What Is Lisinopril Used For?

What is lisinopril used for? Lisinopril is typically used to lower blood pressure, treat congestive heart failure, and improve survival following a heart attack. Sometimes, healthcare providers may recommend lisinopril for other medical conditions. Of the possible off-label uses that lisinopril is used for, one of these is the treatment of kidney problems in people with scleroderma.

What Is Lisinopril Used For? -- An Overview

 Lisinopril (available as Zestril®, Prinivil®, and generic lisinopril) is a prescription medication that has been licensed to treat a number of conditions. These uses for lisinopril include the following:
 
High Blood Pressure
A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers -- for example: 120/80. The top number is known as the systolic blood pressure and the bottom number is the diastolic blood pressure. High blood pressure is defined as an average blood pressure higher than 140/90 with multiple blood pressure readings.
 
Based on clinical studies, lisinopril has been shown to significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The higher the dose of lisinopril, the greater the drop in blood pressure tended to be. By lowering blood pressure, lisinopril can decrease the risks that often occur with long-term high blood pressure (see Effects of High Blood Pressure). Lisinopril is not a cure for high blood pressure, however.
 
Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the body. It does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way that it should.
 
For people with congestive heart failure, lisinopril decreases blood pressure, which makes the heart more efficient and allows more blood to be pumped from the heart. Because of this effect, lisinopril can cause a decrease in the symptoms of congestive heart failure (including shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling), along with improved exercise tolerance. However, lisinopril is not a cure for congestive heart failure.
 
Improving Survival Following a Heart Attack
A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction) is a life-threatening event in which the supply of blood and oxygen to part of the heart is blocked for a long enough period of time that a portion of the heart muscle dies.
 
Following a heart attack, taking lisinopril on a daily basis decreases the chance of death by up to 11 percent. It is not known exactly how lisinopril improves survival after a heart attack.
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;
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