ACE Inhibitor Blood Pressure Pill Causes Cough

I had a similar experience with Lisinopril. However, rather than a cough, I would experience sinus drainage that would wake me up at night with gasping, choking fits. I've been symptom-free after switching to Cozaar.

I have a cough from taking lisinopril, but this drug is the only one, so far, that keeps my blood pressure regulated. I take it at night since I do feel bad on it if I take it during the day. I just recently added Source Natural's Essential Enzymes; 2 at breakfast, 2 at lunch and 2 at dinner. My cough seems to have improved, especially at night. I drink a glass of chardonnay wine also most nights with my dinner. I hope this improvement keeps helping me and maybe you too.

Thank you for publishing the problem of cough related to lisinipril. I have taken this drug for years and did not realize the bothersome cough was related to lisinipril. I told my doctor and he changed the prescription to Cozar. It took about 2 weeks but the cough is gone!

my aunt 75..her doc took her off lisinopril..put her on diovan which is fine for her bp but dry strangling cough still driving her crazy..I'm worried about her she is so healthy otherwise..but this getting to her..she needs some relief..any suggestions for her cough? thanks

One point I haven't seen addressed is Lisinopril only costs me $4 a month but Cozaar is $70! I thought I'd just try to live with the cough, but it's really bad. What do people do who can't afford to switch?

I showed hypertension for several weeks seemingly related to stress and a terrible cold. My doctor finally prescribed an ace inhibitor and the blood pressure became normal to even low-normal. However, the cough is definitely annoying. It costs $4 a month and there is no way I can afford $70 per month. Are there other options?

I only took Lisinopril for 10 days until I got this pesky cough. My doc took me off of it 7 days ago, but still have the cough! How long will it take to go away? Can hardly take it anymore!

I have just been taken off the med lisinipril, because of the bad coughing, is there please anything I can take so I can sleep again?

I was on lisinopril after cardiac ablation and in 3 weeks got the cough-Switched to Cozaar and STILL have the cough-only much worse. DR took me off that also- it took 3 weeks for the lisinoprol cough to stop- I hope I can last until this cough stops. cough med with codine does not even stop the cough. Laying down to sleep makes it much worse

My cardiologist prescribed me Lisinopril 5 mg,for two moths everything was perfect suddenly one night I woke up with a tremendous attack of cough; I went to see an OTRl who said:"it's a sore throat." Even my primary doctor put me under antibiotic and Mucinex DM. Finally an allergist said :the cough is due to lisinpril." My cardiologist changed to another product but I'm coughing still.

Can any one tell me if LOTREL is the same as the cough producing drugs>??? I have had this dry cough for several months, but never thought that my BP Meds could cause it!!

TO:Y R F: Lotrel is not the same drug as the one in the article that causes coughs. However, a side effect of Lotrel is a cough. You can speak with your Dr. about this, or if you have a pharmacist you trust, you might tell him or her about the cough and ask what others have switched to in this case. Then when you speak with your Dr. you could mention the one or two drugs the pharmacist suggested. Good luck, and be sure not to stop your blood pressure medication until you speak with the Dr.

TO:sue: If your aunt still has a cough after changing medication, she should probably go back to her Dr. with the problem. She may need to look into another cause for her cough. Her Dr. may send her to an ENT doctor (ear,nose and throat) or have swallowing studies done. Yes, they have swallowing studies, I would have never thought such a thing, until my Mom had to have them done. I was in Medical Asst. school at the time and the speech therapist doing the study let me go into the lab with them to watch. It is an un-invasive test that consists of the patient drinking barium while a Radiologist watches and takes ex-rays. I hope she can find the cause and put a stop to the cough.

Can anyone tell me what their cough felt like? Or even sounded like, also where you producing anything when you did cough?

The cough is not a productive cough -- it is just a dry, nagging cough that by most reports only gets worse the longer you take the drug. Mine feels like an itch in my throat and then the "need" to cough. It also seems to increase when lying down. The only "cure" is to stop taking Lisinopril. It can take a couple of weeks for the cough to stop, but it will.

I was so happy with how well lisinopril worked, plus the low cost, but I can't handle the cough. It only gets worse the longer you take it. I switched to Benicar but I'm concerned about the side effects which seem much worse. Also no generic for it, so cost goes way up. Just started on it, so I'll see how it goes.

Has anyone had the same experience (cough) w/ Altace?

I too had a cough. I was sent to an ENT and he prescribed meds to soothe my throat. doctor bill. Then I went to a Allergists and went through all the test. More bills. Still coughing. Then they did a scan of my lungs. Absolutely nothing wrong. More bills. This cough had been going on for over a year by this time. I decided to take myself off Atacand.

The coughing stopped. Doctor put me on Diovan. The cough was horrible. Now I am taking 5 mg of Atacand. I still cough but not as bad. I know this medication protects your kidneys, but the quality of life isn't very good without sleep.
My big question is: Why don't doctors check your blood pressure medication first? All these tests are very pricey.

In some cases you can contact the drug company for a reduced price.

Has anyone had the same cough experience with Verapamil? I am going crazy!!!!

I have the Lisinopril cough, but my eyes sometimes water and I cough up some clear phlegm... it is very bothersome when sleeping the most... I have been on 30mg. of this stuff for 52 days now and the Dr. doesn't want to take me off of it and denies that the cough is caused by Lisinopril (Like it's in my head or something).... it is driving me up a wall too... do not know what to do... my B/P is always normal... I just want to stay off of all meds and/or use them when my B/P goes up like before I was on them... I am a 66 year old housewife.

Joyce

Joyce-I too have the watery eyes and productive cough-especially at night. I have been taking lisinopril for 4 mos. now. Prior to that I was on Diovan and had no problems whatsoever. My insurance co at the time refused to pay for Diovan, so my Dr. changed my prescription. I had previously been on an ace inhibitor and experienced a less severe-but equally as bothersome-dry cough. My new insurance goes into effect in 3 weeks, at which point I hope to change prescriptions. I am also trying the McDougall Plan to try and get off the meds entirely.

Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker and primarily works on cardiac rhythm problems. The Vasotec is a ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) which prevents the arteries from constricting and the blood pressure from elevating.

ACE inhibitors are used for controlling blood pressure, treating heart failure, preventing strokes, and preventing kidney damage in people with hypertension. Its side effect is to causes Cough?? if it is true, it is really bad message.

My cough was so bad that I could not sleep very long at night. I went to my Dr. and was changed to Losartan-hctz 50-12.5 mg. It is generic for Hyzaar 50-12.5. I have only been taking it for a week but I can already tell the difference. I was coughing so hard that my stomach and ribs would hurt. The other nice thing is that it is a 4 dollar drug.