Lisinopril and rash

My whole torso, stomach area and sides along with upper and lower arms broke out in an extreme rash which was painful, oozing, welts, open sores and some bleeding. This lasted from @ mid July 2009 to present, Nov. 2009. Using A&D ointment, oatmeal baths, many vitamins and plenty of water it is just now settling down to symptoms of pink(raw) skin and not so severe pain with still some itching and flakey skin.

im a 28 yr old male taking this med for 3 weeks i developed a rash type thing on my balls and penis they are itchy and red kinda raw ive also had swollen lips that cracked in the corner of my mouth. ive also developed a allergic rash on my face that made my face swell to the point i almost cant see out of my left eye my ears are red hot swollen and f ing itchy my doctor told me to take a couple bennies and stop the LISINOPRIL to see if that was the issue at hand ill come back to reply to let you know if this is my allergic reaction any body know a good bp med that doesn't suck ?

WOW! My Mom is 65 and having a lot of these same issues, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, itching, tired ALL the time, depression and she is really "foggy". Her feet are so swollen she cant walk! Her Dr acts like she is just seeking attention and just orders more blood work! After reading all of your comments I am sure its the Lisinopril! Her doctor told her she should NOT stop taking the meds because she could have a stroke! I am angry he is using this scare tactic. I live 2000 miles away but I ready to make a road trip to get this madness to end! She really needs to find a new Dr and stop using this dangerous drug!
Thank you all for posting these issues!

I AM A 71 YEAR OLD MALE I HAVE BEEN ON LISINOPRIL FOR ALMOST A YEAR, THREE WEEKS AGO MY DOCTOR INCREASED MY DOSE FROM 10MG TO 20MG THREE DAYS AGO I STARTED TO GET LEG TINGLING AND CRAMPS, THEN I BROKE OUT ON MY UPPER LEG WITH SOME BRIGHT RED SPOTS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HALF DOLLAR, THERE ARE SMALL BLACK SPOTS IN THEM AND THEY HURT LIKE RAW NERVE ENDS, IT IS VERY HARD TO WALK WITH THE PAIN OF MY PANT LEG RUBBING AND KILLING ME.
ALSO MY WIFE IS YOUNGER THAN ME , SEX DRIVE WENT OUT THE WINDOW, I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE OF MY AGE. BEEN THERE DONE THAT. I AM GOING TO TRY TO GET OFF OF THAT STUFF TOO.

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

I have been taking lisinopril for about 14 years and had no problems...until yesterday. I ended up in the emergency room because my face, and lips had severely swelled and had a rash all over me. My lips swelled so much that they started to bleed.. I was put on steroids and benadryl thru intervenience. I had to wait a few hours in the emergency room to make sure things were going well. They were afraid my tongue was going swell. I was told it was the Lisinopril..that you could take it for fifty years and bang! I was told by the E.R to stop taking it..thow it in the garbage and get a different medication

I have coughing and itching skin.

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

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

I am 67 yo male. have had angioplasties, 2 way by pass , right carotid cleaned out, aterial fibrulation , pacemaker ,have had tinnitus most of my adult life and take many meds. My cardiologist put me on lisinopril again (don't remember why it was discontinued before). Thanks to this site I am understanding the unusual things going on with my body. Sweats, blood red face, terrible ringing in ears, sweaty stinky feet/ jock rash, cough, stuffed up sinus, runny nose, and the heavy chest, shortness of breath and chest pain. After taking this med for 2 weeks had scheduled pace maker check up and mentioned symptoms. Tech ignored my concerns. Will call my pcp tomorrow and get the low down.

have been on Lisinopril/HCTZ for over a year with no side effects. Last week I switched to Cartia XL because I am 29 and wanted to try to have a baby. The Cartia made me severely depressed so after four days I switched back to my Lisinopril/HCTZ until my follow-up appt. in three weeks. I took the Lisinopril/ HCTZ for two days. The first day I had a weezy cough. The second day I broke out in a rash that was unaffected by benadryl. I looked in OVID medical journal database and found that the symptoms of Lisinopril rash are rashes confined to the trunk, neck, and proximal limbs (closest to body) and are unaffected by Benadryl (because the rash is caused by luekotriene and not histamine reaction). I went to urgent care today and they gave me a benadryl shot and three prednisone pills with no effect. Then they gave me a IV drip with Zantac (the heartburn medicine but also can help with rashes). It helped some but I am back at home and the rash looks worse and still itches. This is horrible.

I have been on this medication for 3 months now. I am a 28 year old male, 6'2", weigh 211lbs, and in overall good health. My blood pressure average is 144/72 without the medication, but on the medication it seems to stay around 136/66. It took about one week for the blood pressure medicine to start working and when it did I felt very tired (which is normal). Now, in my third month I have started to notice new symptoms like severe headache in the right front lobe, severe tiredness, cold fingers and toes (in warm conditions), severe lower back pain, mood swings, blurred vision in the right eye (same location as headache), and a occasional twitch in my right thumb (probably not related to the medicine). When I first started this medication I did read all of these post and figured that everyone was crazy and/or nuts, but know I am thinking that I would rather stop the medication
and start seeking out for a better medication.. I know medicine has side effects but damn!!! Anyone else have cold fingers and toes while they have been on the medication..thanks

My husband was on lisinopril for a couple of years. A few months ago, he started to get a rash. We thought it was a soap allergy so we changed all our bath, hand and laundry soaps to hypo allergenic. He continued to get worse. He felt extremely tired and weak. He felt chilly most of the time. The rash at first peeled and was red but did not itch. Then it began to itch really bad and it spread to his feet. He took his socks off one day and skin from the soles of his feet came with it. He had a rash from head to toe. He was incredibly thirsty all the time.

His Dr. and a Dermatologist got him off the pills and treated the rash with pills (fexofen) and an ointment. Within a couple of days, he was markedly improved. Now, almost a week later, he has healed almost completely.

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

My Update . . It is hard to imagine my body was able to tolerate Lisinopril for eight years! But when I was overcome I really thought I was going to die. I have been 'clean' for one month. 80% of the severe, weeping rash which I have suffered with for over 9 months is gone from my arms, hands, back, and legs. At first it was very discouraging, After stopping the drug my condition would get better one day then worse the next two days, then better, then worse. Now my fingers are completely healed and the lower back pain I have had for years, with no help from chiropractic adjustment is not only gone, but completely gone! Doctors are in denial. The only way I discovered the Lisinopril link was from this web site for which I am very grateful.

What haunts me is the thought of how many older individuals who may be suffering from Lisinopril and are not aware of how to be helped. Many of the contributors to this site seem to be young and computer/internet aware and are more capable to research a problem.

This drug needs to be investigated and featured on a news show like 20/20 or a Sunday morning program where hopefully many older individuals can be made aware of the dangers of Lisinopril.

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 want to add something to my original post. I only took this med for 10 days (5mg) and was miserable. After 3 weeks I was beginning to feel better (having 1 bad day, then 2 good) when suddenly I experienced pain in my left side, numbness and tingling. My doctor sent me for a kidney scan. Five days after this new pain began, I developed another rash. I realized that I had shingles. So PLEASE be careful if you have any symptoms. This puts a terrible stress on your immune system. Apparently my immune system couldn't handle the stress and the result is shingles. So, I'm miserable again and probably have another 3 weeks to go before I begin to come out from this episode.

Also, for those of you who are switching to another blood pressure medicine that is an ace inhibitor (as lisinopril is), you will not tolerate those either. They are all made from the same ingredient, snake venom.

Back again Oh my am so confused on what to do.. I was taken off this med(LISINOPRIL) at my extreme constant complaint- and put on another--well either I have atypical reactions to all these drugs or am still having side effects from the Lisinopril-- I am taking diavon now-- I feel even worse-- rash is back head hurts so bad I could cry and I am weak all the time.. I could pull every hair that is left on the top of my head right out! I now have that rash around my neck and upper legs- was told before it could be the shingles hey I never had them before,, never.. my nerves are shattered I cry a lot and am hesitant to change again-so I stopped this is day 2 and my headache has subsided
What are we to do I am at wits end.. I know I need something but what today I am at 140/90 going back up,, any suggestions? I started taking Zinc yesterday was told that I am experiencing LOW ZINC LEVELS DUE TO THE LISINOPRIL(HAS ANYONE ELSE BEEN TOLD THIS?)

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.

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 started with 20mg of Lisinopril this winter. Within two months I was coughing. Within a month I was diagnosed with pneumonia. Antibiotics were prescribed and eventually the pneumonia symptoms went away, but I still have the cough. It is dry, deep and constant. I cannot sleep at night. I have a rash along my neck and on my scalp. I can't focus and I've gained weight. Food tastes funny and I have a metallic taste in my mouth sometimes. I have lost so much sleep I can hardly function. The only way I can sleep is to take a Benadryl at night, but that is not good restful sleep. I taking myself off of it starting tomorrow.

decomposition of lisinopril in acidic medium so narrow absorption window.

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!

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 have been on Lisinopril for 10 months. In July 07 I started having itchy skin. It wasn't bad, just annoying. In Sept the itching was worst and I developed a rash. In November one evening I got a serve pain in my right hand and it started swelling within a matter of minutes. The next morning I called my doctor and she had me come in. She looked at my still swollen hand and seemed mystified and referred me to a Rheumatologist who diagnosed me with psoriasis, remember the rash, that is what he was calling psoriasis. I also developed a dry hacking cough. In Jan. 08 I developed full fled hives all over. Went back to the doctor. She started giving me BS. I told her I had done some research on Lisinopril and every symptom I was having was connected to Lisinopril. She took me off the stuff to see it the symptoms disappear. I have been off of it for 5 days now and I am still getting hives and my right foot became very swollen last night. Does anyone know how long it takes to get this stuff out of your system? It's poison.

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

My husband has been taking the Lisinopril for almost 2 months and all he does is itch and has a rash on his stomach. Has anyone else experienced this problem also. Thanks.

Here’s a little update from my last post, I hope it may be useful. The reference to snake venom set me thinking, as around six years ago I suffered anaphylaxis after being stung by a wasp on the end of my tongue. I was rushed to casualty as my head and ears swelled up. I was coved in a red spotty rash and although the major symptoms subsided after a day or so after treatment , it after several weeks before I was back to normal. I now carry adrenaline in case of a similar incident. Many of the symptoms were similar to what I have experienced over the last month, the shortness of breath, the red spotty rash ( forgot to put that in the last post. I still have the spots on my arm and back!) , painful joints, blurred vision etc….

So it got me thinking, is there a connection? It would be interesting to note if any of those posting here have similar intolerance to insect venom.

A quick Google brought up a reference to a paper by Janice L Stumpf, Nadine Shehab and Anish Patel in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy Vol 40 No 4 p699-703 titled ‘Safety of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in Patients with Insect Venom Allergies’

In the conclusions it states ‘….it seems prudent that patients with document allergic reactions to insect venom avoid ACE inhibitor therapy, if possible..’

I’m convinced that I was slowly going into a form of anaphylaxis brought on due to allergic reaction to linisopril, I now know what I will be telling my GP, as I’m sure many doctors will be unaware of this link. Make sure that if you suffer from the same intolerance that your doctor is made aware.

Hope this helps.

BEEN ON LISINOPRIL BOUT 2 YEARS NO SIDE EFFECTS UNTIL 1 MONTH AGO HAIR LOSS, EXTREME ITCHING, RASH ,RED BUMPS ON TRUNK ANY ONE OUT THERE WITH THESE SYMPTOMS

I had to take my husband to the ER yesterday due to the side effects of Lisinopril, which he has been taking for 15 years!! His lips were swollen as were his cheeks and he had a heavy rash over many parts of his body. The nurse I spoke to asked if he was having trouble swallowing. He was to call 911 if I didn't get home in time to get him to the ER. The Dr said he was having an allergic reaction to the medication and 20% of people taking it have the reaction of facial swelling which can affect the tongue and/or throat (which can actually close up) no matter how long they have been taking the medication. Until you can get on another bp medicine, have a 50 mg of Benadryl on hand at all times and head for the ER if your face starts to swell or swallowing is a problem.

Have been taking Lisinopril (5mg) once a day for almost two months. I'm a 52 y.o. male in good physical condition, 5'11", 200 pounds, work out with weights at least three or four times a week, treadmill work at least twice a week and very little salt intake, no fried foods, and overall healthy eating habits. The doctor told me when I was diagnosed with H.B.P. during a visit for a muscle strain that losing weight or changing diet and excercise weren't options to help with the problem since I was in good shape and eating well already. My blood pressure went down beginning the first week and by the third week was near normal (about 123/78). Great news, you would think........except.............
I developed a dry cough and scratchy throat within days of starting the drug and it now persists 24/7 causing a loss of sleep. I have severe itching and small rashes in various places but mostly in creases around joints and between cheeks (yeah, THOSE cheeks). Broke out in a cold sweat, became nauseous, and nearly passed out at work one morning. I guess because of a quick drop in B.P. Have a hard time concentrating and making sense according to others at work. And last but not least, my sex drive is practically non-existent, which is okay I suppose since I haven't been able to get an erection since about three weeks after I started taking this crap. Other than that life is just great!
So I stopped taking this stuff two days ago and am hoping to become healthy again once I get whatever this poison is out of my system. I'm willing to live with a little high blood pressure since I felt just fine before the doctor told me I just HAD to take something. I'd rather be healthy and happy with a touch of H.B.P. than sick and impotent with a normal reading.

Forgot to say my hubby also has a rash that drives him crazy and weight lose from 165 to 136.

I have been on Lisiopril HCTZ for a week and a half now and the stomach cramps, gurgling, bloating and gas started yesterday.It really scared me. I switched from Diovan because of simuliar pains. I thought I had gallstones because of the pinching cramping pains. (also have slightly elevated liver enzymes) I had a sonogram and everything looked normal.I have also had the painful neck/throat this past week and my shoulder muscles started cramping this morning. I am going to go back on my old propanolol and diuretic tomorrow, just long enough to show myself it is these awful BP pills. The doctor told me I need to quit reading the side effects on the RX label. I told him I had been doing that once I started having symptoms. When it says contact your Dr immediately if you have severe abdominal pain, I think I need to take that seriously and drop the Doctor who tells me to not read the drug phamplet! Oh, did I mention that I had the Rash from Hell show up too. Again, a side effect that says to contact your Dr immediately. The severe rash was while on the Diovan and lasted a full week.

Please let me know if you have had low blood cells counts useing Lisinopril, Juanita

I have severe itching, with dark rash spots on most of the body, with nervousness, panic attacks and weakness in the arms and legs, and flu symptoms. I take have been taking 20 mg once a day for about 10 years. Previously taking zestril, I had to change because of insurance costs, and have had these symptoms almost from the start. I was told by the pharmacy that zestril and lisinopril were the exact same ingredients, so I thought I was allergic to something else. The itching is now so severe, I have purple spots and scars on most of my body. I finally went to the dermotoligist and he did a biopsy, which reveiled the allergy to lisinopril.

Swelling of legs, metallic taste in mouth with burning feeling of the tongue, hive like rash that itches and goes away, dry throate, and tiredness.

My neighbor has been on Lisinopril for 6 yrs and has had the dry cough.. BUT because the hospital got a new deal on a more generic Lisinopril RX532 5 mg. her doctor perscribed it to her ,, her syptoms are, The coughing, broncitus, blood vessels in the eye breaking, and tounge bleeding. This is only a week after starting this medication. I have not seen anything in this forum about tounge bleeding but she has a sore or cut in her mouth, as some of you have had rashes on your arms and it will not heal because of this medication, she also told me she had let the pill disolve on her tounge one night,, now I dont know if that is why she got this cut or sore but nevertheless her tounge will not stop bleeding.

Rash, ichy upper arm near breast and lower back. Discontinued three days ago. Don't know half life . Would like to know how long till rash goes away. See doctor tomorrow 2/9/07
Barbara

I have been on Lisinopril/HCTZ 20mg for about a month. I have severe fatigue, trouble sleeping, cough, sneeze and have a hideous rash on both arms that itches and is spreading to my back and shoulders. Saw my MD yesterday and he thinks I might be alergic to HCTZ (tried to tell him I was on that for 6 years --no rash -- no side effects) he has now prescribed Linisopril with nothing added. If this has not cleared in one week I'm going off the Lisinopril. I'm wondering what this drug is dooing to my vital organs. Do you think the reaction is confined to just the outside of the body?? I don't.
Luckylady1

I took Lisinopril for about a year. My first symptom was a dry hacking cough. As time went on, the cough got worse. I coughed day and night, to the point that it would make me throw up. I did not realize that it was caused by the meds. I started having allergic reactions (rash and swelling of my face) at any time I went outside to work in the yard. There is some poison ivy around here, and I thought that I was getting into it. The doctor gave me prednizone for the allergy. It got so bad that she gave me a prescription of 100 pills to keep on hand. The last time, my lips got hard then started swelling. My face swelled up and I had trouble swallowing. My doctor was out and I had to see someone else. He looked at me and at my list of medications and just said that it was the lisinopril. I stopped taking it 6 months ago and have had no trouble since. Other than the cough that started after a couple of months, I had no side effects for probably 9 months. I just want to caution people that the side effects can start at any time, not just when you start taking the medication.

I have been on Lisinopril for a year now, and I think I have been experiencing some of the same things others have written about here. I am on 40mg dose and it idoes a mediocre job at controlling my blood pressure.

When I lay down, which is alot because I think I am getting fatigue from the Lisinopril, my heart is pounding so hard in my chest...it keeps me from resting peacefully. When I am standing or sitting I rarely ever notice it. Like I wrote I think it causes fatigue. I would like to know what kind of rash anyone has developed. I have one that comes and goes on the inside crease of my right elbow area. I think it does does a fibromyalgia, as well.

I am glad I am not the only one....I am glad I found this site and know that other people are experiencing similiar things. I am NOT crazy afterall.

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this website! I was prescribed Linsinopril in 2004 and within a few months began to feel lousy. The drug never seemed to lower my blood pressure to "acceptable" levels and I developed a rash, which sent me to three dermatologists in six months until I finally decided to go to an accupuncturist. The accupuncture treatments seemed to work at first, but the rash returned. Then my leg started giving me problems. In fact, my hip/leg hurt so badly I was considering hip replacement! It felt like my leg was going to fall off. Rising from sitting positions made me feel like a cripple and the pain was excruciating! Xrays and ultrasounds showed nothing. I finally begin going to a chiropractor but I'm not getting better -- I'm just managing the pain a little differently. All along I kept thinking it must be something I'm ingesting that's giving me these problems. I have suffered the same symptoms as many of you, though the coughs weren't nearly as bad. Last year a new doctor (I "fired" the other one because her bedside manner sucked and I wasn't getting any better no matter how I tried) took me off Lisinopril and prescribed Enalapril maleate and even though the rash has gone away (somewhat) the pain in my hip and leg is still awful, and that hacking cough is still there -- in addition to the fatigue, dizziness and swelling. I think this medication isn't much better than the Lisinopril. Since I'm also taking furosemide, I'll stick with that until my next appointment and see whether I can feel like my old self again.

My doctor took me off Lisinopril a few days ago, following hives all over my body &, later, raised welt on my arm. I was also short of breath & felt nauseated & weak. I had to have a shot of Kenalog & he told me to take Benadryl every 4 hours. The rash is finally going away. I had also had pain & stiffness on the left side of my neck, which caused problems getting to sleep. Saw on this site that someone else had experienced this symptom. No one else has reported the first symptom mentioned.

I started taking Lisinopril several months ago and I'm having side effects that have been mentioned by others on this site. One that no one has mentioned is ITCHING. I don't have a rash, but my arms, chest, back, neck and face itch constantly.

Any one else experiencing this? I took myself off the drug and have an upcoming dr's appointment to discuss other drug choices.

Hello. I was a long term Lisinopril user. I was taking 5 mg for several years with no apparent adverse effects, except for constant short coughing and scratchy throat. It lowered my Systolic pressure, but didn't lower the Diastolic pressure, so the doc upped my dose to 10 mg. Over the next several months, I began to get rashes, small pin-prick itches on my legs, sleepless nights due to extreme itching, fatigue, burning sensation in the chest, and excessive weakness. The Diastolic pressure still remained high so he upped my dose to 20 mg. Within a week, my hands swelled up and I got an extreme case of the hives all over my arms, hands, and legs. I never recalled ever having hives before and I didn't know what it was. I was terrified as to what was happening to me. The help counter at Walgreens Pharmacy told me I was having a severe allergic reaction to something that was causing a severe case of the hives. At that point, I still didn't make the connection to Lisinopril. The side effects continued to increase including burning sensation in the chest when I did the smallest chores, massive fatigue, dizziness, abdominal pains, headaches, rashes, and intense itching. I had 9 out of the 10 side effects caused by the drug. I research hives and found that I had the kind that would vanish after 6 weeks, because low and behold after exactly six weeks it went away. I kept complaining to my doctor about the problems that I was having, but he was of no help. After nearly 6 months on 20 mg of Lisinopril I became light headed even while lying down. I thought I was going to die. In mid-December, a year and a half ago, at 3:30 a.m., while lying down, I cramped up with severe abdominal pains, bloating, and extreme light headedness. I sensed that this was the end. I scrambled to my feet and tried to get upstairs to tell my family to call 911. I collapsed on the stairs and thought that this is where they would find my dead body. I made a second effort and struggled to my feet and made it into the dining area where I collapsed for a second time. My wife heard my body hit the floor. I saw the tunnel and light. She rushed out and called 911. When the paramedics arrived several minutes later I began to come out of it. My blood pressure was extremely low. After a short period of time, I recovered and felt relatively normal again. After that episode, I looked up the causes of light headedness on the internet and found a site that listed 10 medications that caused this side effect. Lisinopril made the list. I immediately stopped taking the drug. Within a few days, the light-headedness and rashes went away. I put 2 and 2 together and took my findings to the doctor. All he said was, "why didn't you tell me?" I had been complaining about these problems to him for the past several months. He switched me to a calcium channel blocker. Within a week I began getting rashes again and I discontinued the use of that drug. I now take a natural diuretic concoction of calcium, potassium, garlic pills, vitamins, other minerals, and a daily regimen of low dose aspirin. My strength and stamina have returned. I feel 90% better, but I think the experience has done permanent damage to my digestive system.

Jack - 2/28/06

I posted here in early Sept. about my problems with lisinopril. After reading other posts I started doing some google searches. Because a previous HBP medicine caused my thyroid function go down I was switched to Lisinopril. Two years later, my throid levels which had recovered are now going down again. Several posters mentioned suppelmenting with zinc to deal with the cough so many people develop. A "lisinopril zinc" search had several sites that all stated in practically the same words that no research showed a link to zinc and lisinopril but supplementation might be a good idea. (Don't dose yourself with zinc because that can cause things to go out of whack.) I also found an article by Dr. Ron Hoffman about "Drugs That Steal." He reported that ACE-inhibitors caused zinc to be depleted from the body.
Then, I googled "zinc TSH". TSH is the indicator of how your thyroid is working. There I found several articles about how low zinc levels may cause low thyroid symptoms. Ask low-thyroid sufferers how hard it is to get doctors to diagnose and deal with this wide range of symptoms that are often vague.
Now I'm stuck. Is it lisionpril or is it my thyroid? My doctor sees the HBP first and wants to add medications to deal with the first medication's side effects. But then suppose there are more side effects from the next medication. This is a real quality of life issue.

I have been taking lisinopril for 3 months. A slight cough stated about 2 to 3 weeks after I started taking the drug and I thought, I can live with this because my blood pressure was coming down. This drug was to supplement the blood pressure drug I was already taking..the Dr wanted my blood pressure lower. For the past 2 weeks the coughing has been getting worse and worse to the point of almost throwing up...I have a water bottle in my hand at all times...Also, I have another side effect that no one else has stated...My arms and legs start itching and will break out in what appears to be a rash, even my feet. I have decided to stop taking the drug and will contact my Dr tomorrow and let him know. I will continue with my other blood pressure meds, including the water pill..make sure my diet is good and start walking more..the exercise is the best you can do...has anyone else had the itching?

rash all over body , scalp very itchy

57 year old male with BP in the 130/90 to 140/100 range. MD prescribed 40 mg Diovan daily. Didn't help BP but I did get rashes on legs and thighs. After 3 months, MD doubled dose to 80 mg Diovan daily. Rash erupted all over my body. Went to Dermatologist who did biopsy and said I had developed acute eczema most likely as a Diovan side effect. MD changed prescription to 20 mg Lisinopril. After two days I woke up with itchy, tremendously swollen groin area, and my lower lip is blowing up like a balloon. Fair-skinned people should really do their homework before taking either one of these drugs.

Hi, have been taking Lisinopril-HCTZ 12.5 mg tabs for just about 2 years now. I have an on and off again rash, which is excascerbated terribly by being in the sun. At least I can cover up when outside. I am wondering if anyone else has little or no sex drive from this med??? And I also have experienced more down moods, and depression that comes and goes. Has helped BP, but have not tried any other med that may have fewer side effects, any ideas I could ask my doctor about? Thanks!!!