DIOVAN Reviews (VALSARTAN)Average Rating: 2.0 (776 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare DIOVAN with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Gender males first. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 |
More on DIOVAN: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR DIOVAN | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 2 | HBP | In retrospect, I now realize the fatigue I have been experiencing from the start of taking this drug and didn't pay attention because I was so elated over the fact it lowered my pressure. I also have a history of drug sensitivity and was in denial, I wanted this to work out. Well, 7.5 months into taking diovan the weirdest symptoms began and haven't stopped and I have been suffering with them for about 7 months since the onset. I immediately stopped all meds except the Diovan, thinking it couldn't be that because the symptoms didn't start when I began the drug. I had started taking a statin drug a few months before and blamed that, but nothing reversed when that drug was stopped. Here are my symptoms: non-stop rushes of painful tingling through first, my legs and then upper body, intermittent anxiety, pain everywhere especially in my joints, hands, toes, arms, shoulders, hips, and back (bone pain and muscle pain), muscle weakness and fatigue. Burning skin sensations on my shins, top | I was given Diovan to replace another drug which was not lowering my pressure enough and causing hair loss. The hairloss stopped but I didn't bargain on what was to come if it is the Diovan that is causing my health to deteriorate. Four Neurologists (a battery of tests), and a Rheumatologist later(fibromyalgia???), it is still not really clear what is causing my symptoms but I think and hope it's the Diovan. There is no other explanation. My Physician has taken me off for short term at my insistence to see if the symptoms reverse. If they don't, I am in trouble. If anyone has like experiences with this drug, please write. | F | 55 | 15 months | 8/8/2006 | 2 | high BP | Fatigue! I wake up tired and when I exercise each morning, I can barely make it through the rest of the day. Muscle aches after exercising have dramatically increased, esp. in calves. Mouth and eyes are dry, so dry that I have developed a "dry eye twitch" according to my eye dr. Gained 2 lbs. while dieting and exercising! | Have not had a significant decrease in BP. Think that with diet, exercise, and weight loss, I might be better off. | F | 44 | 60 days | 8/10/2006 | 2 | HBP | Extreme Fatigue suddenly at times, weight gain, brain-fog,thinning hair on top | Does lower blood pressure | F | 60 | 1 years | 10/5/2005 | 2 | HBP | Tiredness, weight gain | F | 60 | 10 months | 10/5/2005 | 2 | High Blood Pressure | I experienced shortness of breath when going up stairs, exercising, and this got worse the longer I took the medication. The day after my doctor had me stop taking it, the shortness of breath vanished. I'm now switched to a diuretic, which hopefully will work, as it's the 4th attempt to find one with side effects I can live with. | It didn't lower my blood pressure. I it also more expensive than the medication I was on before and the one I'm on now (diuretic). | F | 55 | 30 days | 12/17/2006 | 2 | HBP | Significant hair loss. general fatigue. mental dullness. | Not really lowering blood pressure enough. Am on 80 mgs and b/p is only lowered to the 140s over 90s. | F | 42 | 5 months | 10/21/2005 | 2 | high blood pressure | very tired first couple months, within the last 4 months, have been increasingly noticing heart palpatations, stomach burning even with food, dizziness & tingling in legs & hands. I am thinking of just quitting & see if I can manage BP on my own. My parents are on Loppressor & seem to like it. My BP is due to extreme busy-ness & minor "crisis" situations that I may over react to. | It seemed to work at first ( I was up to about 180 over 100) but then it wnet to pretty much normal. I am now up to about 138 over 88 average. I have no other health problems, normal weight, exercise, etc. Doc started me on 160 mg instead of 80. | F | 45 | 15 months | 4/16/2007 | 2 | HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE | Took 80 mg. Lowered my bp within one hour from 140/90 to 120/80. Felt exhausted. | Called pharmacist and she said it should take btwn 2-4 weeks to take affect. WHen I told her it took one hour and I felt lousy, she said that I should talk to my doctor about taking 40mg instead. Haven't taken it in 3 days and just now my bp is starting to rise. Strong stuff! Don't really like it. Makes me feel like c**p. | F | 51 | 2 days | 2/19/2007 | 2 | high blood pressure | Shooting pain in muscles and joints,Blurred vision (sometimes it appears as though a "sun spot" is in my eye and it takes several minutes to clear up, abdominal distension and gas, Constipation, Extreme fatigue. | I've been on this medication for almost 2 years. I've been having various issues lately and decided to do a search on this medication as I am only taking it and Synthroid for hypothyroidism. After seeing all these posts I no longer think I'm crazy. I took my blood pressure the other day and it was on the high end of normal which is strange to me since I'm on this medication. I've made an appointment with my doctor to see if I can try something else. In the meantime I'm going to not take my Diovan for a week and see if some of the symptoms subside. My blood pressure wasn't that high to begin with, but these side effects (if that is what they are) are horrible. | F | 41 | 2 years | 10/12/2007 | 2 | High Blood Pressure | After seeing side effects of 208 patients listed on the site, I had all the side effects except hair loss. My children noticed the memory loss. I remember that I immediately got thick around the middle which I shouldn't have because I had weight loss surgery and now it doesn't look like it. It did control my blood pressure but I believe we can find something else and get off this medicine. I plan to come to this site and compare all the medicines the Dr. puts me on from now on. | F | 52 | 5 years | 4/22/2007 | 2 | High Blood Pressure | Persistant cough and congestion, weight gain around the middle, joint (elbow) pain, occasional numbness and tingling in hand & arm, acid reflux, back pain, sore inside nose | Doctor told me my constant cough and congestion was allergies (which I never had before and allergy medication did not alleviate), my elbow pain was "tennis elbow." I went through weeks of physical therapy for back pain. I've tried to lose weight, but nothing helps. I never associated any of these symptons with Diovan until last week when I couldn't get my prescription refilled because the insurance company will not cover this drug anymore (HMO) and it's very expensive to buy on my own. I've been off it for a week waiting for my doctor to change me to something else - and I'm still waiting! Then suddenly last night I noticed that I haven't coughed in several days and I'm not up half the night coughing, and all the other symptons I've described seem to be going away. I was thinking all these things I was experiencing was just "getting older" but now I'm convinced that they are side effects from this drug. I think I'll try to find some other way to control my blo | F | 56 | 3 years | 3/22/2007 | 2 | HBP | After being on Diovan 40 for 4 weeks and Diovan 80 for 2 weeks, I woke up in the middle of last night with severe dizziness (vertigo), the room was spinning. I was able to go back to sleep but same thing happened when I woke up this morning; the vertigo was accompanied by nausea (I still took my Diovan 80 with water, as I do every morning, but threw it up half hour later...). Other side effects I have noticed: less urination, sluggishness, less mental acuity, (I work in finance so this is definitely not a good thing), and I have stopped menstruating. | My bp is still higher than it should be, although it has come down from where it was before I started taking medication. I have a call in to the doctor; I don't think I want to continue on this particular medicine. | F | 45 | 6 weeks | 1/23/2007 | 2 | Switched from another | Switched from Hydrochlorothiazide due to sun sensitivity but otherwise ok. It's been 3 weeks on 40mg. diovan. Higher bloodpressure, 7lb weight gain, terrible bloating, burning face. Normally got up at 5:30-6am. Dragging myself out of bed at 7:00. Nausea almost every morning like other said like morning sickness (this has diminished), Irritable, lethargic. Dr. put me back on Hydro.. as of today. | F | 54 | 3 weeks | 1/12/2007 | 2 | high blood pressure | EXHAUSTION, dizziness, mild stomach upset | I started taking Diovan 160 five days ago. My blood pressure dropped from 141/87 to 118/78. However, I am just so tired out. This is a big change, but too fast to seem safe. I fall asleep in the daytime! I am going to try taking it at night instead of in the morning, and I might even cut it in half to try a smaller dosage... | F | 43 | 5 days | 4/10/2007 | 2 | Prevent kidney damage due to diabet | Hair loss, weight gain of about 8 pounds all in my middle, dizziness, nausea, left shoulder pain, swollen ankles, loss of enthusiasm/motivation, can't walk more than a block without resting. | My doctor prescribed this to prevent damage to my kidneys due to diabetes. My BUN level was running about 27 (Normal is less than 20.). Did well as far as BUN is concerned for a couple years (I tolerated all the side effects because kidney failure scares the crap out of me.) Now today my latest labs show my BUN is UP to 33. What am I to do? Why did this drug stop protecting my kidneys? I'm waiting for a call back from my doctor to discuss my options. | F | 63 | 3 years | 4/12/2007 | 2 | high BP (150/90) | diarrhea, no symptom relief | PCP took me off a diuretic, suspected heart failure, and referred me to a cardiologist; symptoms were edema (> 6 years) and a productive cough (> 1 year) and elevated BP (when coughing); cardiologist recommended 40 mg of Diovan which did not relieve the edema or cough and caused diarrhea and BP was still high while coughing; I'm quitting Diovan today and going back to an alternative medicine M.D. tomorrow who was not concerned about my 180/95 BP while coughing (and on Diovan) and will try to heal the "cause" of the cough & edema instead of the "symptom" of the cough (elevated BP). | F | 52 | 3 weeks | 6/3/2007 | 2 | Borderline HBP (140/90) | abdominal bloating, weight gain, swelling in lower legs and ankles, fatigue, muscle weakness, exhaustion & need to rest after minimal exertion, difficulty concentrating, extreme bowel and urinary "urgency" (i.e., have to RUN to restroom as soon as I become aware of the need to "go" in order to avoid having to wear a diaper), diziness, occasionally feeling like I'm about to faint. BP readings since starting this drug have been around 110/68 in dr's office; probably lower at home since I have always had "white coat hypertension" (higher BP readings in dr's office than at home). | I started this med after I was discovered to have Borderline HBP after an injury that required knee surgery to repair. Have been taking it for 3 years; thought all my symptoms were due to "menopause" or laziness or "getting old" or deconditioning following knee surgery or not eating right or not exercising enough (can't even imagine exercising due to weakness and fatigue that makes it hard to even walk from the house to the car and vice versa). Before my knee injury / surgery (and starting on Diovan) I was very active; had a job in which I was on my feet and moving 10 hrs/day. Now I can't even walk a block w/out stopping to rest. I have no other health problems. None. All my other "numbers" are excellent (cholesterol, blood glucose, etc.) I should FEEL **MUCH** better than I do. After reading the other comments here I am going to taper off this med. I'm not convinced that I ever needed it in the first place. I think my BP was slightly higher than usual d | F | 53 | 3 years | 5/2/2007 | 2 | High Blood Pressure | Well they are not good, HAIR LOSS & THINNING, DIFICULTY BREATHING, SORE ON INSIDE OF NOSE, CHEST PAINS, STOMACH CRAMPS, COUGHING, WEIGHT GAIN, BLOATING, INSOMNIA, MEMORY LOSS. I wish these doctors knew how bad these side effects can feel. | This is the second hbp med I have taken. I had side effects within one day of taking it. I was on a beta-blocker which made me really sick, so they put me on diovan, which has lowered my bp to normal numbers but, the side affects I listed are awful. I am about ready to give up on this med cause I feel so lousy. I am not sure If my bp will get worse if I take myself off of it. Currently I am switching doctors because the one that I had doesn't care about me or that I need to function properly. I would have to say the hair loss and stomach cramps are the worst because I never had any of these problems before I started the diovan. Well hope to be off of it soon, I just want to feel normal again. | F | 28 | 2 weeks | 5/21/2007 | 2 | High Blood Pressure 180/110 | Was given trial dosage and began to have severe gastrointesinal pains (really bad gas) so I stopped taking and severe gas pain went away Started taking again while watching what I ate. Had severe gastrointestinal symptoms again that always lasted 7 to 8 hours. Other than that I had no other symptoms. Too bad for the pain of gas because otherwise for me I did not notice any other side effects. | F | 45 | 20 days | 7/27/2007 | 2 | hypertension | joint pains- increased after 3 weeks, stiffness on walking... chest pains approximately 3-4 hours after taking 80 mg but subsides. | F | 69 | 26 days | 6/13/2005 |