Lisinopril and sex drive

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'm 23 and i've been taking 20 mg a day of lisinopril for a month now. before that i was on 10 mg of altace and had no side effects at all. since taking the lisinopril i've noticed my legs feeling no cramped but like that half asleep feeling at night. also my sex drive has decreased dramatically and i've found it difficult to get an erection. if anyone has had the same problems please let me know. any information would be very appreciated.

Am I the only one who has gained a lot of weight while on Lisinopril? I have gained over 40lbs in 3 years. I have also experienced odd muscle cramping and have never made a connection to this and Lisinopril. The pain in my ear, side of my head, and my jaw was unbelievable. ENT dr thought it was TMJ or nerve damage. He was not able to really pin down the exact cause. One month later I was bed ridden with severe back pain, which I have never had before. MRI showed nothing. Headaches are daily, cough, leg cramps, chest pain, decreased sex drive, and definitely have feelings of depression. I have never made the connection between the changes in my personality, health, and lifestyle to this medicine; but now I have. I will be immediately contacting my doctor to discuss alternatives. My BP when I started was 150/90 and now is 112/70. Please let me know if anyone has also had the weight gain like I have experienced. I know I am going to have to have hard facts to show to my doctor. Thank you.

I was put in this med about 6 mos ago in order to protect my Kidney, I had a transplant years ago. My BP was already low in the mid 120s/85-90 and this has dropped it to 120/80.

However on starting this med, I suffered many of the flu-like symptoms to the point where I was out of work for a couple of days. Since then, I have, in retrospect had malaise, depression symptoms, occasional shortness of breath and a general lack of energy.

And last night, the kicker, I was with my new girlfriend for the first time....yep, no work, at all, which led me to checking out the net for symptoms of the meds I was on.

Funny (not ha-ha) how one drug leads to another leads to another... My dr. started me on Lipitor for cholesterol, then Lisinopril for borderline high bp. Both drugs increased after six months - Lisinopril up to 40 mg. a day. I started to feel constantly fatigued, irritable, depressed and no sex drive at all. I thought I was going menopausal, but estrogen levels were normal. So I went on Wellbutrin to combat those symptoms. Seemed to help at first, but gradually less so - even at increased dosage. Dr. never suggested there might be other side effects to these drugs other than "dry cough" with Lisinopril, which would probably just "go away". Ever notice how side effects are minimalized by doctors., if acknowledged at all! I started to feel toxic with all the medicine in my system and decided to look into side effects. Now I am not taking these meds anymore - am watching my diet and will go to check ups. If doctor is unhappy with me I will look for different doctor!

This Drug has wiped my life out!!!!! The doctor but me on it after my wife of 35 years.Been together science she was 13 years old died. About 8 months ago.I am very depressed and cry a lot. I am 53 now and these pills have taken what I had of a life away from me. I have no sex drive now I am very depressed almost to the point of no return I cough all day every day and it has messed with my vision things are blurrier sometimes. I feel like every thing is cloudier to me cant think straight any more. I never had ED until now. I didn't understand what was happening to me. But what I had left of a life was falling apart. Then I started to think when it all started. And it came back to when I started my blood pressure medicines. I did research and both my meds where hurting my life the other is (hydrochlorothiazide) they both suck and I will never take another one.I could rather die a happy man then one that has to live like i did on that drug!!!!!!!!!!

I was on a Beta Blocker and was having side effects that were effecting my sex drive. My blood pressure has been going done. I have also lost 30 pounds and am doing some what regular exerise. Since my BP was getting better readings my doctor switched me to Lisinopril 10 mg. I have not had any bad side effects on this. Maybe I am lucky and only need the 10 mg and that dose doesn't produce some of the side effects I have read on here. Don't assume you will have the same effects as someone else. You don't know what other drugs they are taking or what their life style is. Do monitor your BP, weight, sleep, and any side effects you feel and discuss these with your doctor.

For the first two days, I was depressed and sluggish. I had no sex drive. My pulse was slow no matter what. On the third day, I forced myself to workout...a 2-hour bike ride followed by pull-ups and push-ups. Felt fine. Kind of strange at times, but my heart did not beat quite as fast as before. Have been working out everyday since. Can't drink alcohol now that I'm on this stuff. 1-3 beers knocks me right out! Felt dizzy when I got out a chair too quickly today. Curious to see what is in store for me.

Could someone please tell me their experiences with just quitting lisinopril. I take toprol as well but it seems like lisiniprol is making me crazy. I have the worst fears that I am dying at times. I feel like a hypochondriac but my I feel every palpitation my heart makes.

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.

I was prescribed 10mg/day for 140/80 BP. Started with 5mg/day. Almost immediatley had less energy and trouble sleeping. After 1 week terrible nightmares and no sex drive. After 2 weeks (still on 5mg/d) had a flare-up of Crohns. Stopped the lisinopril for a month while taking prednisone for the Crohns. Then restarted the lisinopril and the same thing happened. These are the only two flare-ups I have had this year! No more lisinopril for me. This drug is worse than the illness it is supposed to correct.

My husband used to take Altace fo HBP. It wasn't working so his dr. put him on Lisinopril in Feb. of this year, 2007. He had to keep lowing the dosage until he reached 5mg. It knocked him on his ass, he has no energy at all, no sex drive, we have not had sex since Jan. He is tired, tired tired all the time. He also coughs but is a smoker, wakes up at night with his t-shirt soaked. He has told his dr. this and he says it's where his BP gets low and his heart is pumping trying to keep up with his body. He had bloos work done and has found out he's anemic. I don't know if the medication has caused this or not. Since June 2007 he has had to have 2 blood transfusions, has gone through scopes, more blood work and we are waiting results of the lastest done Aug. 7, 2007. He goes for a CAT Scan Aug. 21, if the dr. isn't satisfied with that he's doing a bone marrow test. Could this be the result of lisinopril? Anyone else having these systoms?

My husband is 36 years old and started taking Lisinopril 10mg about 2 weeks ago. Since then he has noticed some cramping in his lower legs, but the main side effect he noticed was a severe drop in sex drive. He has never experienced this before and the Lisinopril is the only thing that has changed in his daily activities. Thanks to those who shared their experiences with this drug. I'm sure he's going to call our MD first thing in the AM.

Re:guest no.0222.
I meant nothing in a bad way,,I had to ask my dr. to take me off of lisiniporil, taking the poison for six yearsor better,
having been off since jan.i ended up with lotrel5/10 have heard bad things about it also, but i tried three other poison's
before the lotrel. but back to you. i have looked for the brand
you are talking about other than ordering form web. which i don't like doing,but have found some other brands taht are tolerable.my bp is staying down currently and since i am off the poison i feel totally brand new, seems like the symptoms
except the sex. drive has returned,i have been takin oregano oil, aloe vera oil,a multi-vit.e,coral calcium,and selenium,looking fot teh chelated mag.and zinc,i went to have blood work done and dr. called said your cholestrol is the problem, I replied yeah i figured it was bad, he said no it's better,was 195 dropped to 165 i would like to see it a little
lower keep up the diet, well i haven't exactly been on one,
need to drop and will as soon as weather warms up to walk.
But had i not found this site with everyone who has taken this
poison and seen what each has done to overcome,or is trying to i would still be taken the junk,this site and everyone who is
trying to rid their system i "COMMEND". If i can get the sexual desire back I would be happy any Idea other than more poison??? where did you get these country life brand??
and once again I apologize if i offended in any way.

Can Lisinopril cause impotence? After taking 5mg Lisinopril daily for almost 6 months, the sex drive has become very low and have trouble getting hard. Has anyone else experienced such a thing or is it just a coincident? help.

I have been taking 20 mg Lisinopril for about one year. I work for a drug company (our company does not make Lisinopril). I do not know if these are connected or pure coincidences. I have lost about 6 pounds without going on a diet, sex drive goes in cycles (low to very high). I do not have ED, but the "quality" of erections is not what it used to be (maybe a sign of getting old).
The cough was never an issue when the generic was from Teva, however the last few refills have been from Ivax and that is when the cough started. It feels like someone is tickling your throat with spines and for the most part it is dry cough. Can different generic manufacturers be the problem?

Considering its excellent safety profile, I would be hesitant to switch medications just for the annoying cough. The drug works great (no morning flush or frequent pit stops)

Thank God for this web site. I have been taking Lisinopril for about 2 months. I am 54 and have never taken any medication. I had tightness in my chest and my blood pressure was slightly high so the doc (Quack) put me on this thing. It cured the tightness and lowered my pressure. After about 6 weeks I noticed that I felt very weird in the mornings and it was hard to get going and I was very spacy. (Also my sex drive was diminished). It has been around 8 weeks and I stopped taking Lisinopril this weekend. I already feel less spacy and depressed and the slight headache is gone. I had to stay with my feeble mother to care for her this weekend so I called my crazy sister and told her I couldn't take the pill anymore. I told her it depressed me and I would rather die of a heart attack than take this pill. She thought I was down because I had to put up with my mother and she said I would feel like living after I left her house but now this web site has
confirmed that it was the Lisinopril. Thanks to everyone.

Hi All, three weeks after starting Lisinopril 20mg. I started having productive cough at night, after 4 months of this 'only side effect symptom' I went into Doc and got switched to DIOVAN. I used to run 3 miles, but after coughing every night, with wake-ups at 2 hour intervals coughing, I am too bushed to run. Hopefully the new B/P med will work. Never had a cough like this, don't smoke, 49yrs., RN Type-A person. The Lisinopril and HCTZ did work, but not worth the coughing for me.
A little down with sex drive, but mood lighting, candles, and eager partner helped!
(doc also did pulmonary function test, and xray, all normal range)

I went on Lisinopril when the VA quack doctors noticed my high blood pressure. I tried to read the many pages of side effects but never noticed the coughing one. What a wild ride this pill has had me on, many times I have hacked up my guts outside of my car.

That Cough is just crazy, it never goes away. It has been like having a year-round cold. I told my VA doc and they changed it to include a water pill and later to be a solo Lisinopril added dose pill.

I should have known that there was a catch when the VA just gives me these pills like candy each time I am there. LOL

One of the odd side effects I have noticed is a decreased on non exsistent sex drive. Even Viagra which the VA only gives out 3 pills every three months has little or no effect when I am using Lisinopril.

Thank God for this website, I am going cold turkey off this strange drug. I still have the cough after one week with some headaches but I am starting to feel better.

I am a 48 yr old male recently diagnosed with high BP. I started taking Lisinopril (10mg) about 2 months ago and have had a bad cough and soar throat ever since. Initiall it was pretty bad. I've even tried antibiotics and antifungal meds thinking it was an infection, but no change. I also experienced a drastic decrease in my sex drive which doesn't seem to have any other explanation. After reading up on the side effects on sites like this (which are just great by the way), I stopped taking Lisinopril a couple of days ago. Hopefully this will correct the problems mentioned above.

I have been taking lisinopril for almost three years. I have noticed that my hair which is very thick is starting to fall out after a shampoo and other wise. I thought it was because of coloring which does not happen every once in a blue moon. I also noticed that I have dry mouth, feel depressed, and confused at work while doing my job before I took a volunteer lay off. Confused and missing details...focusing was a real problem. Dizziness at times almost afraid to drive or go out due to this problem thinking that I was experiencing sutle anxiety feelings. Sex Drive also none...and do not feel like talking to people much anymore about many things.

This is very strange as I have always been very socialable.

I am 52 years of age and all these symptoms really are mind boggling to say the least.

I am glad to have come to this site. There should be an investigation into this medicine Lisinopril.

I am an active individual and so with all that going on I started to take a supplement of adaptagens.

My mother is taking the med too and has a terrible cough. I think I am going to insist that our doctors take us off the drugs.

I spoke to an acupunturist at the New England School of Acupuncture and they can treat HPD and other dis eases.

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!!!

I'm 49 years of age and started taking Lisinopril on March 8,2004. My Blood Pressure has lowered from 150/90+ TO 120/77. However, my sex drive is way down and erections dont last. Also, feel tired with no energyto exercise.

at 65 i put a backpack on for thefirst time and hiked 1000miles the first summer it took me two more summers to finish the appalachian trial now i take lisnopril and can hardly do anything i have a contant sinus problem for the first time in my life i feel my only out is death i have trouble breathing i have trouble reading my eyes water most of the time i have been a reader since i was a little girl my sex drive is gone sure we ae old but we did have fun before b.p. medicine i eat right i have never smoked i drink very little i need help is there no help out there ?