A wee question. I have normal Blood pressure. My GP, supported by my consultant has prescribed an Ace inhibitor Lisinopril as it is great benefit for CKD, even if you don’t have hypertension or diabetes.
When I started on 10mg, 12 days ago, I felt so much better and had more energy, obviously due to better blood flow I believe. However after 10 days I hit a problem. My systolic BP has dropped from 132 to 110 and I felt really unwell, muscle pain, faint and thumping heart during the night.. My consultant did think 10mg was a bit high to start with, but GP had already given me the prescription, but I was advised to reduce to 5mg or 2.5 if need be. So last night I took 5mg and today I will take 2.5mg and see how I feel. Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you get ‘used’ to the dosage and can you gradually increase again. Thank you
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Miss-guineapig
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I was put on Lisinopril when I was first dx with diabetes t-2. My BP was good, but it was explained to me it was because of the potential of ckd. I didn't have any pain or faintness, but I did develop the cough and felt very tired. Eventually I asked to go off and I did but doctor then prescribed Telesmartin for me. I've been on that until just a few months ago. I think that is the better bp med for ckd. According to the doctors I've talked to. The problem with bp meds is if your bp is good or on the low side then it will go lower and also create some problems.
Thanks Jodaer, I will take it for another 3 weeks, even the low dose if I can tolerate it…just to give it a fair chance. My GP is phoning in 3 weeks so I might ask for another type of ace inhibitor like your GP did for you x
I was on lisinopril for almost 20 years, I think up to 40mg as some point, but I do suffer from hypertension. I would get dizzy at night sometimes, but I knew what it was and just slugged through it. Other than that I tolerated it really well, no major side effects.
I would definitely try a lower does if you are not feeling well. Everyone is different at the blood pressure level that they start to feel bad. If you can't tolerate it, ask about taking farxiga instead, it actually has better kidney protection data than ACEi.
I just went through BP med roulette. I had been on 300 mg Losartan for years. It increases your potassium and mine was getting very high. MY Neph cut that down to 150mg. She added 5 mg of amlodipine and then she added carvedilol and that was horrible. The carvedilol gave me the worse insomnia I have ever had and made me depressed. I asked to switch it and she did by upping the amlodipine to 10mg and added hydralazine. Holy smokes, that was even worse. It made my heart pound and I blew up. I did not have any edema and my legs turned into tree trunks. I was gaining a pound a day, which was frightening. And I felt awful. MY BP was not any different, or better. I titrated myself off the hydralazine and when I saw my cardiologist, he took me down to 5mg of amlodipine and told me it was good I went off the hydralazine. MY BP has been ok. Top number is slightly up, bottom is in the 60s. But I feel great. It is a try and see with BP meds. I once was told to take metoprolol and that almost killed me. Same thing with the legs and edema and I could not breathe. I do not tolerate beta blockers. Oh I have lost all the weight I gained and then some and no leg edema now.
I was given hydralazine in the hospital to lower my bp when I had my kidney biopsy. BP got higher and I got the shakes and chills. The biopsy didn't happen bc bp wouldn't go down. On the 2nd try the OR staff gave it to me again, but only at the very last minute before going to the OR. I was out but then again back in my room they pumped it in me. I thought i was going to die that night. My bp was still high and they wouldn't release me, even though my doctor said I was good to go. I finally checked myself out against medical advice. By the time i got home my BP was 110/60, Now I have it as I'm allergic to it in my records.
Amlopidine and hydrazaline sent me to the ER as one of them caused very swollen legs and urine retention. Developed a very bad infection. I'm now listed as allergic to both.
I've been on Valsartan/hcl for 25+ years and now had Metoprolol added a few years ago. The Metoprolol causes severe insomnia, but efforts to try different meds only made things worse so I went back to the Metoprolol and work with the insomnia. I read somewhere (?)that Metoprolol deletes one's natural melatonin so they recommend upping that. I now take 5 mg of fast release Melatonin at night and it works about 80% of the time. Best always
Noticed you saw your cardiologist. I think kidney patients need to do that a lot more or at least run by any BP prescriptions through them. When my hubby swelled up from a neph-ordered prescription, his cardiologist shook his head and said there were newer and better options for kidney patients. We're all so different.
Roulette. Oh my but that is the perfect descriptor of this medicine crap. I learn much from you. I finally got control with atacand and high dose metoprolol, but the amount of meds and the symptoms it took to get there. I found a serious breathlessness was caused by high blood pressure, metoprolol ER (succ) took it away.
For years, my mother has suffered with a primary high blood pressure that was not responsive to meds. She can’t take calcium channel or ACE inhibitors without symptoms. It’s controlled now but she has to take an ACE, even though it makes her cough. They all do. She’s got weird reactions. I say this to remind us how we are all different in our body’s reactions. When you know your body’s reactions, and you advocate for yourself, it really shows in the outcome and quality thereof you receive. I.e., thanks for sharing such useful info Basset! Tee hee
I want to warn everyone about Hydralazine. It's good temporarily in cases where your BP goes sky high and the hospital gives to you to bring it down quickly but it is not good to be on it permanently. When my wife's GFR went down to 39, I got her in to see my neph and he took her off the Hydralazine and the Hydrochlorathiazide. Said they are two of the worst medicines to be on. Her GFR improved greatly after that. It's rare but Hydralazine is known to cause GPA Vasculitis and my neph says he has had at least 5 people who's CKD was caused by Hydralazine induced GPA. Lisinopril is known for causing a cough and Amlodapine is known for causing swelling.
I came off it due to terrible joint pain and bad cough. Then tried Losartan. That was even worse. I am now on Iberstartan. My blood pressure is great and it's the only BP medication where I have had no side effect...touch wood 😁..Hope everything works out for you.
Irbesartan is great. Like I said before, I was on Valsartan, then Irbesartan forever twenty years. And then my potassium got high, like 5.4 so she took me down. It is a great BP med. I had no probelms with it accept the potassium. And I eat very low potassium so it was the med causing the high potassium.
BP meds are tricky and everyone is different. Keep talking with with your doctor and if dosage doesn't help try a different medicine. Medicine is to help you feel better not worse.
I had high blood pressure first and then I was put on Lisinopril by my GP, that was several yrs. Ago.At first I had some side effects but got better. Then I went to a Nephrologist and he said that Lisinopril is good for CKD, so he kept me on it.
Thanks Camppy, Yes, I’m hoping the same will happen with me. I am taking 2.5mg today, was initially 10mg, slowly I will increase to 5mg and then 7.5mg (a 5 plus a 2.5) , and if I feel ok I will take the 10mg. If no joy, I am seeing GP in 3 wks so will see what she says. Yes the consultant told me that ace inhibitors really help CKD, especially in relation to heart disease x
As others have said, each one is different as far as medicines go. I was on Lisinopril for a while. I had a consistent cough but thought no other problems. When I went to my nephrologist my bloodwork showed my kidney function was decreased. I was immediately taken off of this. I’ve had other strange side effects from blood pressure medicine.
Hi miss-guineapigI had lisinopril for years, this last year I had extreme dizziness, feeling ill all over, aches, terrible anxiety and sudden low blood pressure. They stabilized me at ER, and sent me home. Next day back to ER with same symptoms but regular bl pr. All tests showed nothing wrong, went home again until next day ER again where they found out that I developed an allergy to lisinopril htc.
Now I am on losatan 50 mg. Bl pr is ok but do have some anxiety, which is also a side effect. I hope it goes away in time, have only been on it for two weeks.
Thank you everyone for all your input abd information. I learn so much and your bravery.
Just shows how our condition must change in time, even with meds. Sounds like you’ve had a hard time crackers, hope your anxiety improves. I’ll keep Losatan on my list too as one other kind person gave me the name of a drug that worked for her . Its all good to know, thanks for sharing, keep well x
Hi Crackers, Just spoken with GP starting on Losartan 25mg , starting slow, but hope I don’t get anxiety. Did your anxiety settle, …if you don’t mind me asking? X
Hi, with my b p jumping up and down, my Dr put me on100 mg of Losartan a day. It is helping to even out the b p, but the anxiety is still with me. I have appointment in October with a psychiatrist to talk about medication that is ok with the kidney disease and give me some relief of this nasty anxiety I hope there is such a thing.
I remember the first day being on the stuff, about 2011, sitting in my new local pub, a large number of the "lads" around a large table, I mentioned "I've just started this today, anybody else been on it?🥴" about eight of them put their hands up, it's a life sentence, once you're on it, your on it for the rest of your life, even though you probably don't need it anymore!🙄 Depressing?
Hi Miss- guineapigI also wish you a good weekend. Here in my area in US it's very warm and sunny with a long holiday weekend. You wishing everyone a lovely weekend from so far away, cheered me up.🌻
I am a caregiver but my son started on carvedilol and his BP dropped so low he couldn't function. He is now on a extended release metopolol ( low dose) and even though he has days were it is low , he doesn't feel weird as he has described it. He's 25 so that's pretty much what I get. I like your handle, it's so descriptive of this process.
I was put on 5mg. per day of lisinopril for excess urine protein. Shortly after I began taking this med urine protein was gone. I have not had any negative side effects.
I was put on lovastatin 25 mgs q.d... after a whie i began having episodes of orthosttic hyptension.. self diagnosed on my own by chcking my ownn pb standing and sitting.. i reduced by one half every other day and regularly check pb to titrate the medication.. my doctor agreed it was a good decision..the smptoms were upon standing and walking around for about 2 min i would get dizzy and need to lay dow.. but that is now fixed..
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