Hello there. Thank you for the inquiry. It seems to me that you are having a late onset of allergies. Allergies commonly occur from childhood. The things that cause allergies are called allergens. Examples of allergens are dust, mites, seafood, pet fur, chemicals and also certain medications.

The symptoms can vary such as sneezing, itching and even cough. The body’s immune system overreacts to the allergen causing such symptoms. In my opinion, the worsening of the symptoms of allergies could be due to prolonged exposure to the allergens or the hypertension medications. As for the worsening of symptoms, your hypertension medication may worsen a pre-existing allergies.

ACE inhibitors such as captopril are known to cause side effects such as angioedema, swelling of the face, mouth and oral cavity. It is known as oral allergy syndrome. Taking the medication has possibly worsened your allergies symptoms. Although there is a small risk of worsening allergic reaction, the benefit of your hypertension medication outweighs this problem.

The swelling will usually in a day or two but may happen again and keep more and more severe, there is a risk of fatality. By stopping the medication in most cases, the symptoms improve. For this, I recommend that you consult your general practitioner to change your anti-hypertensive medication with a lesser side effect.

Meanwhile, the allergy symptoms can be managed. The general rule is to avoid all known allergens and consume anti-allergy medications. I recommend that you consult a doctor or a pharmacist for this to tailor your needs as some of these medications may cause drowsiness. I hope this helps you understand better.