Lisinopril and hot flashes

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

I am still experiencing hot flushes even though I am post menopausal. I reckon it could be down to the Lisinopril pills. My dose has been doubled to 20mg from 10mg. Could this be the case? Has anyone else had these symptoms?

I have been taking Lisinopril/HCTZ now for approximately one month. Since then I have had several side effects very similar to those I have read on this website. Thank goodness my husband decided to check this drug out because I have not been myself lately.

First of all, I have been experiencing sporadic leg pain with the sensation of getting cramps on my left calf that have kept me up at night. I have not been able to get a good night's sleep because of it. This started about 1 1/2 weeks ago. I didn't understand why my leg was bothering me so much until I finally went to the doctor and he told me it was a side effect from the Lisinopril/HCTZ drug I was taking. He told me that the drug was a diuretic that acts like a water pill. It makes the kidneys work harder to get rid of the excess water in our body. When that happens, we lose minerals that cause the leg cramping. He suggested that I buy over the counter vitamins that had a lot of calcium and magnesium in it, as well as increase my levels of potassium. So, any of you that are having this problem, it is a side effect of this pill.

Other side effects that I have experienced are: stomach bloating and gas. Yesterday, my stomach bloated up so much I looked like I was six months pregnant carrying triplets! I have never looked this way before and it really depressed me. I looked absolutely awful! Furthermore, I noticed I am beginning to gain weight and inches. Although I am overweight, I was not putting on any weight or inches at all. I have been maintaining my same weight or less for years. Yet, since I have been on the drug for about one month, I have noticed the weight gain and my clothes are fitting tighter all over.

Finally, I have been more irritable and feel run down. Probably from the lack of sleep from the leg pain at night; but also from the hot flashes I have been experiencing within the last week or so. Although I am 50 years old, I have not experienced any hot flashes until now. They are so bad, I feel like I'm burning up inside. I have to open up the window or turn on the fan at night although it is cold in the room. This is also a new symptom I have never had before.

After reading other people's side effects on this website, I am convinced that I am going to stop this drug cold turkey. I was fine before and why try and fix something that doesn't need fixing? Doctors tell me that it is a preventative measure to getting a stroke or heart attack. I believe many doctors scare us into believing that we can die someday if we don't take it and that is pretty scary. But check things out first.

Thank God my husband did some research on this drug and found this website. It convinced me that I wasn't alone and this drug is really bad for you. I plan to go back to normal and watch my weight, eat healthy, exercise, and monitor my blood pressure instead. Not to mention, my blood pressure is only borderline from being normal. So, why risk it?

Martha G.

I am 51 year old female. I have been having similar side effects that everyone is posting. The cough just started. And I am having cramps in my legs and back that I never had before. I also have been a little depressed. I just stopped taking the medicine yesterday. I am at a place called Optimal Health Institute. They put you on raw veggies and juice and fruits and nothing else for a week to 3 weeks or as long as you would like to be here. Also mild exercises to help you cleanse and you juice wheat grass 2 times a day. I decided to go off my meds yesterday (been taking 10mg for about 4 months) and my blood pressure reading just registered 119/78. It has been running 135/85 with medicine average. I just started but after reading all of these posts and my own side effects, I am definitely going off this junk. I hope this cleansing works. I am going to be here for 2 weeks.

I have been on this for only 5 days- I also have the achy feelings in neck muscles and legs but I think it is mostly making feel depressed. I have never been diagnosed with depression - but I am having a hard time getting through a day. Do other people feel depressed on this drug?

My mother has also been taking lisinopril and I have noticed some memory loss. Could this be a side effect?

I just starting taking 10 mg lisinopril for the last 15 days, I have developed the worst hot flashes, they come about every 1/2 hr and leave me drenched and miserable. I am also on maxide for high bp and clonidine. I also take 8 mg of dilaudu every 6 hours for pain. I know that I will break out in a sweat if I go past 6 hrs. with the dilaudud but this is terrible. I have also noticed bleeding hemmroids. Is there anybody suffering form these kind of sweats? I'm 56 so it's possible it just hot flashes, but it's the timing I'm concerned with
Thanks
Cathy

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.

I began taking this drug in May 2007. It lowered my BP immediately and both my Doctor and I thought it would work out. In the beginning it had few side effects that I could notice (maybe a bit more difficult to get out of bed in the morning) but I figured that came with the territory.

As the summer progressed I noticed that my skin around my Belly and Forehead were very hot to the touch, like on fire. Yet I had not fever at all. I had night sweats on and off but not consistent. 4 weeks ago I thought I came down with a bug because I was extremely fatigued and as tired as I've been in my entire life. That feeling would not go away. Then came the dizziness and hot flashes. At one point I fell to the floor to keep from passing out. I have never felt so sick, yet my temperature is normal, I have an appetite, and I can sleep at night. The other symptoms I notice are a general felling of fuzziness like I am not really taking everything in at normal speed and my eyes seem dry/buggy. It is hard to look at someone or focus on something for more than a few seconds.

I quit taking this med one week ago, and am not feeling as tired and the dizziness is gone. But the vision problem is still here and it is bugging me. How long does it take for this to wear off??

Thanks and good luck to all of you.

I have been taking Lisinopril for several years. I am 52 years old. I have had terrible scratchiness and coughing at night. As soon as I lay down it starts. I am sweating terribly for no reason. I worked with a personal trainer all last year but could not lose any weight. I have gained weighed and very large waist. After reading this column I feel that all of these side effects are coming from taking this pill. I am also taking Zocor so that is what I am looking up next. Have a dr. appt. this week and I am getting off all of this..... I am so excited to think that there is a reason why I couldn't lose any weight and only gain. My stomach also looks bloated quite a bit. Does the sweating relate to anyone else out there? I didn't hear too much on that from other writers. Please let me know!

I am a 51 year old female that has experienced several side effects from lisinopril, especially when I started going into perimenopause at the age of 48. I am now menopausal, but I thought I was doomed to having hot flashes/night sweats, sleep deprivaton (wake up every hour or so every night), depression, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, bloating for many years to come. I discovered that the lisinopril was causing this when I went on a cleansing diet for a week in January and noticed that some days I felt great and other days I felt like crap. I realized the pattern was directly connected to whether I remembered to take my lisinopril. I started taking 20mg/day 7 years ago, was upped to 40mg/day 3 years ago and have stopped taking it for now so I can function normally, especially for my analyst job. I've been making some lifestyle adjustments (losing weight, deep breathing (I tend to hold my breath frequently), next I need to quit smoking) to lower my BP somewhat, but I am going to ask my doctor for an angiotensin receptor blocker (DIOVAN since some peope have mentioned here that they have been successful with that) when I have my appointment in 2 weeks. Uncontrolled HBP can cause more serious problems down the road, so I have to try to control it with meds for now while I continue my lifestyle adjustments.

Has any woman ever experienced side effects that could be confused with perimenopause or menopausal symptoms?

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

I am 31, been taking this stuff for about 5 years now. I am always tired, sometimes dizzy spells hit me out of nowhere. I wake up at night with my heart racing and/or pounding. If I get up out of bed suddenly, I swear my heart is going to beat out of my chest. I have had bouts with PVC or my heart skipping beats and such. The least little thing I do I feel like I've ran a marathon, out of breath, heart racing and pounding. A few months after starting, I developed horrible acid reflux, so of course had to start taking Nexium. My hands sometimes slightly swell and get red and I also get the hot flashes like my bp suddenly spikes on me, but i'll take it and it'll be normal. Im going to the doctor and get off this medicine. I also always feel weird, or like i'm just not all here. I feel like an idoit its taken me this long to figure it all out. I feel like i've lost 5 years of my life to feeling horrible.

I just took one 20mg. Lisinopril pill on Sunday at 7am and it lowed my BP from 130/85 to 105/58 which I think was kind of drastic. I took another half of of pill on Monday morning at about the same time and that was it for me. Thank heavens I never was on them for long but I am having some problems like my face gets hot and red and also had a tickleling sensation in my fingers on my left side and also after walking for 20 feet or more it feels like my heart was beating outside my chest. I have stopped taking this medication immediatly and am still having these feeling soem 3 days after the last dose. I am feeling a little bit better every day but still am getting fatigued during the day evern though I am going to bed early and getting at least 8 hours sleep. Its Wednesday April 4th and still have the hot flashes but the tingleing haas gone away in my arm and fingers on my left side. I will keep everyone posted. This medicine should have never made it through the FDA.

I started taking Lisenopril a week ago and feel horrible. I feel like I could throw up all of the time, have hot flashes and horrible headaches. I went back to the doctor today and he said that it was normal and should subside in about 4 to 6 weeks. I don't know if I can wait that long. Has anyone else had this problem?

Lisa

I am a very athletic and active 37 yo male. I suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and I needed to get cardial clearance before my procedure could go ahead. I have really no medical history other than Mitrovalve Prolapse. The doctor diagnosed me with hbp and put me on 10mg of Lisinopril the first week of January 07. all was ok until after my surgery. I started experiencing the side effects in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Here is a list of symptoms Ive experienced in mostly random, erratic times.

-Mild Cough(thankfully)
-Loss of motivation
-Heart beating out of chest with elevated blood pressure(huh?)
-Pangs of anxiety and mild panic
-Hot flashes (like hearing shocking news)
-Weak in the knees (after flash)
-Mild headache (like caffeine headache)
-Shaky hands
-Irritability
-Cold and hot sensations in hands and feet
-Slightly cloudy vision and sore eyes
-Cramps in calves and forearms
-Random muscle ticks
-Sore neck (could be from my arm sling)

I went to the ER 3 days ago after an episode and got an ekg and it looked fine. The doc thought maybe I was withdrawing from alcohol from the way I was fidgeting. I was a mess. I felt like crap the rest of the day. I called my cardiologist and he (his nurse) suggested Atenolol in addition to my Lisinopryl. I cannot wrap my mind around that. Are they really trying to poison us? Since then I have been eating better and drinking plenty of liquids but I still get the pangs, just not as bad so far. It is affecting my daily life and I dont want it to affect my healing. After reading thru endless posts on this site I feel angry and truly feel I should find an alternative. Thank you all for posting!

I have taken Lisinopril for a long time. Not sure when it came into the market, but seems like I been on them a few years. I been taking blood pressure meds for about 10 years. I am 53. Not sure when I was switched to Lisinopril. I have fought most the symptons that are on this website. I have never connected it with Lisino and neither have my doctors, even at Mayo Clinic. I always check out healthy as a horse, except, they write this off to having Fibromyalgia. I have had long periods of time when I did feel I could "catch my breath" It's like the feeling of holding your breath in, till you need to really breath badly. So you breath, and that feeling seems to stay to a large degree. Extreme Fatigue, walking 100 feet and back sometimes. Dry cough or clearing Phlem all the time. Dizzy for like, 3 years now, weakness in legs, pain in legs even in the morning. They carry a burning with them like if you were working out, but it burns like that if you just walk a short distance. Bad insomnia, so freaking tired, but the sleep button just doesnt kick in. Sometimes totally exacerbating as far as the fatigue is concerned. Do not know if its connected, but can tolerate the soap isle in the grocery store, I can just feel it suck any energy out of me. Hot flashes, ear aches..not infections, they just seemed to stay slightly inflammed. Lots of stiffness in neck and shoulders, and lots of just skin pain, across my back. So for years I have been fighting this fatigue and pain and we will see if it's connected to Lisino or not. Let me add also, when the fatigue is greater so is the brain fog and/or lethergy. Lots of headaches. I was feeling so weak not long ago, I thought it might be MS. But Dr. Said MS is not painful, and my legs, especially thighs, and hip joints hurt a lot. If this is caused by taking Lisino, I would have to say, I am about 10% of the man I used to me, Physically. Might as well throw a sexual activity report in here. All the plumbing works fine, it just the concern if that's where I want the energy to go for the rest of the day. Sometimes and physical excertion, the best way to describe it, it like an exahusting "flare", It will kick your butt and put in bed. Like, hmmm, think I will move the couch over there...bammm. Okay, I am done. I just wanted to be a bit detailed, it might help others out. If it is Lisino, I am sure it will take several weeks for me to get it off and out of my system, but I will write back. I hope this may help someone else out there.
:)

My brother has been taking Lisinopril for 9 months and since he began taking this drug, he has no quality of life.
His side affects are: Tiredness, tingling in the feet and toes and at times he can't feel the ground under his feet and cannot walk properly on the street, there is dizziness, queasiness, hot flashes an hour after taking the pill, strange sensations in his head, and various other symptoms.
So he cut down the dosage enormously and still the symptoms are there.
This is a deadly drug and shouldn't be given to human beings.

I've been on Lisinopril for about 9 months now. I have IBS and have recently noticed an increase in symptoms. I was also taking Lipitor but I stopped that because I was told that could be causing the problem. I have still been having the increased IBS symptoms, sometimes pretty bad. I've also been having hot flashes, pain in the back of the neck, and I've been tired more than usual. I started wondering if maybe the Lisinopril could be causing this and did a search which landed me here. I see that many others have been having problems. An awful lot of people have the bad cough. Anybody else having a lot of stomach, bowel trouble?

i am having the side effect of light headedness, general fatigue, hot flashes, confusion.
i am on zocor 40, plavix 75, aspirin 325, hydrochlorothiazide 25, and lisinopril 20.
thanks for any info.