Generic Lisinopril

Lisinopril is a generic medication that also goes by the names Lisihexal, Prinivil, and Zestril. It is part of a class of medications called angiotensin converting inhibitors, or ACE-inhibitors. It is prescribed in tablets for the treatment of several different cardiac conditions. It is given for heart failure to patients who do not respond to other medications. It is given for the treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure, either alone or in conjunction with other medications. It is also given as a treatment for acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack, as part of the course of treatment for the first 24 hours after the attack.

Lisinopril has been shown to be fairly well tolerated, and does not seem to provoke many severe adverse side effects. In many studies, fewer than ten percent of patients experienced any side effects at all. The most common side effects include chest pain, low blood pressure, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, and fatigue. Other more rare side effects include impotence, rash, cough, vomiting, vertigo, decreased libido, upper respiratory infection, abdominal pain, and weakness. Some side effects, however, though rare, can be quite serious. These include swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, rash or hives and difficulty breathing, which are sometimes indicative of an allergic reaction. Other serious reactions can include extremely low blood pressure, kidney failure, and very low white blood count. Your doctor should test you to make sure that these functions are working properly.

There are some classes of medications that should be used cautiously if you are also taking Lisinopril. If you are on diuretic therapy for hypotension, you may find that adding Lisinopril to your treatment plan may result in a severe drop in blood pressure. You can minimize these effects by either discontinuing your diuretic or by increasing your salt intake. If you are on antidiabetic medications, such as insulins or hypoglycemic agents, you may experience a severe drop in blood sugar that may lead to hypoglycemia. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, or NSAIDs, can compromise your kidney function when taken at the same time as Lisinopril and may actually lower Lisinopril’s ability to lower your blood pressure. Drugs that increase your serum potassium levels may increase those levels dangerously when added to Lisinopril. If you are taking any drug that causes you to lose sodium, including Lisinopril, you may find that taking lithium causes harm because its toxicity increases. Finally, if you are receiving injectable gold treatments, you may have increasingly severe nitroid reactions, such as flushing, nausea, vomiting and low blood pressure.

You should not use Lisinopril if you are pregnant, particularly in the second or third trimesters; it has been shown to possibly affect the growth of the fetus or its development. If you discover that you are pregnant, you should discontinue using Lisinopril immediately. Lisinopril may also pass into breast milk, so you should not use it if you are breast-feeding a child. Lisinopril is not indicated for use in children under six, but for older children there are dosage guidelines available.