong and refuse to take a throat culture. They scheduled an appointment with ear, nose and throat and then canceled it. Eventually they scheduled a CT scan, which showed nothing abnormal. Finally my PCP examined me and said I had a severe allergic reaction to Lisinopril. So a week ago she took me off Lisinopril and put me on Amlodipine. I'm actively researching the side effects of that and will get off if I see anything I don't like. But my goal now is to find natural substances to treat both the enlarged prostate and the HBP. The yellow coating on my throat is beginning to disappear. Still no difference with the yellow coating on my throat. I believe I have seen slight improvement in the cough, but not nearly enough for my liking. I worry whether I will ever be able to get rid of it. I do have more energy now. Any idea how long it will take to get rid of this cough?

I too was given Lisinopril for high BP. The cough started within a few days, along with the post-nasal drip. I never related the symptoms to the drug until I started searching on the internet. By this time 3 months had passed and I have bought and taken every cough / cold remedy on the market. Tried using a Neti pot twice daily, cough drops, syrups to no avail. I haven't had a day without coughing every couple of hours since August and I cough to the point of vomiting. I can't sleep at night and am driving my partner nuts. Thank GOD I finally realized what was causing this cough and got my Dr. to switch my meds to Atenolol (no cough side effect). Unfortunately, I have been off Lisinopril now for 15 days and am still coughing. I've seen very little improvement. I have read in severe cases, the effects sometimes linger for MONTHS! *UGH* I think I fall into that category. I am trying to keep my sense of humor about it all and hope that I can stop coughing my Christmas!

My housemate started Lisinopril 5 months ago and he is now a totally different person. What was once a swee,t giving guy is now a cranky, bad tempered person that I don't even know. He has no sex drive, his taste is so altered that he's cut way down on eating and has lost so much weight he looks like a skeleton. He's always sleeping and has no energy to do anything. He complains of cramping, back aches, hoarseness, cough and I could go on and on. I made him stop the drug 3 days ago and I'm praying that the effects will go away soon. I'm so happy I found this web site and that there are others that are in the same boat-I don't feel like I'm battling this alone.

I am sitting here in tears reading about the side effects others have had on Lisinopril. I am a 43 yr. old woman who started taking it exactly 1 year ago and about 3 months ago I started coughing at night and feeling like my throat was closing or clogged with mucous. It has just gotten worse and worse and after 2 rounds of antibiotics and various other meds....it's still worse. About a month ago I started having sore ankles out of nowhere. I have been walking like an elderly person as my ankles are so stiff and painful. Until now it had never occurred to me that it could be related to the lisinopril Yesterday my Dr. finally said that the cough is probably the Lisinopril and took me off of it. I didn't believe that this could be true so I decided to look online and these other experiences are what I found. I am just praying that it will go away......I haven't had a solid nights sleep in so long and even my dog won't sleep in my room anymore because my cough keeps waking him up. My 3 year old wakes up every time I have a coughing fit and it is terribly inconvenient during the day too. ....

i have been on lisinopril 10 mg hctz for about a year now, bp is good averages now with the med 120/73, i do get the cough sometimes, also tightness in the throat, but the scary part now is i have been losing my hair rapidly in spots, one in the middle of the head and on the back of the head. I am 50, fair head of hair, my barber said i might have alopecia, but i wonder if it is the drug causing this, i see a dermatologist on dec 10th, anyone else losing hair in patches?

I am 40 years old and was prescribed lisinopril/HCTZ 20-25 a little over two weeks ago. I went in for a little congestion and low grade fever. I am a teacher and have many kids out with the flu, swine flu, etc. and felt that I needed to get checked. I came out with 5 medications, one of which was lisinopril. I have never had bp problems in my life. I am almost certain that the nurse practicioner wrote me down for something else and the dr came in and changed. I am usually a very calm person but in the last two days have experienced what I thought was a panic attack and anxiety, horrible anxiety. I haven't been able to face my students which isn't like me at all. During the first week I took my students on a field trip and had a really great day with them- much less stress than a normal day. I got home and my bp was around 138/98. I thought that was kind of odd. It has been under control since I started taking it. On this same day, I got blistered on my face and wasn't outside much at all. I have Rosea and thought that it had been aggravated. I believe now that it was the lisinopril. I know that it has a diuretic in it, but it doesn't make me go frequently. Instead I get a sudden urge and have had two "accidents" recently. I have a sometimes dry, other times full of mucous, cough to the point of nearly gagging. My neck muscles were already stressed out and tight, but have gotten worse. I feel a tightness in my chest constently. My lips are so dry that they peel all the time. I have no appetite and when I do eat I get nauseous and almost feel like vomitting. I have been lightheaded and dizzy. I am not sleeping and feel extremely tired all the time. But these last two days have been awful. I love being around people and right now can't stand the thought of it. I am guessing that lisinopril has caused much of these problems. I am about to go see the doctor today and think they will want to put me on some sort of nerve pill. I hate that!!!! I have a plan to achieve everything that these meds are supposed to. Exercise, change my diet, go see the chiropractor, do more relaxing things for myself and take better care of me! After reading these blogs I believe that I am going to take myself off of lisinopril and see what happens. My hubby is also on it and just last week developed an oozing sore and his left cheek - could be the lisinopril. I will pray for all of you bloggers and those who are unaware. This is definitely a poison to our bodies. I think I even read that it contains snake venom. Is this true????? I will update in a few days. Good luck and God bless!

That's it!! I have had it. A couple of years ago, Dr prescribed Lisinopril HCTZ for my high blood pressure. 6 months later, 'Hey your cholesterol is really high.' So she prescribed Crestor. Then 6 months later, 'Oh Crestor can cause liver damage, we'll need to check your liver.' I know doctors mean well, but they seem to all be trained to simply prescribe a pill. The average senior citizen takes 12. Daily! I have had it. I refuse to take the lisinopril any more. Last night: zero sleep due to the cough. Hacking and coughing, trying to 'hock-up' the crap draining down my throat. The wheezing at the top of my bronchial tubes. Unable to inhale enough air to cough. Peeing in my pants. Disturbing everyone else in the house. This is just bullsh--. Hey, how about another tip: Did you know the HCTZ can cause artificial inflation in your cholesterol numbers?? Guess what: after switching 5 months ago to the lisinopril plain, not with the HCTZ... you got it cholesterol went down. Down by 80 points, too! I made no other change during that time, not in my diet, exercise or anything else. So effective today: (1) No lisinopril (I'll check my BP daily), (2) increase my Kelp and selenium for my thyroid, (3) stick on my insulin-resistant diet, (4) reduce my caffeine intake. I'll keep this site posted on my progress.

I to can say that Lisinopril has caused me to have the worst coughing ever. I work as a receptionist and sometimes I have to but the call on hold to be able to cough. This is terrible I spoke to my doctor and he just gave me a prescription for another medication. My sister in law told me as well that Lisinopril made her cough. I have not taken it for 3 days now trying to clear up before starting the new medication but I am still coughing from the it, hopefully it will stop soon as this is driving me crazy. I now find myself having this ugly white flem that at times when coughing spits out of my mouth. This is so terrible, doctors must tell you this when given you this prescription not after the fact. Good Luck to all.

ok, i have been on lisinopril 10mg hctz for about a year now. sometimes i feel the cough, sometimes my throat fells tight , but one thing that scared the hell out of me just in the last few weeks was a sudden bald spot on the top of my head, granted i am 50, but i have a reasonable head of hair, i also, to my surprise found a little bald spot usually where a man does not go bald down toward the back of the head. I just walked by my haircut lady to ask her if i had this bald spot two months ago and she said no way and to hurry and see a dermatologist, i am truly thinking its this dam drug, anyone else experience sudden hair loss in strange places on the head? thanks.