Lisinopril and shortness of breath

Oh my God I feel like I want to cry. I am so glad I found this site, I thought I was going crazy. So my pressure was up so on the 10/20/09 he prescribed me lisinopril I started taking it.I went to the emergency on the 11/10/09 I stayed int the hospital for 3 days. My chest was hurting,pain and tingling in my arms and legs, pain behind my eyes, cramping in my abdomen, a feeling in my head of light headedness,a feeling like i was losing my mind like on the verge of insanity, a feeling of a pain in my left side like i was having a stroke, Shortness of breath. I think that I experienced just about every side effect listed in the book. And you know the funny thing about this is even while I laid in the hospital bead and them not finding anything wrong after several ekgs,chest xray, and cat scans they still gave me the same lisinopril while i was in the hospital and these doctors were getting frustrated with me because they did not find anything wrong with me but all along it was the lisinopril wow thats crazy!

Thanks for the info guys you might have just saved my life I am done taking that medication I'll diet and cut back on the salt.

Thanks

M. T
Orlando, FL

I have been on lisinopril for 4 years and today was the last one I will take. The doctor told me this morning to get off of it. I had shortness of breath, hoarseness, coughing til I gag, cramping, loss of hair and itchy skin and rash. I cannot believe that for 4 years I felt like this and never connected it to the medicine. I hope tomorrow will be a good day for me. I have suffered for 4 years because I thought I was just spiraling downward. I couldn't take walks anymore and always related it to my stressful job. I am on the right path now.

I have been on lisinopril for approximately 4 years. I feel like today is the first day of my life back. I went to a different doctor and told him my symptoms. He told me to stop taking lisinopril and gave me a prescription for something else. For the last 3 years or so, I thought I was spiraling downward. I have had shortness of breath, hoarseness, coughing, mucus in throat until I gag, red face, itchy skin, loss of hair and cramping. I was afraid to tell the doctor all this, so I lived with it until one day I went to an allergist. He found me allergic to a lot of food and things. I have been getting shots and all and still did not feel better. I am praying that all these symptoms were from the lisinopril. I will find out within a couple of weeks if I feel better. After reading all these stories, I probably don't even need allergy shots. All the symptoms I read about, I have. I want my life back and I cannot believe that there is a medicine out there like this.

I am a 51 year old woman and I have been on Lisinopril for about 12 months. At first it was 20mg, then increased to 40mg per day. I started having shortness of breath and decided to cut back to the 20mg after a month or so. I am a nurse so I often adjust meds that I am on. I found this board about two months ago. I am so glad I did! I have BP of about 126/82 on meds. I have just stopped the 20mg two days ago, after developing more chest pain. I have lost all the weight that I needed to and eat a low salt diet now. I already feel better today. Chest pain is almost gone. I see my DR. tomorrow about all of this. I am going to try to stay off all HTN meds if I can! I had so many side effects that I never realized were being caused by this horrible drug. Some of them included: chest pain, shortness of breath, rib pain, extreme hair loss, tingling in all extremities, joint pain, muscle pain, headache, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, difficulty thinking and comprehension, memory loss. I just wanted to let others know that I also know this drug is very dangerous. I am hopeful that I will continue to feel better as the weeks go by.

I have been taking 20mg Lisinopril for six days for 140/100 BP reduction. Muscle cramps, muscle pain, dizziness, ringing in the ears (which I already had, but this medication has made it MUCH worse),some heart palpitations...generally scary and, on balance, I am going to find some other solution. Frankly, this is like taking a slow acting poison.

I'm a 20 year old underweight male and usually 165/100. Since it's been like this for a few years I decided to go to the doctor's, and was first given metoprolol. After 2 weeks I couldn't handle its HORRIBLE side effects and was switched to 10mg lisinopril. Its been a month now and the only side effects I'm experiencing are shortness of breath and muscle aches throughout my entire body. It feels like everybody else said--like you worked out way too much the day before, except EVERY day. I've never had muscle strains in my life and have already had two in my legs and one in my arm, but even lifting a heavy box that would normally be no problem feels like it will rip off my arms and break my lower back. I don't know how you people keep trying different drugs and failing, if the next drug isn't perfect for me without any side effects I'm giving up and will just live happily ever after with high BP like I was before. Thanks for helping me figure out where these muscle aches are likely coming from!

It's 4:42 a.m. Can't sleep. Keep coughing when start to doze off then. Shortness of breath. Was cold now hot.. Started searching internet for side effects found this site. I am taking 40mg of this started only 4 days ago. coughing up the clear stuff. started today. runny nose. have the same spitting episodes. I may go to ER. Trying to make it through the night to call dr. in the morning. I am unemployed...can't afford ER. have to visit clinic. Very hot. I wish I had known about these side effects would never have taken this medicine.

So I just read through a few of these and have to admit a similar story. I am 26 years old and have hereditary high blood pressure due to polycystic kidneys. My doctor put me on 20mg at first. I have always been an avid exerciser and after about 3 months on the drug I was in the pool swimming laps and my arms completely cramped up and started spamming, had no control whatsoever. My best friend's dad is a neurologist and his mouth about hit the floor when I told him how many mg of lisinopril my doctor had prescribed. He immediately cut my dosage in half. My symptoms have still progressed and I am officially stopping taking it because I have had heart flutters and palpitations that would scare any normal human being into thinking they're dying. I also have the shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness and tingling in all of my limbs, odd pains I have never had before in the most random places such as my forearms, calves, abdomen, and I feel like I have arthritis! NONE of this EVER bothered me before I started taking this medication and it has taken me months to actually come to the realization that these are not signs of aging or fatigue. I'm a healthy 26 year old female who exercises on average 5 days a week with low-fat high fiber diet. Point of my story: this drug claims to be the best on the market, but something tells me the doctor's push is coming from pharmaceutical endorsements!!!! Beware of the poison.

OMG...I want to thank everyone for their comments, as I thought I was just crazy, I have not been able to walk more than 25 steps in three years because of this stupid Lisinopril. I could honestly just cry. Three years have been just taken. My daughter was 8 and now she is 11. We have not been able to go to the mall one time because mommy's muscle pain and weakness is so bad and it is just embarrassing to try to walk around a mall or the airport. I am only 39 there is no reason my primary Dr. should not have caught this. I have been referred for and had multiple MRI's, cortisone injections, nerve testing and nerve blocks, taken Tramadol until I can not take it anymore. Thank you all of you. Thank you. God Bless you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking, memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

I took 20 mgs a day for 5 days in September of 2006. I developed a terrible cough, but worse than that, severe chest pains & shortness of breath upon exertion. I still can't go up & down stairs; my pain is brutal and it's going on 3 years since it all began. Before I took the lisinopril, I hadn't been having any chest pains or trouble breathing.

Is there any hope of recovery? My doctors all say they've never heard of this kind of side effect; that lisinopril is a very common drug; it's clear that I have reduced lung function & definite pain & symptoms, but there is no way to isolate the exact thing causing it or to figure out how to make it go away; just to control the symptoms.

My theory: the lisinopril triggered an autoimmune response in which my body physically tries to reject my own lungs. Any thoughts on that one? I had been taking cozaar as an ACE inhibitor to slow the rate of my renal failure; I have type 1 diabetes and hypoparathyroidism, and while I needed meds before this episode, all I had to do then was manage my diabetes & I was able to live normally. Since this, it's been nearly impossible to do ANYthing. I am at the end of my rope & I want this to stop. But 3 years later, and while the shortness of breath is improved, the pain is actually worse now. I could sure use some advice & support. I'm on my way this week to get set up with a new dr. because we've moved, and I'm going to have to go through this whole thing again. Also - I'm trying to compile a list of other people who have had side effects with chest pain & shortness of breath. Also anxiety & panic attacks as collateral damage.

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

Rapid pulse, shortness of breath on exertion, kidney function tests out-of-line, muscle aches, problems sleeping.

I first started Lisinopril hctz about 3 years ago. Within the first day I had hives, a rash, itchy skin and RED RED face. Dr says it will go away. So I keep taking it. Fast forward a month and I start coughing, coughing at night so bad my husband can't sleep. It's so bad I feel like I'm choking and cough so much I am almost throwing up from the dryness and my throat being so constricted. During that time, I also start having some big whopping sinus pain and pressure. Felt like there was a tennis ball in my sinuses. Big time pain, headache. Dr says nothing wrong, just some allergies. I start taking Benadryl at night to sleep, to help with the itching, wheezing, coughing. It seems to help a bit. So I deal with all this. ALong with the coughing at times I am having trouble getting in air. Almost like I have to force it in. Not sure if it's my throat, sinuses or my chest. Next comes, some bass drum booming of my heart. I think it's so loud in my chest and my ears that others can hear it. This still happens on occasion. At times my legs feel like tree trunks or cement and I just don't have the energy to do anything. My hair started falling out in GOBS. I go to derm doctor, they say it's stress. It'll go away. Next I have kidney pain.... this goes on for a few months... come to find out I have a stone. But I never had any kidney problems before. Doctor's say it could be from the hctz and my kidneys having to work harder, but they were speculating. GP says keep taking Lisinopril hctz the benefits outweigh the side effects. I asked him if he has ever had a kidney stone he says no. I keep taking it. Leg cramps come next, bad cramps. I go to dr and he says it's my potassium, the hctz has depleted the potassium in my body and need to start on some big styrofoam potassium pills. All this goes on for almost two years. Fast forward to now. I'm still beat red in the face (and cannot handle the sun), coughing, sinuses full, itchy and bass drum beating (on occasion), heart flutters (on occasion).... four days ago I almost fainted because I was so dizzy within two hours of taking my pills in the morning. I am by no means able to sit on my butt and do nothing because of all these side effects. I have a farm to run, horses to feed and ride, hay to bale and put up, and I'm ready to get my body safe enough to start trying to get pregnant. I start doing research and find Lisinopril to be UNSAFE for a fetus. I start to think, well if it is unsafe for a fetus why is it safe for me? So then I googled side effects of Lisinopril and it brought me here. Thank God, I have a GP appointment tomorrow. I'm taking control back of my own body. I've had enough....

My experience with Lisinopril has been awful. Severe headaches, Bad chest pains to where I thought I was having a heart attack, Severe depression. Didn't even want to get dressed and face my day. Shortness of breath and fatigue. The headaches were the worse. Felt like my eyes were going to burst out of my head. I couldn't think straight. The fatigue was so bad I found myself falling asleep while driving. I took myself off this medicine one day and I feel like a new person.

Thank God for each and every one of you'll who posted!! I am a 31 year old female who has consumed this poison since March 08. My PCP had started me on the Lisinopril 40mg and eventually increased it to 80mg per day.
OCTOBER 2008-
I begin having "flu like" symptoms which I started taking over the counter medicine for.

NOVEMBER 2008-
I was becoming worst so I went to my doctor (the one who prescribed this mess) and was told it sounds like bronchitis so she prescribed a "z-pack" (which is a 5 day course), "cough syrup", and stated to "quit smoking".

FIVE DAYS LATER-
I went back to my doctor with the same complaint chronic cough and now shortness of breath. I was told that since the "z-pac" didn't work it may be "asthma"!! SO of course I was prescribed more drugs one being one called "Augmentin" (which is a 10 day course), and an inhaler now for asthma!! I was ordered to have a "chest x-ray", and another script for more cough syrup with codeine!!!!

SEVEN DAYS LATER I WAS IN THE ER-
I felt as if I was dying! I was so scared and did not know what to do. I couldn't even go to work all I could do was cough, gag (sometimes vomit), and gasp for air!! I knew something was terribly wrong. The chest x-ray was clear other then a small amount of inflammation. I was prescribed yet more pills this time a 5 day course of "steroids" for the inflammation, more cough syrup, and was told I didn't need the inhaler!!!

1 WEEK LATER IM STILL COUGHING-
I was beginning to think that this condition was smoke related and begin to feel depressed as if my life was over. I decided to quit smoking as of 12/19/08, however the gagging cough and shortness of breath is still present.

I GOT A 3RD OPINION
I went to an internal medicine doctor (just 6 days ago) who stated that it appeared to be the Lisinopril the whole time and to stop taking it immediately. I was prescribed a medication called "Diltiazem" generic for " Tiazac" but the insert mentions cough as a possible side effect for this medicine as well. I am to weak, broke, and cautious to take another one so quickly. I'm still coughing as I type this!! I think I will just stick to my fluid pill and a better way of living before I continue to put this stuff in my body. To sum up this whole coughy blog, please, please think twice before taking this or any other medicine, trust me it will save you a lot of health problems and medical bills. And finally if your doctor wont listen, don't hesitate to get a 2ND OR EVEN 3RD OPINION IF NEEDED!!!!!

I have been taking Lisinopril for 11 months. I've had psoriasis for 18 years and never did I have an outbreak on my face until the past month! After reading and doing research I've found that Lisinopril can cause outbreaks. After reading all these blogs I realized I am not crazy! I though all my symptoms like dizziness,shortness of breath and muscle aches were all in my head. I want to reach out to those that have suffered with psoriasis like I have never to take this pill! It had truly ruined my holidays and is putting my job on the line because I do not want to be seen like this.

I'm 57, female and have been taking Lisinopril since July. The cough appeared quickly, then the fatigue. Now I am experiencing the joint pain mainly in my fingers, shoulders, knees and toes. Occasionally I get shortness of breath and the fluttery heart palpitations . My blood pressure is way down though and I've been feeling more light headedness lately. I'm going for a follow up with the doctor and will discuss these symptoms with him and see what he says. My dosage is 12.5mg.

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.

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

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

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

Started with 25 mgsof Lisinopril in January 2008,started noticing lack of energy and extreme fatigue,By own accord I lost 40 lbs and then the side effects really multiplied.Went to the Dr and they cut my dosage in half.Shortness of breath was the worst,never did develop the cough,but a constant choking feeling was prevalent.Was sent to cardiologist for shortness of breath,all was o.k,sent to pulmanologist,lungs checked o.k,sent for ct scan,chest x ray,still no diagnosis.Blood work said I had heart muscle damage and needed to go to er soon as possible,after three days in the hospital still no answers,A doctor in the hospital took me off of the Lisinopril and i have final started seeing some improvement.Still have problems sleeping at night.

I am so thankful for this site. I thought maybe it was just me. For one, I am allergic to Sulfa. My doctor knows this, as does my pharmacy. Still, they give me Lisinopril with Hydrochlorothiazide which you should NOT take if you have a sulfa allergy. From day one, I started with anxiety, agitation, nausea and what felt like a racing heart - though my pulse was normal. Day three I called the doctor and they said this was normal as my body "adjusted" to the medication. It has been over two weeks and the same thing keeps happening. I tried taking the meds at night to hopefully sleep through the side effects but no - it just kept me awake. I put another call in today and have yet to receive a return call from my doctor. I hope the doctor calls me and NOT the front desk girl because I have a lot of questions and concerns. Other symptoms I have been experiencing since I started Lisinopril are sever muscle cramping last for over 24 hours, dizziness, heavy chest/racing heart beat, restlessness and less frequent urination. For a 37 yo female who has to "potty" constantly, even throughout the night, going once in an 8+ hour period is not normal! The worst side effect though is definitely the anger and agitation. I feel like I am going to burst out of my skin or die banging my head against the wall. Last night I tossed and turned for 2 hours in agitation. I thought I would surely have a heart attack from the stress. Oh yeah my BP has NOT dropped at all (tho it fluctuates on or off the meds) on the 20 mg dose. Go figure.

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

I'm not sure how these sites work, but preteandsheila and phylisrn have both responded to me....you or anyone else who wants to discuss lisinopril may email me at ******, but it has been 11 weeks since I stopped taking this med and I'm still having a problem getting a deep breath, they are setting me up with a stress test.

j.

In July I was prescribed Lisinopril / HCTZ 20 /12.5. Within one week I started to have side effects. These included
-pain in chest - worsened with high humidity
- trouble breathing - shortness of breath - worsened with high humidity
- slight continuous elevated temperature about 99.6 degrees
- near real fainting spells when outside in heat- granted it was hot, but I've never had these before
- loss sex drive
- urinate often
- don't sleep well
My BP did go down though about 10 to 20 points.
still that was the worst summer I've ever had.
After reading others' side effects, I stopped cold turkey and feel much better.
Did you know Lisinopril is extract of Brazilian viper venom? - no wonder I couldn't breath!
My new doctor has me on new drug: Amlodipine Besylate 2.5 mg. which I hope will do the trick.
Bottom line:if you have bad side effects stop and try another drug - there are prenty out there for BP control.

I am a 72 yrs old female. Put on Lisinopril-HCTZ 10-12.5mg 2 yrs. ago. Took Cozaar until drug provider (AARP) wouldn't pay for and told my doc to use Lisinopril. For a while I was ok...then the trouble started. Nausea, dizziness, headaches and swelling of legs and feet. All slow to happen. Then shortness of breath, cough and itching. Leg cramps got me up pacing and in agony several time nightly. Had a creepy feeling in the back of my neck, joint aches, tiredness, stomach PAIN, hot tingles in feet and toes late in the day. Slight weight gain, a runny nose and sneezing in the AM.. Hot one minute, cold the next. At some point I realized I had a feeling of ill-health, a def. loss of my usual feeling of well-being. I was edge, nervous and finally got depressed enough to call a psychologist. That's when I found this web site. Therapist told me to tell my doc and maybe get another BP med. instead of L. Ten days ago I stopped taking it and went back on the Cozaar...I will pay for it myself. I just want to feel good again. The mental anguish this drug has produced shouldn't happen to anyone. Also, I shouldn't have to find a web site that tells me I'm taking poison either. Last night I slept straight thru the night w/o awaking. First time in God knows when. Still some nausea but I can tell the effects of Lisinopril and lessening. Take hope all u people who have posted here...I think it will get better for you now that u don't take that snake juice anymore. I think it's good that we all stopped it before we started slithering through the grass of our front lawns. This too shall pass. Thanks for posting here for me so that I could finally feel good again. I owe you a huge debt for my sanity.

Lisinopril robs the body of Zinc. I have been viciously researching this med and I found that a lot of symptoms posted here are zinc deficiency symptoms. Maybe a zinc supplement will help especially with the hair loss.
Signs of Zinc Deficiency
• behavioral and sleep disturbances

• dandruff

• delay in wound healing

• diarrhea

• different kinds of skin lesions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne

• growth retardation

• hair loss

• hang nails

• hyperactivity

• increased allergic sensitivity

• inflammation of your nail cuticles

• inflammatory bowel disease

• loss of appetite

• loss of senses of taste or smell

• loss of sex drive

• mild anemia

• pre-eclampsia (toxaemia) in pregnancy and post-natal depression

• pre-menstrual syndrome, disturbance in your menstrual cycle

• reduced fertility

• skin dryness and rashes

• white spots on fingernails, transverse lines and poor nail growth

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

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

I am on 80 mg and have severe hot flashes pains in my joints and muscle, shortness of breath always

Here is a follow up- I have been off of the Lisinopril now for about 6 days. I am slowly feeling better and getting energy back. I still have some residual muscle burning, bouts of fatigue, bouts of depression. The shortness of breath is getting better also.
The irregular heartbeat is almost gone and the cough is now only occasional.
I have been taking vitamins such as vitamin c, multivitamin and drinking lots of water.
My memory and loss of words is getting better also.
I am forcing myself to exercise and lose weight. This med almost killed me.
I just pray that I don't have any permanent damage.
Also significant is the symptoms got worse when they were manufactured bu IVAX.

I forgot to say that I have also had such shortness of breath and irregular heart beat with occasional sharp chest pain that my doctor advised me to take a nuclear stress test. (which I passed with no obvious problems).

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.

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

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

Took Lisinopril for one week, this was the only medication I was on at the time. I experienced light headiness, dizziness, motion sickness, rapid heart beat, chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness in my hands and arms. I suffer from some sort of bowel disorder, I have anywhere from 6 to 12 bowel movements a day normally, Lisinopril disrupted my bowels - they became totally unpredictable - make for the worse week of my life. My mother died the month before and I was already depressed, under enormous stress and most likely suffering from some sort of trauma disorder (PTSD) from watching my mother die in ICU screaming for 42 day. I became suicidal, to the point of sticking the gun in my mouth and cocking it. Guess I just don't have the guts to pull the trigger. I can sincerely say Lisinopril has changed me and it ain't for the better.

About 1 1/2 years ago my allergist recommended I switch BPM from Lisinopril to Atacand because of congestion problems associated with Lisinopril. I made the switch and had no problems with Atacand other than my co-pay was considerably higher. Because of this I asked my family practice MD to switch me back to Lisinopril because I remembered it worked okay. However this time - a couple of days after the first dose of Lisinopril I developed flu-like symptoms (aching, congestion, fatigue). I thought I was coming down with the flu AGAIN. After about three days I started having chest pain, a headache that wouldn't go away, blurred vision, dizziness, shortness of breath, very shaky, weakness, couldn't sleep. I thought I was on the verge of a heart attack at times. The fatigue and weakness worsened. I often felt that I couldn't get off the couch or out of bed. My legs felt like weights. It wasn't until I checked out the side effects on this website and read the comments of other users of the drug that I realized what was most likely happening. Needless to say, I called my doctor and asked to be switched back to Atacand. I'm more than willing to pay the extra $'s to feel better.

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

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

Problem is the multiple side affects:

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

Anyone else with these set of symptoms????

Drop me a note!!!!

I am a 41 year old male that has BP averaging 140/90 and spikes that were extremely hi 190/125 (which landed me in th ER). Lisinopril 10MG was prescribed last Friday. My BP came down immediately yesterday 111/75 today 109/69. That is the only good thing. I have a headache, dizziness, feel disoriented, had urges to urinate and nothing would happen. Yesterday while trying to walk, wash my trailer, or even chew a piece of gum whatever muscle I was using became soar immediately. They felt as if I had run a marathon or something. Today after one flight of stairs to get to my office I was short of breath and my leg muscles hurt. I had to go lay down at lunch because this stuff makes me so tired. It is like I have been poisoned. As I'm typing my fingers hurt and the metal taste in my mouth has me thinking I want to trash this stuff. The doctor says they haven't herd of these side effects and and they said to cut the pill in half.

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.

I have been off of this drug Lisinopril for about 2.5 months and am still havening side effects not as bad but elevated heart rate and dizziness, tired all the time not back to myself yet. DOES ANYBODY know how long this takes to get past and what can be done to help it out of the body am getting sick of this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Tom

I originally posted on 3/16/08. I visited the Dr. on Monday about problems with 40 mg Lisinopril such as shortness of breath, slight dizziness, fatigue. He said that I "need" to be on this medicine and that if I feel that the 40 mg is too much, to cut them in half and see how I do and come back in 30 days. I really feel like he is an honest and caring Dr. so I;m going to follow his advice and see how it goes. Any thoughts?

I have been on lisinopril since august of 07. I have had no side affects except for a little dry cough every once in awhile. about a month and a half ago I started getting blurred vision, short term memory loss,(It took me about 5 minutes to remember what I had for dinner the night before) shortness of breath and the sharp pains along my left rib cage. I think I have figured out why I started getting these symptoms so late in my treatment of HBP. I believe it was due to the recent intake of a salt substitute. I saw on the warnings for lisinopril that you should avoid salt substitutes. I now stopped taking this medication and now my vision is back to normal and the chest pains and memory loss has gone away. I hoped this helps anybody that has had these symptoms because it is something I dont want me or anybody to go through again!!!!!!!!!!!!!( DON'T TAKE SALT SUBSTITUTES ON THIS DRUG)

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've been taking Lisinopril for almost 2 years & Happy my BP has lowered. But I've been having terrible joint pain; that has been magnifying a lot lately. Even when I'm not doing anythings strenuous. Two of my fingers on the top ache terribly, the front of my shin is intensifying, my knees feel like they are going to go out on me, my shoulders feel like arthritis had set in & my neck is constantly feeling stiff, my feet hurt. I am overweight, but never have experienced anything like this stiffness & pain before. I was beginning to wonder if it were Candida related. I'm going to try going off of the Lisinopril for a while; monitoring my blood pressure & see if my pain resolves. I pray so; I feel like one of the elderly residents I help take care of.

I have been taking 20 mg. of Lisinopril for over two month. I notice that I have been experiencing shortness of breath and dizziness, and bronchitis. and a cough. I went to see a doctor and She said that was causing these symptoms was the Lisinopril. I have been taking celery seed extract and by the grace of God. I have seen my blood pressure go down. I believe we need to seek God to give us directions and wisdom when it comes to our health and many other issues.

For anyone having digestion problems while taking lisinopril....please read this!

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/446546_3

I am hoping this is what my problem is, as I'm to the point of not being able to eat anything, even bland food, without being in horrible pain. Cat scans and upper scope ran and all came back normal, regular blood tests are normal...but the pain I have after eating is not NORMAL! I go back to my regular dr. tomorrow and will let you know if he takes me off the lisinopril. My stomach problems started after starting 40 mg of lisinopril in June of 06. I will try to keep you posted on if it is the medication causing my problems.
I also have the anxiety, red rash on my neck, shortness of breath, lethargy, lack of concentration, etc. etc. It's scary to think medications can cause more problems than the actual health problem they are treating you for!

Thank God I accidentally found this sight. I changed pharmacies and my husbands pill looked different so I decided to look it up on the net. He has almost every side effect up here and we had different answers for each one. High heart rate, shortness of breath, dry cough, can't concentrate, anxiety, depression, feeling of something bad happening to family or him dying, bad dreams, erectile dysfunction, no patience, stomacher pain, just not the man that is my best friend. Now that we look back it started the same time he started Lisinopril. I that the good Lord that I found this so I can get my husband back. He was getting so bad I thought I was going to have to start BP meds cause he started driving me crazy. Thank you Jesus and I hope anyone going through the same thing finds this sight.

Hi my name is Janice and here are my side effects from taking Lisinopril. I have lightheartedness, nausea, stomach pains, chest pain, vomiting, headache, taste of iron, shortness of breath.

January 20,2008

ON this poison Lisinopril for 2 mts
Anxiety which is extreme Shortness of breath, with or without exertion
Pounding of heart, irregular heartbeat, upset stomach, food tastes different, sweating, chest pains, arm and shoulder pain, felt like I was going to die,
am still on 5 mg per day but after reading the above I shall not be taking it
again.

John P

I am a 61 yr old guy , who had a mitral valve repair , single by-pass , and modified maze procedure , four years ago ..... very successful ! I have been on and off Lisinopril a couple of times ..... usually 20 mg for runs of spiking blood pressure ..... never made a symptom connection ..... but this time .... I was so confounded by the profound feeling of malaise , & fatigue that made me feel weary to the bone ..... and most distressing is the shortness of breath ..... that seems even more debilitating than congestive heart failure ..... which is what I experienced when the mitral valve failed ...... all this has led me to this site , trying to understand how things could have gotten so dire so quickly ..... I am going to cease taking Lisinopril along with Lovastatin ...... and see what relief i experience . good luck to you ! Neil