Cautionary Tale

Don't rely strickly on a Google search to figure out a strange rash.

I developed a strange rash on Sunday that itched like crazy and by evening,
spread around my face & neck. I checked Google & it looked to me like a
typical poison ivy rash. After treating it with all the usual stuff, it didn't feel
any better. Had trouble breathing by early Monday morning & called the Dr.
Saw him last night at 6;30pm and found out it was a reaction to a new med
he had added to my BP meds. It had caused edema in my lungs & the crazy
itchy rash & swelling on my face/neck.

If left unchecked, the breathing wopuld have become much worse and
might have involved a quick trip to the ER.

FYI. The new med was Lisinopril.

Oh, Liz! Next time maybe you'll read the (insanely fine print) long list of possible side effects when you take a new med - it always includes a" If you experience any of the following, contact your physician ..." I read them whenever I get a new medicine, knowing that my body objects to things as innocuous as celery, I figure I ought to be prepared!

Hope you feel better now!

Glad you had it checked out! I hope the itchiness stops soon.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Karen

Oh, Liz! Next time maybe you'll read the (insanely fine print) long list of possible side effects when you take a new med - it always includes a" If you experience any of the following, contact your physician ..." I read them whenever I get a new medicine, knowing that my body objects to things as innocuous as celery, I figure I ought to be prepared!

Hope you feel better now!

---

Karen, thing was, it was a new med added when I was in the hospital
in May. I didn't get a list of possible side effects. I guess they expect you
to just follow up with your own Doctor. My Dr said it was not a common
allergic reaction.

I did have a small outbeak of rash over 4th of July, but didn't call about it & it went away after about a week. This one was worse & made my face red, itchy & swollen.

Oh no! I hope you have a speedy recovery and the swelling eases soon. :love:

I've been taking Lisinopril for years with nary a sit effect - so has my husband. But I remember reading when I first got it, that the rash and trouble breathing can occur.

I'm so glad I never had had problems with it, because being an ACE inhibitor, it is a med that takes good care of my kidneys - and I am a diabetic.

I hope your doc can find another med that will work for you, and not against you.

I took Lisinopril for about a year and it took months to associate it with a weird tickle in my throat and cough. Sometimes it is really hard to associate side effects with medications. I am guilty of not reading warnings as closely as I should because the list is so long!! That could have been very scary to have the rash turn into a breathing problem! Glad you made the connection - thanks!:)

First thing I do when my doctor prescribes any new meds is look it up to see what the side effects are. Makes good sense.

Feel better, Liz. Glad you caught it right away and got treated. Anaphylaxis is not fun, and can be dangerous!!

HUGS,

Donna and fur kids

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sirrahbed

I took Lisinopril for about a year and it took months to associate it with a weird tickle in my throat and cough. Sometimes it is really hard to associate side effects with medications. I am guilty of not reading warnings as closely as I should because the list is so long!! That could have been very scary to have the rash turn into a breathing problem! Glad you made the connection - thanks!:)

---

I had that tickle and cough - especially at night. Drove me nuts. Come to find out it was caused by gastric reflux, not Lisinopril. Soon as I started Prilosec, the cough completely disappeared. Haven't taken a could lozenge is a couple of year!

I'm really very fortunate - the only allergic reaction I've ever had to a medication is Penicillin - and that reaction was when I was 5, so I don't remember it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

I had that tickle and cough - especially at night. Drove me nuts. Come to find out it was caused by gastric reflux, not Lisinopril. Soon as I started Prilosec, the cough completely disappeared. Haven't taken a could lozenge is a couple of year!

---

Fascinating. We go to a new ENT tomorrow for this tickle/cough/throat clearing....I just wonder.....though, with reflux..don't you have 'heart burn' or something similar???

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

Fascinating. We go to a new ENT tomorrow for this tickle/cough/throat clearing....I just wonder.....though, with reflux..don't you have 'heart burn' or something similar???

---

Yes, I did have heartburn, and that's when I tried the Prilosec. Didn't think much about it - the reflux went away, and I felt better. It was actually my husband who commented that I wasn't coughing at night any longer.

Then I realized I wasn't eating cough drops anymore :)

I had actually spoken to my doc about changing the BP meds, because of the cough - didn't have to happen.

Johanna do you take Lisinopril or anything with "pril" at the end? That cough is very annoying and I learned it is even called "lisinopril cough" in my case it just felt like a tickle and I would dry cough to "scratch" it. My doc said it was not serious just annoying but in my case it went completely away once I changed the medicine.

so... don't google your symptoms, just come to PT!! (J/K!!):D:p;) Seriously though, sometimes I have gotten very good anecdotal advice that has proven to be correct from this place!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

I've been taking Lisinopril for years with nary a sit effect - so has my husband. But I remember reading when I first got it, that the rash and trouble breathing can occur.

I'm so glad I never had had problems with it, because being an ACE inhibitor, it is a med that takes good care of my kidneys - and I am a diabetic.

I hope your doc can find another med that will work for you, and not against you.

---

I had a long time getting the correct dosage worked out, but thought
I had all the problems worked out by now. I also liked the idea of a ACE
inhibitor to go along with my Atenolol, a BP med which is not an ACE. I'm
pretty sure DR will come up with another choice to try.

Donna, yes, Not being able to get enough air to breath properly can be
very scary.:(

sirrahbed, yep, PT is better than Google, for finding out about many things,
not just our pets.:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

Yes, I did have heartburn, and that's when I tried the Prilosec. Didn't think much about it - the reflux went away, and I felt better. It was actually my husband who commented that I wasn't coughing at night any longer.

Then I realized I wasn't eating cough drops anymore :)

I had actually spoken to my doc about changing the BP meds, because of the cough - didn't have to happen.

---

The ENT today after the little telescope thingy (during which my son was a total CHAMP!!!) said, "it looks like he has reflux" :eek: So, we will start some zantac (sic)....how incredibly odd. Also said to stay away from five things: smoking, alcohol, caffeine, greasy food and something else. LOL. I hope to heck he meant J and not J's mommy. :p

PT, MD.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

The ENT today after the little telescope thingy (during which my son was a total CHAMP!!!) said, "it looks like he has reflux" :eek: So, we will start some zantac (sic)....how incredibly odd. Also said to stay away from five things: smoking, alcohol, caffeine, greasy food and something else. LOL. I hope to heck he meant J and not J's mommy. :p

PT, MD.

---

Give him an extra pillow to help elevate his head and shoulders, and make sure he doesn't lay down for the night, too soon after eating. Give that food time to travel further down!

I have reflux at times, and it's mostly associated with laying down too soon after eating. It chokes me to the point where I can't breath, and I bolt upright wheezing and gasping for air, much like someone who is having a severe asthma attack, I would imagine. It's pretty darn frightening, not being able to get any air into your lungs. Recently my son has started having the same thing too, but he is bad about eating late and then laying down.

^^, having him sleep on a pillow is hard enough. I would have to lift the entire bed. I am going to do the prescription med, and something called Gaviscon, OTC, and see what happens. Oh, and tell him to lay off the wine and cigs, too, of course.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

^^, having him sleep on a pillow is hard enough. I would have to lift the entire bed. I am going to do the prescription med, and something called Gaviscon, OTC, and see what happens. Oh, and tell him to lay off the wine and cigs, too, of course.

---

Yeah - I remember how it was with little kids and pillows! Try the food thing tho, as that does make a huge difference.
Don't laugh, but they do have lifts you can put under the legs of the bedframe to raise one end or the other, and also have foam wedges to put at the head area of the mattress so that it raises the head up. Never tried either, but they say they work.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

^^, having him sleep on a pillow is hard enough. I would have to lift the entire bed. I am going to do the prescription med, and something called Gaviscon, OTC, and see what happens. Oh, and tell him to lay off the wine and cigs, too, of course.

---

I thought you were talking about yourself being seen by the Doctor, not
your boy. Isn't he a bit young to be having reflux?:confused: I really had no
idea children could have this problem, but I sure hope the medicine helps him.
Poor baby.:(

I wish it were me. It was something Grace said yesterday that made me think reflux...and then I nearly fell over when the ENT said it this morning. We shall see what the med does.

To those of you that take the meds, how soon do you are/feel the results??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

I wish it were me. It was something Grace said yesterday that made me think reflux...and then I nearly fell over when the ENT said it this morning. We shall see what the med does.

To those of you that take the meds, how soon do you are/feel the results??

---

It's been a couple of years since I started, but I think I had relief within 4-5 days. Not long at all.

Liz, that is very scary- I'm glad you are now ok!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

I wish it were me. It was something Grace said yesterday that made me think reflux...and then I nearly fell over when the ENT said it this morning. We shall see what the med does.

To those of you that take the meds, how soon do you are/feel the results??

---

My husband found out he has "silent" GERD (meaning he has acid reflux but doesn't feel it) that was affecting his vocal cords/breathing. He noticed an improvement in his breathing just a few days after starting medication. He was also told certain foods were triggers and to stay away from them or use them sparingly (like coffee, tomatoes, etc). I hope your son feels better soon!

Please also contact the manufacturer about the reaction. The FDA requires pharma companies to track these. I'm glad you were able to figure it out! All the DTC ads now mention symptoms of drug allergies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pembroke_Corgi

Liz, that is very scary- I'm glad you are now ok!



My husband found out he has "silent" GERD (meaning he has acid reflux but doesn't feel it) that was affecting his vocal cords/breathing. He noticed an improvement in his breathing just a few days after starting medication. He was also told certain foods were triggers and to stay away from them or use them sparingly (like coffee, tomatoes, etc). I hope your son feels better soon!

---

I swear I already notice a significant decrease in the throat clearing. AND, PC- J has complained about breathing problems! He said it was hard to breathe, and that was why he did the throat clearing and this mouth thing. This is all just too odd for me.

Still, however, I have no logical explanation for why the long course of antibiotics and nasal steroid did the 'trick' for the condition 4-5 times before...if it is GERD.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

I swear I already notice a significant decrease in the throat clearing. AND, PC- J has complained about breathing problems! He said it was hard to breathe, and that was why he did the throat clearing and this mouth thing. This is all just too odd for me.

Still, however, I have no logical explanation for why the long course of antibiotics and nasal steroid did the 'trick' for the condition 4-5 times before...if it is GERD.

---

Is it possible he also has allergies? Eric has allergies and often has a post-nasal drip (gross I know). He has a condition called Vocal Cord Dysfunction, which has symptoms of asthma but is caused by an abnormal closing of the vocal cords. Anyway, the post-nasal drip and GERD both inflamed the condition, so his doctor has prescribed steroids before to help with swelling in his throat. It did help his symptoms, but not the underlying condition. Maybe nasal steroids did the trick for your son because the area was swollen and it helped alleviate his symptoms? I hope the GERD medication continues to help him though.

Well, the rash is back, and the swelling too.:eek: The whole right side of
my face feels like it's on fire & my right eye is so swollen. :(:( Five days on
the pred & pills for the itching and it's no better. I've made a appt. to see
the Dr at 2.30pm. Please send some good vibes my way if you can. Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lizbud

Well, the rash is back, and the swelling too.:eek: The whole right side of
my face feels like it's on fire & my right eye is so swollen. :(:( Five days on
the pred & pills for the itching and it's no better. I've made a appt. to see
the Dr at 2.30pm. Please send some good vibes my way if you can. Thanks.

---

Oh dear, Liz - you will be in our prayers to find an answer and a solution that actually works! Make yourself an ice pack, and wrap it in a towel, press that against your right eye and that side of your face, it'll help with the itching at least until you can get to the doctor.

oh how miserable!! feel better soon! the cold towel sounds like it would feel good for now...

Please make sure it's not shingles (ask your MD about this.) They can present like that (I had sharp pains along my jawline and scalp, then the rash erupted.) If that's what it is, the good news is that antivirals exist now that do help.

Well, nothing much to update. The Dr. feels this is not so unusual and
he just wants to continue with the Pred untill I finish the RX. (also pills for
the itching, just increase amt per day).

I was so freaked out by the way my face looked this morning, I wanted to
have my Doc check it out before the weekend. Looks absolutely awful.:eek:
Cold towel compresses do help cool the skin off, thank goodness, it's just
hard to drive anywhere while holding them.:D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lizbud

Well, nothing much to update. The Dr. feels this is not so unusual and
he just wants to continue with the Pred untill I finish the RX. (also pills for
the itching, just increase amt per day).

I was so freaked out by the way my face looked this morning, I wanted to
have my Doc check it out before the weekend. Looks absolutely awful.:eek:
Cold towel compresses do help cool the skin off, thank goodness, it's just
hard to drive anywhere while holding them.:D

---

So you're not taking the Lisinopril permanently? I would have a fit, and a good long talk with my doctor if this happened to me. Seems like there should be some other medication that could be used without all these nasty problems.

He didn't feel this was too unusual??? It sounds and must feel awful. Throw a damp towel into the freezer for a little bit, I find that more soothing than an ice pack.

I hope this ends soon!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grace

So you're not taking the Lisinopril permanently? I would have a fit, and a good long talk with my doctor if this happened to me. Seems like there should be some other medication that could be used without all these nasty problems.

---

Yep, he said to stop the lisinopril the first day I saw him. I still take another
BP med that I have been taking for a few years now. Doc felt my BP should
be lower still, so the lisinopril was added about 6 weeks ago.Then the allergic
reaction flareups started around July 4th weekend.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lizbud

Yep, he said to stop the lisinopril the first day I saw him. I still take another
BP med that I have been taking for a few years now. Doc felt my BP should
be lower still, so the lisinopril was added about 6 weeks ago.Then the allergic
reaction flareups started around July 4th weekend.

---

Have you ever tried HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide), along with your original BP med?

I started with 10 of Lisinopril, went to 20, then 40. After a bit the HCTZ was added. Now I'm going backwards. My BP started going way down with the 40 & 25 - like 73/47!! So my doc cut the Lisinopril down to 10 again - still taking the HCTZ, but can't take them at the same time or the bottom drops out. Very curious.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cataholic

Throw a damp towel into the freezer for a little bit, I find that more soothing than an ice pack.

I hope this ends soon!

---

Thanks Johanna.:) I hope this is over with ASAP.