BENICAR Reviews (OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL)Average Rating: 2.2 (332 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare BENICAR with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on BENICAR: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR BENICAR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | HBP 190/95 | Benicar 40mg: Messing with the sex drive. General fear over the side-effects I can feel. | Been on every other med under the sun. This is the only one that works. My BP is now between 135/80 and 120/70. I do plan on reduction in dose in 6 months. | M | 37 | 6 months | 7/31/2009 | 3 | High BP | Itchy Skin. I am thinking it may be Hives. I need to check with my Physician to confirm. | M | 33 | 3 weeks | 7/17/2009 | 3 | Chronic Fatigue | Made me feel dizzy and like there were little bubbles fizzing around in my head. However, I think this may have had to do with the Minocycline I was taking this with. This was an off-label use and winded me up in the ER with a weird headache. This is not recommended by the pharmaceutical company, as far as I know. | The fizzy, scary headache went away as soon as I stopped both medications, recommended by the Marshall Protocol. Later it was believed that I was suffering from Lyme disease and a Western Blot test showed some reactive bands. Following CALDA's recommendations saved my life, though the first few months were tough. ER doctors know nothing about this reaction or Lyme disease and thought I was just a crazy person. So I spent $1600 for eight hours of sitting in a bed while they helped everyone else and did nothing for me. | F | 45 | 100 days | 7/16/2009 | 3 | HBP | Weight gain even with exercise and watching what I eat. Fatigue, some trouble sleeping, depressed, and less interest in sex has gradually become an issue. Has kept BP stable, but I think it's time to try something else. | I'd like to know what is out there to take that's effective without some of these side effects. | F | 59 | 3 years | 7/13/2009 | 2 | Moderately High Blood Pressure | I did have some success with Benicar. Initially lowered my bp from about 140/90 down to about 120/70 (after a few months). Was initially on Benicar HCT, but that made me drool (embarrassing). Switched to Benicar 20mg and blood pressure remained good. After a time, noticed blurred vision/eye fatigue, muscle cramps, feet and joint pain and higher cholesterol. When I started Benicar, I also increased workouts (3-5 mile running or 10+ mile biking daily, plus circuit trainig weight program 3 X per week). At same time started better diet. Began cutting Benicar in 1/2 and noticed no change in bp, but noticed decrease in side affects. 2 weeks ago, PCP refused to refill without full physical, so I stopped. bp is 110/74 (max) and all side effects clearing up (especially my vision). I am also taking 200mg of CoQ 10, fish oil, a multi-vitamin, HA joint formula and 81mg aspirin daily. | I took the medication for over 6 years and never missed a daily dose. The side affects came on so gradually, I just attributed them to going from 30's to 40's. There may be more side affects that I am not yet aware of, so the longer I stay off of the medication, I may notice more. I monitor my bp frequently (often daily), so I will keep up with this and go back to the PCP if my bp goes out of control again. | M | 46 | 6 years | 6/25/2009 | 2 | HP | First of all the medication smells awful and I think it makes my urine smell. I have dizzyness, weakness, great fatigue, stomach upset and nausea. Blurry vision too. | I've been on this medication for about 5 yrs. during which my bp has gone down a bit, but generally I feel awful. I do have other health issues such as hypothyroid and MS. However neither of these problems were severe and were managed. Now I feel so much worse and I am going to go off this medication and try natural means of lowering blood pressure. Frankly I think it might work for some people but for others there must be other factors that make this stuff hard to tolerate. I just hope the damage done with this medication can be turned around! | F | 62 | 5 years | 6/25/2009 | 1 | High blood pressure | Muscle pains were so bad that I gradually lost the ability to walk. My PCP did not suspect side effects of B. i am now wheel-chair bound and have many other symptoms, slowly recovering. | I took 40 mg/d for at least 6 years and Diovan before that | M | 81 | 999 days | 6/22/2009 | 3 | HBP | Uncontrollable rash on torso for 4 years (did not link it to Benicar), turned to intolerable itching of torso, scalp, legs, & arms in the last few months. Fatigue, weak leg muscles, minimal exercise (15 minutes yard work) causes Pulse to jump to 130 to 150, and BP to plunge dangerously low to 82-90 over 42 to 58. After discontinuing Benicar: Stinging/Tingling in hands & feet improved, while massive vascular headaches and chest pain went away completely (recently had ultra-sound and nuclear stress test on my heart due to these chest pains - heart is in great shape according to cardiologist). | Taking 20 mg for 4 years. Doc had me on 40 mg, then 30 mg; but could not stand up without a quick black out (I work on roofs of buildings all day - can't be getting wobbly legged up there if I want to live to go home at the end of the day). | M | 47 | 4 years | 6/21/2009 | 3 | heart attack; diabetic | tired; no motivation; bouts of depression | Think the combination of drugs I am taking are causing similar side effects. Dr. says this drug works best for diabetics. I do not have high blood pressure - keeping my BP steady in order to help my heart function better. Not sure as all the meds are really helping or if side effects will do me "in" in the end! Had been on lisiniprol.Taking Benicar I can get out of bed in the morning! Lisiniprol lowered my BP so far I wasn't moving! Throw in a low blood sugar level and the family had to call 911! | F | 3 months | 6/9/2009 | 2 | Hypertension | Fatigue, confusion, depression | I bagan taking 20 mg. of Benicar daily to replace 20 mg. of Lisinopril I had been taking for high blood pressure. I stopped taking the Lisinopril as it was causing me severe gout, something I had never had in the past. After 2 weeks on the Benicar I noticed I was feeling wierd, and very unconfident in my decisions. After another week I realized something was definitely wrong when I failed to reassemble a tool I had taken apart and put back together many times in the past. I immediately stopped taking Benicar and felt normal within 2-3 days. Upon reviewing this episode with my doctor, he said my symptoms were probably unrelated to the drug and I most likely was experiencing a mild form of dementia! I am taking a new drug that seems to be working O.K. for me and looking for a new physician. I find it odd the symptoms of confusion appear nowhere in the testing reviews of this drug yet abound here where people share their experiences. I want to thank those who have done just that as it has given me some comfort to know I have not been the only one to have this happen to me. | M | 50 | 21 days | 5/10/2009 | 1 | High Blood Pressure | After awaking my left eyelid didn't open easily. I sometimes had to lift the lid with my finger and then "exercise" it several times until it opened on its own. Began having weakness in the right arm and couln't lift a milk jug into the refrigerator. The doctor was talking to me about neurological testing. He doubled the dose of benicar because my bp was still high and I saw a rapid increase in weakness in my right arm. I stopped the BP medicine and 1 month later all symptoms were reversed. | www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/nov_PI/Benicar_Tab_PI.pdf See the above website, it indicates rhabdomyolysis (muscle weakness) as a side effect. Certainly was for me! | F | 53 | 1 years | 4/29/2009 | 2 | Hypertension | Fatigue, confusion and depression sets in after taking Benicar. So I started taking it at night but it gave me severe headaches the next day which turns into a migraine. | Benicar was recommended by my doctor since it had fewer side effects than Norvasc/HCTZ or Lisinopril. I was on Norvasc and HCTZ for one year and I never realized the side effects until my doctor referred me to a neurologist for migraine and dizziness. I was then prescribed more meds to control my migraine which made me felt miserable. After researching both medication and it's side effects, I stopped taking Norvasc and HCTZ for 3 weeks and felt so much better. Migraines, dizziness and sexual disfunction all went away. My doc prescibed Lisinopril which gave me a rash and upper respiratory problems. I stopped taking Lisinopril for 10 days and started 10 mg of Benicar for 21 days. I experienced hacking cough, fatigue and the migraines came back. The plus side is I had a normal sexual drive and it did control my BP. I will be seeing my doctor to try other meds. | M | 39 | 21 days | 4/17/2009 | 2 | high blood pressure | extreme anxiety of oncoming heart attack,light headed,dizzy when getting up from couch,tingling sensation in both feet to a point where can not sleep at night, trouble breathing. | been on benicar 20mg for about 15 months,at first everything was great with no side effects. did great job of lowering my blood pressure however side effects at first were just being light headed and after about a year the anxiety and tingleing sensations in the feet became so severe that they are worse then the high blood presure.Getting off this drug and all drugs of this nature as this is the second one that I have been on and they all start out ok and then go down hill real fast. Does anyone know the best way to stop using this drug? all at once or slowly? | M | 61 | 1.5 years | 4/7/2009 | 1 | low grade high blood pressure | aching in arms, then light twiching in left upper arm. after about 3 months I began to have increased muscle twiching / tremmors all over my face, neck arms, hands etc. itching almost all over my body. back aching at night when i tried to sleep it felt like a light vibration in my upper spine and neck. finger tips tended to lose sensation while working with hands. became concerned when symptoms matched ms and maney other diseases. then dr. ordered brain scane (which was negative) I was very worried and not sleeping due to stress over this! I can't believe I waited this long to check other people's symptoms after not seeing my symptoms on the list that came with the meds! they just seem to be getting worse and worse. I am only 38 and bp was not real high but took about 10 min of sitting to come down from about 134/88 to 127/80. I have decided to stop benicar 20mg 3 days ago and try to relx, work out more and eat way more fresh fruits and vegetables. | I wonder how much unseen damage is done to the body by drugs like this? I feel like I am killing myself by trying to be proactive and stay in top shape. I will continue to monitor my bp and if it goes higher I will try something else. I am also getting a dr who understands side effects and doesn't send me for an expensive mri when he should have researched the side effects. | M | 38 | 4 months | 3/31/2009 | 2 | hbp | Lethargic, exhaustion, leg muscle pains, depression, short of breath, no motivation, increased appetite, nausea, confusion, difficulty remembering things | This is an additional hbp medication. HCTZ caused same symptoms plus severe itching. After going off HCTZ two weeks, I started having energy and feeling optimistic. Doctor put me on samples of Benicar 20 mg. and lethargy, depression, confusion returned. Life is not worth the struggle on this medication! I cannot live on the couch sleeping day and night! | F | 66 | 2 weeks | 3/25/2009 | 2 | HPB | Tired,lethargic,dizzy,confused,cant walk any distance or stairs without feeling like i ran a marathon | Dr said this medicine had least side affects, he prescribes it to his father, Looked at me like i was nuts when he prescribed me new meds. | M | 42 | 2 weeks | 3/24/2009 | 1 | Hypertension | My cholesterol levels became abnormally high after 6 months, including my LDL cholesterol, the bad kind. Before starting Benicar, they were normal, in fact, very good. Also, my tongue became "thick", causing slurred, dificult speech. Now, the doctor wants to put me on Lipitor. No, thanks! I'm quitting all drugs. | I regret ever taking this drug. I hope I haven't suffered permanent damage. I took it for 6 1/2 months. | F | 51 | | 3/4/2009 | 2 | high B/P heart beating too much | bad cough, tired, blurry vision sometime, weight gain, didn't work and many more, feet swelled | This did not work very well for me. After about one month it was back to square one-back to doctor for something else. Many more side effects that lots of others had, but it just didn't work. GOODBYE Benicar!! SAME TO YOU BYSTOLIC-this made me feel really bad-tired all the time and I took it at night and Benicar in the AM. Bystolic had just about the same nasty side effects as Toprolol. Might work for some, but not for me. Also, GOODBYE doctor that gave me these, hello new doctor, ANYTIME YOU GET MEDICINE-ALWAYS GET SAMPLES-always!! | F | 60 | 2 months | 2/28/2009 | 1 | High blood pressure | Difficulty to breathe, tingling, dizziness, tachycardia, difficulty to relax, punch in the plexus and only after four days of taking it. More damaging than high blood pressure itself which would go up and way day during the day. | F | 60 | 10 days | 2/14/2009 | 3 | HBP | Fatigue, dizzyness when bending over and muscle cramps. | Benicar is an effective drug as far as drugs go...I tried 10 other medications that did nothing. When my PCP basically gave up (after giving me samples of every drug in her cabinet), she referred me to a cardiologist who was a God send. He gave me samples of Norvasc, which worked almost instantly. Unfortunately, I had to discontinue its use because I have gum disease. My cardiologist is something that's rare: a doctor who doesn't just say try this, try that but one who actually knows about the drugs he prescribes, their side effects and interactions. He advised me to discontinue its use because it accelerates bone loss (my gums had started bleeding after years of being clean). Of course, my periodontist didn't believe it and disputed his claim; he was kind enough to make copies of the study so that I could present it to her--you should have seen the look on her face! Once taken off Norvasc, Benicar was prescribed and it actually worked without making me feel like I was going to | F | 49 | 4 years | 2/6/2009 |