While Zestril side effects may occur, they are generally mild and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. Common side effects include headache, dizziness, and nausea. Rare side effects include heartburn, anemia, and insomnia. Some Zestril side effects should be reported immediately to your healthcare provider, such as wheezing, itching, and a decrease in urine output.
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Zestril® (lisinopril). However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. If side effects do occur, they are generally mild and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. Serious side effects are less common.
Zestril has been studied in several groups of people with different conditions. Because the groups were so different, the side effects are broken down by group. These groups include people with:
(The Zestril side effects discussed below are not a complete list of reported side effects. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list with you.)
High Blood Pressure
Zestril has been studied extensively in clinical trials for people with high blood pressure. In these studies, side effects are always documented. The most common Zestril side effects, occurring in more than 1 percent of people with high blood pressure, were:
Fatigue
Body weakness (asthenia)
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting when standing from a sitting or lying down position
If side effects with Zestril do occur, most people do not need to stop their medicine. In previous research studies, 5.7 percent of people with high blood pressure stopped taking Zestril because of side effects.
Congestive Heart Failure
Zestril has been studied extensively in clinical trials for people with congestive heart failure. The most common Zestril side effects, occurring in more than 1 percent of people with heart failure, were:
Chest pain
Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
Extremely low blood pressure
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Headache
Upper respiratory infections
Unexplained rash.
In previous research studies, 11 percent of people taking Zestril for congestive heart failure stopped taking the medicine because of Zestril side effects.
Heart Attack
For people taking Zestril following a heart attack, the most common side effects, occurring in more than 1 percent of people, were:
Extremely low blood pressure
Kidney problems.
In this category, 17.6 percent of people stopped taking Zestril because of side effects.