Lisinopril and Cough: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Glo...
• September 21, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "4 tablets only taken, then I ended up in A&E with awful side effects, including palpitations, much higher BP than before I took them, headaches, rash, feeling really ill. A&E doctor recommended stopping immediately - I had the day before! 5 days after the last pill, and I'm still shaky, suffering tiredness, aware of heartbeats and high BP - not at all happy with BP meds - I previously was prescribed Andipole or something similar? Only one of those, and I suffered stomach cramps, palpitations, bloated belly, plus cough, etc. - these meds can be very dangerous, and I'm refusing to try anymore but am taking even more exercise, eating healthy & hoping to reduce BP the natural way, although the hospital doctor didn't really think I needed them anyway!!"

• Fat...
• September 26, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "Dry cough that causes me to gag and dry heave. A bit embarrassing when giving a presentation or at church or in a restaurant. Have the runs and itching like other folks mentioned and some new headaches, but heck, I might not have a heart attack! So, I am taking my chances with high blood pressure and will take a short quality of life over the misery of the drug."

• Piz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I was on Lisinopril for about 4 months. I've never coughed so much in my life. I also had a constant metallic taste in my mouth. It did lower my blood pressure, but the side effects were not worth it. I had my doctor change it."

• Anonymous
• June 16, 2009

For High Blood Pressure "Have only been taking Lisinopril for two weeks, and while it lowered my blood pressure right away, I couldn't stand the coughing. I'm glad that I knew from research that the coughing was a side effect of the drug. I called my doctor today, and she changed me over to Norvasc - I hope it works as well as the Lisinopril did, minus the coughing."

• ksh...
• September 22, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "I was on Lisinopril, along with other drugs, for high BP, for many years, doing well, suddenly developed a cough in April 2017. Cough first treated as an allergy, then with antibiotics, no change, then referred to a lung specialist. In the meantime, alerted to side effects of Lisinopril, I requested my GP change medication. Within a week after giving up Lisinopril, coughing greatly reduced, then within a month, almost completely stopped. My Dr. knew of side effects, why did 'I' have to suggest a change? Absolutely considering further change....of GP."

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 24, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "Was put on this, I only take half a pill once a day. After a month of being on this, I developed a really bad cough, coughing all the time. Then I started getting shortness of breath. I thought it was asthma, my inhaler helped but never got rid of the cough. Now the shortness of breath is getting worse, I have lower back pain, tingling in my hands, which comes and goes. I told my doctor, she said it should pass, but it's been a year, and it hasn't passed. The cough is getting worse, so I think I'll stop this pill before it does any more damage, and then I'll find a new doctor as well. They work for you if you have a doctor who just blows things off, you don't want them for a doctor. Find one that cares about you and your health and not in it for just a paycheck."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2008

For High Blood Pressure "Blood pressure dropped from 140's over low 100's to 120's over mid 80's in just days. So far, no side effects. The doctor said there may be a dry cough, but they could change to a related medication that would not cause the cough, which would be more expensive."

• Rav...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 29, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on 10 mg Lisinopril for 8 months. My blood pressure stays consistently below 120/80. Usually, the top number is 95 to 110. I have so far had zero side effects. No coughing or anything. I was disappointed I had to begin a daily pill, but if it is helping me stay healthy, it is worth it."

• Bre...
• August 12, 2010

For High Blood Pressure "I have had high blood pressure for over 12 years. I started taking lisinopril when I was only 32 years old. Just recently, it has stopped controlling my high blood pressure very well. Additionally, I didn't realize it, but after reading all the other reviews, I now know where my cough is from! The dry cough started about 1 year ago, and I just never really connected the two. Just today, I have stopped the lisinopril, and my doctor has prescribed a beta blocker called metoprolol, which I took for the first time today. Lisinopril worked really well for me for years (over 12) with hardly any side effects except the recent dry cough. I just believe my body has become tolerant of it, and it no longer does the job."

• Anonymous
• September 12, 2009

Lisinopril for High Blood Pressure "Does a fine job lowering my blood pressure, and I feel much better. The cough is irksome. Having a cough drop in the far back of my mouth tends to relieve it, and thank goodness you can find sugar-free ones now. Still, considering bladder control problems and the way the cough disrupts my sleep, I'll probably switch to another medicine."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 7, 2023

For High Blood Pressure "Lisinopril worked really well to lower my blood pressure, but the cough it caused was unbearable. My doctor said it has a side effect of 'dry cough,' which sounds like no big deal, but I would really like for people to understand what this cough is like. Every day, all day, I was suppressing the urge to cough. I would get these runs of coughing where I just coughed until my face turned red and my eyes watered, everyone would turn and watch me cough, people thought I was choking. But for me, the worst was the sensation of having to cough all the time. I would avoid taking my medication because I was so sick of feeling that way all the time. It's a shame because, so far, it's the only medication that has actually helped my blood pressure. I've failed three more drugs after this one."

• pin...
• February 8, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "Been on lisinopril for a year and a half. First day of taking it, I felt a little dizzy, but it was just that day. I do have a dry cough that comes and goes, but I feel that's a small price to pay for good health. I do find that drinking plenty of water helps to keep the dry cough away. I was very skeptical about taking this drug at first, but now I'm glad I did."

• Nek...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 5, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I was put on lisinopril 2x in 1 yr and both times it made me have a cough as if I had whooping cough. All I did was cough like I was coughing up my insides. I immediately stopped taking it once I realized it was the same meds they had me take before. I'm on a different BP meds, very few coughs, but not as bad as coughing up my insides. My advice is to Google, read, and investigate your meds before taking them."

• syo...
• October 3, 2009

For High Blood Pressure "I'm a 63-year-old big guy (315 pounds) with 147/95 blood pressure and otherwise healthy. This is my first experience with high blood pressure, and I am not on any other medication. I have been taking 20 mg lisinopril twice a day for 10 days. I have experienced the dry cough and blurred vision others have mentioned. I have taken my blood pressure at home 22 times in 10 days with the following results: High 164/101, Low 137/86, First 140/94, Last 140/88, average 147/95. My doctor says I should give lisinopril six weeks to work. I'll try 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week for the next five weeks and see if there is any improvement."

• Jac...
• October 12, 2009

For High Blood Pressure "I started this drug 4 months ago, and I have the cough and the headaches. But my blood pressure is still high. I started taking it in the morning, when I got up, my blood pressure was running 178/110 or higher. Within 2 hours, it was down, but I was so tired that I was falling asleep at work and waking up with high blood pressure. So I thought if I started taking it at night, then my blood pressure would not be high in the morning. But it is still very high still in the morning, 178/117. So the doctor said to start taking it again in the morning - that was a week ago, and for the last week, I have woken up at all hours with a bad headache. This morning, my blood pressure was 178/117. I will have it changed."

• cal...
• March 13, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "Started using lisinopril, stopping water pill due to night terrors. BP went down the first week, then went back to high, so they doubled my dose to 20 mg a day. My face has a burning itch around the face near the ears, horrible cough all day and night, also nonstop headache. I really dislike drugs, I mean really..... what's the long-term effects? Gonna lose weight, exercise, no gluten, and meditate. See how it goes."

• Han...
• January 11, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I have been taking this for about 6 weeks now. I had headaches for about a week initially, but they have since gone away. However, I have had what I thought was bad allergies or a cold for about a month now. After reading some of these reviews and the side effects, I believe it is from this medication. Of course, my doctor, which I visited Friday, did not tell me this could be from the medication. It is controlling my BP, but I don't like the aches, pains, sneezing, and coughing that have accompanied it."

• TIn...
• March 14, 2011

For High Blood Pressure "I took Lisinopril for approximately five months and could no longer take the coughing. Initially, I was tired all the time. It had been prescribed to take every morning. I called my doctor, and we switched to taking it in the evenings so I would sleep better, and that cleared the lethargy. However, the cough never went away. It was violent and painful (headaches and feeling like ribs were bruised), caused huge disruptions at work, interrupted my sleep, and caused me to pee - even if I had just emptied my bladder. I found out this was a common side effect and called my doctor today to switch to something new. I start Losartan tomorrow."

• Lis...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 9, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I was started on Lisinopril 8 months ago for high blood pressure. In the beginning, it worked great at lowering my blood pressure, but after some time, I started noticing that I felt tired all the time and had absolutely no energy. Around month 7, I started breaking out in hives, itching, and feeling like bugs were crawling on me. I was extremely dizzy when I would stand up and developed a cough that wouldn't go away. I saw my doctor and told him everything that was going on, and he switched me to Losartan, and I'm praying I don't experience any bad side effects with it."

• peb...
• May 22, 2010

For High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Lisinopril 20 mg tab for about a year now. I have a real bad cough for about a month and wheezing. I had to take two weeks of steroids to heal. My throat is hoarse. I seem to have swelling in my throat, I get real sleepy, yawning a lot, and I have not been alert with my mind. I am going to talk to my doctor. I even told my son about this drug for his blood pressure. I will probably change medication or take a lower dose and see how I do."

• rjd...
• January 20, 2010

For High Blood Pressure "Lisinopril worked great for lowering blood pressure, even at a very low dose. Unfortunately, the dry cough, that seemed to always be worse at night, eventually became more than I could endure. The cough ended after 2 days. In addition, I had developed a post-nasal drip that I had never experienced before, which also disappeared after 2 days. I am now on Diovan, but so far, it has not lowered my blood pressure. Really frustrating."

• Bai...
• November 28, 2009

For Coronary Artery Disease "My friend, age 53, began taking Lisinopril after a double coronary bypass in June of this year. We asked for the Lisinopril prescription from the doctor because it was cheap and he was going to need a long-term ACE inhibitor. He had a history of bronchitis in the past. As time rocked on, the cough became worse, eventually being put on a home nebulizer. The Physician Assistant changed him from Lisinopril to Diovan. Within 2 weeks, the cough had gone away, as well as the wheezing, and he no longer needed the respiratory treatments. Personally, I feel that Lisinopril is a good medicine if one has no other medical issues. In this case, I think it was not a good choice."

• Emi...
• May 26, 2010

For High Blood Pressure "I was given this medication after being prescribed several beta blockers and not tolerating them very well. I have PVCs and heart block, which made it difficult to find a medication that helped my hypertension and did not aggravate my arrhythmia. My hypertension was severe (generally 180/130 average), and I started with a dose of 10 mg plus 20 mg of hydrochlorothiazide (diuretic). That did not lower my blood pressure enough, so I was bumped to 20 mg of lisinopril without the hydrochlorothiazide. My blood pressure now averages 120/85 unless I am in a stressful situation. I have the occasional dry cough but am tolerating this medication very well, and it has not had any effect on my PVCs and heart block. I am happy with this medication."

• Lov...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "BP med I was on was Valsartan but was recalled. Started on lisinopril 40 mg. Worked great! Good BP numbers, maybe too low. So after visiting with the pharmacist, cut the pill in half to 20 mg. Worked great. Then ... after a week, the dry coughing started. After a month, I was coughing off and on all night and multiple times during the day. Worn out. I returned to the doctor, who changed my prescription to Losartan, which I have taken for five days. The doctor and nurse—and pharmacist—all said coughing is a common issue with lisinopril. I would give the pill an 8 for how well it works for BP, yet downgraded it to 5 due to coughing. Nonetheless, I would not take this pill again. As with all medications, I’m sure it works for some; not for others."

• Le ...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 27, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Lisinopril barely kept my blood pressure in the good range for both diastolic and systolic, with my numbers being higher almost 40% of the time with twice-daily monitoring. Additionally, the medication caused a nasty cough that disappeared after I switched medications."