Connect
← Return to Difficulty finding a blood pressure med I can tolerate
Discussion
Difficulty finding a blood pressure med I can tolerate
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: Dec 29, 2025 | Replies (55)Comment receiving replies
At the age of 76 I'm currently struggling with these meds and so far have had 3 for 3 "rare" side effects. Lisinopril made my hair fall out by the handfuls (it returned somewhat but is now quite thin), Losartan made me have horrible choking fits with a tickle and cough that never stopped (until I stopped the drug) and the latest, Norvasc has given me dysosmia which is a very strong unpleasant smell that isn't really there. It's awful and feels like my head is stuck in a sewer but the smell isn't anything I've ever smelled before. The health providers keep dismissing me and initially don't believe my symptoms are caused by the drugs until I show them articles I've found and had a pharmacist back me up. With the choking in particular they sent me to ENT (who decided it was probably reflus, the latest catch-all) and then wanted me to do a barium swallow. I declined and found evidence on my own and 2 days after stopping the Losartan the symptoms stopped. I'm so frustrated. I'm tempted to stop trying and take my chances with diet and exercise though it's not likely to keep my bp low enough. I'm scared of new drugs and their side-effects and tired of dealing with the medical providers. Any ideas?
Replies to "At the age of 76 I'm currently struggling with these meds and so far have had..."
Oh my gosh…. So nice to hear I am not alone with my struggle of tolerating BP medication (and Cholesterol medications) did you find something that works. My side effects are all similar to yours . I was able to tolerate Lisinopril for a couple of years with taking the supplement CoQ10 but then I took repatha (cholesterol) which I think really messed me up.
Did you find a solution?
At this point my doctor says I will need to try an alpha blocker and if that does not work she will send me to a hypertension clinic to investigate renal ablation
I don’t have any aneurisms at this point
I have medication PTSD and it’s sounds funny but I mean it sincerely
Connect
I survived a complete type A1 aortic dissection in 2015. I had major problems with some of the common blood pressure meds too. Lisinopril gave me a relentless cough that wouldn’t go away until I finally stopped taking it. I tried a few others that caused strange side effects that doctors didn’t initially believe were related to the meds—until I did my own research and connected the dots. Sound familiar?
Eventually I landed on a combo that works: carvedilol and amlodipine, along with atorvastatin. I’ve done just fine on that mix. But it took time, trial and error, and being persistent. What helped most was starting with low doses, trying one med at a time, and giving my body time to adjust before switching again.
If your doctors are being dismissive, it may be time for a second opinion—ideally from a cardiologist who has experience with aortic disease or post-dissection care. You deserve to be heard and taken seriously. Adverse reactions—no matter how rare—still happen, and they can be real and disruptive.
There is a combo out there that can help you feel safe and stable. Don’t give up.
Peace and good luck.