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How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your System? Lisinopril Half Life

You might be wondering if it can show up on a drug screening? Drugs like Lisinopril generally show up on urine tests for a few days to a week. Read more about the different treatment options for you or your loved ones struggling with Lisinopril abuse.

How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your System?

Lisinopril is the generic name for an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor prescription medication. The current popular brand name for lisinopril is Zestril, but several other brands are associated with this medication. ACE inhibitors like lisinopril lower blood pressure, reducing heart damage and the risk of heart disease associated with damage to the blood vessels. It is prescribed explicitly after a heart attack to improve survival and reduce the risk of future heart attacks. 

Lisinopril is not listed as a controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; however, it requires a physician’s prescription to obtain it legally due to some of its side effects and potential interactions with other medications. Even though there is very little information about cases of lisinopril abuse, people who chronically abuse drugs often combine numerous types of drugs to achieve unique psychoactive experiences.

You might be wondering if it can show up on a drug screening. Millions of Americans take drug tests for work every year, so it’s a common concern with prescription drugs. The time it takes for a drug to leave your system depends on its half-life. The half life of lisinopril is 12.6 hours. That means it takes 12.6 hours to get half of the drug out of your system. It takes five half-lives to get the drug out of your system, so you can expect it to stick around for about two and a half days.

How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your System? Urine Test

When looking at what the Lisinopril half life is, many people start by considering the time it takes the drug’s chemicals to be undetectable in the urine. Lisinopril can stay in your urine for up to 3 days after use. A urine test can’t detect amounts of lisinopril. However, it can tell whether you’ve taken the drug recently or not.

Some doctors use urine testing to determine if their patients are taking their medication as directed. Lisinopril isn’t part of a standard urine panel for illicit drug use. 

How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your System? Hair Test

Theoretically, lisinopril could stay in your hair for at least a month. Your hair can show evidence of many kinds of drug use within 30 days of use. 

In reality, you’re not likely to receive a hair test for lisinopril. The drug is considered to have a low potential for abuse. It doesn’t cause euphoria and is not part of most standard drug panels. 

How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your System? Blood Test

Like urine tests, blood tests can detect lisinopril for up to 3 days after use. This isn’t an exact figure and can vary based on factors like metabolism and dosage. 

How long does lisinopril 10 mg stay in your system? You’re unlikely to have a blood test that checks for lisinopril. Your doctor may check lisinopril levels with a blood serum test if they need to know your levels. But even that is unlikely. 

How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in Your System? Saliva Test

How long does 20mg of lisinopril stay in your system? Lisinopril stays in your saliva for the same time as your blood serum. That means lisinopril and its byproducts can remain in your saliva for up to 3 days.

However, you probably won’t ever have a saliva or buccal swab test for lisinopril. That’s because lisinopril isn’t part of most routine drug screening panels. 

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Lisinopril Abuse Statistics

Lisinopril is currently the single-most popular prescription medication in the United States, with over 104,779,318 prescriptions so far in 2020. Lisinopril is not listed as a controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration: however, it does require a prescription from a physician to legally obtain it due to some of its side effects and potential interactions with other me


14.81%

14.81% of people abused the drug after the first year, and the same percent abused the drug 2–5 years after receiving a prescription for it

Source: NCBI

43.01%

Of the people who abused the drug, 43.01% were women, and 56.99% were men

Source: NCBI

1 in 4 adults

Only 1 in 4 adults with hypertension have well-controlled blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, there are options to help manage it. One potential option is lisinopril

Source: NCBI


Lisinopril Drug Fact Sheet

Why is this medication prescribed?

Lisinopril is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. It is used in combination with other medications to treat heart failure.

Lisinopril is also used to improve survival after a heart attack. Lisinopril is in a class of medications called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

It works by decreasing certain chemicals that tighten the blood vessels, so blood flows more smoothly and the heart can pump blood more efficiently.


What are the common side effects?

  • cough
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • excessive tiredness
  • nausea
  • diarrhea
  • weakness
  • sneezing
  • runny nose
  • decrease in sexual ability
  • rash

How should this medicine be used?

Lisinopril comes as a tablet and a solution (liquid) to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day. To help you remember to take lisinopril, take it around the same time every day.

Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take lisinopril exactly as directed.

Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.


Warnings and Precautions

  • Angioedema: Discontinue lisinopril, provide appropriate therapy, and monitor until resolved 
  • Renal impairment: Monitor renal function periodically
  • Hypotension: Patients with other heart or renal diseases have increased risk. Monitor blood pressure after initiation 
  • Hyperkalemia: Monitor serum potassium periodically 
  • Cholestatic jaundice and hepatic failure: Monitor for jaundice or signs of liver failure 

How Long Does Lisinopril Stay in System Lab Tests?

You may be tested for lisinopril. This might occur if your doctor thinks you are being dishonest about whether you are following your lisinopril prescription. Another would be if you overdosed on the drug and doctors wanted to check to see what was in your system.

Drugs like lisinopril remain detectable by screening methods for varying lengths of time-based on several factors. These include:

  • Duration of use: Those who have been using lisinopril for longer will find that it stays on lab tests longer.
  • Dosage: If you take a smaller dose of lisinopril, it should clear out your system faster.
  • Frequency of use: Those who use lisinopril more often will find that it shows up on lab tests for longer.
  • Whether you are using other drugs: If you have other prescriptions or you drink or use drugs recreationally, it may affect how long lisinopril shows up on drug tests.
  • Your metabolism: People process all things, including drugs like lisinopril, at different rates. Lisinopril will move through your body faster if you have a fast metabolism.
  • Your health: Factors like weight, age, and even genetics can all affect how long it takes to clear lisinopril from your body. People who are healthier overall will move lisinopril through their system faster.

These factors are not the same for everyone. If you wonder how long lisinopril stays in your body, there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer.

How long does Lisinopril stay in your system? Drugs like lisinopril generally show up on urine tests for a few days to a week.
How long does Lisinopril stay in your system? Drugs like lisinopril generally show up on urine tests for a few days to a week.

Would Lisinopril Be Detected During Most Drug Screening Tests?

Most drug tests for employment purposes will not detect the presence of lisinopril. This includes standard 12-panel and 13-panel drug screens.

This is because lisinopril is not considered a significant drug of abuse. It is not typically abused, even in clinical populations.

Unless there is some reason that someone would be screening for every single substance used, such as during an autopsy, or some entity is looking specifically for lisinopril use, the drug will most likely not be screened for during drug testing.

What is The Half Life of Lisinopril?

According to the FDA, the half life of Lisinopril (Zestril) is about 12 hours after multiple doses. That means it takes the body about 12 hours to reduce lisinopril concentrations by half. It will take more than two half-lives for the body to eliminate this drug.

Lisinopril Half Life

Mean effective half life Lisinopril : 12.6 hours

Time to steady-state: After the second daily dose

Mean accumulation ratio: 1.38

Terminal phase Lisinopril half life: 40 hours

Does Lisinopril Last 24 Hours?

Lisinopril is a once-daily (sometimes prescribed as twice daily) medication. Patients are typically closely monitored for their first few doses; physicians may adjust doses accordingly to stabilize their blood pressure levels.

Can You Take Lisinopril 2 Times a Day?

No; unless explicitly instructed by your doctor, you should not suddenly stop taking lisinopril. Always consult your physician before changing your dose, schedule, etc.

 

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What are the Health Risks of Taking Lisinopril?

Individuals who already have diabetes are at risk for worsening symptoms due to rapid blood sugar changes, usually sudden drops in blood sugar, especially within the first month of use. In rare cases, Lisinopril is linked with liver damage. This may be more likely among individuals who have previously abused drugs or alcohol that damage the kidneys and liver, so taking a higher dose of Lisinopril exacerbates existing problems.

Sometimes, an individual who has struggled with substance abuse or addiction in the past will start abusing their current prescriptions. Anyone with a history of addiction or drug abuse should report this condition to their doctor when they get a new prescription medication. This will help the doctor monitor for signs of compulsive drug misuse or abuse.

Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

Signs of prescription drug abuse include:

  • Stealing drugs
  • Forging prescriptions
  • Taking higher doses than prescribed or taking doses more often than prescribed
  • Mood swings, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, or appearing intoxicated
  • Becoming defensive or aggressive when questioned about substance abuse
  • Lying about how much of the drug is being consumed
  • Poor decision-making
  • Losing prescriptions frequently
  • Needing refills more often than necessary
  • Doctor shopping to get multiple prescriptions
How long does Lisinopril stay in your system? Lisinopril shows up in lab tests for different amounts of time depending on the type of test, the last time taken, and personal health factors.
How long does Lisinopril stay in your system? Lisinopril shows up in lab tests for different amounts of time depending on the type of test, the last time taken, and personal health factors.

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Serious Health Issues Linked with Lisinopril Abuse

Several conditions that are linked with an increased risk of drug abuse, including abusing prescription medications, were reported in the 195 individuals who abused Lisinopril: 38 individuals reported depression; 18 individuals reported insomnia or sleeplessness; 15 individuals reported anxiety and stress; 14 individuals reported drug dependence on previous substances; and 14 individuals reported chronic pain.

Although Lisinopril does not cause a high like typically addictive drugs, including prescription sedative-hypnotics, painkillers, benzodiazepines, and prescription stimulants, some individuals abuse this prescription drug. Prescription abuse includes drug abuse, but it also has failed to follow the prescribing physician’s instructions, failing to take doses at appropriate times, adjusting the amount without consulting the doctor, stealing the drug from loved ones, accidentally ingesting too much, or taking harmful, intoxicating drugs alongside Lisinopril.

Abuse of a drug like Lisinopril can indicate relapse in individuals who have struggled with addiction. Anyone who has struggled with any addiction has a chance of relapse. Addiction is a chronic illness, and like other chronic illnesses such as hypertension, asthma, and diabetes, a relapse of symptoms will occur at some point for most individuals. About 40­–60% of people who struggle with addiction will relapse at some point, meaning they should return to rehabilitation to manage their symptoms.

Lisinopril Overdose

Lisinopril is usually prescribed for hypertension or during a heart attack to help relax blood vessels and reduce blood pressure. Can you overdose on Lisinopril? Dosing may start from 5mg to 20mg daily, with any amount above the prescribed dose considered an overdose. Although overdosing usually is pretty well tolerated, acute overdoses involving children or overdosing over an extended period could have significant adverse side effects.

Lisinopril Overdose Symptoms

The most common immediate side effect of an overdose on Lisinopril is a drop in blood pressure, which can cause fainting, dizziness, or extreme weakness. There is more danger from the after-effects of the drop in pressure depending on what the person was doing at the time of the blood pressure drop than internal harm to the patient.

What happens if you overdose on lisinopril? Lisinopril overdose over an extended period could cause internal organ damage due to loss of oxygen, which is generally carried to the brain, heart, and major organs by blood flow. Renal failure is possible due to oxygen deprivation, as is another major organ failure. 

Intentional lisinopril overdose may lead to allergic reactions, which anyone ingesting lisinopril could experience, and will tend to be more pronounced if the amount of the medication is above the recommended dose.  If a person experiences facial swelling, trouble breathing, hives, irregular heartbeat or an extreme stomachache, she will need immediate medical treatment. Vomiting may also indicate an allergic reaction and cause a medical consult.

Lisinopril Overdose Death

An ACE‐inhibitor overdose may cause severe hypotension and has been reported after ingesting captopril, enalapril, lisinopril, and quinapril. Lisinopril overdose fatal symptoms can be caused by hypotension. Hypotension may be prolonged or fatal in extreme cases. Patients with moderate to severe hypotension require close observation in a critical care environment, administration of intravenous fluids, and inotropic support.

Lisinopril Overdose Treatment

Despite the potential to cause severe hypotension, the hemodynamic effects after an ACE‐inhibitor overdose are generally mild, and most patients do not require any specific treatment. Few data are available to guide the optimal period required to detect hypotension in patients who present to the hospital after an ACE‐inhibitor overdose.

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Lisinopril Discontinuation Syndrome

Because Lisinopril is not a significant drug of abuse, any symptoms resulting from abruptly stopping the medication would likely be classified as discontinuation syndrome.

 How long does lisinopril stay in your system after stopping? The major symptoms that are most likely to occur as a result of the abrupt discontinuation of medications designed to treat hypertension, like ACE inhibitors, are:

  • Rebound hypertension (a return of high blood pressure levels that are near or even above the levels present before using the medication)
  • An increased risk of heart attack
  • Increased risk for stroke
  • Increased risk for other organ failures, such as kidney failure

The rebound increase in blood pressure may be rapid (occurring within 48 hours of discontinuation). The blood pressure increase appears to plateau after about five days and then stabilize, but it may not drop significantly.

Alcohol and Lisinopril 

When individuals mix Lisinopril and alcohol, there are things to know with regard to potential side effects, interactions, and dangers of combining the two. First, when you mix Lisinopril and alcohol, it can reduce the drug’s effectiveness.

Studies have been done to look at the relationship between Lisinopril and alcohol, and they have shown that drinking too much alcohol is a common reason for high blood pressure and it can make the problems worse than what the medicine is being used to treat. A possible inverse effect of Lisinopril and alcohol is blood pressure that’s too low.

Alcohol and Lisinopril Side Effects

Interactions may occur if you drink alcohol while taking lisinopril. Some may be minor, while others may be more serious. It is not recommended to consume alcohol while taking lisinopril. Everyday interactions are typically associated with alcohol increasing the effects of lisinopril, making it appear as if you took a higher dose. Regular alcohol consumption while taking high blood pressure medication can also reduce the effectiveness of the treatment because alcohol consumption can cause hypertension.

  • Dizziness: Combining alcohol and lisinopril can cause dizziness. Alcohol can enhance the effects of lisinopril, resulting in low blood pressure. 
  • Fainting: If you combine lisinopril and alcohol, you may faint or pass out if your low blood pressure rises. Fainting is dangerous, so if you feel lightheaded or dizzy after consuming alcohol and lisinopril, remain seated and notify your healthcare provider.
  • Drowsiness: While alcohol alone can cause drowsiness, if it causes a drop in blood pressure by increasing how lisinopril works, it may cause feelings of sleepiness.
  • Severe fatigue: More potent than feeling tired, combining lisinopril with alcohol can result in extreme fatigue, making it challenging to function until the effects wear off.
  • Muscle cramps: Changes in blood pressure and hydration levels can cause uncomfortable muscle cramping, which is exacerbated by alcohol consumption.

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Lisinopril Detox Near Me

First and foremost, if you think a loved one is abusing Lisinopril, you should first research the drug and addiction associated with it to understand better what your loved one needs. Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle their addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. Lastly, offer your support throughout the entire treatment process.

In addition, prolonged Lisinopril use can have severe physical and psychological effects, so it is essential to seek treatment as soon as possible. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of withdrawal. 

Medically Assisted Detox

Medical detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated withdrawal process but doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete detox.

Cravings are very common during detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can offer the necessary medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and the effects of withdrawals.

Inpatient Treatment

If your Lisinopril addiction is severe or you have co-occurring mental health or medical issues, an inpatient program can provide intensive care. Inpatient treatment demands that you live at the facility for the entire duration of your treatment. These programs provide a safe environment and a high level of structure that minimizes triggers to use the drug. Before starting treatment, medical professionals will assess your situation and your addiction to create a tailored treatment plan. This may include group and individual therapy, family therapy, relapse prevention lessons, support groups, and aftercare planning.

Support Groups

Before, during, or after treatment, you may attend 12-step meetings like AA/NA or other support groups. When you go to a support group, you will be welcomed by individuals who know what you’ve been through because they’ve gone through it too. Feeling accepted can make a massive difference in your healing because you will create a new support network of sober people and learn from individuals who have been abstinent from drugs for a longer period of time.

Aftercare Addiction Treatment Program

While in rehab, you will get ready for your transition out of treatment by developing an aftercare plan. This will look different for every person and may include:

  • Transitioning into a sober living facility
  • Locating a counselor or therapist outside of treatment
  • Regularly attending 12-step meetings or other support groups

After you leave treatment, you must stay involved with aftercare recovery treatment to prevent relapse.

How long does lisinopril stay in your system? Although this drug doesn’t offer the brain effects most people crave with recreational drugs, it still has the potential for abuse.
How long does lisinopril stay in your system?  Although this drug doesn’t offer the brain effects most people crave with recreational drugs, it still has the potential for abuse

Find the Right Treatment Plan at We Level Up NJ

The inpatient treatment approach works best to change the person’s behaviors. Also, it will help clients establish social support systems and better methods of coping with stress. However, a person will likely experience many different side effects from the abuse and misuse of Lisinopril. These side effects may be physical, emotional, or mental. For instance, someone in withdrawal will likely experience many uncomfortable feelings and negative thoughts about life during detox. Unfortunately for those with dependency, medically assisted Lisinopril detox is an unavoidable first step towards recovery. 

Please, do not try to detox on your own. The detox process can be painful and difficult without medical assistance. However, getting through the detox process is crucial for continued treatment. We Level Up NJ provide proper care with round-the-clock medical staff to assist your recovery. So, reclaim your life, call us to speak with one of our treatment specialists. Our counselors know what you are going through and will answer any of your questions. 

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