Doctors will often prescribe lisinopril for blood pressure in patients who have experienced a life threatening cardiac event. One of the benefits of taking this medication is that it can, when used correctly, lower a patient’s blood pressure and decrease the amount of work the heart needs to do to pump blood through the body. It does not, however, cure the underlying problem that caused the high blood pressure in the first place, so the beneficial effects stop when the patient stops taking the medication. Side effects are also common and can be severe at first, though they will often go away as the patient adjusts to the use of the drug.
For patients who have recently suffered a heart attack, using lisinopril may help prevent another life threatening cardiac event from occurring. The drug keeps blood vessels from constricting, making it easier for blood to flow through the body. As a result, each heart beat is more effective. This chain of events substantially reduces the chances that a patient will suffer a second heart attack, which could be deadly.
One of the drawbacks to taking lisinopril for blood pressure is that it doesn’t treat the cause of the patient’s high blood pressure. This medication can only lower a patient’s blood pressure in the patient’s bloodstream and needs to be taken daily if it is to continue to protect the patient. Missing a dose can cause the blood pressure to rise again, so patients need to be careful to take the medication exactly as it is prescribed.
Taking lisinopril can cause a number of side effects. Many patients experience nausea, dizziness, flu symptoms, rapid weight gain, and severe fatigue. In most cases, these side effects will lessen in severity as the patient adjusts to the presence of the medication.
Lisinopril can interact with other common medications, and patients should be careful not to take any of these drugs while taking it. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin, which are commonly given for pain, can cause lisinopril to become less effective. Patients who are taking lithium may need to switch to another medication. People on this drug should also carefully monitor the amount of sodium they consume while they are being treated with it.