Lisinopril Side Effects?

[mountainsoft]

any drop in the heart rate below 50 is extremely serious and you could easily die.

I didn't mention it, but my heart rate did drop to 50 a few days after I started taking Lisinopril. It was just one reading and never got that low again, but it surprised me since I'm always between 60 and 65.

My wife's heart rate started dropping in the low 40's a couple years ago, and passed out a lot. She ended up needing a pacemaker.

 

[mountainsoft]

Would appreciate if you (and anyones here) would share the make/type of BP. monitor that you find effective?

Ours is an A&D US-767 Digital Blood Pressure Monitor. I bought it many years ago at Walmart. I doubt it's still available, but there are many similar monitors on the market. We took ours to our doctor and verified the readings were the same as what they measure on their equipment.

 

[RAE]

My F-I-L was on it for 10+ years with no major side effects. Then, out of the blue, one evening his tongue swelled up so badly, he had trouble breathing. A quick trip to the ER told us he was having an allergic reaction to it. How can this be ? He’s been taking it for years. They and his Dr. both said that you can get a reaction to it, even after taking it for years. I don’t remember what he takes now (he has 14 prescriptions).

It's not all that uncommon to suddenly have a reaction to a med you have been taking (with no noticeable side effects) for a long time. I took Metaprolol for about 2 years, with zero side effects. Then, one day, I became dizzy, and it lasted most of the day. I shrugged it off as lack of sleep the previous night, and it was better the next morning. Then, when I took my daily Metaprolol that afternoon, it came right back. I did some research, and, sure enough, dizziness is one of the more common side effects, and it CAN suddenly begin after years of taking Metaprolol with no issues. I stopped taking it, and no more dizziness. I should add that I was taking the Metaprolol for an irregular heartbeat, not for high blood pressure. And the heartbeat issue has resolved itself over time, so I'm not concerned about stopping the Metaprolol, and my doc is not either.

 

[Winemaker]

I have taken Lisinopril for 13 years without any noticeable side effects.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

If it wasn't for my BP monitor I would never have known I was in big trouble.

Would appreciate if you (and anyones here) would share the make/type of BP. monitor that you find effective? thanks

Well, actually the one I use I bought at Walmart. I do not have any idea which one is the best. All I can tell you is the one I bought and it worked well enough to save me that night. It is called "Equate". It has an arm cuff . It takes 4 AA batteries. At one point at its worst my BP was 214/140 before they finally got my BP down that night. So I love my BP monitor!

 

[Dash man]

If it wasn't for my BP monitor I would never have known I was in big trouble.

Would appreciate if you (and anyones here) would share the make/type of BP. monitor that you find effective? thanks

I use an OMRON Evolve BP7000 that I got at Target. It’s been compared to my doctor’s office readings and works well. I store the history from it in an OMRON app on my iPhone. The Bluetooth is weak, but I’ve found just setting my iPhone on the monitor transfers the data reliably.
Avoid the wrist BP monitors. Get one with an upper arm cuff.

 

[jcretire77]

Though I can not prove that this was caused by Lisinopril I experienced my first and only frozen shoulder while on the medication. I stopped taking the drug, went to a PT for many painful sessions and never had another problem. I found some references while Googling to others with the issue, but do not believe that it is listed as a side effect.

 

[Venturer]

Thanks to COVID lock downs and poor weather I didn't get as much exercise this last year. My alcohol consumption has probably increased during lock downs too. Unfortunately, my blood pressure reflected my life style and rose to around 150/90, so I finally opted to start taking medication. Almost everyone I know is taking Lisinopril for high BP, and seems to do well with it, so that's what my doctor prescribed. I've been taking 10mg daily for a little over two weeks. It did bring my BP down to around 120/70, but I am experiencing a number of negative side effects.

The first week was especially bad. I felt dizzy, light headed, and just generally in a mental fog. That made me a little nervous to drive or operate my woodworking tools. While those symptoms have decreased, I still get light headed and foggy every couple days or so.

I've also noticed a lot of constipation since starting Lisinopril, something I have never had an issue with. We normally eat a lot of vegetables and high fiber foods. I don't see this side effect listed in most charts, so I was a bit surprised to experience it.

I've also experienced a significant decline in sexual interest and performance. So that's kind of depressing.

Ironically, I never had the dry cough side effect many people talk about.

I contacted my doctor and am waiting for a reply, but am curious if others here take Lisinopril, and if you experience any side effects?

I don't take any other medications, so it has been easy to isolate when the problems started. I know this medication is supposed to reduce my risk of heart attack and stroke, but at least I "felt" good before taking it. Now I just feel foggy and disconnected all the time. It doesn't really seem like a fair tradeoff. It's also kind of amazing how this teeny tiny pill can affect so much.

I was on it for about 12 years and had the dry cough at times worse than others. My Dr. changed me to Losartin 25 mg last year and it seems to do better for me now. I agree with some others to take yours at night. Also I take my "baby" asprin at night too.You said you had contacted Dr. so he/she may change yours as well. Good luck.

 

[eytonxav]

I have been taking it for over 20 years and never experienced side effects. I would give it a bit more time, but if the side effects keep up get an alternate Rx and see how that goes.

 

[teetee]

Fluids helps to raise the BP and is necessary if BP drops below 90 (SYS) or 40 (DIA).
The goal is to maintain SYS between 100 and 120, DIA between 60 and 80.

 

[Amethyst]

Water intake is especially important as we age. Our bodies are quite sensitive to dehydration. The sense of thirst diminishes with age, but the need for fluids does not.

Fluids helps to raise the BP and is necessary if BP drops below 90 (SYS) or 40 (DIA).
The goal is to maintain SYS between 100 and 120, DIA between 60 and 80.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

4 years of lisinopril. BP was somewhat hi (130/90), dropped to a current average of 98/64, so very effective on me. Mild dry cough was the only side effect.

 

[twaddle]

Do any MD's still post here? I really shouldn't comment in this thread, but ...

As you guys know lisinopril is an ACEi, and they've been getting a lot of attention recently because SARS-CoV-2 goes for the ACE2 receptor.

Anyway, check with your doc, but some of them seem to be switching to ARB's due to recent findings.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I have also been a low dose of Lisinopril for about 10 years. I do get the occasional dry cough, but it rarely lasts more than a few hours. I haven't had any other side effects that I know of.

Nonetheless, if it's that bad...there are a LOT of other alternatives available.

 

[ejman]

Agree with the poster that suggested checking with a cardiologist. I have been taking Lisinopril for over 20 years with no significant side effects. Suddenly I started experiencing dizziness and a couple of times actually fainted. My doctor gave me a halter monitor which revealed that my heart stops. I have a condition called sinus arrest - basically the wiring in my heart starts miss firing to the point that my heart actually stops beating first - I got dizzy and then the "black cloud" descended and I passed out. A pacemaker solved that problem but it was a process to find out what was going on. Do not ignore dizziness and consult a cardiologist.


BTW I have continued to take Lisinopril for my BP with no problems. That was not root cause of the issue.

 

[Sangiovese]

I was on 10mg of Lisinopril for years and had problems with low blood sugar. I had to keep eating all day to keep my blood sugar up. After switching to Losartin, the low blood sugar disappeared. And I lost 10 lbs because I no longer had to keep snacking.

 

[mountainsoft]

Water intake is especially important as we age. Our bodies are quite sensitive to dehydration. The sense of thirst diminishes with age, but the need for fluids does not.

That's not a problem for me. I have been a huge fluid drinker since I was a kid and still drink two liters or so per day of some kind of liquid (a Coke or two in the morning, iced tea throughout the day, and water in the evening before bed).

And yes, I've been checked for diabetes, all good on that front.

My wife, on the other hand, hardly drinks anything. She came home from work today with half of her 20oz water bottle still untouched.

 

[target2019]

It has happened to me, that GP prescribed a medication to get a test number to a target level. The problem with that is that we are not all the average. With aging comes changes in what one system can accomplish. Of course you don't want to ignore a high BP. But it can't be 100% true that 10mg Lisinopril is right dose for everyone. It is a recommended dose I'm sure, and the early symptoms you described in OP are a cause for concern.

I know that my Cardiologist will telemed today if I request it. If I put a message into MyChart, someone will call me back from Cardiologist office. With a much-busier GP, I don't get the same response.

 

[pacergal]

Lisinopril was the first BP med my doc tried. It was horrible for me--I felt jittery, short of breath, heart racing. Stopped after two days.
Now on Losartan with HCTZ, no problems at all.

 

[Happyras]

Lisinopril was the first BP med my doc tried. It was horrible for me--I felt jittery, short of breath, heart racing. Stopped after two days.
Now on Losartan with HCTZ, no problems at all.

Yup, Lisinopril not good for me either, it is a listed allergen for me. I am now on 50mg of Losartan, it worked very well until recently. I got Covid in January and my BP went up and is staying up. Being part of a clinical trial, I get monitored often and I was told today that many have BP issues due to Covid. Otherwise I feel great!

 

[nazoomer]

I know three people, one of which was me that had sudden syncope episodes. I was driving at the time and my wife had to grab the wheel. It was only a second or two but damn scary. Beta Blockers can drop your blood pressure quickly and the brain just shuts down. I never got the cough. Cardiologist switched me to Calcium channel blocker amlodipine 10 mg. No more syncope, just minor swelling of the lower extremities! I would recommend not taking Lisinopril.

 

[BeanCounter62]

I've been on lisinopril (ACEi) and carvedilol (beta blocker) for cardiomyopathy for since 2006. Early on, I switched to taking 20mg lisinopril once a day at bedtime because it made me so dizzy. Being Foggy also sounds familiar. It took several months to adjust to the meds (though I was already low BP, and these decreased it more) But can't recall any side effects in a very long time .

Frozen Shoulder as a side effect is interesting. I've now had that twice and the first time was a few months after I began the lisinopril, then again a few years later.

 

[mountainsoft]

I'm still waiting to hear back from my doctor (good thing I'm not dying!), but the side effects were starting to be a little overwhelming. So I chose not to take my Lisinopril yesterday and this morning just to see what effect it would have. In just one day I feel more alert, the dizziness and foggy feeling is gone, and today is the first day in over two weeks that I haven't felt constipated. I had forgotten how good it felt to feel good!

Unfortunately, as would be expected, my blood pressure creeped back up a bit. So, I'll need to follow up and find an alternative medication. What's the point of reducing cardiovascular risk if I feel bad all the time...

 

[John Galt III]

If it wasn't for my BP monitor I would never have known I was in big trouble.

Would appreciate if you (and anyones here) would share the make/type of BP. monitor that you find effective? thanks

I just got a Medline $25 digital BP monitor with universal (upper arm) cuff. I hope it is accurate because the readings are nice and low, as in 115 over 75. Highest reading so far has been 132 over 80. All done at home in low stress situations. I think have 'white coat syndrome' and get high BP readings at the doctor office, like 145 over 90, almost all the time. I am waiting to get a chance to compare my BP monitor with readings from the doctor office BP monitor.

 

[YB88]

Interesting reading. I've been on 40 mg Lisinopril for years with no side effects that I've been aware of. At some point in the past when 40 mg wasn't enough to keep my BP down (!), a second drug was added, one that works in a different way: Triamterene-Hydrochlorothiazid. No side effects from that either, and the combination has kept my BP just fine ever since.

Sorry to hear that it's not symptom-free for others!