Lisinopril, sold under the brand names Prinivil and Zestril, is an ACE inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure, treat heart failure, and improve survival after heart attack. According to the IMS Institute there were 102 million prescriptions for lisinopril in 2013, making it the third most prescribed drug in the U.S. Lisinopril has been linked to liver damage, liver failure and angioedema. Lisinopril side effects can be fatal.
Angioedema
Angioedema is a rare reaction to lisinopril, but it can be fatal. It is swelling usually below the surface of the skin around the eyes, mouth or throat, and sometimes in the intestines.
In cases where there is swelling of the tongue or throat the airway can be blocked. The only way to reopen the airway and save the victim is by intubation or tracheotomy. In some cases the swelling because so severe so quickly that the airway cannot be opened and the patient dies from lack of oxygen. Survivors of severe angioedema can suffer permanent brain injury from lack of oxygen.
Although most people who develop ACE inhibitor-induced angioedema experience the reaction shortly after they begin using the drug, some do not experience symptoms for months or years and there have been cases that occurred several weeks after stopping the medication.
Angioedema symptoms can also be mild and patients do not always make the connection between their symptoms and the medication. The symptoms typically resolve on their own within a couple of days, only to come back at irregular and unpredictable times.
Because angioedema can quickly progress to respiratory distress and become life-threatening, you should seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms including:
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of the lips
- Swelling of the tongue
- Throat tightness
- Swelling around the eyes
- Abdominal cramping
Other Lisinopril Side Effects
Other potential side effects of taking lisinopril include:
- Liver damage
- Acute liver failure
- Elevated blood potassium (hyperkalemia)
- Renal impairment
- Kidney failure
- Low blood pressure
- Birth defects in babies of women who take lisinopril during pregnancy
Symptoms of liver damage or acute liver failure include:
- Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Dark urine
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
Acute liver failure can be fatal, and in some cases lisinopril users who have suffered liver damage have required liver transplant.
My spouse has taken lisinopril for 20+ years. Just few months ago his pressure was sky high. They kept him on lisinopril and added other meds. Then his pressure started getting low and had heart attack and had 2 stents put in..about 10 days prior to stents he had only 40% blockage and up to 70%. His was kept on lisinopril along with changes in meds. His blood sugar is up and down. Beginning of Feb he was hospitalized for hyperkalemia and had to have dialysis times 1. With lab work they felt he had tumor of adrenal gland which checked out negative but treated for possible hyperaldactrosism. He was on potassium sparing diuretic along with lisinopril and milder pressure pills. After potassium crisis he was taken off of lisinopril. Do you think the lisinopril could have been start of viscous cycle of health problems he is undergoing. It’s been a rough few months for us as he is also going thru increased anxiety and I have psoriatic psoriasis and physically have trouble caring for him though I am a retired nurse. Any input would be appreciated
Oh my I’m just reading this!!!
Have been taking this for about 8 years, last year I had surgery for gallbladder, I crashed on the table and Drs said it was a close call-ended up in ICU for 5 days.
Have had total fatigue since, shortness of breath, constantly dizzy, coughing constantly and now I’m concerned this medication is causing all of these problems.
I am very unsteady walking, sleep mist part of every day!!!
Yes, have your doc take u out of it. I just took it for a month and a have and have dry cough so hard that it made me throw up, pee on my pants and gave me a weird sensation on my stomach. I was taken off because I complaint of the cough, I could not sleep or go any where people though I was chocking! I stopped the medicine two weeks ago and still the side effects are lingering only that is getting less and less episodes of cough, but my stomach hurts every time I eat.
Sonia, you need an attorney right away. There are 673 class action lawsuits concerning Lisinopril in the Federal Court of New Jersey. If you need an attorney, I can point you in the proper direction. In all class actions, its only about the attorneys. They collect all the money. My advice, if you get an attorney, do not file a civil lawsuit as a class action, but rather as an individual lawsuit. The FDA has recalled various elements of this medication and it is garbage. Thank you. – Anthony (912) 220-5842
LISONOPRIL KILLED ME
I was dead, I developed a severe reaction and stopped Oxygen, breathing, and had a Heart attack. Thanks to my fast acting Local ER, ICU they were able to bring me back.
SO FAR, IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE SUFFERED THE WORST. IT KILLED ME.
Why me or anyone else has to suffer anymore? I was in the Hospital for two weeks, but I am a fighter!
BUT, AS IT TRUE…I WAS DEAD and seriously scarred the crap out of me and has affected me for years.
Angioedema is fatal if you do not act fast! Thank you Dad for getting me to Hospital fast.
I was dead as well. I stopped breathing 3 times, was in a coma for 14 days in ICU angioedema. I now live with a Trach. Had Physical therapy, Occupational Therapy, a nurse and Speech Therapy to get me back to my old self. This is a very DANGEROUS DRUG AND CAN BE FATAL My sister saved my life by giving me a epinephrine shot and the paramedic did the same. I woke up thinking it was still May 19th when it was June 16th. I could not talk and had suffered a stroke. I now have severe PTSD. It took my Doctor over a month to convince me to take my maintenance drugs. My kidney level was well into the 500 hundreds when it should only have been in the low 20’s. I have a website for anyone interested in posting there. Damages of Lisinopril @iwillneverforgetthishorribleexperience2014. It needs to be STOPPED. I am trying to sue their behinds they need to be held accountable
I was just in the hospital for a week due to an angioedema caused by lisinopril. I almost died and I don’t think I will ever be the same. My brain is foggy now and I can’t remember some things.
Does anyone know if there is a class action lawsuit?
When did they do an recall on this medicine. This is the third third time that I had an break out. But the last one sent me to the hospital
Took pisinopril for hypertension. Allergic reaction included tracheotomy, angiodema and broken heart syndrome. I almost died.
Lisinopril put me in a coma for 14 days, on a ventilator, the angioedema was so bad they called the priest in. I stopped breathing three times severe respistory failure. I had to have a Tracheostomy to keep me alive. I still have the scar and PTSD. I don’t like taking new medications because I’m scared of what might happen.
I have been in the hospital for 3 going on 4 days my throat has begin swelling to the point that of I would wasted any more time I would have died the same thing happened to my sister and many of my Facebook friends have shared details revealing even more and one case even a coma….I wonder howaby others have died or been seriously injured because of this l…something has to be done we need this pulled from the shelf and seek legal consultation why are they allow this drug to go on.
My husband had a reaction today tongue swelled. Luckily the ER Doctor knew what cause it and immediately started treatment. Why has this drug not been recalled
I am in icu, angiodema. Was clise to needing a treach or tubed. Very scared. Why had this drug not been taken off the market? I am scared. I have been on it over 21 years
I wish you speedy recovery. I was in icu `4 days in coma. Intubated, on ventilator, and I have Trach scar and PTSD
I experienced shortness of breath feeling like I am about to have an heart attack chest PAIN abdominal PAIN pressure be low then high
I was in ER 5 times with all of the symptoms described above, plus VERY low blood pressure and high heart rate! Fortunately, on the 5th ER visit, a nurse practitioner told me it was the lisinopril causing my allergic reactions, and to STOP taking this drug immediately, and see my doctor asap. Since then, I have been diagnosed with Lupus polymyositis, and RA. All of which are auto-immune diseases. I would like to know if anyone else that took lisinopril, had allergic reactions, and has since been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease; because I believe that there is a great possibility that they are linked.
I was on lisinopril for four years. Immediately after taking it my fingers started turning white. After getting a diagnosis of raynaud. I kept taking it and a few months in I had labs done and they told me I had the onset of lupus and RA. I took it for four years and was getting sicker and sicker. I finally told my gynecologist at the time about suspecting lisinopril and suspecting it as the cause. My daughter is a nurse and we researched it and saw a couple of places that said it could cause medicine induced lupus. My gynecologist changed me because no one else would. Oh and in the meantime of this being four years of taking this I had my labs drawn again before I was changed and it showed high levels in my Ana and high inflammation levels. As well as my lupus level was high. Well my gyno changed my medicine and I waited a year and a half to go have my labs done again, which was in March of this year and praise God my levels were down and it showed no lupus. I know you can get a false test and still have it but I am claiming to be free of all of it. The only thing that hurts on me now is my back and I have arthritis in it they said. I am 54 and was feeling like I was 80, I could barely get around. I also take turmeric everyday. I pray you start feeling better after coming off of it also.
I was on Lisinopril for about 10 years. In March 2017, I was diagnosed with acute liver failure. Liver biopsy diagnosed me as having an autoimmune hepatitis triggered by a drug. Suspected drug causing the problem was nitrofurantoin, which was taken for 7 days and about a week or two before the liver failure occurred. I believe that Lisinopril started something in my body and that the antibiotic nitrofurantoin acted as a catalyst that perpetuated and dramatically accelerated the liver failure.
Wow,this is bad I just got out of the ICU, yesterday after 4 days, I would have Died last Friday if my wife wasn’t home. Why? Why? we die and that company still making money why?
Lisinopril killed my husband in 2013. He had took it for 3 yrs and 10 months. had never smoked. Died from Esophageal cancer of the throat. It is made from the venom of a poisonous viper in Brazil. Deadly!. My husband went into kidney failure , extreme fatigue, weight loss and continual coughing. Diagnosed with carcinoma stage 4 cancer. Maybe this might help someone else to get off it before it is too late!
I am so very sorry for your loss. Did you contact a lawyer? If not you need to so. I will start another petition and let you all know.
Oh my God reading all these comments about this medication is horrible after having a heart attack in October 3, 2017 upon discharge I was given this medicine then later in November 2017 without warning my lips started swelling they got bigger and bigger by the time I got to the emergency room and looking like a duck with a long beak “fright” had set in. Emergency room staff went to work immediately kept all night for observation with meds to counteract the “swelling”. Angioedema was my diagnosis talking about a scary situation!!!
Wow all of this sounds so familiar this medicine kills I was in a coma for 7 days stopped breathing and had to be tubed just so I could breath my son was in the ER when all this happened and watched them bring me back after I stopped breathing .no one should have to go through this .
Change.org Getting Lisinopril off the market
I took this poison they call lisinopril and HTCZ together. It stopped working after about 2 years. I took this drug for 5 years and before I got off of it I thought I was going to die!!! % months into taking this crap I had extreme fatigue,.. then can the body aches and pains,………………. then the persistent cough started. the cough would have me coughing so hard my face was beet red,…. how is this good for your HBP? Really,… I got off of this garbage and am now taking supplements and and have changed my diet to almost 100% vegan. WOW! If they ( the Dr’s) would just tell you to exercise, breath right and change your diet, we would have a much healthier society not dependent on deadly drugs like these. But that doesn’t fill the pockets of the Dr’s and the drug makers,……………… So,……………….. Do we see?
All these stories have me so scared. Yesterday i experienced the swelling of the lips and face. Got the the Emergency room just in time. Thank god i didnt have to be INTUBATED. So scared to try domething new for my bp. I rather change my diet then to take any more medications.
I hah have a change.org petition stating, Stop the manufactures from making Lisinopril. I have tried getting signatures. Until I get 100 they will not submit it to the FDA. I have tried to get a lawyer to sue the manufactures but no will touch my case, because lisinopril is a generic drug. The coma I was in, the stroke I had, the angioedema I had, the tracheostomy I have, and the PTSD is not generic. I don’t know who else to contact. This happened to me May 29th 2014
Mistii Malcolm – Where is your petition? I was intubated at the end of July 2018 because of Angioedema! Thank God that I didn’t delay getting to the ER! I had a 3 day Hospital stay 4 days prior to that with a fever over 104; but that Hospital just got my fever down and sent me home! When I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I had my husband take me to a different Hospital; and they immediately intubated me! They told me that they were hoping to not have to do a tracheotomy! After a 3 day stay in ICU, they sent me home where my husband cared for me another week before I was able to marginally function on my own. Since coming off that poison, my Kidney functions have improved and (although it is not a listed side effect) I no longer have blood in my stools; which was all the time while on the drug! I developed severe diarrhea that messed up my hemorrhoids after I started lisinopril, but I thought it was from an antibiotic I was prescribe for an URI I had at the same time the doctor decided that we should get my BP down. That was my first diagnosis of High Blood Pressure in 2015. I was shortly after diagnosed with Stage 3 Kidney failure (out of the blue), and my doctor has been monitoring it for years! Also Renal Insufficiency and an autoimmune disease – MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance). Kidney function is normal now that I’m off the poison as well! I am getting better every day, but I’m dealing with scar tissue in my nostrils and Laryngopharyngeal Reflux which requires additional medication! Back in March, my eyes were swollen the size of golf balls and I was treated for Conjunctivitis because no one could figure out what was really wrong with me! Seeing Specialist for all these conditions has been expensive and the Hospital and after care costs are still growing! I would love to have my money back!
I knew that I was not alone in this struggle!!!
Change.org Getting Lisinopril off the market. Please pass this on to other people you know. The more signatures I have the better. After 100 they will contact the FDA for us .
WHY HAS NOT DOCTOR NOT TOLD ME ABOUT THIS? I HAVE BEEN ON THIS FOR MANY YEARS AND MY HEALTH HAS BEEN DETERIATING.
Where can I sign the petition? My husband is in ICU and almost died from this drug he has still not woken up and we dont know if he has brain damage from his throat closing up
Change.org Getting Lisinopril off the market. Please pass this petition to everyone you know. I hope your husband comes out of this, and I will be praying for you both.
I am probably going to have to make another change.org petition, I will look into making another one. I think they deleted the page, I did not have enough signatures. I’m very sorry that this happened to all of you. Pray that we can get someone to help us. Much love to you all, and be blessed.
Change.org Getting Lisinopril off the market.
I was taken Lisinopril 10+years until one day I woke up to swollen lips and one side of my face was swollen. I thought it was a allergic reaction to something I ate the night before so I took a Benadryl for two days. On the third day I went to the emergency room and was told not take the drug anymore. I didn’t know it was a recall on the drug until then. The first think I thought of was why would my doctor continue prescribing me this medicine if it was a recall on the drug?
Change.org Getting Lisinopril off the market.
I had an allergic reaction to Lisinopril which I’ve been taken over a year for high blood pressure and it seemed to be working but I was also aware of the swelling issues that may follow. My mother and my grandfather had the swelling tongue/throat issue. December 28, 2018 my tongue started to swell until it was hanging out of my head and my throat was closing fast. I had minutes to make a decision of living or dying for them to place me in coma for 2-3 days. How can a drug have this effect on people and still be on the market? I could’ve died hadn’t my daughter got me to the ER in time. I had 5mm opening in my throat. Being in the hospital for the new year wasn’t part of my plan, but I give GOD the praise cause HE spared my life. I was in ICU for several days and then placed in a regular room to have therapy since I had breathing issues. Can someone please take this drug off the market, it’s killing and frightening people and their families for no reason and they still making money. And I still suffer from anxiety where I’m scared to sleep thinking I cant breath. This medicine has tested my FAITH, seriously.
Change.org getting lisinopril off the market. I need signatures to get this off the market.
Signatures does nothing to try and dissolve a billion dollar corporation. You need to get a lawyer ASAP.
Anthony Oliver
read your message your not the first to try and get this med off the market what does take to remove this plus other meds that are killing older people
maybe a class action suite thanks for the info JIM I
Is there class action lawsuit for lisinopril? I would like to join i had reactions last week 3-2019.please. Contact me ***-***-****. I never knew it was recalled on this drug ,my top lip swollen, & bad coughting & more
I was only on this drug for a couple of months. My doctor failed to tell me that African-Americans are more at risk for the cough side effect. Guess what? I’m coughing.
It took about five trips to the doctor within 6 months. My regular doctor kept doing the usual, prescribed anti-biotics, told me to drink a lot of water, and sent me home. It wasn’t until the last visit that another doctor of the same practice realized why I was/am coughing.
I will have the cough for several weeks then get better. Then it returns as if it never left. I’m coughing so much I’m throwing up and have come close to passing out. I’ve lost sleep and haven’t been able to sleep in the same room with my fiance in fear of waking him up with my coughing. He gets up at 5 am. I would hate myself if he lost his job because of me! This cough starts out dry, within hours it feels like I have water in my lungs. And that’s when the throwing up or almost passing out happens. I cough uncontrollably! And if anything does come up it’s either frothy or that horrible thick stuff. My doctor says my lungs are clear. So why is this happening?
I have Relapse Remitting Multiple Sclerosis and Chronic Migraines. I do not tolerate heat well. And with this cough it’s next to impossible to sit in a cooler room. It triggers the coughing. And the coughing is now triggering more intense migraines. I can’t win!
About 6 years ago, I auditioned for The Voice and I almost made it. Since then, I’ve been working hard to improve and have done so. I’m auditioning next month…maybe. Right now I’m trying to figure out when I’m going to be coughing and when I’ll be able to sing. I keep going back and forth about this audition. I’ve always believed that you never know unless you try. Do I still try? If I get on the show, will I have another coughing attack that will last for weeks? And by the way, every single time I went to the doctor I told them, “We’ve got to figure this out. I’m auditioning soon and this can ruin everything”.
This may not sound important to most. But it’s very important to me! I am GOOD! Every time I sing, when the cough allows it, people stop doing what they’re doing to listen. Geez, I don’t have an inflated ego I promise you. It’s just that I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am only to have it taken away!!! Why? This could have changed my life enough to get out of debt and a car that isn’t 17 years old!
I live in Akron, OH and have been trying to find an attorney for over a month. It seems no one is taking me seriously. I’d rather die than live like this! I mean come on, MS, Chronic Migraines, and now THIS?
Am I feeling sorry for myself? Yes, I am and I should be. I don’t deserve to continue to live this way. No one should!
Is there any attorney out there that can help me???