Lisinopril and medications

About 8 years ago I was prescribed Zestril by a private physician, after joining Kaiser 6 years ago I was switched to Lisinopril. 20mg/day. I had no problems until about 9 months ago when I suddenly had a SEVERE rash on my arms, back, and legs. After 3 physicians and an ER visit no one could identify the rash and no one asked about BP medications. I changed soaps, foods, clothing, and took lots of Benadryl. No improvement.

I never considered the Lisinopril because I had been taking it for so long.

My last physician was a very knowledgeable female doctor who confirmed that even after years of Lisinopril the side effects can suddenly appear.

It has been two weeks since stopping the drug and my condition has slightly improved but still very bad. Doctor says it could take weeks, months, or longer for symptons to leave.

My biggest complaint is that no previous physician including the ER never inquired about BP meds or Lisinopril. Incompetent at the least, bordering on malpractice.

Has anyone has similar symptons after a long use of Lisinopril?

I think some of the severe symptoms reported here are just that.. severe, and as advised on the drug information insert they can happen, and should be reported to your doctor. We are led to believe our doctors will stop the meds and try something else. If they are not willing to do that, or try to convince us it's all in our heads then... we should stop the meds ourselves and find another dr. These side effects are real, and scary. I've stopped cholesterol meds for that reason. I don't need a dr. to tell me to stop... I know my body, and how I feel and know when something isn't right.

I've been on Lisinopril for two weeks now. I was initially on the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide, but had so much arrhythmia that I thought my heart would jump out of my throat. The dr. discontinued that after less than a week, and put me on Lisinopril. I am a bit dizzy sometimes, and do have a mild cough, but I had the cough before the meds so I can't really blame it on that. However, for all those with the problem of coughing and headaches... I read at drugs.com that you should take this medication with a full glass of water, and drink lots of water throughout the day. This tip was not in the drug handout and I thought that odd. Something so easy, and yet left out. Luckily, I drink water at my desk all day at work. This weekend while home I didn't drink water and had a horrible headache the entire time. I never connected it until I read that you should drink lots of water. Back to work today and drinking water and my headache is gone. It's worth a try, it might help. My husband is on Lisinopril/HCTZ combo, has been for at least 3-4 years with no adverse side effects.

We are all different, medication effects all of us in different ways. I hope I never experience the kinds of side effects I'm reading about here. If so, I'll be off the drug in short order. My dr. told me there are loads of other medications we can try. While there are side effects to everything we take, mild is ok but no one should put up with life altering and/or life threatening side effects like what I am reading here.

I have taken Lisinopril 20mg once daily for only 3 weeks and I am having some of the same side effects. Memory loss and forgetting things is the main one, the 'grit in the eyes' and general feeling of being tired all the time. I'm glad I found these posts. It did lower my BP from 160 over 108 to 144 over 94. I take it after lunch, since I didn't want to drive while it takes hold. Guess i'm lucky I don't have the other side effects.

Spoke with my Doctor today and he said those were unusual side effects. I guess not from what i'm seeing here. He told me to stop taking Lisinopril and gave me samples of Hyzaar 50/12.5. I really hate taking drugs, since I have atypical reactions to them, but i'll give it a try. I'll do the research first.

Hope this helps others.

Body rash, all over, currently on several medications I have stopped all my medications one by one. Still have the rash and the last medication is Lisinopril. I can only guess the VA gives it out because it is cheap. Also has the cough. Did anyone get a rash from Lisinopril?

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 Lisinopril for almost 10 years now for minor HTN. A few months after beginning Lisinopril, I began having swelling in my lips and slight swelling in my tongue. I figured I was probably allergic to something but did not give the medication a thought. Approx 1 year after taking it, I had a severe allergic reaction that caused my tongue to swell to the point my tongue was sticking out of my mouth and I was having difficulty breathing. I drove myself to my family doctor and was treated with epinephrine and steroids. The doctor had the crash cart ready in case I "punched out." After about 3 hours the swelling subsided. My doctor and I tried for several weeks to determine the trigger for the episode. There didn't seem to be any specific reason for it.

Fast forward almost 9 years to last week. I have been battling severe sinus conditions for about 10 years or so. I have now had 5 sinus surgeries to remove severe polyp growth in my sinuses. My ENT finally decided I needed to see an allergist. After going over my history and my medications with my young doctor, I told him about the swollen tongue episode. He immediately told me that it was due to the Lisinopril. He told me ACE Inhibitors are notorious for those types of reactions and it could happen again at any time, even thought it has been over 9 years since the only episode. He told me he would contact my GP and advise him to take me off the Lisinopril and prescribe something else.

Like many others on this site I too have experienced many symptoms that have not been properly explained. I am just wondering how many could be attributed to Lisinopril. Based on many of the side effects I have read here, some or all can be attributed to the Lisinopril, including the sinus conditions I have been battling for the last 10 years. My GP and I will be having a very serious talk at my next visit.

I am a 60year old female who was admitted to Mayo clinic after experiencing a hypertensive encephalopathy seizure. I was placed on lisinopril to try to bring my blood pressure under control. I have been on as many as five different medications per day with none controlling my extreme high blood pressure. After taking lisinopril for two days I developed a severe headache with floaters. My face became very swollen, especially my eyes, with unbearable itching and soreness. I also have had chest pains and it feels like my throat and insides are raw. My stomach hurts and it is hard to eat. I have only taken two lisinopril tablets and will not be taking any more. I see my doctor tomorrow and expect to be given a different medication. So far I have had no luck with any blood pressure medicine and I have tried about ten different kinds. If any one has had any luck with a prescription drug or an alternative remedy, I would love to hear from you.Thanks, Evelyn

I am not sure if it is the Lisinopril or the 3 other medications I am taking for HBP, none of which seem to really help, since I have white coat blood pressure which goes wwwwway up.....This is the 2nd time I have woken up with my upper lip swollen and right now it is like 5 times the normal size and there is swelling above it now also as the swelling increases....started out as a bit of a tight feeling and swelling....Since this happens to people a lot who take Lisinopril (I take 40mg) I think this may be what is inducing it....It happened on Xmas day last year, not long after I started taking it, but then it was from an injury also, so it is hard to figure it out for sure, as I have addedn new BP meds since then....I don't see where anyone has posted anywhere on the internet about any one of the others though. Oh yes, the coughing is another thing...I hate that!!!

Have been taking Lisinopril for approximately 6 months. Was previously taking Benicar, but insurance company strongly recommended the generic form.

Have experienced depression, eye problems, extreme leg pain, mood swings, sinus problems tightness in my chest, and severe rash and sores over my entire body.

Went to a dermatologist for the rash and sores. She took a biopsy and the report stated I was allergic to something. Had to use 4 anti-itch medications and 4 pills to be taken internally. Rash never did completely clear.

After having a nuclear stress test, my primary care physician referred me to a cardiologist. My left circumflex artery was 90% blocked, so a stent was inserted.

So I should be feeling alot better with all this being done. NO!! Have had more problems since the stent.

Am going today to the dermatologist again for the rash and sores and am taking the Lisinopril so when the biopsy is done, the lab can check to see if this is the culprit.

Also, am going to my PCP today for the leg and back pain. Am going to let him know I will not be taking Lisinopril anymore. An alternative blood pressure medicine will have to be prescribed.

Thanks for all the information. I will update my situation as soon as I know what is going on.

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 began taking Lisinopril last week. First the lightheaded and dizziness arrived. Called doctor was told to take at night to lessen this. Now I am nauseous and have a strange taste in mouth and the tip of my tongue feels like I scalded it with hot liquid. Calling Doctor to find out when she can see me again.

I'm a 44 year old female, and I have been taking 40mg. of lisinopril for over a year now. I also take omeprazole 20 mg. (a sub for prilosec) every day. Before taking lisinopril, I did have high blood pressure, but since taking this medication, I have had more problems than that. I have an irritating cough all the time and phlegm in my throat so thick that I feel as if I am chocking to death. I also have a severe rash all over my body and on the bottoms of my feet, and on my hands. I am depressed all the time, have no interest in sex whatsoever, and basically feel like crap all the time. I have a very bad pain in the left side of my neck that I know is not a result of sleeping the wrong way. I have to say, I never felt this way before taking this medication, but today I got to the point that I wanted to look up side effects to see if what I'm taking is hurting me. After reading some of these posts, I believe I know what my problem is. My husband was also on lisinopril, but 20mg and had such a terrible cough that we thought he had pneumonia. He is off the medication now, and his cough had disappeared. For me, the rash, and depression is the biggest thing. I have decided to take myself off this medication on my own, and try to find another way to deal with my high blood pressure. If you know of any herbs, and/or foods that help with blood pressure, I would love to hear about them. Thank you all for the information you have posted here. I'm sure it will help others think about what the doctors and pharmaceutical companies are trying to do to us. Seems the more medications they prescribe, the worse side effects we endure. Thanks again everyone!

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.

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

I have been on Lisinopril-HCTZ 20/25 for about 5 weeks now and I have noticed a little dry cough recently and a constant runny nose. Since 3-15-08 I notice that my left ear has been losing some hearing and today the 18 of march it feels like I have something jammed in there and everything is severly muffled.I was just on Lisinopril at first and on 3-11-08 the Dr put me on Lisinopril-HTCZ 20/25 and this started 4 days after I started the drug I have not taken it today and don't plan on it after I I have read what I have just read. I am going back to see my Dr. this after noon.

My friend has been taking Lisinopril for several years,then suddenly last week she woke up with a swollen face and tongue! Went to ER. When asked what meds she was on, they told her was the Lisinopril. It can happen anytime! They gave her benadryl to bring the swelling down. She was really frighten.
No longer on this bad med!

Maxine

I am a 39 yr old male and have been on Lisinopril 20mg daily for approximately 6 months. I found this site looking for possibly explanations for my symptoms because I feel so lousy. I have always been extremely healthy, physically and mentally fit however HBP runs in my family. I am 6', 160lbs and on no other medications. After what I have read on this site tonight, I am extremely anxious to get off of this drug.

My symptoms include: Difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, anxiety, irregular heart beat and occasional high BP with pounding in my heart. My legs become numb pretty frequently (mostly in the AM) and I have difficulty walking. I am extremely dizzy which has caused me to stop working out at the gym which I believe has in turn lead to mood swings and loss of patience. I become confused and find normal tasks difficult. I, like many others experience an odd sensation that I am going to die. I have never been depressed and have never had any of the above symptoms in my life. Lisinopril is extremely effective in lowering BP but I am barely functional at this point and after what I have read, will be making a change immediately. I want to try to get back to exercising and will try to control my BP with diet, exercise, herbs and will do that while constantly monitoring my BP.

I honestly thought I had cancer or MS but I identify with much of what everyone else has said on this site and I am now convinced it is all due to Lisinopril.

Thank God for this site!!!

I developed hbp during pregnancy with my first child, after delivery the bp continued to stay up for about four months and then it went back down to a safe level. Six yrs later I became pregnant with my second child and my bp spiked again. Once again, after delivery, my bp went even higher. I tried a calcium channel blocker which gave me SEVERE headaches and then was put on a beta blocker. The beta blocker had no side effects but my bp was still out of control. My GP tried me on Lisinopril 10 mg in November 07. Since then I have had abdominal pain, loss of concentration, fatigue, leg and arm pain and numbness that is slowly worsening, dry, hacking cough, loss of sleep, strange thoughts of losing family members, etc....When I spoke to my GP about these new symptoms, I was told I have reflux, even though I never get heartburn and get this...POST PARTUM DEPRESSION! Oh, I am so sick of the "D" word. I never have thoughts of hurting myself or my kids, not to mention, I'm the happiest person I know. I'm really convinced now that these symptoms are all due to the Lisinopril b/c it all started around that time. The cough can be so embarrassing. I work in health care and will start hacking in the middle of an exam with a patient. It comes off as really unprofessional and it bothers me a lot. I see him next week and will discuss this with him. I am kind of discouraged b/c my bp is totally out of control w/o meds and this is the second one that has caused major side effects that has actually helped my b/p.

I am a 50 year old female and started taking 10 mg of Lisinopril about 2 months ago for HBP. I also take Lovastatin with no problems for about 2 years. Within a few weeks, I starting having the dry, hacking cough along with the tickle in the throat. I also starting itching over various parts of my body. I starting urinating a lot especially at night. Between the coughing and going to the bathroom, I was not getting much sleep. I was tired all the time and was not able to concentrate very well. A few weeks ago, I noticed my skin was getting little red spots. It finally dawned on me that all these symptoms occurred after I started taking the Lisinopril! I went online and found this site. I can't believe they would put a drug like this on the market! I quit taking the medicine about 4 days ago and my cough is starting to decrease, my itching is almost gone and I am not urinating as much. I have an appointment with my doctor in a few days and will tell him that I will NOT be taking this medicine anymore. I will find another way to decrease my blood pressure without medicine. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS DRUG!!!!!

I started taking Lisinopril and notice that I have been coughing. I cough so much until I have to throw up. I have so much sinus drainage and it is affecting my sleep. As soon as I try sleeping the drainage interfere with my sleep. I have cough so much until it cause me to throw up. I cough, non-stop all during the night, I cough during the day. The Cough is so severe with the drainage until I have to sleep sitting up. I notice I have stomach problem nausea a lot and it is hard to get to sleep insomnia. When I finally sleep it is interrupt from the cough and the drainage. I have so much drainage from my sinus. It is
a lot. I have a lot of red mark over my body; I also had a red rash. I have pain in my joint often.
Since I finally found out the source of the problem, what can I do to get this medication out of my system fast? If anybody have any suggestion so that I can get some relief from the cough and the drainage please advise.

Gloria A

I am 65 years old. Started Lisinopril HCTZ in November. Shortly thereafter began having a persistent tickle in my throat which caused me to to have a very dry hacking cough which then caused my sinus to drain and a lot of mucus to build up in my throat. The tickle and cough would pop up several times a day and night. After a couple of weeks I stopped the medication. The symptoms persisted for over a month. When they finally subsided I tried the Lisinopril one more time. Within one day the tickle & cough came back with a vengeance. I have now been off the medication for over 3 weeks and still have the tickle, cough and sinus drainage. It is now affecting my sleep and eating. I never know when the tickle is going to hit, but now every time I eat the food causes me to start coughing. My doctor took me off the medication and put me on Toprol which is a totally different class of medication. I am also trying Nasonex and Chloraseptic Spray and lozenges. I am considering going to an ENT doctor.

I've been on Lisinopril/HCTZ about 2 months, and am losing lots of long hairs. Will my body adjust to the medication and grow new hair? Does anyone know if total baldness will result? (82 year old female) My blood pressure is now excellent!

I have been taking Lisinopril for 3 months now but stopped 4 days ago because of the dry cough. I still have the cough! When does this go away? Getting worried that this is something else. Never smoked.

In 2000, I was given a beta blocker for a heart valve problem, and after a few days developed what seemed like Cystitis. The Urethra became extremely sensitive and swollen; I felt like jumping out of my skin; and, within a few days it had turned into a real infection which ultimately migrated to the right kidney causing vomiting and high fever. I was hospitalized. I didn't connect this condition with the Lisinopril, but discontinued the medication because, besides the urinary/kidney infection, I felt very lethargic.
In February 2007, I was prescribed 40 mg of Diocesan for the heart valve problem, and within a few days I began to develop the same symptoms as the 2000 episode, and subsequently developed a kidney infection again. During this very serious infection (high fever, vomiting, couldn't eat for five days), I had discontinued the Diocesan. I lost 17 pounds in two weeks during this event.
Once well, I resumed the Diocesan, and again within a few days the urethra became inflamed and the Cystis began.
This time it occurred to me that the beta blocker and the Diocesan were causing this side effect (the doctors during these episodes were incredulous), but was told that apparently all ".....April" medications would have that effect on me.
Subsequently, I was put on Lisinopril, at a quarter of the usual dose. I've been on it for two weeks and have had no urinary symptoms except for a little throbbing in the right kidney. This worries me. I can only suspect that some by product of these medications is causing an imbalance in the renal and urinary function.

I began taking this drug 2 weeks ago and I have a dry, tickling cough that won't subside. My doctor said this was a side effect and is changing me to Avapro.

I take Lisinopril and have for about 4 years. No side effects, but over about the last year I noticed increased coughing--like a smoke who quit. I "weeze" regularly, especially while laying down. I'm going to stop the medicine for 2 weeks starting today and will report back and see if the cough improves.
RJP

I was first diagnosed with hypertension in the late 80's and have been on several different medications to treat it. I think that Lisinopril is the worst that I have been on. I have extreme fatigue and severe dry and burning mouth, sore tongue and difficulty breathing and flu like symptoms. I have anxiety and PTSD so my symptoms have been blamed on that. With all these symptoms,
I sometimes wonder if it would be better off to have the hypertension.
Sometimes my mouth and throat is so dry and sore, I can't eat and I have difficulty breathing which is not addressed with asthma medication. Daytime symptoms are bad at night but when night time comes, it is almost impossible to sleep.
I would be interested if anyone has these symptoms and would like to hear from you.
Jenny

I was put on lisinopril 4 weeks ago and have broken out with shingles!!!!
I know it has caused it. I am very sensitive to any medications. My husband takes it and he coughs all day...I am throwing the stuff out..It may work for some but be aware if you get shingles it could be from this drug!

I am a 47 year old female recently diagnosed with high blood pressure. I started it 10 days ago and after 3 days I started had a tickle in my throat which made me have coughing, hacking and gagging to the point of vomiting. I can't sleep at night and during my work day which is constantly talking to people I have to excuse my self to have my "coughing fit". My head of course is pounding from coughing constantly. I saw the Dr. last week and she thinks I have a virus of some sort. After reading all of these side effects of everyone who has experienced similar symptoms I am 100% sure it is the Lisinopril. If I were truly sick the cough would have gotten better or worse at this point but it has stayed the same. I am so upset all the time about this that my blood pressure has probably increased! The cough has gotten so annoying that I stayed home from work today and I decided to stop the medication. I would almost rather die(drastic!) than deal with this horrible cough!

I have been on Lisinopril for (3) months and was coughing to the point of throwing up in the morning and at night. My hands and feet are extremely dry to the point of being severely chapped. I went to the doctor because I though I had and was told to stop taking the medications. I have been off the medication for (2) days and the tickle in the back of my throat and coughing have decreased dramatically. This has taught me to always pay attention to the sheet that I receive when receiving new medication.

I ALSO DEVELOPED A TERRIBLE DRY COUGH AND TOOK TONS OF MUSINEX AND ALLEGRA D AND NYQUIL JUST TO CONTROL IT A LITTLE. I HAVE BEEN ON IT FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR. NEVER AGAIN

Like a lot of others, I have a dry, persistant cough that keeps me awake at night. I also feel like I have a lump in my throat and am constantly trying to clear it although there's nothing there. I also have a severe headache since taking this drug one week ago, and stopped taking Lisinopril as of today.

I had been taking lisinopril for a few years with no apparent effects but last summer began waking with extreme fatigue and slight nausea. I also developed spiking blood pressure but that was stopped by adding a beta blocker. I have vivid dreams and often wake feeling worn out from the dreams.The fatigue is severe and accompanied by depression and anxiety. I also wake feeling hot in face and torso and have intolerance for heat.My dose is 40 mg and has controlled my BP until recently when I have had a couple high readings, possibly due to anxiety. I also had a couple of remissions when I felt OK fro a coule weeks, but the symptoms recurred..

I have read a ton of the posts in this category. I have been taking Lisinopril as an addition to my regular blood pressure medication for approximately 3 years, with absolutely no problems. My 10mg was increased to 20mg a week ago. Still no problems. It has only helped me. If there are any changes, I will definitely post it. I believe that symptoms can arise from reading an article. I actually know a couple people who read things, and suddenly they are convinced they have the problem or disease referenced. I call it an Epidemic of Diagnoses. Always seek a doctors advice before stopping medications. Stopping suddenly on certain drugs, can be more dangerous than taking them.

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

Symptoms I have:
NOTES on health since day after I started the Lisinipril.
9-03-07 – started taking Lisinopril
9-05-07 – Saw Dr. for Bladder infection (left urinalysis with doctor). Prescribed a sulfite antibiotic for bladder infection.
9-06-07 – First symptoms began; trouble urinating
9-06-07 – Called Dr. Kuebals office to let them know that I was having trouble urinating. I also asked if they got the lab test (urinalysis) back yet. The nurse let me know that I had strep in my urine (very rare she said) but they will be prescribing me macrobid and to stop the first antibiotic.
9-06-07 – Began taking macrobid
9-11-07 – Unable to urinate at all
More symptoms after a few more days of taking this drug: Heart pounding in my chest, Achy skin, panic/anxiety attacks (hard to catch breath, heavy chest), Cold feet, hot sweats and chills, urinary retention, bladder infections, ultra sensativety (body to the touch), muscle cramps, arms, legs, back and neck feel heavy. I can't even lift my arms to fold clothes they get so heavy.
9-12-07 – went to the ER to get catheterized
9-14-07 – At hospitals request (doctor at hospital) saw a urologist although he thought that this was most likely a cause of the bladder infection and that I might have some swelling around the urethra or he also suggested that it might be caused by a tear or “stretch” in the urethra from not being able to urinate due to the pain of urinating. I didn’t not think that one, because as soon as I was not able to urinate, I knew that I would need a catheter until we figured out what was wrong.
9-14-07 – Removed catheter at urologist office
9-15-07 – Early am – went to ER again to get catheterized as I was still unable to urinate
9-19-07 – Went to CT Scan requested by Urologist
9-20-07 – Nurse removed 2nd Catheter at Urology Office and said to come back by four if I still could not urinate on my own.
9-20-07 – Researched Lisinopril to find UT could be caused by Lisinopril (medications.com) and saw the side effects that some people were having with this drug. Also learned that this was a derivative of venom from a Brazilian snake (thus the symptoms of feeling achy, sick, tired, muscle weakness and urinary retention
9-20-07 – Went back to urologist to let them know that I still could not urinate and they showed me how to self catheretize. Also, as of the evening of 9-19-07 stopped Lisinopril.
Between the ER doctors, my PCP and my Urologist, they have heard me complain about all of these symptoms but they refused to connect them to the Lisinopril.

PLEASE READ MY STORY!!!....Part 2. My Nephroligist put me on an ARB-Angiostein II Receptor Blocker-Cozaar@50mg.

He said in his opinion, " the medications on the market in both classes of ACE Inhibitors & Angiostein II Receptor Blockers (ARB's) are similar in regulating high blood pressure and helping the kidneys to function better." He went on to explain that "ARB's have less side effects, are a much better quality, and more expensive." "The insurance companies don't want to pay the higher price." "Cozaar is one of the best." I told him that's what I wanted, "The Best." I had a good feeling about this Doc. He knew what he was talking about and recommended what he felt was best for me given the problems I had with Lisinopril HCTZ. He's monitoring me closely and I'm to call him ASAP with any weird or unusual side effects.

I did more research on the ARB's and have personally concluded for the time being, that the ARB's make more sense to me in "how" the medications regulate high blood pressure. Of course there's different types of variables one must always consider before starting these medications or any other medications for that matter. Everybody's medical condition isn't the same and the medications are NOT a "one size fits all" and shouldn't be addressed as such.

I've been on the Cozaar for 3 days and so far I feel great! I'll keep you updated for any side effects. Anyone out there try any of the ARB's? If you're currently taking or have taken, I would certainly appeciate if you would please email me and let me know what your experience was like in regulating your blood pressure and/or any side effects you had.

I have been taking Lisinopril for about 13 months. For about 13 months I have been coughing; gagging, choking coughing. Even vomited at times. I have been seeing doctors for over a year trying to get rid of this cough. I have had numerous tests, taking numerous medications trying to make this better. Two days ago an allergist told me about the side effects of this horrible drug. No other doctor has ever mentioned this. I also have trouble sleeping, waking up hourly or more coughing. I have also been sleeping a lot during the day which I attributed to depression before this. I can't believe I have gone this long without knowing. I immediately stopped taking this drug and have contacted my doctor for an alternative. I am hoping and praying that the coughing and other side effects will go away soon. This drug should be posted with large warnings when prescribed.

I've been using Lisinopril for about a year and have experienced almost all of the side effects that everyone else has described. I have frequent severe sweating, headaches, sinus pressure, sore throat, tickling throat, annoying cough, frequent periods of when my face and solar plexus area feel very hot and/or flushed though my face looks normal, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, depression, no energy or motivation......etc, etc, and I did not have any of these problems before. Not sure what else to take. I've read side effects for all bp medications and none of them seem like anything I want to experience. Is there anything that people have found to work that has very little or no side effects? This stuff works but I'm so tired of feeling run down. I tried natural remedies, diet change, exercise, etc, before going on the Lisinopril but those did nothing to lower my pressure.

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

I've just started my third month on Lisinopril. The cough I assumed was either caused by either my recent exposure to airbag powder in an accident or allergies that had to go untreated since most medications don't work with HBP. Sometimes I just can't stop. I'll be fine and then the tickle starts and then the hacking. At night, I try to sleep with my head elevated so I don't gag. I insisted on a followup visit with the prescribing doctor because of the strange tingling I was experiencing in my hands. Wake up fine, take Lisinopril and by lunch time my hands felt like they were "fuzzy". Skin tingling like from cold, but hands actually warm. Doctor didn't believe this to be side effect of medication, but it looks like from the comments I've read it could be. I've also experienced the tiredness or lack of energy, but then sometimes at night it's hard to sleep. I really would like to stop the Lisinopril (10 mg dose). I didn't like what I read about Diovan either. Anyone going holistic?

I am 64 and have been taking 20mg of Lisinopril for 6 months. I thought I had a bad cold 6 months ago that would not go away and it was getting worse. I went to the doctor and was prescribed with my first round of antibiotics. It did no good and the coughing was getting worse as well as the congestion.
I went to another doctor and got another prescription for antibioctics. Still no progress and worse. Then my doctor prescribed 4 weeks of Levaquin 500mg and gave me a prescription for codene cough syrup and a nasal spray (Nasonex). Still getting worse. The coughing attacks were so bad that I felt I would vomit. My side muscles got so sore from the coughing that I could not breathe without pain pills. I was getting 2 hours of sleep a night at the most even with sleeping pills due to the coughing and congestion and anxiety. I thought I was dying. They gave me a CAT SCAN of my head and it was no polyps but my sinuses were all full. They gave me a chest xray and my chest was clear. They tried lots of blood test and I had no bacteria and a slight sign of allergy in my blood. Of course I have never been allergic to anything in my life. My doctor then prescribed 5 days of Prednisone at 2 pills a day. Still not better and very tired from all these drugs. I went to an ENT (ear, nose, throat specialist) who looked down my throat with a tube through my nose to see my voice box. He said my voice box was very red and irritated and he told me to take Prilosec (an acid reducer). Still no relief and worse. I was sure I was dying. Finally I realized that this all started about the same time my doctor had prescribed Lisinopril for my mildly high blood pressure in January. I stopped taking this drug as it was the only thing I could think of and the only drug I was taking. After about 6 days I started getting better. I had slept fairly well for 6 nights when my sister-in-law died and I felt I really needed a blood pressure reducer to get through the funeral. I took one more Lisenopril to get me through that one day and that night all my symptoms came back with a vengeance as bad or worse than ever. I stopped taking the pill again and experienced extreme fatigue from the withdrawl but am now getting better again. This pill can kill you!! There is nothing about this side effect on the drug. There must be hundreds of people out there with this same experience. I am writing this for YOU. Hopefully I can save some other people from this same life threatening, horrible experience. ( I did not find this site on the computer until this week as I am so mad about the loss of 6 months of my life. I thought I would check the computer out. Thanks so much for having this site as the minute I looked at some of the other responses I knew they had gone through exactly the same side effects from Lisenopril.) We could not go anywhere or do anything this summer due to my coughing attacks and no sleep. This drug is very DANGEROUS.

My husband went on Lisinopril in Feb 07, his bp went down and was regulated his headaches almost left but then he had sinus surgery in mar or apr. He has now developed muscle twitching and now the "doctors" say he has Motor Neuron Disease.... I refuse to believe after reading everyone's side affects that this 41 year old with no family history of this other than 1/2 siblings with high bp that he has this disease. He has experienced neck stiffness like it is broken (had MRI) no broken bones or slipped disc, he has had the chills, hw has vision blurred issues, heaviness in his legs, left side of his body more prominent than the right, he has crazy dreams and thoughts, he feels like he is dying, he doesn't however have any coughs, he has anxiety which they put him on anti depressant. After reading others comment I researched this med, it was developed by venom in a poisonous Brazilian snake. My husband as a child would get bitten by wasps, fire ants etc.. they would rush him to ER for meds and he used to take shots if stung, swells up like a balloon. So in my theory this med has the snake bite affects and I believe this has caused him to have this neuron disease but I can't prove it. His muscles twitch all the time. I believe this drug has been slowly poisoning him to a eventually paralysis to death. I have begged the doctor to take him off. He has but now he is on Atenolol, which is not much better but has no snake venom or ACE inhibitors. Please people email me. I am desperate we need to band together.
Thanks you Joann

I am having tingling burning sensation in my feet, legs and hands and arms. My blood pressure was not improving on 5 mg so I upped it to 10 and those symptoms are much worse. The tingling sensation goes all the way up my left arm and up above my knees on my legs.

I have tried to take the Lisinipril before and stopped for these same reasons. My doctor does not seem to think that it is due to the Lisinipril. so I tried it again and the burning, burning sensation is driving me crazy and keeping me awake. I have to get up and stand in cold water for a while to get some relief.

I have not read about anyone with the same symptoms. Does anyone out there have these symptoms??

My main problem with Lisinopril is the coughing. Coughing, coughing. coughing. I will be fine for 2 to 3 hours and then start with this awful cough. People will actually turn away from me if I am out shopping and a cough begins. I presume they believe it is contagious. Sometimes I end up vomiting and I cannot catch my breath. Coughing at night is really a problem because of lack of sleep. Doctors believe my cough is due to allergies because I have post nasal drip. However, none of the medications they have given me stop the coughing. I never had this problem until I began taking Lisinopril. Lisinopril is my first Blood Pressure medication.

Have been prescribed lisinopril for high blood pressure, stage 1...........
Am scared to start it because I really hate starting new medications.......
Asked the pharmacist about the safey of the drug and was told it was one of the most tolerable drugs out there for hbp.....cough was the chief complaint...............
Anyone else feel this way..........??????????????

I started taking Lisinopril for my bp about 2 1/2 months ago and even though it did lower my bp, I started having strange side-effects. It started out with drowsiness throughout the day, no matter how much sleep I got. And, waking up feeling drowsy even after 8-10 hours of sleep. Then, I started getting strange aches and pains throughout my body, like I was getting over a stomach flu. My asthma also flared up and I started having to use my inhaler for the first time in almost 15 years (usually I just need it after exercise.) The side-effects continued to get worse over the next months with increased fatigue, drowsiness, coughing, anxiety, muscle aches, poor concentration, feeling like my nerves were "shot," headache, weakness, tightness in my lungs, numbness in my hands and feet, and just plain feeling bad.
I made an appointment to see my doctor because I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. It crossed my mind that I might be feeling this way because of the Lisinopril. I stumbled across this website and after reading everyone's testimonials, I decided to stop the Lisinopril. I haven't taken it in 3 1/2 days, and I am already feeling much better. I would rather try a more holistic approach to lowering my bp then taking Lisinopril.
I hope this helps someone else out there who might be going through the same thing.

I have been taking Lisinopril for nearly a year and have experienced nearly all the bad side effects I have read about. I have had severe cough that does not respond to cough medications, copious amounts of clear slimy mucous that chokes me frequently. I even choke frequently when I am trying to speak because of the secretions. I have had severe bronchitis 4 times in 6 months. I am tired all the time and my anxiety is much worse. I now have insomnia which I've never had before. During one of the bronchitis rounds I had to take a very strong anitbiotic because it was trying to turn to pneumonia. The antibiotic made me very nauseated so I couldn't take my other meds. After two weeks without the Lisinopril, my symptoms cleared up completely. I resumed the lisinopril when I finished the antibiotic and all of my symptoms returned.

I have been reading all the comments and I can't help wondering if I am atypical, but I have not had any of these side effects. In fact the only thing that Lisinopril has done for me is to lower my bp. I was 130 over 90 and now 116 over 78, so it sure works for me!

I have been taking 5 mg of lisinopril for several weeks. For about a week I have been having stomach pain. Nothing else has changed in my diet or medications. Does anyone know if that is the cause.