Lisinopril and dry cough

I am 51 year old woman and have been on Lisinopril 5mg and Bendroflumethiazide 2.5mg for many years now, about 8 (not sure). I got the dry cough to start with and then it vanished, to be replaced with a productive cough. I get, at any time, but thankfully not all the time, a constant need t clear my throat and a wheezing in my breath. I am producing copious amounts of mucus and this is what sets it off. It most often happens after eating or after I have been sedentary for a long time so I get it a lot when in bed. I cough until it all clears away but sometimes I am sick, or I cough myself dizzy and come over all peculiar. It is not a listed side effect but I never had this before. My hair has suddenly thinned, hairdresser told me he has notice a big change in my hair (am menopausal but not through it yet, I suppose my age and meo could be cause of thinning hair). I suffer from terrible stiffness in my feet. Sometimes I can hardly walk as my legs and feet as so fatigued. I will limp upstairs one at a time. Other days I can s[rint up! No regular pattern but I have started using a walking stick often as one ankle is very weak and can give way. Could it be the Lisinopril? I had three day bout of my taste buds going haywire about four years ago but it righted itself. Now I have it again, only not quite so bad. I can taste tea and coffee and savory foodstuff mostly as normal but sweet things either are tasteless or bitter. I don't know if I should go doctors or not. Does anyone else get this constant hacking cough due to excess mucus suddenly being produced. Tenalady are making too much money out of me due to this, lol!

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

I am a 44 year old male, been on Lisinopril for almost 2 years. My insurance stopped paying for whatever I was on prior, and gave me this. I was told only side effect may be a dry cough. OK, never got the dry cough. Great I thought ! Last year, I developed a bilateral rash on both arms, and both sides of my waist. I dealt with it.. went away for a while, and now back with a vengeance... arms, elbows, buttocks, both sides, and chins... the scratching is unbearable.... Im guessing based on what Im reading on this site it could be the lisinopril ? Please comment back if you've had similar.....

I have been taking 20 mg. for two weeks and I have developed a dry cough, pain in the middle of my shoulder blades and my left arm. I tried to cut my grass and felt like I was going to die. I am 48 year old male with BP of 140/90. Lisinopril has lowered my BP as low as 90/60 so I cut the dosage in half. Now I feel like my throat has been ripped out and I'm hurting all over. I will never take Lisinopril again. I was on Benicar, but it was expensive and didn't really work. I am going to start exercising more and try the health food stores.

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

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

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

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

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

within 4 days a dry cough started at night and day, now I have a thick clear phlegm in my throat that chokes me if I do not clear it .I spend quite a bit of time spitting up to clear my throat.I was fine before, I have been trying allergy medicines and nasal sprays nothing works.I am glad I read this site as I did try to stay off it for 5 days and the same symptoms persisted,but now I know the side effects can last for weeks so I will be contacting my Doctor to change it

I am a 62 year old female and started taking Prinil, which contains Lisinopril, 3 months ago. On the second day the dry cough started and also my vocal cords felt paralyzed. After 12 days I was told to stop taking the medication. I still have a very hoarse voice and problems with my speech. Have been to two throat specialists and there is nothing wrong with my throat. Has anyone had such symptoms. If so please reply.

I am a 38 year old female on Lisinopril for approx. 2 months on and off. I am in excellent physical shape and ideal weight with a family history of hbp. I immediately noticed negative side effects from this drug. Extreme fatigue and confusion the first day I took this pill. The first month it was in combination with water pill and that was a disaster. I could not stop craving salt. I stopped taking this on my own and went back to the Dr. She then prescribed the Lisinopril w/o the water pill and the salt cravings were not as severe but I was constantly hungry! Yesterday I decided to not take the pill and see how I felt and of course I was NOT tired or having any unusual hunger issues. There was an immediate difference! I also have the dry cough which until now I thought was something I had p/u from one of my children and could not shake. This drug is ridiculous. I have taken meds for bp on and off through 2 pregnancies over a 10 yr. period and the pills are worse than being pregnant as far as exhaustion and cravings!!!! This is very scary and I know hbp is deadly, but there are other meds which do not come with all the negative side effects. I will keep experimenting until I find one that works for me. This pill is headed for the trash!!

I took my dose on a full stomach just before bed and am not having the side effects , the dry cough and a little night restlessness was it.Again thanks to all for sharing. It is 9am .

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.

Ive been taking lisinopril 5mg for over five yrs or more did not have side effects ive read about on here until feeling unwell over the past 12months maybe longer, joint pain, 6 months ago i could hardly walk, pain in left knee and pain in right foot, weight gain, pounding chest, dry cough, thank god for finding this site, soon as i did i stopped taking it that was about 5 weeks ago, i feel a lot better, even though my bp might be up i don't care id rather live with it than take this crap. and i feel that its just getting out of my system so you maybe talking a couple of months depending what strength you are on, to getting out of your system, hope my post will be of help.
S. in UK

55 yr old female, taking this medication for couple of months...these
are my side effects...tired all the time,severe anxiety, can't sleep, my
legs ache and I am in pain, dry cough, headache and depression.

I, too, am trying to get off of Lisinopril. I am 49, and 10 lbs over my ideal weight. Went on the drug in December 2008, 2.5 mg a day. Since then, I have been depressed, tired, had a dry cough, sometimes a pounding heart and most recently, I am now losing my hair! And, yes, my bp is normal while on the Lisinopril. I have to say, that while I knew it was making me feel lousy, the hair loss was the last straw of side effects. I went on it at a time of high stress in my life and for now, life is calmer and my bp ranges between 135/80 and 145/90 when I am off it. Thinking of some natural, healthy approaches to lower my bp. Perhaps lose that 10 pounds and get more exercise. It is the worry of a high bp that makes the lisinopril hard to give up. The side effects though tell me it is bad for my body. I appreciate this website and reading about the experiences others are having while on this drug. I am hoping my hair will come back in if I stay off of it. Has anyone else had their hair grow back?

I have been taking this medicine for the last 2 months 5mgs a day. About a month ago I started having this horrible dry cough. I am very healthy and active and I do not get sick very often but, this cough will not go away. I have tried over the counter drugs but, nothing works. After reading your comments, I am calling my doctor TODAY to get off these meds.... Thanks

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

I have been 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.

I have been taking lisinopril for about 15 years and had no problems..until yesterday! I had to go to the ER room. My face blew up like a balloon and had a rash all over my body My lips swelled so much that they were beginning to crack and bleed. I was told it was the lisinopril by the doctor in the ER. They put me on a steroid and benadryl thru intervenience. I had to wait a few hours to make sure my tongue wasn't going to swell. I was told in the ER that you could take this medication for fifty years and then one day this could happen.
The doctor dais it was a good thing I came to the ER room. My tongue could have swelled and then I would have had a severe case of not being able to breath.I was told to go home and throw them in the garbabe. He called my doctor and called in a new script. I haven't picked it up yet
Just wanted to warn any one if you get any swelling and a rash go to the ER asap.

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?

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.

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 am 23 and had a blood pressure of 160/101. I took this medicine for one week and during that week developed a night mare of a dry cough. It has been horrible!!! I went back to the doctor and he took me off and prescribed me a new bp medicine that I have not taken yet. I haven't taken lisinopril for about 3 days now and the cough is still taking over my life. I'm not going bowling with my friends tonight because I am so exhausted from the cough. One night, I coughed so violently in bed, I vomited all over myself. It was disgusting and embarrassing. It has been hell and I hope it doesn't take much longer for it to go away. Does anyone have any guesses or experience with the time it takes for this cough to subside?

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

I 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'm 23 years old and really overweight. Going to see my doctor today because, I have constant itchy feeling in my throat like something is there but its not. I feel like gagging/throwing up all the time now, at first I thought it was just asthma, but talked to someone else taking lisinopril told me about the dry cough, so im pretty sure this is the problem. I don't see how anyone could keep taking this once you get these side effects. It's just a constant battle trying ignore the feeling in my throat, and trying to sleep is rough now,I wake up sometimes feeling like im choking.

itchy throat,nausea,dry cough,hard time sleeping and gagging.

Thanks for all of your input really helps, so I figured I'd let you in on how its making me feel, or so I hope its the problem lol

I have been taking Lisinopril (5mg) for about a year now. It was not doing the trick so I was bumped up to 10 mg. About 3 weeks after taking the 10 mg pill I have started to feel really bad, as if I was being poisoned. My symptoms include the dry cough, achiness in my arms, legs, joints, back and oddly rib cage (like a shooting pain). I am now also getting the itch I have read about. This stuff is like poison. Im going to ask my doctor for another drug as this one is not the one for me. Has anyone else experienced the symptoms I mentioned, specifically the pain in the legs and arms?

Starting Lisinopril tonight - 20mg. I am nervous about reading about the Dry Cough as I cannot tolerate that! I am 29 with Super High Blood Pressure and I need something that can control my BP and not cause me misery. I'll post my future with this drug soon.

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

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

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

I was put on Lisinopril 10mg. tabs for borderline elevated blood pressure that became high blood pressure (151/82). I have taken them for a week and have experienced the following problems: sleeplessness, can't focus or remember things, nauseated, slight headache every day, jittery and edgy, depressed, no energy, I go through the day in a fog. The sleeplessness is the worst. I have trouble not only going to sleep, but staying asleep. My eyes fly open and I may as well get up because I am wide awake, but feel exhausted. I am stopping the Lisinopril today! I have read enough here to know I am going to consult with my physician on Monday! I'll try a low salt diet before I EVER take this medicine again!

Thank God for this site and others. I have been on Lisinopril for about a week. The third day I woke up and couldn't speak. Felt like i was getting the flu. lost 6 days work for the first time in 20 years. Have been to the Clinic twice because of bad dry cough,fever,weaker by the day,can't sleep,BP 90/50 yesterday and ox level was only 96%.They wanted to put me in the hospital. Then a new Clinic Dr. suggested in might be the Lisinopril. I stopped taking it yesterday and i really believe this med. is the cause of all my problems. I honestly have felt this week that i could have died from this, I have never been this sick. I am also very angry,not only did i loose lots of money from not working, but more money on meds to treat pneumonia, but to put me through all this. i am very glad to read about other people who have had real issues with this drug. Hopefully in a days I will start to feel better.

I'm an 81yo Caucasian male who has been taking Lisinopril for two years ago. I have suffered through the aches and pains , dry cough lightheadedness , associated with this drug. When I first took 20mg/day, I tracked my BP as frequently as 20 times per day. Some of my symptoms were a result of my BP dropping down to s practice of medicine, MDs do not always have the time to experiment with each patient, so the patient must do some of the logical investigations independently.
Remember, no one knows your body better than you, and your PCP or Cardio MD only sees you for a short period of time. I have tried five statin drugs and cannot tolerate any of them. Alternate, naturally-occurring substances are available.

I've been on Lisinopril for a little over three years and have developed a cough, can't sleep along with becoming impotent. I also get these terrible headaches and have recently started to urinate more than usual. Has anyone else experienced these side effects?

Started Lisinopril in August and it has controlled my BP really well. But I started to get some side effects. After about a month I noticed I was losing my hair. Called the doctor and he said he never heard of it. Then in October 2008 I felt a heavy, pressure feeling in my upper chest, going towards my throat, like something was stuck at the base of my neck. Also a dry cough throughout the day. Went to doc today and he said dry cough is very common with Lisinopril but he doesn't think the chest heaviness/pressure is related. I do. I had a chest X-ray today and am waiting for the results. Am scheduled to have an echo and possibly stress test if the feeling is still there. I'm thinking, after reading all these postings, that Lisinopril is definitely responsible for the hair loss, chest heaviness/pressure feeling, lump feeling in throat and dry cough. I'm tired of feeling these symptoms. Hopefully all my tests will come out fine and I will probably end up changing to a different drug.

began taking lisinopril in June. To my mindtheBP has not reduced significantly but I have developed a dry cough with accompanying mucus especially at night or when I lie down.On two occasions blood was in the mucus. This only occurred recently(last week). I am due for a doctor visit and certainly will brig this up with him.

I am 39 years old. I have been taking Lisinopril for nine months now, for my High BP. For the first 7 months I had not really had any annoying side-effects other than a mild dry cough. But for about the last 2 months I am having a really odd sensation in my heart. It seems like a flutter and it goes across my upper chest area and into my throat. At times they are mild and other times, during a lot of moving around, I have more aggressive sensations. One night while in bed. My wife got her stethoscope out, (she has a medical background) and listened to my heart. She told me not to tell her when I get the sensation, but to let her try and determine when I have the feeling. this nailed it as soon as I had one. She said that it seems that my heart if pumping too quickly. Meaning that I may have a Premature Ventricular Contraction. This has really scared me. I am scheduled to see my Doctor tomorrow. In my last visit which was about 3 weeks ago, I had brought this up to him. He didn't really try to hear my heart on his own. He just listened to what me and wife were explaining about the sensation. I had hurt my leg about the same time this started happening, and I was taking large amounts of Ibuprofen. So he partly chalked up to Ibuprofen and maybe a drug interaction and stated that I lay off the Ibu and see if they go away in 2 weeks. And if not, he wants to do a Holter Monitor on me to see what may be happening. Well they haven't stopped! I am thinking maybe I should ask for a different BP med. I still want to do the Holter to make sure, but I think it may be time for a change. I have only heard of this fluttering feeling happening to one other person. Has anyone else out there had this same scary sensation? if so please let me know what you have done or have found out. Thank you!

I am 37 with elevated BP. I started taking Lisinopril about ten days ago before bed every night. My kids have been sick with colds and I had also been ill with a cold a few weeks ago. My Dr. did tell me that I may develop a dry cough, but that I shouldn't worry about side effects. WHATEVER!!! I have felt like crap, flu-like symptoms and trouble breathing. I used to smoke and I feel like I have been on a smoking "bender." Then, this morning, my top lip was slightly swollen and peeling. I thought maybe one of the kids hit me with their heads (twin 13-month-old), but the swelling has gotten worse throughout the day and I look like a Botox-gone-wrong. And maybe it is the power of suggestion, but I have been feeling pretty down....

hello, am a 47 years old female and the doctor had put me on lisinopril to keep my arterial clear because i got high chole, and i got high blood pressure and this was in march of this year and so i started having problem with a dry cough that was not letting me to breath and so in July i when to a different doctor and she had told me to stop taking it and now i got more problems. right after i stop take it my left side want numb, tinging in my face,arm and leg
and i had sharp pain in the center of my chest that go t my neck,jaw,back and
i been having the following; dizziness,weakness,nausea,trouble breathing and it go on. the doctor is still doing tests and still coming up with nothing and i feel that the damage is inside my heart and that lisinopril was the cause of the problem because before that i felt just wonderful and now i feel like am going to die. if anyone read this do not let any doctor put you on the damage drug ''lisinopril'' and god bless use all who are trying to feel better from it

I have been taking 20mg of Lisinopril and 5mg of Amlodipine for more than 5 years.The only physical complaint that I can directly attribute to these drugs would probably be the dry cough in the back of my throat. Other symptoms such as general fatigue and insomnia could possibly be attributed but I don't know for sure. Recently I visited my doctor and asked him what would be the perfect number for both systolic and diastolic pressure for someone of my age . This question proved unbelievably difficult for him. After much prevarication we somehow agreed between us that systolic between 140/145 and diastolic between 80/85 would be good numbers.I then told him that I had stopped taking the Amlodipine for over a month. Also during this period I had taken blood pressure readings twice a day and apart from a couple of spikes I was satisfied that my numbers were acceptable. He then said that unless my BP monitor was calibrated once or twice a year then I could not rely on my readings as they could easily be 5 - 10% out. Is this correct do BP monitors have to be calibrated to be accurate? Since I thought my BP readings were acceptable my intention was to lower my intake of Lisinopril and eventually stop using it altogether. My hope was that exercise, diet, supplements etc. could replace the snake venom circulating in my body but I am no longer convinced that this is a realistic aim.

HELLO EVERYONE....IM SITTING AT WORK AND JUST DECIDED TO RESEARCH THIS DRUG LISINOPRIL...BECAUSE I AM REALLY BORED....WHEN I GOOGLED THE NAME I CAME ACROSS THIS SITE.....OMYGOSH...I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY...I HAVE BEEN TAKING Lisinopril FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW....I ALWAYS READ THE INSERTS THAT COME WITH THE MEDICATION BUT I NEVER SEEN THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT WE ARE HAVING ON THE INSERT...I SING IN THE CHURCH CHOIR AN I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY MY VOICE WOULD BE SO HORRIBLE AND MESSED UP..I AM SO HAPPY I GOOGLED THIS DRUG...DOSE ANYONE KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES BEFORE YOUR BODY GOES BACK TO NORMAL AFTER STOPPING THE DRUG....

HI, I am a 56 year old woman with elevated BP. I was put on Lisinopril/Hctz about a year ago. I am not exactly sure when the cough started, since I am an asthmatic and have trouble with coughing already, but this cough is different and much worse than my asthma coughing. I like many others on here cough in the night and mornings until I vomit, cough up fluids, gag and can't breath. The cough was so bad on Friday I broke the blood vessels in my face, the coughing spell lasted for 30 minutes. It was just yesterday that I looked at the Warning for this medication as I picked up my refill on Friday. There on the warning was dry cough. So I looked on this site and there was my answer...most of you described exactly my symptoms....I feel so much better now that I think I know what has caused it, since my doctor was chalking it up to the asthma. I have emailed him with my new info, and hope that he will change my medication ASAP. I also have researched cronic fatigue sys....because I am always tired and unable to get anything done.....I was never like this before. Good luck to the rest of you, thanks for sharing or I would never know that this medication could cause all my problems.
DL

I am 26 years old and have been taking 20mg of lisinopril for over a year now and have just gotten the side effects the last 3 weeks! I now have fatigue, light headed, dizziness, fever, and dark urine! Does anybody know whats going on or have the same symptoms! Please reply!

Hello all thanks very much for your comments on this drug. I need help quickly. My father is 55 years old and the Doctor have him taking this drug Lisinopril. All night long he is have a dry cough and only gets about 3hours of sleep a night. Please help with other options then this drug. you can e-mail me at ******

I was started on Lisinopril about a month and a half ago.

Initially I was taking 20 mg. I started having a dry cough and it was worse at night. After a month the doctor increased my dosage to 40 mg. The cough has grown much worse. As someone stated above...any phone conversation I have that is of any length at all will find me coughing continually.

At night I sleep for about 1 1/2 hours and then am awake for many hours before I can fall back asleep because my legs are aching and I have Charley horses in my toes. I have had problems with achy legs at night, in the past and ibuprofen always helped...now it doesn't and the achy legs are every single night.

Two nights ago I went to bed at 10:00 and woke up at 11:15. I was awake until 4:30 the next morning.

I decided after doing some reading on lisinopril that I was not going to take it any longer. The doctor had told me at my last visit that if the coughing increased they would change my prescription.

I too have experienced some nausea and headaches.

I commonly suffer the side affects of drugs so I'm not really surprised.

I am actually crying as I had no idea what was wrong with me. I have been on Lisionopril now for about 5 years at 40 mg/day.
During those five years I have been fatigued, suffered with GERD, dry cough. Of course my doc said to lose weight.
Last month I went on a diet and all hell broke loose. I lost 25 lbs and I don't know if the weight loss released all of those Lisionopril toxins or what but here goes:
Fatique, weakness, arm and leg muscle pain, absolutely no sex drive, rib cage pain, back pain, perceived shortness of breath. Heart palpitations, dry cough with mucus. I have a lump in my throat. It got so bad I went to the ER , they drew labs and my BP was elevated. They added labetalol to the lisinopril. I came across this site and I called my doctor and I told him that I wasn't taking lisinopril anymore. I feel as if I am having a slow death. I cant function, I cant work, I am panicky and nervous.
He said to monitor my pressure with 2x/day with the Labetalol.

I was on the maximum dose and I wonder how long will it take for this poison to leave my body. I can't believe what this medicine is made from. I am more than willing to lose weight and do anything to stop taking these poisons. I would love to hear your experiences. I need all the support that I can get.

I just don't understand the sudden exacerbation of all of the symptoms unless it is the weight loss. But my BP never went down even with the weight loss.

I have been on 5mg of Lisinopril for about four years now. I have the cough everyone talks about. It can start as a dry cough and come from nowhere but often I know it is coming as I can hear the rattle in my chest. If I have just eaten and it comes on I often end up being sick. I have this awful clear (totally colorless and odorless) mucus that comes up. It is horrible, it is so hard to cough to clear it without being sick and I make horrid noises. If anyone is around me they all look at me with horrified expressions on their faces. My Bp is now under control since I now also take a water tablet too, but I still get horrid fluid retention around my ankles and on top of my feet and have to go to doctors now as the pain on top of my left foot is stopping me from walking - the only exercise I do, and what keeps me alive I guess) and the cough is not occasionally anymore, I get it daily. I don't cough all of the time, and it mostly gets me in the morning when I awake, but I know it is a side effect and getting worse. I guess I am putting off going to doc because I hate the thought of having o come of the drug and try something else as my BP is reading a lovely 123/79 most of the time, which is great!

I am a 40 year old female and both my husband and I are taking Lisinopril 40 mg. I have mild tingling in my arms at night, however the tingling/ burning sensation is so great in my husband's arms that he can't sleep at night. His rest is continually interrupted by this uncomfortable sensation. I have noticed a host of things like tiredness, an occasional dry cough, feelings of depression, rapid heart beat, and lack of energy in myself. My husband has experienced all of the above and muscle pain and irritability. I thought his irritability was being caused by lack of sleep, but I have learned from this website that it may be yet another side effect of the medication. We both have to get off this. Thanks for all of your helpful comments.

I was put on Lisinopril 10 mg after my blood pressure was deemed to high.The first thing I noticed was the shortness of breath, like I had ran a mile instead of only walking a few steps. Nest was the dry cough that kept me up all night. Also sick to my stomach the whole week I was on it. My doctor took me off the drug three days ago, I still feel like crap.How long will this "poison" stay in my system? I have never felt so bad in my life and I leave tomorrow for vacation!! I do not even have the energy to pack.

After 25 days on 10 mg/day Lisinopril the following symptoms: extreme dizziness all day, hypotension so bad can't even get out of car seat without almost fainting, night time dry cough (tickle type), unusual muscle tiredness in legs and back (I bike 10 mi/day, 5 days/week for years) and now a rash on both forearms!! Doctor took me off the drug yesterday and prescribed Diovan 80mg/12.5 to begin next week. Wants all Lisinopril out of my system. The most disturbing side effect was Confusion. Even had dreams relevant to the effect on my thinking skills. I imagined this must be what it's like for a person when they realize they have Alzheimer's. Two days off Lisinopril, a little hypotension, dizziness gone, confusion gone, but rash remains and is worsening. All of the above discussed with doctor. He moved me to his own choice for his high BP...Diovan. We'll see