Lisinopril and few days

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

I have been taking Lisinopril HCTZ for two weeks and experienced no side effects except one which concerns me. At this point I am not sure if it was caused by Lisinopril and would like to hear if others had something similar. I am 72 and in good condition and several weeks ago went up a mountain near Boulder. I managed quite well. At that point I had not taken any medication for two weeks having run out of Benicar HCT. A few days after starting Lisinpril I went up a mountain again and this time I was dragging my heels and my wife had to frequently wait for me. If this happens again I will dump Lisinopril and try to manage without b/p pills. If I can't I will return to Benicar but I deeply re resent the Benicar company's price gouging because they have Benicar on patent. Benicar costs 40 times more per pill than Lisinopril.

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

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

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

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

I was prescribed this drug for HBP and have been taking it for 6 days. I've been checking my BP daily and it is now on the low side, averaging 100/60, sometimes lower. On day 2 I tried to take my dog for our normal walk and was so fatigued I could barely make it home. My legs were burning like never before! I thought that my body might just need a few days to get used to the medicine. However, I have become increasingly tired and the muscle fatigue is so bad I can't even blow dry my hair, or scramble eggs without my arms burning. I also have developed a slight cough. I took 1/2 pill today but think I will stop after feeling like this and reading all of these posts.

I started taking this garbage in May of 2009. I would go to the Dr and my BP would be 180/110. Let me say im still on Lisinopril BUT stopping tomorrow. Let me tell you my story.

35 year old male, diabetic and HBP. After years of not taking care of my self i went to the doc, i started taking Lisinopril. With in weeks i got a hacking cough and my BP was still crazy high. They up'ed my dose to 20MG and then hell started.

Constant blinding chest pain, strange electrical shocks in my back and head, went to ER and was admitted, they said i may have had a PAST hart attack Weeks of in and out of the hospital a 3 day stay in the cardiac ICU! Then i had a CT angiogram with dye and that reviled MY HART WAS FINE. I still had this horrible pain in the chest and legs and hands and my gut, electrical shocks and night mares and freak out for no reason at all. Problems with erections and slow hart beat. Unreal panic attack that i think i was about to die or GO insane. The past few days i have had intense pains in my upped back and gut. I went to have some blood work done to see how my new diet is doing. All the numbers were amazing, BUT my LIVER IS HURTING! Now i do not see a doctor for 5 day to review it all BUT i know this pill has mad my life hell for the past 2 months. MY LIVER WAS FINE BEFORE i took this pill.

I was able to make my diabetes VANISH with diet, i must try that with HBP. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PILL.

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

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

I started having pains in my fingers about 2 months ago,the doctor suspected Lyme disease and put me on antibiotics for 10 days yet the pain in my fingers and the cramps in my hands continue to plague me and robbing me of much needed rest .I also hurt some where new everyday that last for a few days and goes away ,but the pain in my index fingers are constant. I m sick of the pain and would rather take my chances with high blood-pressure.I am so glad I found this page. it was amazing how many people have the same symptoms I have ..I am convinced that the meds are causing my pain.If anyone has any suggestions for me I will be happy to hear them.THANKS

I was prescribed Lisinopril by my doctor. I am a diabetic so my doctor told me this medicine would protect my kidneys(although my kidneys are fine). I was prescribed this medication at the end of February beginning March of 2009.About two weeks into taking the medication I got the first reaction I started getting these rashes that would come and go,then my lips would tingle and get numb then they would instantly swell at that point. When this first happened I thought maybe it was food I had eaten. I bought Benadryl and after a few hours it went away. (second attack) A few days later the symptoms worsened the rashes got worse and the swelling in my face got even more worse. Still thinking it was the food I ate I took more benadryl. This time the swelling lasted overnight the next morning I was fine.(third attack) About four days after that I was sitting at home talking with family and my face got very itchy around the lips my chest started to feel tight then instantly my lips got gigantic. My family members got scared and advised me to stop the benadryl and call my doctor fast. That night when I got home I called my doctor they were closed but the emergency nurse told me to come and see my doctor the next day. When I saw my doctor he immediately told me it was the Lisinopril that was causing the attacks and that I should discontinue using it and that my next attack may be fatal but I should be fine, keep taking the benadryl he told me. I got home and immediately trashed the Lisinopril. Just when I thought it was all over a week later (fourth attack) I get home after work watching television all of a sudden I get this terrible itch all over my body like bugs were on me, I hopped in the shower got done still this terrible itch all over. My lips tingled like crazy all of a sudden my body was full of bumps/hives everywhere my eyes were swollen shut, throat felt like it was closing up, couldn't hardly breathe, my lips were bigger than ever before. I was rushed to the emergency room, before I left I had taken 4 benadryl 25 mil tablets when I got to the emergency room I was seen almost immediately they pulled me in a side room gave me 2 shots of benadryl a shot of another medicine don't remember the name,a shot of pepcid,plus two pills I can't think of at the moment. I was in the ER for five hours waiting for the swelling in my body to go down,well the hives went away but my lips were swollen for at least 72 hours. I was diagnosed in the ER with Angioedema. I saw my doctor within 24 hours of my ER visit he prescribed me an epi pen he also made me get a life alert bracelet and told me to always keep benadryl with me. He told me the medicine should be out of my system it shouldn't happen again but just in case it does I should keep the epi pen handy,the bracelet,and benadryl always beside me.Well since that visit I have been taking benadryl every single day because I keep hive/rashes, now the edema is spreading it's not just the lips I get this painful swelling in different spots on my body. As I am writing this @ 2a.m I have to take off work today June 3rd 2009 because my lips are so swollen they feel like they are about to burst. I can't afford to miss all of these days of work and I definitely can't afford an emergency room visit which are $150.00 each visit so I have to wait and see my doctor @ 9:15 a.m. I refuse to go to work in this condition these breakouts are affecting my life for the worse. This is just a brief synopsis it is really much worse than this though. I am 31 years old and when I have these attacks people look @ me frightened like i'm contagious or something.I went from being only allergic to morphine which gave me hives once, and that was minor to having allergic reactions almost everyday along with a lot of other symptoms to this drug. I really hope something can be done about this. PLEASE TAKE THIS HORRIBLE DRUG OFF THE MARKET!!!!

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

I 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.

This is my first day on 20mg of this stuff and they had me taking a water pill at the same time! My BP dropped rapidly and I was feeling light headed, anxious and weak like I could pass out. I called the nurse and she told me to get some caffeine in my system because I had recently given it up. So I did and I feel better, but I don't think I'm going to take more than 5mg at a time. It's way too powerful. I'll see how it goes and check back with you in a few days!

Hi, about seven years ago I complained to my doctor of noticing a little thinning at the top of my head. They referred me to a dermatologist who thought it was female hair pattern loss. It was minimal and he said that he rarely saw it get much worse in women. He suggested minoxidil. A year later, I relocated and the doctors at the health clinic noticed my blood pressure was slightly elevated. They put me on HCTZ. I am into healthy organic eating and was disturbed by the need to be on medication. They said HCTZ was a mild diuretic and never mentioned that hair loss is associated with it. After five years on HCTZ my hair loss is severe. I have lost half my hair and it is dry and brittle, no matter what styling products I use. I had long beautiful thick glossy natural hair, but the texture of my hair has totally changed. A few days ago, frustrated by the continual hair loss, I began searching for my own answers. In my first web search, I pulled up many connections to HCTZ and hair loss, including this site. As others have said, I am mad at myself for not taking my health care into my own hands sooner. I have stopped HCTZ and my blood pressure is being controlled by diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water. What I would like to know-- is HCTZ hair loss reversible? Are there any reputable natural solutions to hair regrowth. (And minoxidil has been disappointing.) Thanks for your comments. They have helped immensely. GG.

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?

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 take the Lisonopril and HCTZ and within a few days, I started experiencing dizziness (bad case of Vertigo), fatigue. My doctor took me off. It has been a week now, and I am still suffering from the side effects. Crappy I tell ya! I won't take that stuff anymore. God will just have to take me, because I am done. A co-worker told me her doctor prescribed it, but her grandmother said take Ordorless Garlic tablets. That was a year ago. No more High BP. I am trying that. Won't hurt.

I'm a 53-year old male. My BP was 150/100 before starting the medicine. A few days after starting lisinopril, I developed severe low back pain. I thought that I had aggravated an injury that occurred 25 years earlier. It did not abate for about 10 days. I read on literature that came with the medicine that "muscle cramping" was an infrequent side effect. I decided to stop the drug on my own, and the low back pain subsided in 2 days. My doctor put me on HCTZ only and I have not had a recurrence of the back condition.
dt326

I am on the lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide combined pill. I take two a day, which is 40 mg of lisinopril and 50 mg of hydrochlorothiazide. I have been on the medication for about a year, but about a month ago I started experiencing horrible nausea and a bad taste in my mouth. I also had very bad dizzy spells, to the point I nearly fell down several times. I went to my medical practitioner, who is an FNMP, and she said I had ear wax and that was what was causing the problems. Cleaned out my ears, pronounced me well and sent me home. I don't think she really listened to me, because I work in the medical field and never in my life had I heard of ear wax causing vertigo, dizziness, and profound nausea. Maybe an ear disorder. At any rate, I stopped the medicine and all the symptoms disappeared within a few days. I went to see my neurologist yesterday and my BP was 162./102. I told him about the problem with my BP medication and he told me to go home and immediately take the medication and call the doctor Monday to get the medicine changed. So I went home, took only one pill, and the symptoms immediately returned. I will just have to die of a stroke between now and Monday because I am never taking this medication again. Why don't medical practitioners listen?

I became very angry over little things and was very depressed. Reacted explosively when I made little mistakes or couldn't do things the way I wanted it to be done. Wanted to pick up things and throw them. It was like I had a lot of angry issues inside of me that I had to get out. Yet, I had nothing going on in my life that was creating any of this type of anger, so therefore, there was no reason for me to behave like this. I would raise my car out in the country as fast as I could do and then at last minute would slam on the brakes to slow down for a stop sign or a curve, All because I was angry of something very, very little. Finally had my Doctor take me off this medicine. Within a few days, I was back to my normal self.

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!

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 was prescribed Lisinopril by my physician about six months ago. Everything was OK until about two weeks ago when I developed a HORRIBLE skin red, flaky, itching skin rash. This first appeared as heavy dandruff and was confined to my scalp, but letter moved to my neck, chest arms, back and legs. I am so grateful to have found this web site and I will discontinue this medication IMMEDIATELY!!! I will inform my doctor of these side effects and I will refuse to take this or any similar medication in the future. I have tried all sorts of shampoos, skin creams, cortisone ointments and such...it just keeps getting worse. I am hoping that getting off of this medication will improve things. Please let me know if you have had a similar experience with this medication.

By: T

Hi there. Im a 25 yr old fem im type 1 diabetic I have been on this medication for 4 days and i could tell its causing problems

My side effects include a lot of mental issues
anxiety and depression
the second day i took this i went to work and thought everyone was mad at me because they were on the phone when i said hi or because they were looking at a paper when i was talking to them

the next day when i went to pick up my kids i felt like my mom and my sister were ploting against me

while my husbands at work im feeling more needy and i call him wanting him to stay on the phone with me when i know he cant

im also experiencing memory loss i cant remember getting off of work i remember going down stairs but like it was something i dreamed and it was foggy and details went clear

also conversations with my husband are like dreams and foggy

im usually a detail freak and can tell u exactly what u said if u mis quote your self

im calling my doctor i thought it was jst me but im sure it has something to do with Lisinopril

Thanks Guys!!

I started taking Lisinopril last March, and my monthly cycle went from a normal cycle to a debilitating three day pain fest.
The first month I had a uterine cramp like comparable to labor that lasts for three straight days. The second month I added a sharp pain in my stomach that compared to a severe food poisoning episode but the only symptom was the pain.

This continued through June, when I asked my physician to switch me to a different medication although he did not think the side effects I was describing was related to the Lisinopril. The next month the uterine cramp was less severe but I also was treating with Midol which may have been the reason.

Last month, at my six month check my blood pressure was still not where my doctor want to see it, so he put me back on Lisinopril and kept me on the Hydrochlorothiazide, now I am on two medications!

After reading this site, it occurs to me that my shoulder where I had surgery two years has also been acting up the last six months as well. I have been doing PT again after the pain increased and I asked my surgeon what to do. He made not connection to the medication I am taking as a possible source.

The only other thing is I have lost some weight, with relative easy (not usual for me). Which I had attributed to a change of eating pattern due to my new work schedule.

All things to consider now that I have read this website.

Thanks to all who share, this is the best way to understand that everyone does react differently and you have really pay attention to what is going on with your own body when you are taking any medication.

Oh My Gosh - as I sit here with abdominal cramps typing my experience - I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I started taking Lisinopril in late April 2008. On May 2 I had severe abdominal cramps and massive vomiting for 8 hours. Finally got myself to ER after I sent my family on to our vacation (I joined 2 days later). The ER attributed it to food poisoning. Lo and behold, I had another "attack" on May 9th. Back to ER I went (my husband witnessed my attack and insisted I go). They took X-rays and MRI - found intestinal inflammation but didn't know why. My internest send me to gastro dr. Third attack hit on June 5th and gastro doctor sent me to major hospital ER. They, too, did MRI & blood work. Looked at gall bladder, pancreas, stomach, intestines, etc. They found intestinal inflammation. Gastro Dr. took more blood and did more test (CT, MRI, Colonoscopy, Endoscopy). He couldn't find anything so he sent me to rheumatologist. She did add'l blood work and genetic testing. She though I had an auto-immune disorder - like Mediterranean Familial Fever! Please...! But all her tests came back negative. She too had no answers, only treatment for symptoms - Colchicine and Prednisone. Yuk. After having my 8th debilitating attack yesterday (since May), I've had enough. I went to the Web and found this wonderful site - along with some others with helpful info. I don't have confirmation that the lisinopril is causing this - but it sure sounds like it. I am a 49 yr old female and I've had no "life changing" events in my life (except for this nastiness) and have been on no other meds. I find it interesting that out of all the doctors I've seen - and all knew of the lisinopril - that none suspected this as a side effect.

I am taking Adalat XL 60 mg. once a day.. as far as BP went was working fine.. They found I needed a stent in my heart... specialist put me on metropol 12.5... after the operation i went back to him.. BP was 80/53.. wow, no wonder I was feeling tired.. he advised me to stay on it.. NO WAY.. just my Adalat XL is working fine.. BTW.. and for the Gladys1948.. a few days after i started the metropol (lisiopril) I noticed a floater in my right eye... was disconcerting.. but is slowly leaving since stopping the drug.

September 25,2008 I was told to increase my dosage of Lisinopril from 10 mg to 20 mg and suddenly awoke on October 2, 2008 with a extremely swollen top lip, the degree was enough to get me into the ER room where I was issued Prednisone and Hydroxyzine with Famotidine which I had to take over the course of a few days to a week.

I am so glad I found this web site!

Let me start by saying I am a 42 year old female paramedic, so I am not big on taking ANY medications, period! My endocrinologist has been after me for 1 1/2 years to start taking 10mg Lisinopril to protect my kidneys since I am a type II diabetic, and now because of my elevated B/P and the fact that my last set of labs showed a increase of protein, something to do with the kidneys. I have resisted taking the medication, in hopes I would lose some weight and get my B/P down. But due to an injury, exercise has not been an option for me and now that I need a surgery, I had to break down and start the Lisinopril ( the doctor will not be able to operate if my B/P is elevated).
I started the drug 10 days ago, and at first was happy I did not seem to have any of the side effects that I read about. I had researched what I could find at the time, and even talked to my pharmacist about it, since he takes it as well.
After a few days, I saw an occasional drop in my systolic pressure, down in to the 120's from the 140's/ 150's, and not much of a diastolic drop, maybe, down to 90 from 94-100. I did notice my pressure would be high if I had been moving around before checking it, and I was disturbed to find that my pulse was now on occasion running around 104 after only walking through my house to my room where my B/P monitor is. My pulse never runs that high unless I have been very active. A few nights ago, I woke up and turned over in bed, and noticed my heart felt like it was fast ( tachycardia) and this happened more than one night. I decided I was going to discuss this with my doctor this week, until what happened today. I went for an MRI on my neck, and noticed I was anxious when they put me in the tube. I felt like I was breathing heavy and figured maybe I was just nervous. Then tonight I had an acute onset of anxiety, and just felt bad all over. I had some numbness on the left cheek and other symptoms that I knew had to be from the Lisinopril, so I got online and started looking for more info, and found this site.

I can absolutely believe everything I have read here. I have taken so many patients to the hospital in my career just because they were having side effects from a medication they were taking. And that is exactly why I did not want to take this or any other medication unless I was forced to.
I am not taking this stuff again, and calling my doctor first thing in the morning. In fact, I am going to tell her that I want my cardiologist to handle my hypertension medication from now on.

I must say to EVERYONE who reads this, please, do not just take ANY medication just because a doctor gives it to you. Research all you can, ask questions, and if the doctor does not want to answer you or tries to make you feel crazy or stupid, CHANGE DR.'S!!!!! I have seen way too many bad doctors out there, and I have seen some outright kill patients. I am not saying not to trust anyone, just be very careful, and follow your instincts. I am very happy to have found this site, and I hope it helps others that read all the posts here. If I get any good info from my doctors, I will let you know.

I am a type 1 diabetic and was put on the Lisinopril over a year and a half ago, maybe 2 years. I have my hair coming out when I shampoo and the red patchy skin on my lower legs which is dry making it embarrassing to wear shorts or capris. It makes me feel ashamed. I have laid off both the Lisinopril and HCTZ for a few days now. I got blurry vision, and I think it has made me gain weight. I get the swelling of the angles by this or both meds. Before taking these, I didn't have the swelling. I liked reading through the replys here on this medicine or both. I tried to identify some replies with myself and what I am experiencing. I want to get off this crap and take something else if at all "Alternative" at best. I did take atenylol (sp)? before. If anyone wants to contact me, they can e-mail me at ****** because, I would like to see what others are doing differently now to take care of the situation I am going through.

I have been off this medication since July 19 and yesterday, a rash began on my stomach again. A few days ago, I developed pain under my rib cage and a tingling feeling on my skin. That still persists. I have read that several people did have the rash return, so that makes me feel better, but what I would like to know is......did anybody take anything that helped get this drug out of their system quicker??? I am tired of feeling terrible.

please everyone who is on lisinopril be warned!!!! my mother was on this medication for a month and began having hives. she went to the emergency room and they gave her antihistamines. a few days later she woke up with facial swelling and a sense of not being able to breath. she went back to the emergency room where she was treated as above. twenty minutes after discharge she began swelling and her throat closed. she suffered cardiac arrest due to lack of oxygen from the swelling in her face and throat.she was stabilized, but unfortunately did not survive this ordeal. please, everyone on this medication, if you experience hives, facial swelling, or lip swelling, see your doctor immediately and push to have medication switched!!!!!!!

I started taking 10 mg. of Lisinopril on July 8, 2008. At first, I experienced extreme fatigue and weakness. However, this wore off after a few days. The dosage was increased to 20 mg. on July 21, 2008. I started having horrible symptoms on July 29, 2008: rapid pulse (as high as 118 b.p.m. while I was quietly reading), heaviness in my chest (which felt worse after I exercised), and shortness of breath. I had never felt so bad before in my entire life!!! I suffered with these symptoms until August 15, 2008 because I was hoping that they were just temporary. Unfortunately, they only got worse the longer that I waited. It is such a shame, too, because Lisinopril really did a good job of keeping my b.p. down.

This is the third day that I haven't taken Lisinopril, and I am feeling a little better. I am now on Metoprolol, which is helping with my rapid pulse. For those of you who experienced breathing problems while taking Lisinopril: How long did it take before your breathing returned to normal?

Exhaustion, joint pain, headache, ankle swelling, shortness of breath, persistent (cold) sores in my nose…

I am 52 years old and have taken Lisinopril for approximately 7-8 months. During the past two weeks, the majority of my joints have suddenly begun to ache. My fingers, especially index fingers, and one wrist are extremely uncomfortable. Other than the side effects listed in the comments on these pages, has anyone lost their eye brows? Sounds crazy doesn’t it but I first thought it was a side effect of hormone replacement therapy. I gradually stopped taking the HRT (ugh!) but continued to lose my eyebrows and now I notice my eyelashes are thinning. After trips to two dermatologists, neither had an explanation and both denied the HRT drug would cause the hair loss. I was and am extremely frustrated. I am not sure what made me research side effects for Lisinopril again but I finally saw something on an internet site saying that ONE percent of people could suffer hair loss. I’m sure my doc will be disappointed that I want off this medication. The only meds I take regularly are Lisinopril and Dyzaide (low dose). I have taken the Dyzaide for several years.

I went over to Lisinopril when I transfered insurance carriers recently. The new carrier was going to charge the max allowed for using Altace and Lisinopril is way cheaper. So I went back to Lisinopril and have been on it for about a month. When I first tried it many months ago I had a sick gall bladder that has now been removed. The side effects at that time include a rash on my chin, burning urine and crotch area. Within two days of stopping, the symptoms were gone. Since I don't have the gall bladder problem I decide to try it again to save money (ha). After a week I notice my BP was increasing. I was taking 10 mg so I went up to 20 mg of Lisinopril and that didn't work - my BP kept going up! I keep talking more of the stuff and my BP keeps going up. This morning I took 40 mg and my PB was 200/90 and I suddenly thought it's the meds as there is no reason in the world that my BP should be going up crazily like this. Then I found this side and several folks mentioned their BP had gone UP. No more Lisinopril for me. I'm so glad I found this site! Thanks all for being independent thinkers and sharing your stories!

I am a 60 year old female and have been on Lisinopril (40 mg.) for at least10 years. Before that I was prescribed Zestril, but a generic was often substituted (Lisinopril). So it's hard to say just how long I've taken the Lisinopril. I'm amazed to read the side effects listed here. I've experienced almost all of them at one time or another. It's scary. I've tried to quit the Lisinpril a couple of times, sometimes just because I ran out of the prescription. But now I am substituting a natural supplement for the Lisinopril. I'm trying Holistrol (HiQi). I've been on it for about a week. I checked my bp when I started the natural and will check it again after a week. It was high when I first checked, but I had been off the Lisinopril for a few days by then. I'll continue to monitor and take the natural supplement and then will report back.

These side effects are very similar to those experienced by people diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrom ( both of which I've been told I "might have"). My diagnoses came from several doctors in my hometown and even from the Mayo Clinic. I'm wondering how many people with these diagnoses are taking Lisinopril?

My side effects are starting to leave my body, but after so many years, there are many layers of toxins to release. But I am confident that I am doing just that ~ releasing toxins!

Thank you for listening and especially for sharing your side effects. This is bad stuff in my opinion and I'm glad to have started the process of clearing this poison out of my body.

Ann

I am a 43 yr old female and have recently developed high bp. I have been taking lisinopril 20 mg for about 1 1/2 months. I have not been able to sleep for the past few days, as my heart is racing and I have a constant feeling of anxiety. In addition, I am having trouble swallowing and my throat feels raw. I thought that the fever and aches I had last week were the flu, but after reading other similar stories, I will contact my doctor as soon as the office opens in the morning.

I am a 56 year old woman and my doctor started me on 10 mg Lisinopril in March. Within 24 hours of starting it I developed a very annoying cough. At my next doctors visit she told me my bp was not down enough and wanted to increase the dosage. When I asked her if the cough could be from the Lisinopril she gave me some samples of Benecar HCT. The only problem I had with that was muscle weakness and some palpitations that went away after a few days. When I got the prescription filled I found that my insurance didn't cover it and it was quite expensive so I called my doctor back and she wanted me to try the Lisinopril again at 20mg and see what happened. That very same night the cough came back with a vengeance, along with dizziness. I decided to try to tough it out but after ten days now the cough is so bad it's unbearable. It keeps me up at night and I cough till I gag and cry. On several occasions I have coughed until I vomited. I couldn't take it any more and stopped taking it two days ago. I called my doctor today and she told me to stop taking it and now we're going to try Norvasc.

I am a 34 y/o male who started taking 10mg/day of lisinopril on May 15th. My blood pressure at the time was 140/118, pretty high I guess! I was feeling it too in the form of headaches. The doc wrote the script for me and I filled it that night. I should also mention that this is not the first time I have taken Lisinopril. I stopped taking it back in March because the script ran out. I don't seem to recall any kind of side-effects the first time, but I could be wrong. Anyway, I also take Levoxyl for my hypothyroidism, and it is a pretty hefty dose, 225mcg a day.

So, for the first week, I was doing pretty good on it. No coughing, or any of the listed side effects listed for the med. Then, about a week into it, I started having numbness in the right three toes on my right foot. When I say numb, I don't mean I could not feel anything, it was like touching your skin with a t-shirt over it. I could feel it, just kind of topically numb. I had a 'patch' of this numb skin right behind those same three toes and several other areas up the front and back of my right calve. I delt with this for a few days, thinking it was my shoes I was wearing at work. They were pretty worn out on the outer edges. I got new shoes on Monday, June 2nd. I wore them to work on the next day. At the end of the day, my calves felt kind of tired. The next day, they felt kind of tired still. I found this sort of weird. From that point on, my high anxiety really kicked in. I don't want to mention the thoughts I am having about what it could be that is causing this. I forgot to mention that I have not been sleeping well lately either since I started taking the Lisinppril again. I guess overall, I feel exhausted and weak. More so in my legs. To add to it, my lower back hurts like mad. I have two herniated discs and mild arthritis in it from damage from years ago. Also, for the past week, a pain has been developing in my left shoulder blade in my back. It is worse in the morning, and had gradually been getting worse for about a week. Today, it was awful.

I have ready a lot of the messages about the side effects different people are having. My question is, has anyone ever been on the lisinopril, gone off of it for whatever reason, having had no bad side effects, then gone back on it only to start having these bad side effects that you did not have before?

I have stopped taking the lisinopril on the 5th and have a doctor's appointment on the 9th to find out what is going on. I don't feel good at all. Can anyone relate?

I have experienced many of the same side effects as you. Late 20's male..blood pressure has been mildly high for many years, was put on 10mg of lisinopril about a month ago- as many have mentioned the first 2 days my BP dropped considerably and I could hardly stand up without feeling like I would fall over due to the drop in BP. However, after 2-3 days this was gone and my BP stabilized in the 120-80 range. For 2 weeks I was great, no side effects. Then for the past week I have been very tired, very nauseas and noticed my arms/legs would fall asleep much more easily than before. All of these seem to be common side effects as you have all mentioned, however:
1) Not many of you mention nausea - I feel it 60% of the day, is this common also?
2) What do the doctor's then prescribe to make it go away - I cant live like this - cant concentrate at work due to tiredness and nausea
3) I go to doctor in a few days for my check-up, any suggestions on what to say?

I'm a 35 yr old male & I too have started this medication a handful of days ago to treat my high blood pressure which began due to a headache that came on so severe while having a bowel movement that i honestly thought i was dying since the pain seemed so severe and was so sudden (I thought my head was trying to collapse upon my brain or implode on itself which lead to vomiting the second time around). After a few days stay in the hospital (came in at 180/120) they prescribed 4 different meds for the HBP and one of them is this Lisinopril. Since taking it I feel not myself - moody, cloudy, a drunk-like feeling inside my head. It feels like reaction times are slowed due to not wanting to move too fast. I was hoping this would go away soon but I see i'm not alone w/ these feelings I also have arthritis in my back and I just can't believe all these side effects these so called 'approved' drugs have on the body.

Hello folks - thought I would post here as well.........I am on 20MG of LISINOPRIL 1 time daily. I notice during regimented times of the day I get the side effects. I take it when I wake up in the morning. I have been on this for about a year now...........it has lowered by HBP from 150's/80's to about 130/80..............regular........I am a 37 year old Male

Problem is the multiple side affects:

1. Tiredness - comes and goes all throughout the day - almost like I could just close my eyes and go to sleep anywhere.........feels like someone threw sand in my eyes.......
2. Shortness of breath
3. Sore Muscles - everywhere - it doesn't discriminate!!!!
4. Pain in the chest mostly the left side but sometimes the right
5. Headache in one spot in the head - doesn't last long
6. Wake up often in the middle of the night with dead hands or legs
7. Sometimes I just have a total memory blank on things I should know right away - usually only occurs when I'm getting tired.
8 Of course the panic from thinking something is wrong with me!!!

Anyone else with these set of symptoms????

Drop me a note!!!!

I've been taking lisinopril for about 4 months for HBP which I have had since I was 18 and I am 40 now. My blood pressure went down immediately--I can never remember the number but before nurses testing my bp would always say I was "a little high" and now they always say "it's normal." When i first started taking it I noticed I felt a little depressed, and I always felt lethargic on lisinopril. I believe that's just normal from taking something which reduces BP. I had bad diarrhea and got pretty sick for a short while a couple weeks ago but there was a flu that was going around. I noticed some dizziness and was pretty out of it, but I have felt those symptoms before I started on lisinopril. I am now worried from reading your complaints about this drug.I ran out of pills a few days ago and I feel much more energetic and with-it now, generally better although now I worry about the long-term effects on my body of my HBP. I currently have a headache and to be honest I still don't feel 100%. While I was on it I noticed some dryness in my belly and my poop seemed weird not normal--I had some bad flatulence and my poop would come out sometimes pretty sparse. I definitely felt different, especially in my digestion and lethargy, but did not have very very bad side effects. Still I'm thinking twice before taking it again. My father had some blindness in one eye that was apparently from long-term HBP, so I am concerned about long term effects of not doing anything about my BP--so I may go back to lisinopril or whatever else my doctor prescribes.

i was on the mediactions for less 7 days. during this time i developed the cough and in addtion had muscle aches. it appears it also effect my kidney fuction . my doctor did a blood test after a few days of therapy and my doctor said get off the medication immediaelty as i was unable to tolerate the therapy. it has now been 5 days since i stopped the treatment and only now in the afternoon of the 5th day is some semblance of normacly coming back to my body. this has effected me exactly like lippitor only i hope as a result of my doctor's careful monitoring perhaps not as much damage has been done to the interal muscles and other organs.

Right after I started taking Lisinopri in May 2007, I had a major flare-up of my Psoriasis. I have had Psoriasis for over 35 years and it was only in certain areas, now it has completely spread over my entire body. I also have constant ringing in my ears, never thinking it could be related to the Lisinopril. Sometimes it works to lower my blood pressure and other times it seems not to help. Occasionally I experience dizziness. These are all symtoms I never had before, I am not overweight and do not smoke. I had been healthy except for borderline hypertension prior to taking Lisinopril. I am not taking any other medications. My dermatologist is pressuring me to start Raptiva and I have agreed, not realizing that maybe just stopping the Lisinopril might ease the symptoms of my psoriasis. I just started researching Lisinopril in the last few days when someone I work with casually mentioned that there may be a link between Lisinopril and Psoriasis flare-ups.

When I first started taking lisinopril, I had several episodes of dizziness and almost fainted. That was when I looked up the side effects and was alarmed to find out that it is made from the venom of a poisonous snake from Brazil. I stopped taking it for several months, but my blood pressure kept climbing, so finally decided to give it another try. It didn't give me any problems at first. Just before Christmas last year, I had a bad cough and congestion, for which the doctor prescribed antibiotics and cough syrup with codeine. The antibiotics did nothing for it, but the cough syrup finally gave me some relief. Since then, the congestion got a little better, then worse, with the good spells lasting only a few days, compared to the coughing getting worse and worse. Finally when my throat was very wheezy with every breath, I decided to check the symptoms of lisinopril again. I called my doctor and told her I wanted to go off of it and see if it helped. That was 10 days ago. My throat is clear now, but I still have a lot of lung congestion. The crazy thing is that my blood pressure kept going up in spite of taking lisinopril. I've been taking atenolol for years, and now the dr put me on lovaza, which brought my blood pressure down to normal within a day.
Another thing when I was taking lisinopril, I began to wonder if I had fibromyalgia because I had so much pain all over my body. I don't know it the lisinopril caused that, but I don't feel nearly as much pain since I quit taking it.

My doctor (PA, actually) prescribed Lisinopril a few weeks ago because I'm diabetic and she said it would help protect my kidneys as well as lower my moderately-high blood pressure. Things went well for a couple of weeks, but the past few days have been unbearable. Not much of a cough, but I feel terribly weak, exhausted, and I can hardly think at all--am very confused, and can barely write this note (strange for a professional writer, eh?). I also have trouble walking, am quite dizzy and out of breath, and have severe muscle cramps; feels almost like my nervous system is shutting down. And truly, I feel like it could kill me. I was grateful to read all of your comments; makes me know that I'm not alone. I will have to discontinue this medication, as I simply cannot function while using it. (I'm a 62-year-old female, by the way.) Thanks again for your comments, and I wish you all luck and happiness.

I was taking Captopril and the VA started Lisinopril in it's place last year. Captopril never seemed to bother me but after the change I have shoulder pain and cramps in the muscles all the time. Then I would have the runny nose for a while and sleeplessness. I have been more irritable according to my wife and forgetful about things. Sometimes I would be so dizzy and fall against things. I am going to stop taking it for a few days and see what happens. Zocor messed me up too. Thought I was going to die. Don't know why VA changed me from Captopril to Lisinopril unless it was cheaper.

I am a 45 year old male. My bp at dr's office was 144/90. He prescribed Lisinopril 40 mg once a day and said come back in a month and see how I'm doing. I tried it and immediately experienced dizziness with headache and lack of energy, then later I noticed I was getting winded with little exertion along with fatique. I could hardly climb a flight of stairs with out resting. Also would get out of breath just talking to people. Isn't this a high dose to start with? I stopped after a few days and tried later with same symptoms. I am 5'8 155 pounds in fairly good health except for borderline high bp. Should I keep trying to take this med.....or reduce the dose?