BENICAR HCT Reviews (HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE: OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL)Average Rating: 2.7 (127 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare BENICAR HCT with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken longest to shortest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on BENICAR HCT: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR BENICAR HCT | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | The experiences I had while taking benicar 40 milligrams HTC a controlled my blood pressure in the beginning quite well but now over a. Of time I have severe diarrhea headache swollen joints | M | 51 | 10 years 40 | 5/11/2014 | 5 | Hypertension | some dizziness at first, but no more | F | 57 | 8 years 40/12.5 1X day | 6/14/2010 | 5 | hypertension | I haven't experienced any side effects, aside from the cost causing my blood pressure to rise at the pharmacy. It controls my hypertension very well. | Benicar HCT is not available in generic for yet. It may be offered in generic in 2016, according to the web. It is very expensive to buy, without insurance to cover at least part of the cost. The price here in OH is approximately $160.00 for a 30 day supply. Benicar HCT website does offer a payment assistance card. It reduced the price of copay to $25.00 per month, but only if you have a primary insurance plan. If you don't have insurance, it will reduce the price by $25.00, making your cost still $145.00. That makes no sense to me, but that is how the plan works (small print). The plan is offered directly from Benicar HCT's website. It is called the Right Fit plan. You enter your information and you can print a temp card to use, until they send you a card. It would be a great plan, if it offered the same benefit cost for everyone, not just those fortunate enough to have primary insurance coverage. | F | 48 | 6 years 40/25 1X day | 4/6/2012 | 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 day | 3/10/2010 | 3 | high bp | swelling, edema | F | 77 | 5 years 59mg 1X day | 3/19/2011 | 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 | 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 | 2 | high blood pressure | I hate taking this medicine. I have problems breathing, I think this is why I ended up in the hospital. I also have trouble swallowing, muscle ache BAD...swelling hands & feet, stomach always bloated.. no energy..theres much more but my life sucs since ive been on it.. | F | 55 | 5 years 40 1X day | 6/23/2014 | 1 | High blood pressure | At first the side effects included weight gain, muscle cramps, and hair loss. Then I started having digestive issues, including bloating, constipation and occasional diarrhea. Lots of tests to find the problem including an endoscopy with biopsies. Found the opening between stomach and intestines constricted so opened it. Four years after taking this med I was hospitalized . My blood pressure was way too low, potassium level low, severe dehydration and kidney failure. Nearly died. | Other than a low dose aspirin this was the only medication I was taking. During my hospitalization I had another colonoscopy and endoscopy and diagnosed with microscopic colitis. A year earlier they had done the same tests checking to see if I had celiac disease. I did not but even tried a gluten free diet and it didn't help. This time they recommended I go on a steroid. I refused. They put me back on Benicar HCT a week after my hospitalization and I within an hour I began vomiting violently and had diarrhea at the same time. Back to the emergency room when it subsided. A week later took another Benicar and the same thing happened. That's when I found the Mayo Clinic study on the drug and then changed doctors. I have to admit that when I first started taking this drug it controlled my blood pressure very well without any intolerable side effects. Other drugs I had tried caused heart palpitations and other side effects. But, if you take Benicar, be aware that issues can develop several years after starting this drug. I am happy I went to the emergency room when I did! and by the way! I made a visit to a quick care and to a family doctor just a few days before my trip to the emergency room and not one of the doctors thought it was my medication, even though I suspected it and shared that with them. | F | 60 | 5 years 20 mg 1X day | 4/23/2014 | 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 | 1 | High blood pressure | Extreme neck, back and hip pain for years | Just found out that these were probably side effects. Stopped taking it about a month ago and feel like a new person. Thought these pains were due to a car wreck but apparently not | F | 68 | 5 years 30 mg | 3/12/2017 | 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 day | 7/13/2010 | 1 | high blood pressure | was taking benicar off and on over the past 4 years. I kept getting shortness of breath, high pulse rate, lack of motivation, chest pressure. | finally asked to switch me to 10mg lisinopril because I was sick of having benicar pushed on me. My pressure went from 180/70 within 3 hours of taking the med. No side effects. I was on benicar 40mg hct and it took weeks to kick in and I never got the great numbers I do with lisinopril | F | 45 | 4 years 40 1X day | 9/14/2010 | 5 | Hypertension | No side effects whatsoever. Was originally on 40/12.5 mg and it dropped my bp too much. Cut it into the 20/12.5 and it regulates my pressure perfectly with no side effects. Great drug. | F | 46 | 3 years 20/12 1X day | 1/14/2012 | 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 | 5 | Htn | None | M | 53 | 3 years 40 1X day | 12/24/2014 | 4 | HBP | None really it works but now the price is out of control which is very sad. The price has increased several times over the past few years to the point where my cost has at least doubled. I have BCBS. Even with 30 day discount card of $70 provided by Benicar (which is the maximum for 30 day supply) my price is about $100/mth. If I ever have to go up to 40/12.5 my cost will increase to about $175/mth (current pricing). Absolutely ridiculous and sad for those of us that it works for. | For everyone with bad side effects like cramping lethargy etc please google dehydration. The HCTZ in the drug can cause most of the effects described so try Benicar without the HCTZ before giving up. Not everyone needs a diuretic. However, I will be looking for a different medication because of the price!! | F | 55 | 3 years 20/12.5 1X day | 6/20/2016 | 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 | 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 | 3 | Hypertension | I started with neck and back pain/stiffness. Now I have bouts with Vertigo and soreness of muscles in my knee, hip and elbows. Slight bouts with breathing occasionally. | Benicar is the ONLY prescription medication that I take, over than a low dose aspirin. It controls my BP very well, however I am now experiencing these effects, especially muscle pain/soreness. My joint especially in my knees, elbows and hips hurt. When I checked the rare side effects of Benicar it listed everything I just mentioned. I told my dr. He doesn't believe that its' the Benicar. He ordered several blood tests and I'm waiting to hear back. He told me to discontinue the Benicar, but didn't give me anything in it's place to control my chornic BP. I feel horrible. Standing up from sitting and getting out of bed and walking stairs are VERY difficult now. | F | 55 | 3 years 20/12.5 1X day | 3/24/2011 |
BENICAR HCT (HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE: OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL): This drug is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems. This product contains two medications: olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide. Olmesartan is an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) and works by relaxing blood vessels so that blood can flow more easily. Hydrochlorothiazide is a "water pill" (diuretic) that causes you to make more urine, which helps your body get rid of extra salt and water. FDA Approval Date: 2003-06-05 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)