Lisinopril and stomach pains

My mother was given this drug, Lisinopril, because the doctor decided she had high blood pressure after she went in for a bladder infection (she's had these all her life, every now & then). The doctor also prescribed Nitrofur (please avoid THAT one like the plague - she was on the couch for a week in stomach agony). We didn't put 2 and 2 together on what was really going on until yesterday. She was on Lisinpril for 3 months and every 2-3 weeks had an episode of extreme stomach spasms, bloating and fatigue. These episodes have lasted 3-5 days each, keeping her on the couch in agony. I researched the internet and found out that Lisinopril is made from SNAKE VENOM, can you believe? Turns out lots of people have reactions from this, including coughing. There was one woman who had the exact same things as my mom and wouldn't you know it, stopped using Lisinopril and the episodes went away. Turns out this is an allergic reaction, something they say is rare, BUT I think it depends how long you take it and how sensitive you are. So my mom immediately stopped taking it. What's happening inside is something they call gastrointestinal angioedema (in layman's terms, internal hives). If you experience coughing, the hives are in your throat. If you experience the stomach pains, the hives are all in your intestinal tract and very possible more areas internally. So then I looked up and found an excerpt from "One Earth Herbal Sourcebook" on Google and found the author had experienced something similar, using ayervedic (indian) herbs to fix the problem. I couldn't find where to buy ayervedic herbs, calling Whole Foods Market with no success. Well, all over the world there are healing herbs that do similar things. So I did find 2 that would work. Marshmallow (the herb, not the campfire kind) will help relieve swelling internally. There is another herb called Goldenseal (don't use it if you have very high blood pressure as it can cause a spike) that has antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Anyway, now you know what is going on inside - hives you can't see from snake venom. Take that to the doctors and see what they say. Maybe your just better off like we are to research yourself and find a natural answer from nature. I hope this can help others avoid the hell we've been through.

I was put on Lisinopril for high blood pressure one month ago. I had previously been on Benicar but could not afford it to be quite honest as I am a single mom. Anyway I developed the dry hacking cough right away but thought it was allergy related as the pollen count around here is unbearable. Finally after taking all kinds of over the counter meds for allergies to try and ease the cough, I finally went back to the doc to be treated for the allergies ? only to be informed by the doc of the cough as a side effect of taking Lisinspril. I had no allergy at all ! He immediatley switched me to Diovan ( I think I have that spelling right as I don't have the bottle in front of me ) and so since I am still coughing some ( not as bad ) and since its just been 2 days I thought I would look into seeing how long this cough was supposed to last after discontinuing the medicine so hence I found my way to this web site listing side effects. Haven't found out how long I might still have the cough after discontinuing but hope its not much longer. Anyway just wanted to post and warn all about the cough. It is horrible and kept me up all night long for weeks and would choke you without warning. Awful stuff althought it did the trick where the blood pressure was concerned I can not justify the cough.