There are 329 ratings for the drug: DIOVAN HCT in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for diovan hct: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken and Dosage		Date Added
				F  M
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1	High blood pressure	When HCT was added to Diovan, I was sleepy but sleepless, depressed, daily leg cramp, difficult breathing, itching, hemorrhoids sore, fatigue, anxiety, reflux, confusion, restless. I'm 80 years old, had kidney transplants 8 years ago. I have remained fairly healthy and take several different meds. But Diovan which I was told was good for transplant patients, became toxic to me with the HCT added. I would not recomment this medicine to anyone. Rate: 1		F	80	5 months		5/15/2009 Email
3	high blood pressure	Doesn't work very well, systolic especially still too high, 0ver 150.	I have been taking Diovan HCT 160/25 for 3 years. Fatigue mild until a few months ago, now it is bad. If I work in the yard for an hour, I require a two hour nap!!!! I have also badly swollen feet, swollen legs, back ache, bottom of my heels hurt when I walk. Blood pressure varies all over the place, which is one of the problems with taking it more often. I kept track for a long time, but Dr. isnt't interested. Had a Holter monitor 24 hours--that Dr. said I could have meds for irregular heart beat, but worry about side effects. I have very bad varicose veins, and once in a while blood clots in superficial veins. I have tried various other bp meds, but had really bad side effects, tho much better bp control. I have been taking Armour thyroid for sixty years, with no side effects, and very,very stable results since the thyroid gland removal. I wish I could find a BP pill that works as well. That is all the meds I take, at age 79. 10 lbs overweight, tho. Always very active and hate being	F	79	3 years		8/14/2006 Email
2	HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE	FATIGUE, DRY MOUTH AND POSSIBLY LOOSE BOWELS.	COMING OFF SURGERY FOR KIDNEY REMOVAL. AORTIC ANEURYISM IS 4.4 SO DOCTOR IS CHASING THAT SCENARIO.	M	79	2 days		11/1/2006 Email
5	Moderate High BP	No noticable side effects	Insurance provider dictated switch from Avalide to Diovan HCT. Effectiveness seems to be the same for both	M	76	2 years		11/28/2005
1	High blood pressure	I've experienced terrible hair loss, arthritic type pain that prevents my everyday work, weight gain, muscles seem to be getting weaker as shown by weight lifting doing yard work/housework, and dry eyes much worse after taking this med. Insomnia is much worse, also. I rarely get over four hours sleep per night which makes me a zombie the next day.	I was prescribed Diovan HCT to replace lisinopril which gave me a dry cough. This med did control my pressure, but the side effects from this med will cause me to see my MD about a change.	F	76	3 months 160-25MG 1X D		7/17/2010
1	HBP	Extreme fatigue, lowered cognitive skills, total body soreness	My uncle is taking this. He is on the 320/25 along with 20mg of Crestor. Both were prescribed after he had a mild/minor stroke due to blood clot. The medicine seems to be absolutely killing him. Some of these effects are no doubt due to the stroke, but a lot of the symptoms seem due to the medicine. After reading other reviews of both medicines it seems he is on a much higher dosage of both. Seeing the problems that occur from much smaller doses we decided to stop taking both meds today and are going to be more diligent with the exercise/diet. He is a shell of his former self right now.	M	76	14 days		1/24/2009 Email
5	High Blood Precher	None	No Comments as of Age of 70yr,s till know this is my Mother. Do you have Free30-Day tril Certificate For Diovon 160/.25.	F	75			1/26/2006 Email
1	High Blood Pressure	Weight gain, all in the middle, of 30 lbs since taking this drug Cramps in the groin area constantly and sciatic type of pain running down the leg Thinning Hair, dry scalp with patches of dandruff, bleeding and swollen gums, I could have dealt with all of these I guess, because diovan hct lowered my blood pressure to 120/70 for the first time in 30 years....but I began after a few months to have aches and pains all over my body, at first because I am in my 70"s I thought it was Arthritis but later the legs and the back and the hips were in such pain always that I couldn't even sit in a chair or lie down in bed, eye twitching constantly left eye and always a dull headache.....Dr. didn't seem to think it was the Diovan,also diahrea often and sometimes constipation, never had these before. At this writing I stopped the Diovan 2 days ago, and already much of my aches and pains are disappearing, I also changed Dr. the new Dr. said absolutely even my constant dry cough a	I am furious beyond words at the Manufacturer of this medication, it weems from your web site less than 5% of the patients can tolerate this poison.....but while killing you it does lower your blood pressure...... Was rushed to the hospital 2 years ago because the coughing was so bad I couldn't stop for weeks, Drs there treated me for Pneumonia, but it wasn't , it was Diovan...can't tell you what that cost.	F	75	3 years		11/13/2007 Email
5	avapro300 no effect on blood pressu			M	73	14 days 320/25 hct 1X W		2/22/2010
1	control blood pressure	rash all over my legs and arms. dry mouth and cough	Diovan really kept my blood pressure down, but can't stand the side effects. I went off of it on July 21st. I could not stand the itch on my legs and arms nor could I stand the dry mouth and cough.	F	72	180 days 40mg 1X D		7/29/2010
1		I have had just about all the side effects from this drug that other posters have experienced. Leg, ankle, elbow, Knee and lower back aches. Sweating at night, caugh, sinus, and dizziness. Yep, the list goes on.	I have taken myself off this curse starting today and hopefully I will get back to feeling like a human being again. I wish I would have found this website sooner as I thought it was just me, but after reading all these comments I feel like a new person already. I'm also looking for a new doctor.	M	72	1.5 years		3/26/2007
2	Hypertension	Worked OK for about two months and then my blood pressure started to go up to previously high (very high) levels. Switched to Benicar with HCTZ and have been doing great for several years.		M	70	2 months		12/7/2009
1	high blood pressure	Severe hair loss - I am a female - age 70 years old. I did have a thick head of hair. I am dizzy, tired, my legs are heavy. My heart races. I lowered my dosage myself and feel much better. It is the only medication that I seem to be able to tolerate for this condition. I have tried many in all categories. I guess I'm stuck until something else comes along. I also am sure Diovan greatly affects my eyesight. This seems some better since I decreased my dosage.		F	70	5 years 160 m. 1X D		8/31/2010 Email
5	B/P	NONE	MY HAIR DID NOT FALL OUT. I AM 40LBS OVER WEIGHT BECAUSE I QUIT SMOKING 4 YEARS AGO. I TAKE DIOVAN 320/25. MY B/P WAS 180/100. NOW MY B/P IS 120/68. *** I FEEL GREAT ***	M	69	6 years		3/13/2005
3	high bp	Serious diarrhea and I never considered it could be due to the Diovan hct. It has lowered my bp, but at such expense. My weight gain has also been real and hard to control. What do I do now? I have been taking Diovan for a long time, and had the problem all along.		F	69	4 days		9/12/2007
1	high blood pressure	All of the above..what the rest of the patients said. Additionally, I've gotten off of crestor, and refused to take Lipitor..I'm going the natural way and I'm steadily improving, I even ran Mother's day, a short distance, but couldn't even walk before...getting off of it all!!! not my lunesta though...lol	THIS IS FROM THE FDA: 43) Diovan, Valsartan, 80MG TAB, Mfg. NVT, NDC 00078-0358-34, Rx Only. Recall # D-1318-2009	F	69	4 months 10 mg 1X D		5/12/2010 Email
1	did not take this	this drug along with diovan fosamax, actonel.boniva evista,,are all bad for the body,,,,they should be banned...wonder if drs prescribe them for family members...all belong in trash can. nuff said.		F	69	0 days		4/24/2007
1	High Blood Pressure	I started taking this medicine Jan 2009 and right away I only noticed being nausea but thought that would go away. This feeling only got worse and I started feeling so very tired, cold,and depressed. In April I hit a low! I was hit with severe fatigue and nausea. I had the dry heaves, could hardly move, dizziness,heart palpitations, and heaviness of my arms and legs. I have always gone to the YMCA 3 times a week to excerise and had to stop that. I lost 19 pounds in 3 months and could not eat without getting very sick. I went to the doctor and he took me off the Diovan HCT but told me it would take 2 to 3 weeks to get this medicine out of my system. I am starting to feel better after 2 weeks but I still could care less if I eat anything and have to force myself to drink liquids.	I have been on blood pressure medicines for years, I took Avalide and Norvasc but when I changed doctors the first of the year he put me on Diovan 160/12.5 (because it was cheaper) and Norvasc. I never had problems with the avalide but this Diovan HTC has just made a mess of my life.Some days I am so tired I get out of breath just trying to talk. I will NEVER take another one of this medicine. I would rather die than feel like this!	F	69	3 months		4/25/2009 Email
4	Hypertension control	This medication does lower my blood pressure with fewer side effects than the 15 others I have tried--HOWEVER, yesterday the billed price for my RX for this drug went up 200% through my Medicare Advantage Program! A 200% increase with no warning the very same day Obama signed the Health Care bill---does that seem ironic to anyone else? I for one, CANNOT AFFORD THIS 200% increase! Now what does one do?	Anyone been forced to change from DIOVAN HCT because of this 200% increase-- to another similar med that worked for them with few side effects? My Doc says I should try Hyzaar? Please let me know of any alternatives you have found that work--thanks.	F	68	5 years 320-12.5 1X D		3/24/2010 Email
3	hypertension	Ihave been on Diovan HCT 80/12.5 for four years. I had experienced allergic reactions from 2 previous drugs, Altace and Plendil, esp. altace...facial swelling, tongue swelling. Diovan was great up till a month ago, it brought my BP to normal levels, along with taking 50 mg. atenanol twice a day. Out of the blue facial swelling began, benedryl shot from doctor and Pregasone for a week lessened affect but every two days something would occur..trunk rashes in various places. I did not connect all this to the Diovan. We were in Italy for two weeks where all this still kept happening so I knew it was not reaction to pollen, food, water. Came home last week, stopped diovan and Levastatin myself, saw my doctor who concurred, kept taking atenanol, saw dermatologist to confirm allergy rash. Worst was yet to come. Cheek swelling on both sides last Sat. 5 days off diovan but still in my system, I guess, lasted for over 24 hours before lessening. Then drastic whole tongue swelling quickly began at night began to restrict swallowing, 2 benedryl didn't help, trip to emergency room for IV of benedryl and a steriod. Now on pregnazone for a week, see my doctor in another week to evaluate. I am one of the rare ones who react to this class of drug with swelling and rash.		F	68	4 years		5/10/2005
1	high blood pressure	In the beginning, no side effects but as time went on I started to experience gradual hair loss, tingling in the legs, all over joint pain, rash on arms and chest all summer long when exposed to sun. Sunscreens did not help.	After blood tests kept coming back with low sodium reading, and finally low potassium showed up my doctor finally took me off the medication and increased the Norvasc (amlodipine) pill I was also taking. Apparently the HCT in Diovan builds up over a period of time and finally the doctors wake up and smell the roses when they see abnormal readings in blood work. Don't take Diovan HCT. It is not worth it.	F	68	8 years 320/25 1X D		2/4/2010
3	borderline high blood pressure	Just happened see this web site and now I am wondering...I started taking it in January 2007. Starting about mid december, I started having severe pain in my left leg and a resurgence of my low back pain. Could there be a connection? I also was diagnosed in september with osteo arthritis in my neck with severe pain, for which I take Tramadol. I had suffered occasional neck pain since summer 2007, with aggravation in september.	I plan on stopping Diovan to see if it makes a difference, but I cannot stop the pain med "cold-turkey". I will seek advice for that.	F	67	13 months		2/9/2008
1	High Blood Pressure	Palpitation/irregular heart beats	After my previous medication for high blood pressure (Benicar) that I was taking for 6 years stopped working I was given Diovan HCT (160/25) and Coreg CR in April 2007. The blood pressure came down somewhat but in September I started to experience irregular heart beats and palpitation. I asked my doctor to try something completely different and he switched me to inexpensive generic beta blocker, ace inhibitor and diuretic. Within one week my pulse became normal, my blood pressure and pulse dropped to completely normal. It is hard to prove that the problem was because of the Diovan HCT but it is hard to ignore the results.	M	67	9 months		2/9/2008 Email
5	hypertension			M	66	7 months		3/21/2002
1	To control high blood pressure	Bloating, excessive flatus, belching, stomach discomfort, intolerance to many foods. Did not have a feeling of well-being.	Although the medication did control my blood pressure, I would not take it again. My doctor didn't believe me when I told her my symptoms were related to the medication. She thought I had Gastritis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I ended up having GI series study which turned out to be normal. Once I stopped taking Diovan/HCT, the symptoms subsided and eventually went away.	F	66	6 months 320mg/25mg 1X D		6/3/2010
1	High Blood Pressure	Got rash on hands, thought it was caused by something at work. The rash continued. Several months later I got a severe rash on arms all the way to armpits. Dermatologist gave me a shot of prednisone, and pills, a week later it got worse. He sent me to my primary dr. because it might be from my blood pressure meds. He took me off the diovan and put me on another med. I got another prednisone shot and am still taking the pills, but the rash is still here. Hope it goes away. Skin burns, is cracked and red and itches terribly.		M	65	5 months		3/3/2006 Email
1	high blood pressure	The roof of my mouth is very sore and is not healing.	I would suggest using alternative methods to lower blood pressure. This is the second medication that I tried. The first one cause me to cough frequently. RESPeRATE is a device that has been clinically proven to lower blood pressure without side effects. I am going to look into trying this.	F	65	4 weeks		6/19/2008
4	FOR LOW MY BLOODPR	GO TO BATH EVERY 1-2HR		F	64	6 months		4/26/2001
4	high blood pressure	dizzy sometimes. Did control the blood pressure somewhat. Added toprol xl and stopped most of the salt in diet and bp is now below 115/70 sometimes as low as 95/60. Feel sluggish since adding the toprol XL but doctor said it was really good medicine for those of us who have had a previous heart attack.		F	64	2 years		7/14/2006 Email
4	HBP	Light headiness, anxiety, cold sweat on first day and this was changing from 160/25 to 320/25 day 2 only light headiness so far but this is not as bad as 1st day	My PCP changed my dosage of Diovan from 160/25 to 320/25 due to work related stress and complaints of increased HBP, claminess, flushed in neck/face, the first day with changed dosage I thought I was dying, cold sweats, light headiness where even lying down made it worse, felt like my heart was in my throat for several hours, but this did subside after approx 8 hrs and i felt like my normal self before end of day, but i must say i was hesitatnt to do day 2- but I did, it is day 2 of higher dosage, I took my Divan at 6am, it is now 8:30am and I feel ok, maybe just a little light headed but nothing great. I made sure I took pill with a good 8oz of water and ate my Yogurt for breakfast, so far so good, I have to check back with my doctor as she ordered a check on my potassium levels as I have been experiencing foot cramps at night, where my toes on left foot feel like they bending up and back (Go figure!) lasts about 10 mins, painful but does subside, not much you can do while cramping. I will continue my new dosage unless symptoms exculate	F	64	4 years		5/10/2009 Email
1	High Blood Pressure	Where to begin with the side effects! Probably the two worse ones were severe leg pains, joint pain to the point it was very painful to walk..Mid and lower back pain. Leg cramps at night, kept complaining about the leg cramps to the doctor and the joint and muscle pains so gave me a muscle relaxer and pain pills I just stopped taking it a few days ago, as am on two other B/P meds Clonidine and Atenolol, increased my Atenolol to 50mg per day without asking the doctor, so far B/P has been better doing that than with the Diovan HCT! Go figure. Will tell doctor what I done at next appointment, will not take Diovan again period!	This drug is causing many problems with people, why don't the doctors listen....I will not take it again as my life taking it the for the past six months out of the last year has been miserable with the leg and back pain and the nightly leg cramps.	F	64	1 years 320mg/25mg 2X D		4/25/2010 Email
5	hypertension	small amount of dehydration in extremely hot weather		F	63	5 years		8/22/2007
4	High Blood Pressure	Have been taking Diovan HCT for past six weeks for job related stress. Haven't previously had high blood pressure. Jumped to 200+ over 107. Diovan HCT reduced it to daily BP of 130's over high 60's to low 70's. Have experienced serious rash on legs and now moving onto body trunk and arms. Have been having unexplained ear aches and considerable unexplained shoulder and neck aches. Have not had any of these problems in the past. Taking Diovan HCT is the only change in my daily routine or intake. Reading this survey I see that others have been experiencing similar or same likely side effects. Will go back to my doctor for discussion. Thanks for making this information available.	Have frequent urination and bowel movements.	M	63	45 days		9/29/2006
1	high blood pressure	dizziness,cough,weakness and fatigue,aches,raised blood glucose,couldnt sleep at night	after all bad effects, still had high blood pressure in doctors office,although low at home. stopped taking medication and feel like my old self. blood glucose is normal.changed doctors.	F	63	2 years		1/21/2005
1	high blood pressure	serious pain and weakness of muscles, joints, old injuries became painful again, tired, no strength - first the right hand, after a week all over, everything hurt	pain and weakness started around same time that doc switched me to diovan - complained to no avail - took myself off after 3 months - a month later (now on norvasc) i still experience weakness, muscle pain - especially in hands	M	63	3 months		4/3/2008 Email
1	hypertension and HCM	Headache, stomach upset and pain for three years, brain fog, and cough	I have had every stomach test there is, including nuclear, and nothing ever shows up except a little gastric reflux; however, my stomach swells and becomes extremely sore. I'm going off of the Diovan 80 for a while to see if it is the problem.		63	10 years		1/8/2010
4	Polysystic Kidneys	Nothing negative. Blood pressure is down and I have 100% of my kidney function.		F	62	2 years		12/7/2007
3	blood pressure was 160/90 range	Dark bumps on trunk and upper body. Hard to heal. Also had red dots on leg that sometimes looked like a scratch. Scars remain on right arm. Saw Dermatologist and tried home remedies. Mother's salve is only one that provides quick healing. Thought it was insect bites. No other incident of such rash.	Lowered blood pressure in the very safe range. Hair combs out in long strands.	F	62	9 months		4/1/2006
2	High Blood Pressure	Back pain, muscle ace. I have had therapy and a MRI with no help. Glad I found this Web Site. Did not think that my BP med. would be the problem.		F	62	1 years 160MG 1X D		2/19/2010
2	High Blood Pressure	Back pain (tingling sensation in upper back); weight gain; severe cramps in legs and feet; elevated Creatine in recent blood test and aching joints.	I am so happy for the feedback that others have provided. I have been miserable for the past two months and my system is totally in shambles. I am now seeing a nephrologist because my Creatine levels have increased dramatically within one month. My joints ache like they never have before and I couldn't believe that I felt so old and tired seemingly overnight. I am anemic and overweight. Now I have a reason to go back to my primary care physician to discuss a new medication. I am shocked that I was not warned regarding the terrible side effects of this drug. I have been on a roller coaster ride first taking 80mg., then 160mg. then 320mg with 25...all the while my blood pressure has been in the range of 110/73 and when I go to the doctor's office it is 150/80. I have ALWAYS had "white coat syndrome" so I really wonder if I need the drug in the first place, and so much of it. I have put myself on a diet due to the weight gain experienced (more than 20lbs since taking the drug). Thanks again to all for sharing your issues with this drug as I now know that I am not imagining the problems that I have experienced.	F	62	2 months		11/4/2009
1	high blood pressure	EXTREME DIZZINESS, EYE FOCUS(BLURRED) SEVERE SENSITIVITY TO SUNLIGHT. I TAKE DIOVAN 160/12.5 DAILY. OCCASIONAL DIRHHREA I TAKE DIOVAN HCT 160/12.5 DAILY. EXTREME DIZZINESS, BLURRED VISION WHEN IN SUNLIGHT, OCCASIONAL DIARRHEA. I ALSO TAKE ATENOLOL 50 mg DAILY. ALSO 40 MG.OF LIPITOR DAILY	THE DIOVAN HAS WORKED WELL WITH REDUCING MY BLOOD PRESSURE, HOWEVER WITH ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS I AM CONSIDERING STOPPING IT AND TAKING A ALTERNATIVE MEDICATION. WHEN I'M (LIKE WHEN i'M GOLFING) IN THE SUNLIGHT I HAVE TROUBLE FOCUSING AND GET VERY DIZZY, IN FACT ONE TIME I ACTUALLY WENT DOWN ON THE GROUND AND SCARED MY FELLOW GOLF PARTNER'S! I ALSO GET LIGHT-HEADED AND FOGGY AT TIMES. THIS HAS ONLY OCCURED SINCE I STARTED THE DIOVAN. MY CARDIOLOGIST INSISTS IT'S NOT THE DIOVAN, I DISAGREE. I JUST HAD A RECENT STRESS TEST AND CAME THRU WITH FLYING COLORS. ALSO MY HIPS BOTHER ME ALOT ESPECIALLY WHEN I WALK FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME. MY SEXUAL ABILITY HAS ALSO BEEN AFFECTED.	M	62	4 days		3/31/2006 Email
1	high blood pressure	For the past six weeks, since I started taking it, I though that I had a virus of some kind. Sever cough, dizziness, nausea, extreme fatigue, out of breath, heart palpitations, heavy painful arms (especially the left) I usede to enjoy life, walked a mile or two daily, now get out of breath just putting on my clothes. All I want to do is sleep and tha causes me to go into uncontrolled caughing. I am stopping this med today. It keeps me from doing any normal natural things to lower my blood pressure.	I am very dissappointed that this has not worked but I need my life back!	F	62	57 days		2/18/2009
5	High Blood Pressure	None other than some joint and muscle pain.	Had BP of 155/105 and was down to average 120/82 with Diovan HTC. Insurance wants to change to Avalide. For the first week my average was back up to 155/105 or more on Avalide. I hope it comes back down to managable levels.	M	61	13 months		4/1/2007 Email
4	high blood pressure	For the first three days in taking this medication I noticed an increase in urinary frequence. But after that it is back to normal. And I still feel a little light-headed in standing up after sitting for a couple of hours. But nothing major as it quickly goes away. I also have varicose veins and shortly after starting to take Diovan HCT, a blood clot formed in a superficial leg vein. My doctor said that was not related, but I have have varicose veins for at least 5 years with no pain nor problem at all. The coincidence was too strong to me to ignore. So those with varicose veins, be careful and monitor. My doctor now has me on one 235 mg aspirin a day and the clot seems to be stabilized with no further pain.	One great thing is that my blood pressure has been reduced in three weeks from 166/91 to 138/74. So the purpose of the pill does seem to be working well.	M	61	24 days		12/24/2004 Email
4	high blood pressure	For the first three days in taking this medication I noticed an increase in urinary frequence. But after that it is back to normal. And I still feel a little light-headed in standing up after sitting for a couple of hours. But nothing major as it quickly goes away. I also have varicose veins and shortly after starting to take Diovan HCT, a blood clot formed in a superficial leg vein. My doctor said that was not related, but I have have varicose veins for at least 5 years with no pain nor problem at all. The coincidence was too strong to me to ignore. So those with varicose veins, be careful and monitor. My doctor now has me on one 235 mg aspirin a day and the clot seems to be stabilized with no further pain.	One great thing is that my blood pressure has been reduced in three weeks from 166/91 to 138/74. So the purpose of the pill does seem to be working well.	M	61	24 days		12/24/2004 Email
4		Couldn't ake the HCT, killed sex drive. Dr. put me on just 80mg Diovan once a day. Quickly discovered that it really helped with my erections. Now take about 1-2 hours before sex with tremendous reults. Better and cheaper than Viagra. I don't care if it lowered my blood pressure. First BP pill (and I've taken over 25 different ones) that didn't kill me sexually.		M	61	2 years		3/14/2006 Email
3		None yet, but reading this is scaring the sh** out of me!	New to med world. Been perfectly healthy most of my life. Workout, no extra lbs, too much salt. Just started taking yesterday. This drug sounds scary. Any advice for another drug for HBP? I see my Dr. on Wed. and will print out these horror stories and present to him.Thanks to all for opening my eyes...good luck to all.	M	61	2 days 160/25 1X D		3/11/2010
3	HBP	Fatigue, dizziness, sweating, very sensitive to heat. Leg cramps, neck pain.	I started with lower dose then was raised to 325/25. I have lost approximately 25 pounds and now the dizziness has worsened, it has lowered my BP but I don't have very much energy and the summer time I am worse.	F	61	4 years		8/2/2009
2	High Blood Pressure	Light headedness and dizziness after two weeks	This drug did reduce my BP within two days of use 150/103 to 140/95. However after 14 days I started having bouts of Light headedness and dizziness which seems to be getting progressively worse. On the advise of my MD I am continuing the the trial for 30 days.	M	61	18 days 80/12.5 1X D		3/4/2010
1	Hypertension	Lost libido, leg muscle pain(could not ski for 3 years) pain in the hip (could not bike for three years) these are my favorites. The repercution of all of this, I got temperamental, bad sleep dry eyes and mouth.	It took me a while to realise what the problem was, I tought it was caused by my cholesterol medication, I stopped for 10 mths(doctor agreed, nothing changed my doc did not believe Diovan could be the problem, I stopped 5 days ago, the pain is almost all gone from my left leg, the pain in my hip is kind of vanishing, all of this only after 5 days of not taking!	M	61	4 years		2/25/2006 Email
1	HBP	A total disater in one month. My doctor understood and changed my meds today and I already feel beter.		M	61			11/20/2007
1	HBP	I was just started on Diovan HCT about one week ago. I am so tired, have fallen asleep at my desk at work. Could not walk either. Called the Doc, he said give it a chance. I tried it at night, could not get up in the a.m. I stopped taking it. I can't deal with this kind of stuff, have an active job, and must be alert at all times. I will not take this drug again. Did not lower my BP that much either.		F	61	7 days		6/29/2007
3	High Blood Pressure	Diovan HCT 320 lowers my BP in the 130s/80s range most of the time. Without meds, my BP skyrockets. I am overweight and I admit I don't exercise enough, that may contribute to the elevated BP. I have been taking Diovan HCT for several months and am now experiencing neck and shoulder problems along with pain in my left hand joints. Currently, am being treated for carpal tunnel/tendonitis in my left hand. My knees are also occasionally stiff.		F	60	7 months		7/20/2007
2	to lower blood pressure	constant dizziness, headaches, stumbling, numbness in feet and hands. Balance problems sometimes, pains in back that the doctor says are not caused by anything they can find. It is on my left side. I am calling them and ask that they be changed	I don't think it is a good drug	F	60	14 days		12/3/2007
2	High Blood Pressure	THE DCT part really irritated by stomach. When taken off the medicine most of the stomach problems stopped. I have tried just the diuretics with contain DCT and they really hurt my stomach also	It did keep my blood pressure under control	F	60	18 months		7/9/2006 Email
1	high blood pressure	I have gain weight, loss of hair, and very tired all the time. I have had blood pressure to go very high all of sudden. I get dizzy spells. I also have a rash all over my face and head.	I plan to get my doctor to put me on something else.	F	60	2 years		11/26/2007
1	High blood pressure	Headache, rashes in forehead and hair bottom. One eyelid very swollen and painful. Wake upp many times at night and must take painkillers.	It lowered the blood pressure very quick, but it's not worth this with all bad side effects. I never had medicin before and could therefore maybe be more sensible than others. Now I stopped without talking to dr. and will see if bad side effects will stop.	M	60	20 days		1/3/2008 Email
1	to combine w/t hct $$$$$$$$$$$	severe arthuritc sysptoms expecially to shoulders/neck. Extream fatique, swelling, dizzyness. Also presently have anosmia (loss of smell) which occured with a sinus problem!!!! Please contact me if anyone using this drug has loss of smell/taste believed to be caused by diovan.	Drs answers to above. Well you have arthuritis. You tire easily because you need to lose weight. (after being awake for 2 hours???) swelling, common in older folk. Dizzyness is generally from a drop in bp!! Hummmmmmm, ok doc, so what do we do? she says we will keep an eye on it!! been 4 years now and I am about to drop this drug and doctor. I believe my sinus problems may have been caused by this drug and I was spending much time in the country so I dismissed the side effect. Past Jan 07 after a sinus problem, I lost my smell/taste and have been afflicted since then. Please put in subject matter LOSS OF SMELL CONTACT	M	60	4 years		6/27/2007 Email
1	high Blood Pressure	Dry Eyes, Blurry Vision, Joints Swelling, Fatigue,aches and pains I did not have before Decreased sex drive and erections. I just had a new eye exam and told the doctor about my eye problems and as soon as he heard I was on Diovan he told me that it caused severe dry eyes and to take drops 4 to 5 times a day.	I am glad I just Read This I am taking 160/12.5 I am going to stop taking it now.	M	60	4 years		11/4/2008
1	blood pressure	Pain in all extremities, pain in back, middle of the back and upper back, joint pain I have never had before. I can't believe these side effects are not listed with the side effects of this medicine! Drug companies are unbelievable!	I am going to start taking charcoal today and try and get this crap out of my system as soon as possible. I am so glad I found this website and was able to read what other folks have experienced with this drug.	M	60	60 days		3/8/2008
1	High Blood Pressure	terrible lower back pain and muscle spasms. Tired all the time no energy	This drug has taken 2 yrs from me. I used to play golf 2-3 days a week. 2 yrs ago (aug 2006) Dr. changed from lisinopril to Diovan Hct 80. Started to have lower back pain and spasms. Only able to play golf once or twice more that year. Went to ER in Dec 2006 with blood pressure 218 over something. Dr. Increased dosage to 160. Back spasms got worse. Have played golf less than 5 or 6 times in 2 yrs. Went back to DR. last month. He wanted to up meds a little. I told him I am retired military and have Tri-care insurance and I pay $32 a month for Diovan. Found Atacand on the list at $3 per month. I asked him to change over to Atacand. Within 2 weeks back pain going away, Hit golf balls last week and played over weekend no spasms. Feel less tired. I can't believe Dr. never picked up on back spasm complaints, he just kept telling me to lose weight and exercise.	M	60	2 years		8/25/2009
1	HBP	Worked extremely well for almost a year and then all of a sudden the side effects kicked in. Extreme dizziness upon standing or after bending over. Can't do any physical labor for more than a couple of minutes without breaking out in a huge sweat and getting so dizzy I have to hold on to something and can‘t seem to catch my breath. At this point, I ache all over. My mind is going, I can feel it and I try to think, but nothing happens, well, not quite but cognitive factions aren't as sharp as before. This seems to be one of those drugs that, before too much longer, you will see advertisements on TV to “contact the law offices of (insert ambulance chaser’s name here) if you or a loved one . . . Etc.	I just discontinued it and seem to feel better. I stongly recommend anyone who is having any side effects to contact their doctor and flat tell them you aren't taking any more of it.	M	60	1 years		6/7/2009
4	hypertension	Taking Diovan HCT 160/12.5. First few days very nauseous. Started taking it with food which helped a lot and after the 1st week nausea went away. After 4 weeks BP still was a little on the high side, so Dr. prescribed lexapro for my anxiety. 4 weeks later BP was down significantly. Some days I am extremely tired. But no other side effects.	Seems to be working. Spent several hours in the sun this past weekend (despite the warning on the label!) and on Monday I had quite a few pimples on my face (never had pimples in my life!) But not sure if the mix of sun and medication is what caused the breakout or a reaction to a new moisturizer.	F	59	10 weeks		8/19/2009
4	elevated bp	dizziness	controlled my blood pressure	F	59	4 years		3/5/2009
4	high blood pressure	Reduced blood pressure	Notice no obvious side effects	M	59	3 years		3/15/2009
4	hbp	swollen lacrimal gland, red puffy eyes, dizziness, stuffed up, and muscle aches	Just did not put it together until I found this sight, we are now switching to zestril, will see what happens	F	59	7 years		2/11/2009 Email
2	hypertension	No particular side effects but it did NOT control my BP	I was advised to switch from Benicar HCT to Diovan HCT by my insurance company since the Diovan was cheaper. My doc said "OK, lets try it". The Benicar HCT had been working great for about two years and my BP was typically 120/80. After one month on Diovan HCT my BP went to 180/130. My doc took me off the Diovan HCT and switched me to a third alternative; if that doesn't work I'm going back to Benicar HCT even though it will cost me more. Maybe the Diovan HCT was cheaper because Novartis knows it doesn't work as well?	M	59	30 days		6/14/2006
2	HBP	Years on 80mg headaches, palpitations, joint pain, decreased libido. Past year thumping in left ear. The past 6 weeks on 160mg all of preceding plus extremem fatigue & difficulty waking, memory loss, quick weight gain around the middle where I never had a weight problem before, extreme joint pain especially hands and feet, sometimes toes and shoulder. Hair suddenly very dry, profuse sweating (not one to sweat before & it not a hot flash), restless leg syndrome, and general restlessness that wakes me at night).	It makes me feel like I'm 75. Doctors only want to treat symptoms with more meds (except libido for which the Dr only said "That strange usually only men report that." and never addressed it). Has anybody found a better solution.	F	59	6 years		6/17/2007
1	hypertension	Extreme fatigue; rash on my upper arms and lower legs which itch--I scratch and they turn into a bloody mess; In the summer I thought it was bug bites from working in the garden, but it has persisted thru fall and winter; my eyes seem very dry, and my contacts really bother me; sinus congestion and post nasal drip (which I have not previously been botherd by)	My husband laughs at me because I blame everything on my Diovan HCT. I have always been energetic, but now I could nap at anytime of the day. Granted I'm going to be 60 in a couple of months, but after reading all the comments, I have to wonder if its the BP medication. Going to Dr. tomorrow and ask him to take me off this medicine.	F	59	8 months 160/12.5 1X D		3/2/2010 Email
1	high blood pressure	low blood pressure and kindey failure.	My lab work started to show a decrease in kidney function about 180 days ago after my doctor switched me from Diovan 160 to Diovan HCT 160. Three subsequent series of lab results over 3 months showed a continuing decline in kidney function to a GFR of 47 ( Stage 3 kindey failure) and a lowering of BP to 100/68. Went to a Nephrologist and, after extensive testing, he identified the Diovan HCT 160 as the culprit. He took me off the Diovan and monitored my BP over a 30 day period and my BP returned to normal range 119/74 without any BP medication. My kidney function has also returned to a normal range for my age.	M	59	3 years 160 1X D		6/19/2010
1	no	Sweating,heart palpitations,rash,headaches, had vein burst in my thumb every two weeks for four weeks. Doctors ran all kinds of test on my heart and couldn't find anything wrong. About $30,000 worth of test to find nothing wrong except a minor atrial fibrillation that I think was caused by the DIOVAN . Only on Diovan about 9 weeks, as soon as I went off the Diovan my thumb healed and have not had it happen again. The doctors say it was not the DIOVAN, they think I had a blood clot but it's a funny things to me it happened every two weeks for four weeks to the same thumb and as soon as I went off the DIOVAN it stopped. It is still tender at times, I would never take it again. Now they put me on coumandin for the atrial fibrillation that I have had only one episode that I know of, the doctor says I can have atrial fibrillation without knowing it. But now after about 10 weeks of Coumadin I had a urinary infection and bled very badly stopped the coumadin. Problems with Coumandin since		F	59	9 weeks		4/2/2009 Email
1	high blood pressure	stiffness in joints, decreased white blood cell counts, headache, restlessness, weakness (felt faint), very tired	At first it helped lower blood pressure. I was 150/101 range. It lowered it to 120/88 but now blood pressure is spiking and I can't take the side effects anymore.	F	59	3 years		1/5/2008
1	HBP	Extreme lightheadedness in the morning after taking the drug, pain in the calf muscles and shoulder pain. It would make me so dizzy I couldn't drive.	Doctor took me off the HCT and I am now on regular Diovan 180 with no side effects except the shoulder pain and that could very well be arthritis or an old injury. I have the BP controlled at an average of 128/66 or less so it appears to be working well without the HCT. This morning dizziness started gradually after a few years on the HCT.	M	59	5 years		6/10/2009
5	HBP	Early morning erection no longer present. I feel more energic after work (no response from dr)	taking 80/12.5. BP has dropped from 140/104 to 118/78. No more chips. Very little salt. Weekend runner.	M	58	60 days		1/6/2005
4	High Blood Pressure	Side effects are somewhat bothersome but none are permanent or continuous. Sunlight enhances the side effects. Dizziness especially on getting up or down, headache, teeth clenching, chest area red rashes and marks, red dots on lower legs(thought they were flea bites but didnt itch!)blurred vision on occasion, loose bowel movements, mild anxiety.	Forced to take this medicine when insurance stopped covering avelide. Did lower my bp from 150-90 to around 125/77. Taking medium dose with a small diuretic.(up from a small dose of avelide) Will continue this pill unless side effects get worse. Almost all pills are side effects. After seeing two of my friends die from high bp and one in the hospital, I will try and tolerate the side effects.	M	58	3 months		7/17/2007
4	High Blood Pressure	I went from Diovan 160/25 which I took for 5 years to 320/25. The 160/25 had no side effects, but the 320/25 which I started about a month ago has given me almost immediate constipation and chest pains, within 1 or 2 days. The 160/25 I took along with Atenol 50mg.		F	58	30 days		1/24/2007 Email
3	Hypertension	Diovan HCT 80/12.5 twice day, severely turned on me @ 5mo. Wk'd until fatique & purple blotchy limb-rashes appeared. Days later, 100's of red dots on legs started to bleed. Some skin deadened/peeled. HCT had accumulated causing Leukocytoclastic- Vasculitis. I've never been allergic to sulfa-drugs. Dr. said I can no longer use `any' diuretic. It was acquired allergy. Very rare so pills were sent to Novartis to check. 4mo & many calls, no report has surfaced. Many blotches/blood dots on limbs are permanent. Contact MD if this starts. HCT works but you need to know what to watch for. BP is now worse from stress but will try another Rx w/ caution.	It helped lower BP but not significant. BP is higher due to possible rebound affect. Going to try another w/o diuretics or I'm in trouble again. All contain sulfa. I know someone doing well on it, but it's only been 10mo. FDA is being contacted.	F	58	5 months		9/15/2005
3	Hypertension	Took 160/25 for about 5 years with moderate reduction in hbp. Doctor said we had to go lower, and increased dose to 320/25. Had been experiencing mild to moderate gastric reflux, for which he had me taking both zantac & prilosec. The first day of the increased diovan, reflux increased drastically! Thought I would have to stop eating. Have never had indigestion problems, but looking back, reflux began with diovan. Read somewhere that at age 58, my problem could be low acid instead of too much acid. Stopped taking prilosec & now take acid suppliment with meals. Moved diovan dose from night to morning. Reflux still there, but at least half better. Also 20 year history of fibromyalgia doubled in intensity (for those who aren't familiar, fibro comes with all the commonly listed effects of diovan: aches, pains, fatigue, foggy thinking, sleep disturbance, depression). Frequent urination happened with night dose, but not morning dose. Dry eyes disturb vision. Have been tak	Pressure is down to 130/70, but is it really worth it?	F	58	5 years		2/8/2009
2	slightly high blood pressure	my ankle, which I injured badly 15 years ago, has begun to ache in the same way, although not as bad but it is constant pain - I'm weaning myself off the Diovan	It did lower my blood pressure, but just a little - that's all I needed to get below the 140/90 threshold	F	58	1 years		4/21/2008
1	HBP	Am I ever glad I found this site. I have had symptoms for months but hadn't a clue as why. I have, Dizzyness,weight gain, it doesn't seem to be doing that great of a job controlling my BP, possibel depression,lethargy etc. Also I hit the wall around 10 am in the morning. Two glasses of water seem to help whicjh mena sto me I am getting dehydrated.	I am seriously considering discontinuing use. I have started taking ACV and it is having a positive effect. Yesterdazy my BP registered 133/78. That is with the ACV before without it it would be 150/93 with Diovan 320/12.5	M	58	100 days		11/29/2008
1	High Blood Pressure	Weight gain, thinning of hair, fatigue, blurred vision, fingertips tingling.		F	58	9 months		12/30/2007
1	Hypertensiojn	Took the pill in the AM and came home from a meeting about 5 PM. All of a sudden I started to feel dizzy and numbness of the tongue and fingers. I took my blood pressure and it kept rising within a 30 minute period. It went from 111/66 to 140/99 with a pulse of 90 within thirty minutes. It scared me to death. Then I went on line to see the side effects of the drug and that scared me to death. I had changed clothes and was ready to go to the hospital. My right arm and chest area was paining me and I did not know what was happening. As I type my fingers are numb and my blood pressure feels as if it has dropped. However, I feel uneasy and light headed. Will go back to my Hyzaar in the AM. I just experienced a scary ride.		F	58	1 days		6/7/2008 Email
1	Hypertension	dizzy, palpatations, excessive fatigue to point I can't walk through my house.		F	58	3 days		8/9/2008 Email
1	Diuretic	Muscle pain, cramping, and weakness, light headed, heart palpitations,tingling in hands and feet, blurred vision and confusion and anxiety.	I have noticed since beginning Diovan that the symptoms I have described are getting progressively worse; yesterday I could not make it home from my 5 mile daily run/walk which I have routinely finished for 4 years now. My wife had to run ahead and return with our car to transport me home; we almost went to the emergency room. When these symptoms first began occurring I, initially, suspected it was caused by dehydration so I have carried a "camel back" of water to insure I have water available. This has not helped. I'm now beginning to suspect that there is a potentially very dangerous problem with potassium depletion and, as a result, my electrolytes "tank" when exercise is undertaken. For those of you who do not appreciate the impact of depleted potassium, potassium is critical for nerve message transmission/communication in your body's muscles; every muscle including your heart. I'm contacting my physician this morning to report what happened yesterday and wha	M	58	30 days		9/15/2008 Email
1	High Blood Pressure	Horrible pains and cramps in my stomach. Nausea, vomiting and diarreah. I was so sick. The side effects started about one hour after I took the medicine in the morning, and lasted about 5 hours every day.	I would never recommend this medicine to any one. I was so sick that on some days I couldn't even leave my house.	F	58	2 months		6/6/2007
1	High Blood Pressure	Leg scramps that are at night wake me clean up out of my sleep foot have charlie hawks pain pain pain all over. My side my ribs cant walk long walks Just plan Pain in the joints now I have a insight of whats going on with my body I will ask my Dr. for something with less side affect	Diovan hct 320/25 please beware not as good as the Dr. say More side affect that make you feel awful . I was reading where garlic may be an answer I also have hair loss I have to wear front lace wigs due to bolding . Now I no the reason for my hair loss. Please can someone let the maker of this medicine STOP ITS A KILLER PILL . We not ready to die before our time please dicontinue and save people live. Come up with something with less side affect ...Oh out of buying Diovan and front lace wigs I'm getting broke fast.	F	58	1 months 320/25mg 1X D		6/1/2010 Email
1	high blood pressure	severe chronic cough choking gagging on food extremely sensitive esophagus coughing to the point of vomiting	My doctor insisted Diovan was not the cause of this problem after 4 years of specialist appointments and tests I went to a new doctor and started a different blood pressure medication 6 days ago, 75% of this 4 year nightmare is gone	F	58	4 years		9/18/2004 Email
1	variable BP 111-210/75-110	unbearable headache, leg cramp, stomach upset, burning throat, insomnia	Diovan 160mg. 1 tablet is enough, I will not continue. BP is high from work stress and low when relaxing. Transcendental Meditation consistently brings the BP back down, work consistently puts it back up.	M	58	1 days		1/23/2010
5	high blood pressure	I've been taking it for about 2 years. I've only now connected it to the fact that my sex drive disappeared about about then too. I'm going to talk to my doctor about switching to something else.		F	57	2 years		5/10/2006
5	Hypertension	None	Worked very well for me. Dropped BP from 145/93 to 124/70 within days and it stayed at those numbers.	M	57	4 weeks		12/2/2008
4	blood pressure			M	57	1 years		11/27/2002
2	HBP	Fatigue, dizziness, reaction to bright sunlight, extreme tension in my neck and shoulders.	Seems that the 2 BP medicines I have taken had similar effects. Lotril and now Diovan. Taking 80mg once daily, as the supposed "entry level" dose, but the side effects are horrible. BP is down from 160/98 to 120/70, but at what price. I cannot continue this way.	M	57	4 weeks		3/13/2006 Email
2	high blood pressure	My sexal response is way down there.	Doctor put me back on just plain Diovan and I hope it works	M	57	30 days		12/5/2005 Email
2	blood pressure	dry eyes and skin		M	57	160 1X D		8/14/2010
1	High Blood Pressure	Fatigue, stomach pian, nausea, dizzy.	Always felt good until taking this medication, now I feel like crap all the time. It did lower my BP.	M	57	3 days		11/21/2005
1	hypertension	Same as may of the others. I have been taking Diovan for two years and was just recently taken off because I was diagnosed with Kidey Failure. I blame this drug and Vytorin for my problem.......		F	57			5/5/2008
1	high blood pressure	awful side effects. Extremely fatigued and sleepy all of the time. Awful pain in my joints. Swelling of face, hands and feet.Awful pain in my left arm and hand, even my finger nails hurt.Loss of hair.Nausea, dizziness,blurred vision and headaches.An over feeling of being sick and fatigued all of the time.My face flushes and turns bright red at times and rash on my chest.Very dry skin.	Diovan 160 hct 12.5 has brought my blood pressure down from 178/100 to 130/80 although it fluctuates at times. It lowers the blood pressure but at what health expense?	F	57	7 months		4/19/2007
4	HBP	Too many trips to bathroom - hot flashes - tried - weight gain	HBP ON Thursday was 194/97 - AFTER 6 days on DIOVAN it's down to 132/73. On Friday 124/68 - I check my hbp every morning. I'm due back to my doctor on April 7TH FOR A ECHO CARDIOGRAM. But I noticed a big diffrence my heart does not feel so tensed and I was able to sleep for more then five houres. I also have asthma so my new doctor has his work cut out for him - because my asthma medication has some of the same side effects as diovan hct.	F	56	6 days 160MG/12.5 1X D		3/31/2010 Email
3	HBP	I have been taking the medicine for over three years now. I have been experiencing pain and aches all over my body more severly in the toes, and the knees. Recently, my toes and knees are getting rashes at the end of the day. The tests have not yielded anything. Last week, I stumbled on this site looking for explanations amongst many. It has stabilized my BP, but still at higher than recommended level. If the discontinuation of the medicines improves my condition which remains to be experienced, but it is more than worth a try.		M	56	3 years		8/16/2007
3	high blood pressure	numbess in toes o both feet.brusing red open sores on rt side,WT.gain,rt.side pain.also it felt like someone was pouring hydrocloric acid on my rt.flank. in the area that brusing is in SO SEVERE that I have to tear off my shirt and drop to my kneesfrom the Burning,then only a slight area is red after for a few mins. then dissapears.	due to the extream pain.BURNIN/brusing I am going to stop the meds today,the happens twice a day now once evry 12 hours or so so I am starting to get depressed.take the drug for 6 months.It did lower my blood pressure.but the price is to high!and painful!!	F	56	6 months		1/15/2010

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Average rating for drug: 2.4. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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