Side Effects of Lisinopril Ace Inhibitor

Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor that is commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure. Like any medication, there can be side effects from taking Lisinopril. Often the side effects gradually go away or are not severe enough to be problematic. For me, the side effects of Lisinopril were not worth taking this medication.

Prescribed Diuretics Before Lisinopril

I have had problems with high blood pressure for several years now and am on Metoprolol Succinate for my blood pressure and tachycardia. When my cardiologist found my blood pressure to still be a little too high during a check-up, he prescribed a diuretic to help bring it down. I had terrible side effects from the diuretic and was switched to another one. Soon after starting the new diuretic, I realized I was having side effects from it also. My cardiologist and regular doctor tried a few other diuretics, but I had side effects from every single one.

Switched to Lisinopril

After having no success with being able to take a diuretic, my doctor decided to switch me to a different medication for my blood pressure and prescribed Lisinopril 5mg tablets. Since I am sensitive to a lot of medications, I always read through the prescription information when I get a new one so I will have an idea of what side effects to look out for. The first night I took Lisinopril, I noticed I became very tired and drowsy and felt "out of it" shortly after. Since I just started the medication and tiredness and drowsiness were listed as common side effects that can go away with time, I didn't think much of it and went to bed.

Personal Side Effects of Lisinopril

I was having trouble remembering to take this new medication every night, but when I did, I noticed it always made me feel extremely tired and "out of it" and I didn't feel right the next day. After about a week of taking it, I was starting to have diarrhea and stomach cramps. I knew some of my friends had the stomach flu, so I wasn't sure if I caught it or if I was having side effects from Lisinopril. I was still having trouble remembering to take Lisinopril every night and I started to notice a pattern. The nights I was remembering to take it, I was going to bed with stomach cramps and having diarrhea the next day. Then the stomach cramps got so bad that they were waking me up during the night and I was feeling terrible the next day. That's when I decided to stop taking Lisinopril and talk to my doctor about it.

Stopping Lisinopril

After talking to my doctor about what I thought were side effects from Lisinopril, she told me not to take it. It took several days of not being on Lisinopril for the diarrhea and stomach cramps to completely go away. Fortunately, my blood pressure has been doing well without being on any medication for it other than Metoprolol Succinate, so I haven't had to try anything else.

If you think you are having side effects of Lisinopril that are severe or problematic, please make sure you talk to your doctor. Blood pressure medication is often life-saving and necessary. I am fortunate enough to no longer need an extra blood pressure medication, but that may not be the case for your medical well-being.

Further Reading:

Side Effects of the Diuretic Hydrocholorthiazide

Side Effects of Torsemide (Demadex)

Tachycardia and PVCs - Fast Heart Rate and Palpitations

Cardiac Exercise Stress Test

Cardiac Myoview Stress Test - Heart Scan

Heart Ultrasound with a Cardiac Treadmill Stress Test

Sources:

Walgreens.com - Lisinopril

Drugs.com - Metoprolol Succinate