I was having a lot of dizziness in early 2008. It was so bad that I had to stay seated most of the morning so I would not fall down. I considered using a walker. In the afternoon it was better. Many different tests were done, and the cause was not found. Finally, in late 2010, my doctor was having me stop taking my medications, two at a time, for two weeks. We discovered that my dizziness was much better while I was not taking my blood pressure med. My doctor insisted that I had to take the med to keep my kidneys healthy. Many blood pressure meds have a side effect that protects kidneys. I never had any kidney problems, and wanted to have a lower dosage. The doctor refused, so I asked my endo, and she prescribed Lisinopril with a 2.5 mg dosage. That is the lowest dosage that can be prescribed for that med. In a few weeks my dizziness was much much better, and I could get up and do anything I wanted for the entire day. My kidneys are still in good shape after several months on Lisinopril.
I was taking an overdose of the first blood pressure med. The doctor prescribing the first blood pressure medication is an internist who specializes in kidneys. He thought it was very important that I protect my kidneys. He insisted that I put up with the dizziness for that reason, even though my kidneys were okay. My endo agreed to let me try a very low dose, and it worked! My dizziness is almost gone, my blood pressure is good, and my kidneys are fine. The internist has been my diabetes doctor since 1977, and he is now 71 years old, one year younger than me. He has been a very good doctor, but I think he made a big mistake this time. I suffered needlessly with the dizziness for three years before my endo, a young lady doctor, allowed a low dosage of a different med. I want to hug her but I might lose a very good doctor. Guess I had better restrain myself. Lol!
Thank you for posting Richard. I am seeing my MD next week for my dizziness that has started about a month ago. Also if my bloodsugar is not spot on I am miserable and light headed, grrrr.
I tried taking that for my kidneys (never had a bp problem) and even on the lowest dosage that ur taking now I was dizzy all the time. I went to the ER for a total other reason and my bp was really low so they told me to quit taking it. My kidney dr wasn't happy about it but finally came to the conclusion that I couldn't take ANY bp meds at all so now he just tells his nurse " Some ppl can take them and every once in awhile we run into a diabetic that can't. She's one who can't"
Thanks for that reply, Doris. I may be one of those myself. I still have some dizzinee with only 2.5 mg, but not so bad.. I am tempted to stop the BP med, and not tell my doctor, but my average BP is around 125/58. If I completely stop Lisinopril I may hava BP that is in the 130's. I would like to avoid that.
Your Welcome Richard. Let's just say that that medican brought my bp down to 70/30 and it just didn't work for me. I run 120/60 anyway so that didn't help me at all! LOL!
Hi Richard, I've been on 2.5 mg of Lisinopril for probably 15 years now. My endo put me on also as a preventative based on the research. It's never bothered me until recently but I've been having the slight light headedness also. I mentioned it to my primary care doc - an internist - and he said that they really push the Lisinopril hard for diabetics. Mine isn't constant or bad enough at this point that I'll do anything about it. At first I thought it was bg moving up or down so I check and sometimes it is but mostly not. I seem to feel the dizziness when my blood pressure is about 110/58 which the docs love but my head feels better when it's just slightly higher.
My dad ended up in the E.R. with too much blood pressure medication. He passed out momentarily and fell, went to the E.R. and they said he was over-medicated.
One thing that diabetes has helped me see is that doctors don't have all the answers. The thing I hate the most is when you tell them what's going on and they give you that look like you're either crazy or they don't know what the heck you're talking about or they just flat out don't believe you.
In 2009, I had a severe case of tongue, throat swelling. Lisinopril is well known to have that side effect. I had been on it for years, and was taken off due to the swelling.
I do not think this was the cause of my problems, but be aware that this is a common side effect.
My blood pressure has always been low, so I understand immediately the effect of low BP. It is not unlike low BG, I am out of it, just out in space.
I actually find my blood pressure harder to regulate than my blood sugars. The home glucose meters are much more reliable than the home blood pressure monitors. I regularly get a 10-point difference between the measurements on the home BP machine, and when having it taken manually at the hospital. And to think I used to have white-coat too! The nurses said the manual method is more accurate, and as my numbers are at least 10 points lower when measured manually, I don't bother with the home BP machine anymore.
I do wonder if I'm taking too much BP medication though. My last BP taken at the hospital was 90/48. I was first diagnosed at age 29 with BP of 160/120! I was seeing a diabetes doctor at the time of the 90/48 and he said it was perfectly OK and that that's what a normal BP is without all the processed foods in a modern, industrialized diet. He cited studies of Kalahari Bushmen, among whom normal BP is around 90-100/60.
(Coincidentally, the last time my BP was measured at 100/60, was 1 hour after eating TWO Burger King bacon double cheeseburgers. Eaten, I must add, with only 1 of the 4 bread bun halves!)
Thanks, I still don't understand why my internist thinks my kidneys need protecting when I had never had a kidney problem. A "just in case" attitude seems inappropriate, especially since my dizziness was so bad every morning and still with me to some extent in the afternoons. I was certainly over-medicated, like your father. I hope he is okay now.
I have had terrible trouble with bp tablets in the past and stopped taking them - controlled it with diet for a long time. But now I am diabetic my dr. wants to protect my kidneys so I am on 1.25 Rempiril per day, which I take in the evening to reduce the risk of side effects. You may find taking them in the evening helps with dizziness.
Things are working out very well, thanks. I had an endo visit today and my BP was 110/50. That second number is normally higher, but I felt good. Just 2.5 mg of Lisinopril is working very well, with no side effects.
Lila, your 90/48 was the kind of BP I was having when taking a 25 mg dose of Losartan, prescribed by my internist. My BP at my doctors office runs lower than at home. I was 121/58 this morning at home, and 110/50 at my endo's office. That was 90 minutes later at the endo's office though.
Thanks, my doctor suggested I should take my BP med in the evening. Since my dizziness was worse in the morning I thought that taking themed in the evening might add to the dizziness. So I am taking it after breakfast. My morning is pretty good, and the rest of the day is very good.
I was prescribed Lisinopril when I was first diagnosed with T2 D. Not because I had high blood pressure, but because it was the thing to do. It almost killed me. For 3 hours every morning I had to sit with my head on the counter to keep from passing out. I got nowhere with the GP. Finally I got my own BP monitor and started keeping track of it. My BP was so low in the mornings it's a wonder I was still alive (65/43). I threw out the Lisinopril and life came back. I've since been diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy and found that it's dangerous to take Lisinopril with this condition. I never had a bad kidney reading before or since. It's bad enough that some doctors overprescribe, but then they don't pay attention to even the most blatant problems, no matter how insistent you are (my experience). I don't take ANYTHING anymore until I've had the opportunity to investigate it for myself, and then I take the minimum, which most often is about 1/4 of what the prescription is. You have to watch out for yourself.
You had a terrible reaction to Lisinopril. I am pleased to hear that you stopped it! We will probably have good kidneys for a long time, with or without a BP med, but there is no guarantee. Some of my friends believe that not all BP meds will cause dizziness. The one that doesn't for you may be one that does for someone else. We are all different, and we react in different ways to different meds.
If your throat and tongue are swelling after taking Lisinopril that is a sign of antiphilatic reaction and not good at all. Definitely don't take the Lisinopril again and let your doctor know. Allergies can start at any time and they are not fun.
About a month ago I had similar symptoms, my tongue got very sore and my lips became numb. It was difficult to swallow some foods. This happened after several years on lisinopril interrupted by several months of cozaar (to see if coughing would go away which didn't, but got worse. My sister who isn't diabetic was also put on lisinopril had a similar reaction about six months before my experience. One but be careful to pay attention to possible side effects even after many years on a bp medication.
We discovered that my dizziness was much better while I was not taking my blood pressure med. My doctor insisted that I had to take the med to keep my kidneys healthy. Many blood pressure meds have a side effect that protects kidneys. I never had any kidney problems, and wanted to have a lower dosage. The doctor refused, {snip} The internist has been my diabetes doctor since 1977, and he is now 71 years old, one year younger than me. He has been a very good doctor, but I think he made a big mistake this time. I
No matter how good he was in other areas a doctor who demands that I take a prophylactic medication, based on statistics for a problem I might get but do not have, is not a doctor I would stay with. At the very least I would not have continued the medication.
Unless my doctor presents overwhelming direct evidence of the need I will not take prophylactic medication. I take medication when it can be clearly shown that the benefits to me outweigh the risks to me.
I had a similar discussion with my own doctor concerning statins. He remains my doctor because we have agreed to amicably disagree; I refuse the statin and he no longer pushes it. If he did I would quickly find a different doctor, event though I would have to travel quite a distance to do so.
Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia. Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
