Re: Blood pressure med question OT (sort of)

[Guest guest]

My mother has been on BP meds for about 40 years. When we have our daily

phone conversation I'll ask her what she's taking now and whether she likes

it. She is extremely drug sensitive so I'm thinking she'll be good to

ask.....Will post later what I learn...Love, The Dutchess of Dixie, Chris

>From: " Trisha Thiede " <shepp@...>

>>

>Hi all,

>I am wondering if anyone out there is or had been taking the blood pressure

>med Diovan? My husband has been on it for several months and has been

>having stomach problems. The problems come and go, but definitely got

>worse when his Diovan dose was increased for 80mg to 160mg. He starts to

>feel sick to his stomach, will get diarrhea, and sometimes really bad

>chills. Overall, he just feels and acts a bit run down. (Had lots of

>bloodwork done, everything was fine.) His doctor has given him samples of

>Protonix twice for his stomach (he has no prescription coverage). As long

>as he's on the Protonix, no problems. He's been off it about 1 1/2 weeks

>now and tonight he felt nauseated again. For some reason, his doc is

>really stuck on keeping him on the Diovan. I even went to his last appt

>with him and he wouldn't switch him to another bp med. He even wants to

>do a scope of his stomach if this doesn't improve! Seems stupid to me

>since all this started shortly after he began taking the Diovan. I say

>stop this drug and try something else and see what happens..... what do you

>guys think? Also, what makes me suspect the Diovan even more is my aunt

>was taking it and actually ended up at the ER with such bad stomach trouble

>(and she sees the same doc as my husband!).

>

>Just curious if anyone has had experience with this drug?? Also, anyone

>taking bp meds.... what has worked best? Thanks for your help,

>Trish in PA

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[Guest guest]

Hi Trish,

Yes, I too take a med for BP. I tried about 6 different ones a few years

ago (don't remember the Diovan..unless it was under a different name)

but it seemed that every one of them made me feel sooooo tired and

just plain "sick." I refused to take anything for about 3 years, until one

night when I felt like I was having a stroke, then I got myself back to the

doctor and told him I was ready to try again. I have since been taking

Avapro. It has really helped knock down the bottom number, but the

top (systolic?) is still running too high most of the time. My doctor then

gave me some samples of Avalade to try. They made me so sick I

had to stop after two days and go back to just the Avapro. I did start

to take a capsule from the Nutrition Center with Cayenne (sp?) and

Ginger...it's supposed to lower the BP naturally...nothing yet.

Sorry if I'm not much help, but I would think that your doctor would honor

your husbands request to try a different med. There are many, many

different BP meds on the market. In fact the doctor should be willing

to give out a few samples first to see which one works the best before

you have to purchase several different full prescriptions. I'm not a doctor,

but I don't understand the reasoning behind why your doctor won't let your

husband at least "try" some other BP meds. Did you ask him why??

From Wisconsin,

Tricia

-- Blood pressure med question OT (sort of)

Hi all,

I am wondering if anyone out there is or had been taking the blood pressure med Diovan? My husband has been on it for several months and has been having stomach problems. The problems come and go, but definitely got worse when his Diovan dose was increased for 80mg to 160mg. He starts to feel sick to his stomach, will get diarrhea, and sometimes really bad chills. Overall, he just feels and acts a bit run down. (Had lots of bloodwork done, everything was fine.) His doctor has given him samples of Protonix twice for his stomach (he has no prescription coverage). As long as he's on the Protonix, no problems. He's been off it about 1 1/2 weeks now and tonight he felt nauseated again. For some reason, his doc is really stuck on keeping him on the Diovan. I even went to his last appt with him and he wouldn't switch him to another bp med. He even wants to do a scope of his stomach if this doesn't improve! Seems stupid to me since all this started shortly after he began taking the Diovan. I say stop this drug and try something else and see what happens..... what do you guys think? Also, what makes me suspect the Diovan even more is my aunt was taking it and actually ended up at the ER with such bad stomach trouble (and she sees the same doc as my husband!).

Just curious if anyone has had experience with this drug?? Also, anyone taking bp meds.... what has worked best? Thanks for your help,

Trish in PA

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone else who responded to my question :-) If anyone has anything else to add, please do so! Caroline - thanks for the research info. In addition, I just went to http://www.diovan.com & read the prescribing info. Also looked at my hubby's prescription, and it is the Diovan HCT which also has a diuretic in it. Along with the nausea, two of the side effects of the diuretic were intestinal cramping and gastric irritation. I really think this is the problem!

My husband hates to question his doctor (why I don't know?) and usually does whatever the doc says. I suppose we'll just have to insist on another drug. Maybe a new drug rep will have been to his office with an even better drug before our next visit ..... lol...... I swear, docs lately never prescribe a generic if a newer "better" drug is available. I was talking to my mom about this last night, and she has been on atenolol (sp??) for bp for over 20 years. She said she tried lots of the newer drugs but this one worked best with no side effects for her. AND it costs only a little over $5 a month!

Thanks again,

Trish in PA

Re: Blood pressure med question OT (sort of)

Hi Trish,

When I have questions like you have, I go to a few favorite sources on drugs and check out the side effects. I did notice on 3 of them that there was not particular mention of nausea as a side effect but I decided to check a bit further. I did a search on "Diovan and Nausea" and came up with 76,900 responses so apprently there is something to be said about the subject. Here are quotes and links to a couple of them I read.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/203478.html said: "Check with your doctor right away if you become sick while taking this medicine, especially with severe or continuing nausea and vomiting or diarrhea. These conditions may cause you to lose too much water and lead to low blood pressure."

http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/DIO1139.HTM (Please check out the warnings on this site. Discussed food/ med interactions.) "

[Guest guest]

Hi again Trish,

Just thought it was interesting that the Avapro I take for the high BP does

not make me sick...when I tried the Avalide (Avapro w/a diuretic) I got

very sick to my stomach, and also experienced much stomach pain...

I have a best friend who is on the Atenolol (I'm not sure of the spelling

either) and she is doing fine....in fact I plan to ask my doctor tomorrow

about letting me try the Atenolol.

Please let us know what your husband decides to do about the med.

Take care,

Wisconsin,

Tricia

-- Re: Blood pressure med question OT (sort of)

Thanks everyone else who responded to my question :-) If anyone has anything else to add, please do so! Caroline - thanks for the research info. In addition, I just went to http://www.diovan.com & read the prescribing info. Also looked at my hubby's prescription, and it is the Diovan HCT which also has a diuretic in it. Along with the nausea, two of the side effects of the diuretic were intestinal cramping and gastric irritation. I really think this is the problem!

My husband hates to question his doctor (why I don't know?) and usually does whatever the doc says. I suppose we'll just have to insist on another drug. Maybe a new drug rep will have been to his office with an even better drug before our next visit ..... lol...... I swear, docs lately never prescribe a generic if a newer "better" drug is available. I was talking to my mom about this last night, and she has been on atenolol (sp??) for bp for over 20 years. She said she tried lots of the newer drugs but this one worked best with no side effects for her. AND it costs only a little over $5 a month!

Thanks again,

Trish in PA

Re: Blood pressure med question OT (sort of)

Hi Trish,

When I have questions like you have, I go to a few favorite sources on drugs and check out the side effects. I did notice on 3 of them that there was not particular mention of nausea as a side effect but I decided to check a bit further. I did a search on "Diovan and Nausea" and came up with 76,900 responses so apprently there is something to be said about the subject. Here are quotes and links to a couple of them I read.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/203478.html said: "Check with your doctor right away if you become sick while taking this medicine, especially with severe or continuing nausea and vomiting or diarrhea. These conditions may cause you to lose too much water and lead to low blood pressure."

http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/DIO1139.HTM (Please check out the warnings on this site. Discussed food/ med interactions.) "any