I just got back from the urgent care clinic. I woke up this morning with a bit of a fat lip. I figured that I slept with my knuckle against my mouth. But as the day progressed it got bigger and then started to go to the other side of my lower lip. By 4 I decided to call the doctor. They didnt seem concerned so I made an appt for tomorrow am. By 5 my lip was so swollen I thought it would split so I went to urgent care. I was feeling foolish being there for a fat lip until the dr came in and told me to immediately stop taking lisinopril for hbp. He said that it caused a potentially fatal condition called angioedema. I told him that I had been on it for months with no problem. He said sometimes it takes a while to cause trouble.
I was really upset because I didn't know to watch for this.I always read side effects on meds but this is such a rare side effect and I might add a stupid symptom that I didn't think twice about it. I felt really foolish showing up with a fat lip, but I am glad I did. Who knows how bad it could have been. Oh yeah, I got a HUGE steroid shot in the butt and was told to take 50mgs of prednisone for 5 dyys and take benadryl. I dont know who is more excited about the steroid, my husband because I will turn into a crying bitch or me because of the even greater than normal insomnia, and the crying bitch thing too! Lol
Oh goodness! Don't feel silly for showing up with a "fat lip". With all the meds we take, how can we memorize all those side effects? And like you said, you had been on it for months without a problem and most side effects show up when you first start taking it. Don't beat yourself up over this, you listened to your body, knew something wasn't right, and saved your life from a potentially fatal problem!
Good luck with the prednisone and I hope the swelling has gone down.
Never feel silly for nothing mate as you know we can't afford to neglect anything out of the usual and at least you found out by reacting quick plus i hope the steriod helps, sometimes you never know what meds cause what when your on a view and i've add some reactions in the past...twice i had my tongue swell and go inflammed and it happened the other day before i saw my rheumo my hubby brought me some pearl drops mouth wash to try as i always use listerine, oh yes did my mouth twice and on the 2nd occassion my left side swelled so i left it alone and it went down by the night time...when i told my rheumo and about it swelling before it was only to do with the sjogrens syndrome disease and how it reacts with things...so it just goes to show.
Get well soon and please update we how you are going.
The same thing happened to me. I was diagnosed last February 2012. By the summer time I started getting hives and swelling of my lips and face. I would take benedryl and that would help but it was very painful. When I would go to work I would always take claritin with me just in case (because I work nights and benedryl would do me in.) I had mentioned it in the summer to the Rheumatolgist who didn't have much to say. Well it got worse and worse. I figured it had something to do with lupus since angioedema is basically your body overreacting to something and releasing to much histamine and causing fluid to shift causing swelling (thats why the benedryl and claritin or allergy medicines will help). And lupus is basically your body doing the same thing and freaking out against itself. (at least to me it makes sense :)) Anyways I started doing research between lupus and angioedema and found that NSAIDS can exacerbate the problem. I started noticing the everytime I took ibuprofen my lips and face would swell. So I tried it 3 times on purpose and everytime it happened. I waited 2 weeks and had no swelling so i tried alleve and my lips swelled. So i haven't taking NSAIDS since December and it has never happened again. I am not saying this is the case with you but maybe something to take notice of just in case. I know many of us are very dependent on ibuprofen or alleve. But you have to be careful because angioedema is like an allergic reaction and you don't want to compromise your airway. At my next appointment I told the rheumatologist and she said she did remeber a studay in medical school about NSAIDS and lupus patients. So anyway, maybe this will help.
Wendy, that sounds really scary! My rash on my face when I was first diagnosed was so red and hot and kept getting bigger. I was sitting in urgent care trying to hide my face! We take so many meds you just don't know. Right now my tongue is swollen, they changed my thyroid meds so we will see!
That happened to me too with ibuprofen but only happens when I take it orally. If I use the Flector patches (which is a form of ibuprofen), I don’t have a problem.
Thanks for pointing this out as i've just been put on ibuprofen 1200mg daily orally, so if that ever happens i'll know where it's come from.
Cheers Terri :)
Amy said:
That happened to me too with ibuprofen but only happens when I take it orally. If I use the Flector patches (which is a form of ibuprofen), I don't have a problem.
Thanks everyone for the support. Well since I wrote my letter the lower lip swelling went down for the most part but when I woke up at 630 this am i felt the area between the gum and upper lip tingling. I jumped up and got dressed and my hubby took me to the er. They didn't think it was a big deal as I could still breath. I could feel it swelling while I was there. They gave me another steroid shot, ouch again, gave me a benadryl and said to follow up with my dr later that morning. When we got home and hour later I laid back down for an hour and when I woke up my upper lip looked like nothing I have ever seen! I went to my dr apt and they gave me ANOTHER steroid shot and told me to start the 50mg of pred as soon as I got home as well as benadryl and claritan. My lip felt like a piece of granite.
At about 5 this evening I could feel some of the swelling going down. Yay! But now it is going up my face. I have got no creases or wrinkles on my face as it is so swollen. My eyes are starting to swell up like when I don't take my restasis. I feel like an absolute train wreck! My sinuses are so full and the drainage is flowing like a faucet down the back of my throat. I'm thinking that maybe that is how all of the liquid is going to leave. I sure hope so!
Amy, thanks for the advice about the ibuprofen. I do my best to avoid it as when I was on it for a while it caused the lining of my stomach to get inflamed. Oh and I do have a call into my rheumie.
And thanks for all the good wishes and for letting me rant! :)
Man I’M sorry room heart that Thanks for the info about the ibuprofen. I’ve been taking it for a while myself. I wonder if that was causing all my swelling.
Thanks for the info on Ibuprofen. This swelling going up your face sounds really scary! Don't hesitate to present yourself to Urgent Care or the ER...take care of yourself!
thanks Susanjs. I wont hesitate at all next time and i hope there is no next time. The internist said i should start seeing aan allergist. as the reaction was from the med, we are pretty sure. But because i had this bad a reaction for one thing it could become more of an issue for other things in the environment. :( And cause more problems.
See your doctor like they said, my god it must be sore.
Well i've took ibuprofen for years with my periods and no reaction and when they stopped my periods, the rheumo swapped me to paracetamol but now i've been swapped back and with the Lupus and sjogrens being very active "Who knows"
You takecare my friend and update we again Wendy please.
A question to those of you who have had this before. My lips have gone back to normal and my face and eyes are getting better. After your episode did you feel like you were hit by a train? I'm not sure if it is the prednisone (50mg) or just all the battle going on in my body. I slept a lot today and just lounged around. Didn't feel like doing anything.
Since I did not hear back from my rh drs office I called them back. The lady I spoke to got upset right away that she was not informed of the call. She went and talked to the dr who said he wanted to see me on monday. He said it probably wasn't related to lupus that it was probably the lisinopril. I called my gp back and said I was just going to go to the rh dr and have them call her but she still wants to see me on monday too. Yuck, two in one day.
Sorry to hear how your feeling since it happened but it's best to see both doctor's and see what each one as to say, as those pic's looked bad and what you went through.
Wishing you the BEST OF LUCK for Monday and please update we.
Love Terri :)
lablover said:
Hi,
A question to those of you who have had this before. My lips have gone back to normal and my face and eyes are getting better. After your episode did you feel like you were hit by a train? I'm not sure if it is the prednisone (50mg) or just all the battle going on in my body. I slept a lot today and just lounged around. Didn't feel like doing anything.
Since I did not hear back from my rh drs office I called them back. The lady I spoke to got upset right away that she was not informed of the call. She went and talked to the dr who said he wanted to see me on monday. He said it probably wasn't related to lupus that it was probably the lisinopril. I called my gp back and said I was just going to go to the rh dr and have them call her but she still wants to see me on monday too. Yuck, two in one day.
