Ace inhibitor symptoms and conditions

Gil
I just wrote an entry concerning a potential problem of fatigue and tiredness which may be related to the ingestion of 20mg. of lisinopril on
a daily basis. I suggested the possibility that another BP Rx--Inderol might be better for some patients; of course, each person needs to check with his or her own physician to choose the right BP medication--often a matter of trial and error. I've been taking the lisinopril for almost three years; I started out with 10mg., then more, then 40mg./day. After retiring, my doctor and I found that I could get the same effect with half as much lisinopril; it took a few months after retiring. So now I'm taking 20mg. of lisinopril/day.
In the past 3 months or so, I've been experiencing a lot of tiredness and the need to sleep much more than is usual for me. I think it may be the lisinopril, and I've made and appointment with my doctor to discuss
a different medication. Everyone should check with his or her own physician before changing medications or taking new ones.
I neglected to mention that lisinopril is an ACE Inhibitor while Inderol is a Beta Blocker. Also, lisinopril is sometimes prescribed with hydrocholorothiazide. Hydrocholorothiazide is a diuretic. My physician first prescribed the combination of lisinopril and hydrocholorothiazide. However, in checking out this Rx on the internet, I noted that if one had an allergy to sulfa, it would be best not to take the hydrocholorothiazide since this diuretic is connected with sulfa in its formulation. My physician then prescribed only lisinopril and not the lisinopril/hydrocholorothiazide combination.
Again, each person needs to check with his or her physician to make sure they are getting the proper prescribed medication. It is also my belief that it's a good idea to read the literature provided by the pharmacy about any medication and also check the new Rx on the internet so one can know about the possible side effects and also any allergies(connected with the new Rx) one might already know about and have, as was the case with my taking hydrocholorothiazide.

Hi, I have just started Lisinopril today, and wanted to search the internet on side effects. I was taking atenolol and felt I was on the right blood pressure med because it was working. Well I started getting tired after 4 years on atenolol, it started 1 month ago. I went to the Dr. and they did a ekg and told me they are surprised I am still walking/standing because my pulse was measured at 41 and that explained why I was so tired all the time. I am 49 years old and am going through menopause and deal with high blood pressure. Well the Dr. told me to stop the atenolol immediately. Then 2 days later I went to see th Dr. again and they switched my blood pressure over to linsinpril. I also take HCTZ a water pill and have been taking it for years. I hate to say it but I am developing the sore throat thing after 5 hours on the med and I am worried about that. I took my BP reading and it is better than ever 108/59 pulse 68. I guess I will get some honey lozengers for the sore throat. Not saying it is the lisinopril causing it but my body is very delicate and I watch my meds carefully so I know when something goes on in my body (meds) and I feel it right away that I have to wonder if it is going to be an ongoing problem for me. I will keep you updated on this as I really am hoping that the lisinopril helps and I can get my energy back. Have been taking the B12 and magnesium and vitamin D and Calcium. I also take vitamin B2 and B6 every other day. I had yeast infections constantly and the B2 has really helped me with that. I get night sweats and hot flashes and take soy pills for that and the herb sage every other day. I was taking low dose prempro about 6 months ago for 2 years and that made my hair fall out terribly, but also made it grow a lot too, it was a ongoing problem with the hair laying everywhere in sink on the floor etc. I stopped the Low dose prempro and the hair loss stopped, so if I lose hair from lisinopril I will be used to that, but hope it also will grow. I need to give this lisinopril a chance as I have little choice right now. My heart they said was pumping too slow, the pulse should be 60 or above not low like 41 so I will keep updated on how the lisinopril side effects are with my body.

I was on Lisiniprol for 91 days as an ACE inhibitor for diabetes and kidney protection. All was find except for a constant feeling of burning blood all the time. It was tolerable though.

But on day 91 I developed hives. 14 days after that I was broken out from scalp to sole of my feet -- feeling miserable and no relief in site.

Dr. told me that I was allergic to something and to take benadryl. 3 doctors later I was told that I had hives and had to learn to live with it. He increased my benadryl.

I took myself off all my meds except insulin -- not knowing what was going on. I researched and discovered the this drug should NOT have been given to me because I also have SJOGRENS (an autoimmune disease akin to Lupus).

The hives got worse, my benadryl was increased by the drs. Finally I passed out due to benadryl toxicisity (overdosed) and they put me on prednisone.

To this day -- 6 months later -- I still have hive outbreaks that are miserable. I have missed a day from work every 7-10 days. The prednisone helps, but as a diabetic it sends y blood sugars through the roof. My rheumo has put me on doxepin (an antidepressant) because it has an antihystamine property that seems to be helping.

It is also useful for the rheumotoid arthritis that comes from Sjogrens and such. I am sleepy a lot -- but that could be from the doxepin.

I will never take Lisiniprol or any other ACE inhibitor. I am suffering and the worse part of it: the doctors and medical profession don't care and simply tell me to learn to live with it.

I have been io Lisinopril for several months, and the only side effect I can say is a VERY ANNOYING rash on the inside of my upper thighs. It comes and goes and gets worse with warmth, like a heat rash. I also have now developed a rash on my butt that is looks to me like shingles. Very itchy, to the point of bleeding from scratching. I treated with diaper rash ointment and triple antibiotic ointment to not much improvement. Reently tried a jock itch ointment which seems to be working. Also took myself off Lisinopril 2 days ago, and things are getting better, but very slowly........

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.

WoW! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I found this website!

I had been taking Lisinopril HCTZ 10-12.5 once daily since April of this year. I was on Labetalol 200mg/2x's daily as I developed Hypertension during my pregnancy. Once I delivered my baby I was then switched to Lisinopril HCTZ by my primary care physician.

The Lisinopril did wonders for my blood pressure but by mid-June I started having side effects. I went to my doctor numerous times and then to the ER since I thought I was having a heart attack. The ER doctor suggested that I was having panic attacks or just symptoms from the cold I had. So, I went to my primary doctor and she immediately jumped and gave me Prozac. Never once did either doctor ever link the symptoms to the Lisinopril.

My symptoms included:

*Light Headed
*Dizziness
*COUGH COUGH COUGH!!!!!!!!
*EXTREME DIARRHEA - Everything I ate or drank came out like water almost immediately!
*Chest Pain and pain down into my left arm and fingers
*Chills
*Blurred Vision
*Rapid Heartbeat
*Cold/Sweaty Feet
*Sweating
*Bloated Feeling
*Tight/Itchy Skin
*Rash on chest 2x's
*Nausea
*****Panic attacks and feeling like I was going crazy!!!!!******

Upon finding this website Friday, August, 22nd, I went to my doctor and told her NO MORE was I taking this medication! It's POISON! I am now taking Ziac 5/6.25 once daily. Ziac like Labetalol is a Beta Blocker rather than an ACE Inhibitor and may not be as effective but I sure would rather this than Lisinopril.

I am still experiencing some of the side effects of the Lisinopril but I am hoping that they will deminish soon. PLEASE!!

I, like a lot of others have mentioned on this website felt like I was loosing my mind. I felt like I couldn't explain all the things I was feeling because some of the feelings just didn't come out right and did make me sound crazy. At one point my doctor told me it was "all between my ears!" Okay?!?!?

I hope this has helped others and I plan on making a complaint on the FDA website, this medication needs to be removed from the pharmacies! It's poison!

If anyone knows how long the side effects last after stopping this medication I would surely appreciate the info!

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 was diagnosed with hbp in January 2008 (197/112), my Doctor prescribed Micardis to which I had few side effects limited only to 2 weeks of muscle and joint aches attributed to the HCT found in Micardis - once the aches subsided I had no noticeable effects to the Micardis and my bp dropped to under 130/80 but my insurance insisted that they would not cover the Micardis until I had been prescribed an ACE inhibitor so my Dr. prescribed Lisinopril and HCT as a water pill, within days of taking the Lisinopril I started having a dry, gagging cough that was aggravated by laying down making sleeping a serious problem.
I have found that drinking hot water is the only thing that will temporarily cut the tickle.
I have also noticed that I have been having dizzy spells and have started sweating profusely at the slightest exertion.
Still waiting BC/BS to authorize Micardis after 2 months or I will have to try another ACE inhibitor that may not have the same effects - any ACE inhibitors found to not cause these or similar symptoms would be greatly appreciated.

I have had EXTREME hair loss and I did not know what from. I never thought it was my advair. I checked all of my other medications and only one other one said there was a possibility of hair loss (PREVACID) so I went off of that but my hair was still falling out. I have been so desperate that I scheduled and appointment to see a dermatologist tomorrow. Today I happened to google "advair/hair loss" and I cannot believe all of the articles that came up with people expressing the correlation.
I have been so depressed from this hair loss. I had the thickest, shiniest hair and now I barely have a pony tail. I wear hats all of the time because I am embarrassed.It has been totally devastating.
What I need to know is which other asthma medication will NOT cause hair loss so I can switch? Too bad I just dropped $100 on a 3-month supply of Advair and now cannot use it.
Also, those of you who went off the Advair, how long did it take for you to experience hair growth or it not falling out?

55 year old female
I have been on Toprol 5 years. 50mg. it works for me but since it went generic,I wonder...I am on 10mg lexapro and December started the vivelle-dot for my hotflashes. It is now June and the last 4 weeks my hair is falling out big time.
It is so thin I have to wear a scarf as not to scare small children at work.!! :)
I have talked to a couple of hairdressers and they have told me many of they're clients with thinning hair were on Toprol.
Anyone heard of this? Please help me figure this out.

decomposition of lisinopril in acidic medium so narrow absorption window.

Cough which after several months subsided but my knees crack when I walk. Dr. says can't be meds but it didn't start until I went on the med. Quit taking them and cracking subsided. BP went to 225/102 so started taking again last week and knees are cracking again.

Very few side effects. My father was put on 30 mg of Prednisone to control an inflammation that he was having in his body. It seemed to work well. He had also lost considerable weight, had anemia and was admitted to the hospital prior. So I wasn't worried about the common side effect of Prednisone of weight gain, as post-hospital we were glad he was gaining weight. I don't know if it was a side effect, as he only slowly gained a pound or two each week and then eventually plateaued about about his old weight.

We've now started tapering it, at my recommendation, not the doctor's!, and we are not seeing any return of side effects yet. He did have a bit of the puffy face, and is a bit compulsive, but we don't know if that's because of his Alzheimer's or the Prednisone.

I wanted to let some other know, as I've done a lot of reading/research, looking at the prescribing and pharmakinetics of the drug, it seems important that the taper is most critical when you are nearing 5 mg. This is because 5 mg is about the amount that your body naturally makes, so if your adrenal glands have stopped making it, it would take some time for them to 're-awaken'.

Therefore, the typical recommended tapering schedule is something like 10 mg per week, then slowing it down at 10 mg, and then real slow at 5 mg, eventually going to like 1 mg pills, as you try to continue down to no pills.

While I think Prednisone did put an end to a life-threatening inflammation for my father, I like many others would have liked much more upfront info and options from the docs. We are now on a slow 3 month taper schedule, that nobody realized we'd have to do when we started.

BTW, my dad has mild/moderate swelling in his ankles and toes, but nothing in his hands or abdomen. We don't know if it's because of his loss of weight, muscle and weakening of his heart, and/or some interference with his adrenal-regulation from an ACE inhibitor, Lisinopril, that he is on for his hypertension, or the Prednisone.

Any advice on the swollen ankles would be appreciated.

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

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

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.

Has anyone had a problem with mouth or tongue sores? My oral surgeon elimnated anything serious, but still can't for sure tell me why the left side of my tongue is sore and red. Leiton planus was mentioned, I found that on one site to be associated with certain blood pressure medications.

I was started on low dose Lisinopril 2.5 mg./day a few weeks ago. My pharmacist told me there are absolutely no side effects except for possibly an ACE inhibitor cough. That immediately made me think this drug was too good to be true. I am very sensitive to medication and have only had the need to take an occasional tylenol or motrin - ever. Usually I thrive on stress and am the type of person to go, go, go all day and once I hit the sofa after supper, I relax. Now I just feel unusually tired and wiped out during the daytime. I started with a headache yesterday that took 2 tylenol to make go away. I am able to get energy bursts, but then the tiredness! I have felt some fluttering of my heart as well. My hands feel unusually cold and achy when I type or hold the steering wheel of my car or a shopping cart. I am usually very focussed, but things are a little fuzzy in that department from time to time over the past few days. My most recent BP was 114/61 - perhaps too low? I see the MD next week for a follow up. If I tell her I'm unusually tired, she will try to put me on thyroid meds (I have been borderline for years). She also said my blood sugar and cholesterol bear watching. You know, I've been healthy for 52 years and all the doctor can say is that now my life is catching up with me. I can't help but think she has some long term pharmacological cocktail planned for me!

I must have an angel watching over me, because for the life of me I do not know how I came across this website. I have been taking lisinopril 20mg with HCTZ12.5 for about 2 years. I have felt like I was going to have a heart attach, the bloating is driving me nuts, tired because lack of sleep and some times just plain can't sleep at night, leg cramps and now my vision seems to be getting worse. I have had all the symptoms at one time or another. I am going to be 57 years old in October and I am about 30-35 over weight. But I do walk and ride my bike and do other exercises. We just did a very small job landscaping and I could hardly walk or lift my arms for about 4 days. Muscles were so sore. And I didn't do that much to have that my muscles ache that badly. On both sides of my ankles are like little fat pockets, the doctor said it was not water retention, I now have swelling under my eyes. ??? Thank you to everyone for being posting. I need to talk to my doctor and get off this stuff. I recently forgot to take my medication on a 3 day vacation and when I got home I feeling pretty darn good, as soon as I started taking the meds for 2 or so days I was back to feeling that yuky feeling

I am wondering if the chronic cough I have is a side effect of Januvia. Initially I thought it was the ace inhibitor I was taking, but since I went off it a few months ago, the coughing has not subsided.

The cough from Lisinopril is from the ACE inhibitor (drug classification not isolated to just Lisinopril), one of the main side effects of almost any ACE inhibitor is a persistent dry cough...do not stop blood pressure medications without discussing with your doctor. There are many other blood pressure medication which are not ACE inhibitors and will not cause coughing, but will control you blood pressure....ask you doctor to try a Angiotension receptor blocker or BETA blocker I've been there I thought I would go crazy from the cough I experienced!!!. I was on Avapro...it worked great for me, but when my insurance wouldn't cover that paricular medication I was switched to DIiovan, and it work well also without side effects!!! I hope this helps somone!

I believe Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor, and coughing can be a side effect of an ACE inhibitor. I was treated with another ACE inhibitor a few years ago for my BP. My husband would tell me my coughing was getting on his nerves. I constantly would have very frequent coughing episode like I was always clearing my throat and sometimes so much that I would gag. Some nights I wouldn't get sleep because I would cough during the night and wake myself up. I talked it over with my doctor and he changed my blood pressure medication to Avapro which is an Agiotensin Receptor Blocker which after a few days after coughing for months the cough was gone!!! My insurance carrier would no longer pay for Avapro and now I am taking Diovan and still no cough, and my blood pressure is controlled!!! It is important not to stop taking blood pressure medication without talking to your doctor. Coughing is not listed as a major side effect, but let your doctor know about this coughing you experience, he should pick that up as a side effect of the ACE inhibitor, and if he agrees to change your medication you should notice a difference if he gets you off The ACE inhibitor soon after changing meds.

yes i am 22 and have been taking lisinopril for about 2 weeks now and i have question?

i was just wondring is there any one eles my age taking this med?

my side effects is dizznes,heavyness of the shoulder and chests a little bit of dry cough,dry mouth and throat,sleepy all the time, itchy throat and just feeling weird each time i take it.
can anybody give me some feed back?

I am taking 10mg of Lisinopril every morning and 25mg of ATENOLOL each evening. Initially it stopped my anxiety attacks and lowered my blood pressure but I found myself getting tired quick and falling asleep for long periods. I have only been on this medication recently because of the anxiety attacks but in the last two days I have noticed my feet have swollen and am unable to put my shoes on. Needless to say, after reading some of the comments on the side effects of ATENOLOL, I am going to give it a miss and report back to my doctor.