Pharmacist review of the uses, side effects, and best practices for Lisinopril (Zestril, Prinivil)
I really don’t believe in taking a medication to counter the side effect of another medication hello my friends welcome back to the channel this is your friendly pharmacist kwaku coming your way with yet another medication review and today we’re going to be talking about lisinopril uh one that i call the oldie but goody because it’s been around for so long and
It’s been prescribed one of the most prescribed blood pressure medications we’re going to be taking a look at what it is how it works some of the uses uh some side effects obviously and then we will take a look also at some precautions or some best practices that you should know about if you are taking less synergy or if you are considering it so first of what
Is listener pro well the sniper belongs to a group of medications we called ace inhibitors the long wear this angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors but you would agree with me that that is a mouthful so we call them ace inhibitors for short so how does listener pro work the snorkel works by blocking a certain chemical in your body this angiotensin converting
Enzyme that we talked about now in the presence of this ace what happens is that the blood vessels become constricted and therefore blood flowing through it becomes more difficult or in other words there is a resistance to blood flow so what lysine opioid does is that it blocks this ace and in doing so the blood vessels are able to relax it’s easier for the blood
To flow through it and therefore decreasing your blood pressure and making your heart also work more efficiently now when it comes to the uses the obvious one is to lower blood pressure or in the management of hypertension lisinopril may also be used in conjunction with other medications in the treatment of heart failure in some instances also listener pill may be
Used to improve the survival rate after a heart attack in other words when some people have a heart attack and lesner pro is given within a certain time frame chances of survival is dramatically improved and therefore lisinopril may be used in that respect as well sometimes listener fill may be given off label to manage diabetic nephropathy now diabetic nephropathy
Simply is that when somebody has diabetes there is a tendency for their kidneys to get worse and listening pro may be given to slow down that process now to some side effects of lysine fuel and uh you can never talk about side effects of the cerebral without talking about a dry cough that is arguably the number one reason why a lot of people are not able to stay
On the snooping and this cough can be very irritating can be very persistent and most of the time when if you ever fall into that category that reacts that way your doctor may have to find an alternative for you and there are so many other alternatives that you can choose from so you shouldn’t suffer through it i’ve also you know i’ve seen instances where people
Have recommended taking an iron supplement to mitigate that cough but personally i am not a big fan of that approach because i really don’t believe in taking a medication to counter the side effect of another medication then you get into what we call prescription cascades you know you just keep prescribing to take care of the next problem that the prior medication
Caused because uh and in this scenario there are good alternatives to choose from so i’d suggest that if you ever experience that dry cough the best option is to talk to your doctor for an alternative other documentary side effects include dizziness headache and sometimes hypotension and hypertension that means that maybe the medication is working too well for you
Where your blood pressure dips too low and that can become an issue for some people so if that happens maybe a dose adjustment may be needed so well to discuss with your doctor if you experience any kind of lightheadedness especially on standing up so we do recommend that when you start taking the scenario or when you change a dose especially if you increase the
Dose when you’re going from a sitting to a standing position do so gradually so that your body can get time to you know just get used to your environment or your surroundings some people also complain of decreased sexual ability some people may also complain of a rash that occurs and within respect to a rash i’d suggest that if you develop a rash when you take less
Neuropal too especially if it’s a company with some kind of blistering to let your doctor know there are some um serious rashes that are a reaction to the lasinopril which needs medical attention so if you notice any rash i do want to let your doctor know the central pill has also been associated with elevated potassium levels so you want to be careful if you’re
Eating foods high in potassium or if you’re taking any kind of sub substitute to be careful because in combination with single sinapril it may make your potassium levels um go beyond what is the accepted norms now some best practices and precautions that i promise number one is do not take lesner pearl if you’re pregnant uh listen your pearl can harm the fetus and
Also while taking the snare pill if you suspect that you’re pregnant please do well to let your doctor know they may find other alternatives that are safer for you and the baby number two the cinder pill can affect some people’s blood sugar levels some people may experience an elevation in their blood sugar levels when they start taking less center pills so not
A bad idea to monitor your blood sugar levels especially if you have if you are pre-diabetic just to make sure that it is not going beyond what is accepted also if you have a history of gout uh do well to let your doctor know listen up sometimes can increase uric acid levels and uric acid is the guilty culprit when it comes to people with gout so do well to let
Your doctor know and just to make sure that the sunopro may be appropriate for you listener peel may also cause what we call photosensitivity or in other words it makes you more sensitive to sunlight and that can cause irritation and a rush for some people so as much as possible avoid staying in direct sunlight if you’re taking less scriptural if it’s not possible
Then think of you know using a sunscreen or wearing clothing that cover most part of your body if at all possible just to reduce the the tendency or the risk of developing photosensitivity also if you have a history of kidney disease do well to let your doctor know and i know i did mention that listener pro may be given to slow down diabetic nephropathy that is in
The initial stages when your kidneys are relatively healthy but once your kidneys cross a certain threshold the snorkel becomes it’s not as beneficial and it actually may be detrimental so if you have kidney problems in the past of course your doctor will monitor your numbers and know what and when to stop your listener pro but definitely a good idea to bring it
Up so at least you guys are all on the same page when it comes to your kidney function and you taking listener pro and as i mentioned earlier also be careful about what soft substitutes you’re taking especially the ones high in potassium the cinnamon when taking with these salt substitutes may greatly increase your risk of developing what we call hyperkalemia or
Elevated potassium levels which can lead to irregular heartbeats it can lead to muscle cramping and a whole host of issues so thank you so much for staying through high level overview of the sinopril i hope you found some value in this if you did please give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel if you have not already done so i will catch you on the next video thank you
Transcribed from video
Lisinopril Uses, Side Effects & Precautions | Pharmacist Review By Pharmacist Conversations
