I am a week into taking lisinopril for high blood pressure, and I am experiencing what seems to be common side effects. For the last two days I have had a dry cough, and kind of an itchy, wheezy feeling in my lungs. My nose is also stuffy. I can handle the stuffy nose, but the coughing and wheeziness are getting old.
When I saw my doctor last month, and was diagnosed with blood pressure that needed treatment, my doctor said that I could choose between two medications, one that could lead to tiredness (lisinopril), and one that would cause more frequent peeing (a diuretic). She did not mention the dry cough as a side effect of lisinopril. Are these two my only two choices? (I am not super thrilled about needing to switch to a diuretic if I can't tolerate lisinopril).
My question, is this a side effect that will get better with time and should I just wait it out until my body gets used to it? Or will this be something that is permanent? I have a home blood pressure machine, and so far I am not seeing significant improvements, so maybe I still in the ramping up phase? (My readings are typically somewhere around 118-125/84-88). |