Lisinopril Cough
Coughing is the most common side effect of Lisinopril as well as all ace inhibitors affecting from 5-30% of patients, with actual numbers hard to come by but is generally considered as under-reported.
The cough can range from a mild to completely debilitating. It can start immediately or take months to develop. Quitting an ace inhibitor usually results in the immediate cessation of coughing but not always. Months after quitting, some patients still have a nagging cough.
Ace inhibitors like Lisinopril work by blocking the angiotensin-converting enzyme, which is normally part of a reaction in the body that causes blood vessels to narrow. These angiotensin-converting enzyme have other uses including the breaking down of chemicals in the lungs called bradykinin or tachykinins which in someway stimulate vasal nerves resulting in coughs. In other words by suppressing the enzyme that causes blood vessels to constrict, other chemicals are allowed to roam free stimulating nerves that result in a cough.
Remedies for the Ace Inhibitor Cough1:
- switch ace inhibitors
- asthma inhalants might offer relief
- lowering dosage
- intermediate doses of aspirin (500 mg/day) but not low doses (100 mg/day)
- supplemental iron
- cyclooxygenase inhibitors like sulindac
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