I take lisinopril/Hctz and have chronic leg pain, is there a connection

Hello Mary McSweeny,

Yes there could be a connection.  Let me explain.

HCTZ, or hydrochlorothiazide, is a diuretic drug used to reduce blood pressure.  It works in your kidneys, the organs in your body that make urine, by getting rid of different electrolytes into urine.  This, in turn, causes more of the water part of your blood to removed in the kidney, too.

Your body uses electrolytes in nerve conduction and muscle contraction.  When you do not have enough of these minerals (more correctly, ions, but that's another discussion), it can cause muscle cramps which can be painful.

However, electrolyte abnormalities are not often described as burning.  There are several other medical conditions that cause pain in the legs.  One, your hypothyroid, if not adequately treated, could cause pain.  If you have diabetes, you could have something called peripheral neuropathy.  Also, depending on your age, you could have arthritic changes in your spine which impinge on the nerves exiting from your spinal cord, causing what is commonly called sciatica.

All of these are possibilities of the cause of your pain.  You should make an appointment soon with your doctor to determine the exact cause of your pain.  Be sure to note all your symptoms, when they occur, what makes your pain better and worse, and relate these to your physician.

To your health,

Neil MD

GET AWAY FROM THIS DANGEROUS DRUG AS FAST AS YOU CAN . After 2 years of 40mg/day I could hardly walk due to severe joint pain. 3 different doctors all told me this drug was well tolerated and acted like I was stupid for complaining. All of them gave me the same speech and drew the same diagram on paper about why Lisinopril was the best drug out there. It amazed me that the drug companies had these guys so brainwashed.

When I told the doctor about some of these posts he said "Yeah, you can find any answer you want on the internet. People don't know what's going on" They wanted to give me more drugs to counteract the joint pain. They didn't know why my energy level was at an all-time low. It surely couldn't have been their wonder drug.

Needless to say, once I got away from this stuff I started feeling immediately better. I now take 5mg Norvasc and my blood pressure has dropped dramatically. I have lost weight, my joints are back to normal, I have energy. DON'T LET THE DOCTORS TALK YOU INTO LISINOPRIL .
IT'S YOUR LIFE.