No side effects for me. I have been using a combo version of those two for more than 10 years. The HCTZ is an old and well studied drug that has been in use for more than 60 years. ACE inhibitors have a bunch of beneficial effects in people whose RAAS system is in overdrive (like mine). But if you have side effects the good news is there are so many approaches to managing blood pressure that one is sure to work well.
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I actually started on an ace inhibitor, lisinopril 10mg, before I was 40.
I’ve had a mystery cough flare up a number of times in my life that seemed to linger for a whole season…. That happened again at some point while on lisinopril , and even though I’m not convinced it was related, since it’s happened before (and it seemed to respond to flonase)…. They ended up switching me to an ARB, Losartan 50mg…. No complaints
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I took an ace inhibitor for 20 years, and a statin, starting at the time of my type 1 diagnosis. When I started I think there was a little vague dizziness from both, but I acclimated. Recently my potassium started reading high, so they switched me from the ace inhibitor to a calcium channel blocker plus a diuretic that dumps excess potassium.
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I thought I’d resurrect this thread once more (thanks @JessicaD ) because I’m about 6 months behind @bkh. I came off of Lisinopril because of the cough, and went on Valsartan, which didn’t seem too effective. So now I’m on Valsartan plus Amlodopine, and it still doesn’t seem too effective, after trying this new setup for 3 weeks or so. My blood pressure is around 160 / 80 - target for me would be something in the 130s.
Any suggestions that I can discuss with my Endo?
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I’ve been on 20mg of generic Crestor for years no issues, except very good cholesterol levels. I don’t have hypertension actually low normal but my doc prescribed 2.5mg lisinopril. This is the lowest dose and doesn’t affect my BP at all. He prescribed it for kidney protection.
Lisinopril has a known side effect of causing a dry non-productive cough.
Two major causes of kidney failure are poorly controlled blood glucose levels and hypertension.
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My endo referred me to a good nephrologist to solve the high potassium and blood pressure while discontinuing lisinopril. The nephrologist had a whole spectrum of medicines to try for blood pressure: ACE, ARB, alpha blocker, beta blocker, calcium channel blocker, diuretics. They all have different side effects, so there were lots of combinations to try before the doctor declared that this was the best that we could achieve for my body without unacceptable side effects.
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Very helpful. It sounds like you may be further down this road than me. What level of blood pressure did you achieve? I’m asking because I wonder what “the best we could achieve” might be.
In my case it varies. At home over the last year it ranges from a low of 124/72 to highs of 141/78 and 133/80. At the doctor’s office it’s distinctly higher, like 156/82. My home machine got the same readings as the doctor’s machine when we tested (one on left arm, the other on right arm at the same time) so the doctor explains the difference as “white coat syndrome.”
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@bostrav59 Similar to @CarlosLuis, I was put on “baby” doses of lisinopril (5mg, blood pressure) and atorvastatin (20mg, cholesterol) back when my PCP mis-dx’d me as T2 (14 yrs ago) as preventatives for potential kidney and cholesterol issues. Both Endo’s seen since a corrected dx of T1 (4 yrs ago) have concurred with the maintaining and the rationale for them. No problems with either: consistent normal range BPs and very low cholesterol #s, particularly for my ≈70 yr age. I can’t say it’s the two meds, can’t say it isn’t. Hope you’re able to sort through the issues and find an answer that fits you!
@bkh Sounds like a “white coat” doctor’s office response! I understand it’s pretty common to have higher BPs at the docs office. Haven’t seen or heard of any studies pointing to an equipment difference, but several articles saying we should all use BP meters at home to track. Anyone know of any?
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I’ve had several and the one I liked by far the most was a Panasonic… apparently they don’t make them anymore and the new old-stock ones are like $400 on eBay! I’m sure it wasn’t more than $40 when I bought it. There are countless inexpensive models on Amazon. I’d avoid the wrist ones, they aren’t very good imo
One thing I noticed is that medical assistants don’t give the patient time to relax and will ask questions causing the patient to talk while taking BP.
Similar to fBG, to get a good baseline BP requires if sitting, feet flat on the floor no crossed ankles, being quiet for a few minutes and no talking while it is being taken.
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It also requires them to elevate your arm to chest level, which a lot of them don’t do
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Omron meters (made in Japan) have a good reputation. Get a model that has the cuff to wrap around your arm above the elbow. Mine is in the Omron “10 series,” which are priced around $75 from places like amazon, best buy, or walmart.
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