There are 77 ratings for the drug: BENICAR HCT in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for benicar 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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2	labile blood pressure,	Ok first few days, then noticed slightly spacey feeling in afternoon. After 1 month noticeable tiredness at end of day. Also difficulty remembering things - maybe because of tired feeling. blood pressure went from 145/95 at clinic to 106 over 75,occasionally to 103/65.Worse tiredness after eating a meal.	Am going to see if they can give me a lower dose or a different med	F	66	6 weeks 20-12.5 1X D		8/16/2010
3	High Blood Pressure	Increased urination,heart palpatations. I have lost 10lbs in 6 days I think due to the HCT but I am feeling the effects of it and I am staying hydrated 64 +oz daily. Not sure if this is for me.		F	44	6 days 20MG 12.5 1X D		8/11/2010
2	Hypertensn (160/104 typical premed)	Moderate weakness, shortness of breath, lightheaded, headache, some dizziness, feeling ill, moderately severe diarrhea, felt like (mild case) food poisoning. Did not have an increase of Urination, however, already was getting up 3-4 times a night to go.	Question: can the 20/12.5 pills just be cut in half, as current dose appears to be too strong for my physiology??? Took 20/12.5 for a couple of months, then discontinued for almost a year. Then I recently checked my BP again - was 160/100, yikes! SO I said, OK, I can't ignore this, and resumed. Both times, I had extreme sensitivity to being outdoors in the sun, extreme sweat. If all you look at is the numbers, it's excellent: a 160/100 dropped the next day to 120/80s, but in the sun (just watering the yard) got very lightheaded, weak, ill feeling, moderately severe diarrhea, checked BP ASAP and got 102/64, explained a lot. Had this a bit first time I took this, but reading returned to good range quickly, this time, even after major re-hydration still low. I will either be taking this every 48 hours or splitting the pills in half. I'd love to discontinue, but not without a plan in place. Regards to all, Thanks for making this a valuable resource for all whom take this med!	F	59	45 days 20/12.5 1X D		8/9/2010 Email
4	hypertension	The first 2 to 3 weeks I had a cough but that went away. My cholesterol has risen but that may be due to aging.	I was trying to control my BP with diet and exercise alone but it didn't work. After a course of treatment with other BP meds - none of them worked -- I was given Benicar HCT by a new doctor. Within the first 3 days my pressure went from 190/100 to 130/70. I have now been on it for 4 years, and my pressure is consistently 120/80 or below. I am thrilled with the results and am very happy with the medication.	F	53	4 years 20 12.5 1X D		7/13/2010
4	high blood pressure	dont know of any	works really well without ace inhibiter side affects	M	47	2 years lowest 1X D		7/12/2010
1	hypertension	Extreme weakness, shortness of breath upon walking, depression. Taking in conjunction with Bystolic. Don't know which medicine is worse. BP reduced somewhat.		F	65	4 months 40 mg 1X D		6/15/2010 Email
5	Hypertension	some dizziness at first, but no more		F	57	8 years 40/12.5 1X D		6/14/2010
4	hypertension	dizziness	Have been on plain Benicar for about 8 years, but still had elevated systolic. New cardiologist changed to Benicar HCT BP averages now 118/64 (was running average of 160/94)	F	57	7 days 40/12.5 1X D		5/27/2010
4	High Blood Pressure	Has brought my blood pressure down into the 120-70's so am happy. side effects have to get up several times at night to go to the bathroom. Have flushing of face Doctor not sure about this, ask to stop taking supplements for couple of weeks. Over all quite happy with results.		M	66	2 months 40 mg 12.5 1X D		3/22/2010
1		severe diarrhea. almost died. hospitalized 6 times before they figured out it was the Benicar. Lost 35 pounds.		F	62	2 years 40 mg 1X D		3/20/2010 Email
1	hight blood pressure	extreme dizziness and nausea when bending over and then standing up. Felt like things were spinning and not level. usually lasts about 5 minutes. also when i turn my head fast felt dizzy.		F	57	2 months 20 mg 1X D		3/11/2010
5	hypertension	After trying 4 other medications for hypertension all of which gave me persistent side effects ranging from dizziness to a chronic sore throat and cough, my doctor FINALLY switch my medication to Benicar HCT. It worked immediately to bring down my blood pressure with a relatively low dosage (20-12.5mg) and I had absolutely no side effects from the first dose.	Now my prescription plan has been switched to another provider and Benicar HCT is not on the approved list. I am now being force to try another medication for hypertension Diovan HCT before my doctor will complete the approval process for the Benicar. To buy the Benicar HCT without a prescription plan the cost would be over $250 for a 90 day supply that I used to get for a co pay of less than $50. I'm disgusted with my doctor for not pushing the approval process and taking the easy way out and just recommending one of the other medications. This after taking Benicar HCT with excellent results for over 5 years.	F	61	5 years 20-12.5 mg 1X D		3/10/2010 Email
5	Blood Pressure	No major side effects except frequent urination.	I was taking Benicar for one year with minor side effects. My insurance company changed their formulary, charging me more, so I requested my doctor change meds. I first tried Lisinopril, it gave me severe headaches, so dizzy I could hardly stand in the mornings, and a general bad feeling. I switched to Diovan, after 2 weeks my blood pressure shot up to 235/175 and was jumping all over the place, I had severe headaches, dizziness, and flu like symptoms. It was very scary!! I still had some Benicar left so I switched back. The following day my blood pressure was 117/72 and stayed within a few points of that, all headaches, dizziness, and bad feelings went away. I will stay with Benicar and pay the extra costs.	M	65	1 years 40-25 1X D		3/5/2010
2	HTN	Severe muscle spasms. Cramping in my ear and weird little muscles. If I stretched my legs at night would generate a cramp. Joint pains, rash, itching. Fatigue and sleep problems. Forgetfulness. Cough, urinary problems seem to be enhanced.	It does control my blood pressure but at what price? Totally unable to lose weight. My absolute biggest problem is the incapacitating muscle cramps. Stood up from a chair the other day and one leg went into a total cramp. There is no worse pain in the world. Severe hip pain when walking. Now it has stopped and moved to my arms. Can't pick up a cup of coffee. All of my lab comes back 'normal.' I don't feel normal. Something is very wrong. I feel like a hypochrondriac and I am normally a very up-beat person.	F	59	3 years 40 mg 1X D		2/23/2010
4	High Blood Pressure	An intense urge to urinate at the most twice per day. Occassional extreme dizziness aggravated by the sun and upon standing up.	I was on benicar by itself about two years ago, it worked for about a week, I missed three days, went back on and it did not work any more. Stayed off for two years, doctor recommended benicar hct and I've been on it almost a year. Aside from the previously mentioned side affects it has brought my bp from 200/97 to 120/76. I have not experienced any of the lethargy described by others, nor the depressive episodes. I did however keep my bp in check with exercise, but now, because of a busy lifestyle have not been able to exercise. Keep this in mind prior to taking any meds for bp, an active lifestyle is beneficial especially aerobic.	M	41	1 years		1/27/2010 Email
5		No seriously or lasting side effects.	This medication has drastically reduced my BP. When I was first diagnosed with high BP about a year ago my BP was around 160/90. I started out with Lisinopril and it didn't work and it gave me a dry cough. Now my BP averages around 115/65. some days are higher but overall it is much much lower than when I was diagnosed a year ago.	M	34	1 years		1/18/2010
3	High Blood Pressure	Felt like I was going to faint. Urination 20 times a day (usually). Depression, lack of interest in things I used to be interested in. This medicine is way over-priced. Goes up every month. Needed Lopressor prescription, in addition to Benicar Hct, to get my BP down to normal levels. My prescription drug plan with WellCare Inc has eliminated it from their covered drugs in their PDP Plans.		M	62	5 years		1/17/2010
5	High BP	Benicar HCT 40/12.5. Possibly a slight cough, although my doctor says it isn't due to this medication. I've had the cough with other BP meds as well, and it started when I started taking them. Could be acid reflux but I don't have all the symptoms for that.	After taking Benicar HCT for about a year I dropped the HCT and now take only Benicar. I prefer not taking medications and the reason for the diuretic was to deal with water retention. That was presumably caused by too much sodium (salt). I cut way back on salt and that helped so I tried dropping the HCT. My BP did go up a little as a result. Overall, I've had virtually no side effects with Benicar HCT or Benicar without HCT, except the possibility of a slight cough. Again, not sure the Benicar is causing the cough. Main problem is that there is no generic and my co-pay is pretty high.	M	68	16 months		1/14/2010 Email
2	hbp - started at 40 ...	pressures was 180s/90s - now still that high daily... ranging from 160s/85-95...but with five side effects; dizzy, nausua yet always hungry, extreme dry mouth, sleepless nights, leg cramps, blurry vision - making life unliveable... in bed most the time...	No impressed, with hbp I took occasional naps...now I am in bed 90% of the time, with no reduction in pressures. No money to go to dr. no confidence with this med.	F	65	25 days		12/20/2009 Email
1	HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE	I TOOK BENICAR HTC FOR 5 DAYS THE FIRST NIGHT I COULD NOT STOP GOING TO THE BATHROOM,THEN I STARTED GETTING SHORTNESS IN BREATH, TIGHTNESS IN MY CHEST AND BACK, HEART RACING, MUSCLE CRAMPS IN MY LEGS, FEELING WEAK. WENT TO DOCTORS OFFICE HE RAN BLOOD TEST, AND EKG THINKING I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK. RESULTS CAME BACK NEGATIVE. TOLD TO STOP TAKING MEDICATION. AFTER MISSING 3 DAYS OF WORK AND MEDS WORKED THERE WAY OUT OF MY SYSTEM I FELT FINE.		M	40	5 days		11/27/2009
1	High Blood Pressure	I have been taking Benicar for a while and did not realize that my symptoms were due to this until reading the other customer comments. I was beginning to think that I was either close to death or insane. Extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, neck stiffness, choking, leg and toe cramping, dizziness, confused, depressed, lack of interest, heart pulpitations and didn't feel like I could walk across the room without running out of breath. If my daughter had not told me to research the side affects of this medicine, I would have never known. Scary		F	58	6 months		11/2/2009
5	High blood pressure	I was initially tired, had strange feelings in my muscles at times. But after a about 6 weeks that went away and I have felt great.	The doctor tried me on two other medicines that did almost nothing for my blood pressure and I felt absolutely awful most of the time. Would give this a solid 5.	F	62	5 months		10/20/2009
1	High Blood Pressure	Heart palpatations, anxiety, paranoia, sleep disturbance caused by bad dreams, overall behavior change, achiness, loss of enthusiasm.	This is my second try with this medication and I wish I had remembered the side effects I experienced the first time before I took more samples from my doctor. Discontinuing as of today and awaiting a call from my physician to discuss side effects and switch to another med...........	F	47	10 days		10/5/2009
3	high blood pressure	Palpatations, severe muscle cramps and weakness, frequency to urinate, pain in middle of thoracic region.	Well, it does wonders with my blood pressure, but every time I take it, my legs start hurting very badly. Palpatations of my heart are frequent. Tiredness!!	F	47	3 times		9/21/2009
1	HBP	Never had to take ANY meds before this. Doc said "try it" (March 2009). Lowered BP but with the cost fatigue,blurred vision,heavy eyelids,general overall aches. EXPERIENCED EXCRUCIATING FULL LEG CRAMPING!!	Relatively certain this med contributed to, or caused lumbar spinal nerve and disc complications I experienced near paralysis to lower extremities for past 4 1/2 months including right foot drop, the side on which I experienced the most severe cramps. Symptoms presented only after taking Benicar HCT 20/5. Stopped taking Benicar HCT 20/5 after 45 days. Doc said "no way" med had any link with my subsequent physical condition. Have slowly recovered with aid of PT. Believe my body flushing this poison out of my system as I am regaining functions without the suggested fusion spine surgery. MONITOR YOURSELF CAREFULLY ON THIS DRUG !!!	M	56	45 days		9/18/2009
4	Stage 4 high Blood Pressure	It is premature to rate this drug but I wanted to note that this drug was chosen to quickly drop my blood pressure from a dangerous level. I was started at the 40 mg/25 HCT and I hope it is effective. I read through the symptoms and what I see to expect, is muscle cramps. Take not that no one mentioned a potassium supplement with the HCT as you usually need potassium. Also the age of some folks and slowing down will also make you feel tired. The drug seems to have good results in lowering pressure and it seems the side effects of feeling lousy are common. I hope it works for me. My BP was 220/122 when I began. So it is a bit challenging to imagine what should happen taking this spill beginning at maximum dose.		F	55	5 days		8/23/2009
1	high blood pressure	severe muscle pain, no stamina, weakness, tiredness, sleepiness! Just plain lousy.	have had high BP readings for years. My physician had me on several different meds, but I kept complaining that they made me "dopey". So he'd try another. I started with Vasaretic many yrs ago, and it dropped my BP very good, then after a blood test, he took me off! Then it was this merry go round of different companies, trying to find something I could "tolerate". I thougt Benicar was the answer. But kept complaining about extreme tireness/weakness etc. So I had a mucsle biopsy done and the lab said "polymyositis". Ya sure. I have been on meds for that for a year now! But I still feel crappy. I am going to show this site to my doctor - soon! Have I been stupid or what! the year 2004 I had my really bad, first wiped out/sleepy event. Now I know I am not alone!	F	74	5 years		8/15/2009
2	High Blood Pressure	So here I was at the ER for the first time of my life with a frightening tachycardia. This followed a set of unpleasant episodes (palpitations, arythmia and what appears as angina-like symptoms - tight chest, etc). Never had this before. These symptoms had been building-up for a few months. I consider myself at 53 in rather good health and fit: No more than 1 sick day in past 20 years, doing various sports, etc. My cholesterol is a steady 150 total. So I suspected my only medication: Benicar/HCT, 20mg/10, for more than a year. I stopped this, took palliatives such as Hawthorn, CoQ10 and Eucommia, as previous other medications had also annoying side effects. Within 3 weeks the most serious symptoms disappeared. But it took several months for the remaining angina-like symptoms to slowly abate but not completely. So not sure if these are medication-related, yet.	I do not buy the "Herxheimer" syndrom explanation that someone on this forum suggested: tests indicated no sign of infection at all. As the Benicar-enthusiasts of the MP protocol recognize themselves, Benicar hits a lot of receptors beyond what HBP requires. It is clear that long time exposure to these drugs modify your bio-chemical balance in a durable way. Now looking at less disruptive ways to maintain a lower BP.	M	52	18 months		8/9/2009 Email
3	High BP	I'm not too sure, but it certainly doesn't have the super depressive mental component that the ACE inhibitors have had for me. A little sour stomach sometimes after the first hour of taking it.	Lowered numbers from 150s over 100s, to low 130s over low 80s. Not too bad. I tried about 10 different drugs to lower BP over the last three years. This one seems to be the least oppressive in terms of side effects. I don't recommend it, but on the other hand, none of these poisons called "medicines" are anything but compromises.	M	60	60 days		6/2/2009
1	High Blood Pressure	Chest and Back Pain--it is a grabbing pain if I turn a certain way. Been taking since mid March. I was put on Exforge in December and did the same thing to the point my Dr. set up 3 heart tests--including a heart cath--my heart is fine.	In my research for Exforge, I found information that this type of pain can be a side effect for people w'Fibromyalgia which I have had since 1993. As of tomorrow 5/18/09, I will be off BenicarHCT. I believe these 2 meds are beta blockers.	F	71	60 days		5/17/2009
2	Blood Pressure	- Shortness of Breath - Cough - Dry eyes - More frequent urination	It did lower the blood pressure by approximately 10 degrees.	M	30	6 months		4/22/2009
2	Highpertension	None at first then depression, lack of interest, lower back pain started, loss o libido, tired all in progression. Then medium chest pain. Stopped immediately after switching. Was using Narvasc on days above 140 and was worse in combination.		M		8 days		4/7/2009
5	lower bp	NONE	Switched to Benicar HCT from Avaliid, reluctantly. Turned out to be, for me, far superior. Much more alert, never groggy, see things much clearer,doesn't make me sleepy, can take a drink or two with no real effect and has kept my BP very much under control.	M	74	21 days		3/26/2009
3	HBP	Week feeling, dizziness, headaches, chest pressure, shortness of breath, feel like I can't get enough air, increased anxiety.	Brought BP from 160/100 to 120/80. Diovan worked better with less side effects, but insurance stopped covering it!	M	27	30 days		3/3/2009
5	High Blood Pressure	Dizziness upon standing in the first few days	I love this med, though 1/2 tab works just fine and eliminates the dizziness	F	51	2 years		3/2/2009
1	High Blood Pressure	Shortness of breath, pressure in the chest and back. Symptoms get worse when climbing stairs or physical exhertion. I wake up at night with my heart racing.		F	55	2 weeks		1/3/2009
3	hypertension	Muscle cramps, primarily in lower limbs, that are intense, prolonged and progressive. Deep muscle pain through out body. A sensation of "buzzing" in neck and back of head sometimes at night. Difficulty sleeping. Fatigue, intense fatigue.	It was only recently that I have begun to identify the relationship between how I feel (constant pain) and the medication. I am not overweight, cholesteral is not elevated, I am active, tho' not on an exercise program. I have a healthy diet. The side effects abate if I am off the med for a few days. Given how I feel, it is not worth it. There has got to be a better way!!!	F	51	8 months		1/1/2009
4	High Blood Pressure	Restless legs - went away with exercise. Some occasional muscle pain that improved with regular exercise.	This drug was very effective dropping my blood pressure from 140/100 to 114/78 on average over three years. Recently, over the last 3 months the diastolic has risen to high 80's with little change in systolic; I don't know why.	M	51	3 years		12/15/2008
5	High Blood Pressure	ridiculously frequent urination	have been taking for about 2 1/2 years now and blood pressure is effectively regulated	F	48	2.5 years		10/27/2008
5	high blood pressure	none	effectively lowered blood pressure	M	60			10/25/2008
1	HPB	Really caused my restless leg syndrome to flare up...couldn't sleep. Slight cough and some cramps.	I will either switch back to Procardia or use homeopathic methods.	F	55	3 days		10/17/2008 Email
5	HBP	at first, i was very tired, no energy, frequent urination but after 3-4 weeks it went away. blood pressure is at 120/70 now with the meds. i feel great and i might have 1 headache every couple months... i used to have them everyday before taking the meds. i think it saved my life - thank you to the people that came up with this.		M	48	120 days		10/7/2008
3	HBP	I have been on Benicar for one year; recently raised to 40mg/12.5HCT. I have been much more sore, stiff and achy all over since starting Benicar but never connected it until I read Ask a Patient. My back has been sore for most of this time and much worse since the increase in amount. I’ve had to double the amount of pain medicine I take as a result. A recent bone density test shows an increase in hip area and I know my MD will try to put me on Osteoporosis meds which, after 2 years of being ignored by my former MD, I refused to take due to bad reactions to Fosamax several years ago. I plan to get off Benicar before I end up in the medication cycle of illnesses. I have also developed Eczema on my leg and have other suspicious spots on my skin. My husband began Benicar at the same time. He takes the smaller amount. He lives with chronic pain due to a cerival spine injury from a car wreck 3 years ago and is allergic to many things. For the past year he has been swelling, hurti		F	64	1 years		10/6/2008 Email
1	High Blood Pressure	Dizziness, shortness of breath, weakness, muscle pain, neck stiffness, burning sensation in shoulders, lack of energy, waking up several times during the night. I felt better before taking this medicine. Doctor recommended losing a few more pounds. How can I exercise when I have no energy. Before I went to the doctor I was running 4 miles three days a week, now I can barely run half a mile.		F	46	2 months		8/26/2008
2	Hypertension	Exhaustion and shortness of breath limiting my activities, painful bloated feeling under ribcage, muscle cramps in flanks and neck.	This is the second time I've tried to take it because it successfully reduces me from stage 2 and 3 hypertension with mild TIA symptoms down to normal blood presser in only a few days. Not sure it's worth the trade off.	F	59	7 days		8/21/2008
3	High blood pressure	Photosensitivity caused by HCT	I was taking Benicar / HCT for a long time, one 40 / 12.5 mg pill in the morning, as suggested by my doctor. About 3-4 years ago I've started experiencing increased photosensitivity. After being in the sun for one or two hours, even in the shade on a beach, my skin would start to itch badly. A sensation as if ants are crawling all around you. At night the itch would go away, but the next day the same thing would repeat again. While reading the literature I found that HCT can cause photosensitivity. So I've stopped HCT (switched to Benicar only), and the photosensitivity was gone, but my blood pressure went up so I had to resume HCT. However, now I am taking it at night, and there is no itch even if I am in the direct sunlight.	M	56	5 years		6/29/2008
3	High Blood Pressure	Blood pressure immediately came down to normal. Sometime to low. Pain on the back of head every day. Dizziness, very bad back pain, chest pain, leg cramps, itching, LDL went up 15 points, Trig went up 9 point, blood in urine, shortness of breath, fatigue . 20mg/12.5mg one pill daily in morning. Cut in half after two weeks.	Too many side effects. After taking it for two weeks, I cut the pill in half and most of the side effects went away or were less severe. The pain in the back of my head has been a constant occurrence since taking this drug. Spoke with DR today about getting off this drug after my blood test showed a rise in the Trig and LDL reading in just 6 months plus blood in the urine. The Dr wanted to put me on a Cholesterol medicine. We decided to change my BP medicine and retake my blood test again in 4 - 6 weeks before adding any other medication. Current BP after taking 1/2 pill is around 107/69 some days lower than 100/60.	F	56	7 weeks		6/9/2008
4	High Blood Pressure	Nausea, weight loss (297 down to 275), insomnia	I love this med. BP was 140/90 now stays around 135/74 The nausea has been slight, more of a not hungry feeling - hence the weight loss. I'm also taking lexapro for depression and anxiety medicine as needed. Tried Diovan first and had terrible side effects - as others have listed here.	F	34	3 weeks		5/25/2008 Email
4	high blood pressure	No obvious side effects except extra urge to urinate the first few days. This effect has gone away.	reduced blood pressure from 160/110 to 135/85	M	46	2 months		5/2/2008
3	Severe Hypertension	I feel like my brain is bouncing off the inside of my head. I'm constantly dizzy and over-whelmed with fatigue. I have "discomfort" in my head all the time and especially when I stand up. I am also fighting depression.	I've been hospitalized twice for high BP and gone through multiple tests that were all normal. Prior to starting 40 mg of Benicar, my BP was 180+ over 120+ every morning and every evening. The Benicar keeps my BP under control but I am so tired. I understand the seriousness of high BP and that I am at high risk for heart disease and stroke. I hope I'll get used to the side-effects - which are minor compared to the alternative.	F	44	3 weeks		4/24/2008
2	BP 150/100	Constant bad dreams whereas I had no dreams before, less erection,	does not seem to keep my BP down, maybe 140/90	M	50	1 years		4/5/2008
3	high blood pressure	leg gramps no energy weight gain/but works great for the high blood pressure		F	58	2 years		4/2/2008
1	hypertension,	i feel like i smacked the back of my head aqainst concrete, shoulders and arms ache terribly, can barely write. headache, dizzy, can't think straight	I hate it. It was prescribed because my systolic and diastolic numbers were 2 close together. it raised the top number and lowered the bottom.	F	38	2 days		3/31/2008
3	HBP	12 hours after taking a 20/12.5 dose, I experience frequent urination, which wakes me up several times each night. Also, noticed an increase in a depressed feeling immediately after beginning it, and feel that there is still some lingering lack of interest in things. It works better at lowering my blood pressure than the diuretics alone did, but would like to explore some other ARB type drug.		F	58	4 months		3/23/2008
3	hbp 170/100	Feeling kind of mopey, get a tingling sensation on forehead about two hours after taking, shortness of breath, pressure feeling in chest. Leg cramps during intercourse less than stellar erection.	Just started on this medication, the only other medication I have ever taken is antibiotics. I am hoping that dropping 30 pounds and excercising daily will accomplish goal and get off this stuff. Right now I am 6'3" 220#. after 2 days BP was 147/99.	M	46	3 days		3/9/2008
3	HBP	Loss of livido. Difficulty manteining an erection.		M	35	12 months		3/3/2008
1	Hypertension/Blood presure	Tired all the time. Leg,toe and muscle cramps. Makes me very irritable and short tempered.On many occasions fast heartbeat and while that is happening it feels like I am being choked and will last from 5 min to 1/2 an hour. occasional restless leg syndrome. Can't sleep.Trouble getting and maintaining an erection.	I would not recommend this drug to anyone. I was on Atenonol with no side effects but my Doc put me on this. Why?? I have to assume the drug company was pushing it. I never associated my symptoms to this drug until I started researching It.	M	48	2 years		1/8/2008 Email
4	HBP	Nasal and ear congestion, dizziness, cough, insomnia, sweating, dry eyes.	Does a great job lowering the BP, but the side effects have not subsided as I had hopes. I guess the benefits of the blood pressure control outweigh the side effects.	M	45	4 months		1/5/2008
1	blood pressure	always tired, seemed to grab every nerve within my body, was questioning my very own sanity. Spent one night in lounge chair nearly tearing the leather from chair arms. Very poor sleep, and constantly tired. Attitude was poor and feeling hopeles. Became very critical of mate for very small detail. I feel this drug will/may be the termination a few that do not realize what is going on, not that I do, just feel this can be a dangerous drug for some.. Get the hell off it if you see/feel any of this comming, however, do realize it will/may take several days to to be realesed of these symptons/side effects.		M	64	30 days		12/14/2007 Email
3	hypertension	awful headaches, every day since starting this medication	I have called my physician to ask what to do about these debilitating headaches.	F	52	14 days		12/13/2007 Email
3	Hypertension	Tingling in feet, legs, feet and toe cramps. Racing heart and feeling anxious accompanied by shortness of breath, can't sleep, bad dreams, occasional restless leg syndrome, irritability.	Though my BP went down to normal levels, from 170/110 in 2 days, I've been on this med for 8 months and am starting to get freaked out by all the side effects. I thought it was mental/emotional until I read the comments on this site. I am going to ask my doctor to change my medication asap.	F	46	8 months		10/1/2007 Email
4	High Blood Pressure	Increased unination. Decreased erection. Slight dizziness when started but went away in a few days.	BP was 150/90 when going to doc's office. Still does that but the rest of the day its 120/70, whereas it stayed at 150/90 no matter what before benicar. Diarrhea from time to time, also taking metformin for diabetes.	M	40	3 weeks		9/29/2007 Email
5	Extremely high BP: 215/85	A little dizzy upon rising at first for several weeks and somewhat tired feeling, due to drop in blood pressure. Also some muscle ache in legs firs several weeks. Now the only side effect is frequent urination early in the day and having to get up at night several time to urinate, due to the diuretec in the pill, but would have this side effect with any diuretic.	Am extremely satisfied with this medication. It very effectively controls my BP and I normally have reading similar to 115/75. Watching them try to balance my husband's BP and the sometimes dramatic and life-threatening side effects he has experience, I am very grateful that I can take Benicar.	F	60	3 years		8/22/2007
4	Hypertension	Frequent urination in the a.m. first 3- 5 hours after taking.	BP was 158/100 or so when I first started taking. Now my bp runs about 120/78 or less most of the time. I have taking Benicar HCT 20mg 12.5 HCT for about 3 years now, I am very pleased so far with the results. I would have rated a 5 but sometimes in the afternoon or late at night bp seems to elevate somewhat, but I haven't mentioned to the doc yet.	F	47	3 years		8/16/2007
1	High Blood Pressure	Diarrhea, stomach cramps. Muscle weakness. Overall lousy feeling. Loss of appetite. Symptoms of extreme dehydration/electrolyte imbalance.		F	55	14 days		8/13/2007 Email
4	Hypertension	Initially, muscle pain. It lasted only two weeks, then was gone. I've had no frequent urination as others report. No feeling of being tired or dizzy.	Blood pressure prior to Benicar was 168/118. After only a few days on Benicar it dropped to normal. Today I measured 128/68, and I have no side effects at all. I'm only taking 20mg, and have been thrilled with the results thus far. Only rating it a four because I've only been taking it for two months. If this keeps up, it's a solid FIVE in my book!	M	45	2 months		8/2/2007
4	Hypertension	None besides having to urinate every couple hours for the first 8 hours or so.	I was experiencing hypertension with bp rates at 160/100 or higher...and I'm only 34. The only thing I would like to change is that Anthem puts it on its regulatory or formulatory list so that it doesn't cost me $40.00 co-insurance versus 15 or 20. I stopped taking it due to cost and am trying Hyzaar...on the Anthem list. Get with the program Anthem.	M	34	3 months		7/12/2007
1	High blood pressure	Intense pain in my legs to the point I could not walk. Right leg effectd more the left. Constant urination day and night. Always felt tired and listless.			71			5/31/2007
4	High blood pressure	Some minor dizziness developed after two months. Some minor muscle and joint pains developed after a few weeks. The muscle pain has been gone after 3-4 months, but the joint pain has only been reduced.	A good HP medicine for reduced my HP from 155/95 to 128/78. Due to some minor side effects, I asked my doctor for some other medicine, and he gave me one month sample of Atacand HCT. I started to take Atacand HCT today. I'll report after a few months regarding Atacand HCT side effects.	M	67	11 months		5/29/2007
5	High blood pressure	None besides having to urinate more frequently for a few hours after taking. Nothing major.	Lost some water weight and have kept it off.	F	36	1 years		5/18/2007
1	hypertension	Restless legs beginning in the afternoon and continuing through the night. Symptoms were so severe at night I would have to get out of bed and pace for an hour or two before going back to bed--this on top of being EXHAUSTED!!! Two doctors denied any correlation between the benicar/hct and the restless let, but symptoms disappeared completely within days after discontinuing drug. Never had rls before or after taking benicar/hct....although did experience periodic limb movements at night only with hydrochlorothiazide.		F	54	13 months		4/27/2007
1	Hypertension	Within two weeks of starting the medication I started getting very short of breath with exertion especially climbing stairs. Had palpataions along with shortness of breath. Had lots of tests done for over a month. No results.Went back to Dr. and looked at my chart and concluded symptoms started shortly after taking the benicar. Stopped taking the medications and symptoms were gone within a few days.		F	48	2 months		1/26/2007
4	High Blood Pressure	Kind of a lethargic feeling first week due to drop in BP. Other than that, nothing.	My BP was extremely high when discovered, and Benicar has been a life saver for me. It has effectively lowered my BP and has continued to do so for better than a year now with no side effects.	M	50	1.5 years		10/16/2006
1	high blood pressure	extreme muscle pain	I am the on here already ... but I messed up the lenght of time taken it was 3 weeks ... not 3 days. I still would not recommend this to anyone	F	43	21 days		10/6/2006
1	High Blood Pressure	extreme muscle pain. I have never been on any kind of blood pressure medication before and since this was the newest one out ... my doctor prescribed it ... it hasn't lowered my blood pressure and I feel terrible.	I would definitely not recommend this to anyone. I know I haven't given it very long to work ... but I have been around my husband who has had various blood pressure medications and his Lisinopril works 100% better than this without the bad side effects	F	43	3 days		10/4/2006
1	high blood pressure	Always tired, muscles become exhausted very quickly when exercising with weights or track, negative mental impact also.	I got the impression that my internist prescribed this medicine because he had been told about its general results by others. It seems manys docs prescribe based on the local medical buzz and then their patient results. What if a patient gets seriously ill from a prescription? Opps, that was a sacrifice? Docs need to spend time researching the drug maker, the functional specifics,etc. The "if you make it, they will prescribe it" drug company attitude should be professionally challenged by more than the FDA.	M	54	120 days		9/16/2006 Email
1	High blood pressure	Exhaustion, and generally feeling lousy.	I couldn't believe how much better I felt after I stopped taking the Benicar HCT.	M	52	2 months		8/13/2006

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Average rating for drug: 2.8. 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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