Benicar symptoms and conditions

I have been taking Lisinopril HCTZ for two weeks and experienced no side effects except one which concerns me. At this point I am not sure if it was caused by Lisinopril and would like to hear if others had something similar. I am 72 and in good condition and several weeks ago went up a mountain near Boulder. I managed quite well. At that point I had not taken any medication for two weeks having run out of Benicar HCT. A few days after starting Lisinpril I went up a mountain again and this time I was dragging my heels and my wife had to frequently wait for me. If this happens again I will dump Lisinopril and try to manage without b/p pills. If I can't I will return to Benicar but I deeply re resent the Benicar company's price gouging because they have Benicar on patent. Benicar costs 40 times more per pill than Lisinopril.

This is nothing new but goes right along with what others are saying about Lisinopril, AKA drug from Hell. I asked to be switched from Benicar due to its high cost compared to Lisinopril. My Dr. picked Lisinopril from a list my mail order pharmacy (Medco) sent as potentially less expensive than Benicar. I had zero problems with Benicar. I'm 59, male, generally in good shape. After 30 days on Lisinopril HZTC I was tired all the time, couldn't sleep very well, leg cramps, sweating like crazy. The worst part for me is joint pain that lingers on after going back to Benicar 10 days ago. The pain in one of my hip joints makes it very hard to even walk. I know it was the drug from Hell that did it. After 10 days I'm now OK except for the joint pain, which at least is not constant like it was when I was taking Lisinopril. Good luck to everyone.

I was taking lisinopril and as far as my blood pressure goes, it worked great. However, after taking this drug (and Diovan and Benicar as well,) over time I developed Gastritis and GERD. I've switched to Micardis recently. Day 5 today and I don't get the sharp stomach pains I would get 20 or so minutes after dosing Lisinopril. IMO blood pressure is important to control. There's 100's of these type of drugs out there. I suggest to keep on trying different ones until you find one that works for you. This is number 5 for me (I tried Tekturna, which did not give me the digestion side effects, but was not effective for my bp.) I went with Micardis next because it's formulated differently than the Diovans and Cozaars and Lisinoprils, and so far so good. Wish me luck.

I cant Walk this crap disabled me! I have nerve damage to my left knee.Dont take this crap.Period It can Kill you.there are a bunch of greedy people making a ton of money on the sale of this crap.We seem to have no Rights??? I was i a lot of pain like someone shot my knee off pain.Plus my lower left leg too all the way from ankle to my Thigh joint.It really sucks too when doctor blows you off.I went and sen another one for second opinion he had never seen a Knee swollen 5 times the size of other right knee.Class action Lawsuit anyone.I,d sign on.I was forced to take this poison.by insurance company.I was on Benicar for last two years.that worked for me.But for costs I was told I had to change over or die was my choices.Well to save a couple bucks its going to cost a lot more getting my extra doctors bills.plus attorneys fees I hope.

Hi, I am a 47 year old female. Last month (June 2009) I went to the doctor because I had a bad migraine that wouldn't go away. After a week of suffering I went to my Doctor and my BP was high, so she put me on Benicar. I took it for 3 days and then I refused to take it anymore. After taking it I couldn't hardly get off the couch, and I was dizzy, and had a tightness in my chest with chest pains. The doctor changed my prescription to lisinopril and the chest pains got worse along with that deadly cough. I went back to my doctor and told her that I wasn't going to take lisinopril any more because of the chest pains and the caugh. She said that she didn't think it was the medicine and she gave me an EKG and I failed it. I went 2 days later and had a nuclear stress test and failed it too, then I had a heart cath and the cardiologist said that my heart was perfect, it wasn't my heart. Needless to say it was the meds that the doctor had put me on, those nasty side effects. Now I just moniter my BP and I'm to scared to take anything because of the side effects. I wished I could make the doctor pay for all the test I had to take. She should have just listened to me when I told her it was the meds. After failing 2 test, I thought that I may be really having a heart attach, Very scary. Just listen to what we are saying " DON'T TAKE LISINOPRIL" Oh yea after heart cath I called my doctor and told her that I was not taking Lisinopril any more because that was what was causing my problems not my heart and she said just to let all meds get out of my system and come back in a week and we would try something else. yea right. She's not getting any more of my money. I've come to realize that every thing has side effects, so before I take anything else I will look it up first. Be careful what you take!

I have been taking 20 mg. for two weeks and I have developed a dry cough, pain in the middle of my shoulder blades and my left arm. I tried to cut my grass and felt like I was going to die. I am 48 year old male with BP of 140/90. Lisinopril has lowered my BP as low as 90/60 so I cut the dosage in half. Now I feel like my throat has been ripped out and I'm hurting all over. I will never take Lisinopril again. I was on Benicar, but it was expensive and didn't really work. I am going to start exercising more and try the health food stores.

I was on Benicar for several years with no side effects whatsoever. I'm 42 with borderline high blood pressure and it worked great. I switched to Lisinopril in March/April due to the cost of Benicar and the fact I got laid off the first of the year and no longer have insurance. I discussed this with my Dr. and he recommended Lisinopril due to the cost. He did warn me the cough was a side effect but thought I would try it anyway.

At first everything was fine, but the past month has been a nightmare. Horrible cough, especially at night, the past few weeks I've got next to no sleep. I was sitting here at 1am last night unable to sleep and decided to do a search on Lisinopril side effects and found this forum. Needless to say, my eyes have been opened, as I have experienced a lot of these same side effects since starting the drug, but didn't really put it all together until reading these posts, and it's like looking into a mirror! The cough, the constant muscle pain like I exercised too much, occasion hip and leg pain I didn't have a few months ago, the "fuzzy brain" and listless feelings, I've experienced it all.

As of tonight I am stopping the drug, calling my Dr. and getting lined up for something else. As soon as I get some medical insurance back I'm back on Benicar, until then I'm getting off this stuff. I would rather watch my BP closely than keep coughing up my lungs like I'm currently doing. =)

This drug should be taken off the market. My Dr. warned me of a cough when he gave it to me but did not tell me that you would literally drown in secretions from the drainage in your throat. I have been on it 2 weeks and my quality of life has diminished considerably. During the day its as if a little man with a squirt bottle of acid is spraying my throat. At night the same thing but lying down produces uncontrollable drainage. I have to keep a spit cup by my bed and hardly get any sleep. Have tried allergy medications to no avail. I threw it in the garbage today. I would rather monitor my BP 30 times a day than live thru this.

My question is if you have been on this drug and your Dr. took you off, what did he use in its place? Would Beta Blockers be better? Who has experienced this and is now free of it? What is the alternative drug? I called my Dr.'s office today and they have Benicar waiting for me in the AM...anyone know about that one? I am desperate!

Over the 5 years of 50mg Toprol starting out to 200 mg Metoprolol.Over the years I have had the weight gain,losing weight is difficult,tiredness, muscle aches,anger,anxiety, weeping, feeling not in control, bad dreams, spiders on the wall. Which it totally out of character for me. Doctor upped it to 200 mg a day which has totally intensified all the above, I thought it was my age,hormones etc... never thought of these meds.
I am so glad that I came on this web sight and realized people are going through the same horrible side effects that I am going through and feeling alone and I am not going out of my mind.
I need to get off this ,plus I am on benicar/hcz. My Blood Pressure is very difficult to bring it down. Dr's just prescribe and practice its like a spit in the ocean-some meds work and some do not. It is finding the right combo meanwhile we all suffer...

I have been on lisiniprol with hctz on 10mg dose since October 2008. My BP averaged around 144/95 before taking the med, now averages about 122/78. The problem i am having is this constant "tickle" in my throat which has been giving me coughing fits. When i breathe in deep i can feel a sensation to cough, sometimes my throat feels tight and sore, the first time i felt this was December 2008 and the doctor said it was a touch of post nasal drip and this was before i have read stuff on this board. Has anyone else experienced this kind of sensation in the throat? sometimes when i talk i even have to cough, i experimented once and did not take my dose and it seemed my throat felt better but then noticed my bp went right back up, i guess i better tell the doctor to get me off of this drug. She did tell me that the cough was part of the side effect. thanks and hope someone answers this.

I just switched to Benicar....lisinopril was driving me crazy with the constant cough and not being able to sleep at night. I hate this drug.

I have been taking lisinopril/hctz for about 10 months, 4 months ago the hctz was raised to 25 mg and the lisinopril stayed at 10mg. I started developing what appeared to be food allergies. After eating certain foods (like chili, barbecue sauce and seasoned salt) i would start to itch anywhere there is tight clothing, always within 1 hour. Then within 3-4 more hours my whole body would be covered in really large hives. After overdosing on benadryl for about 24 hours the hives would subside but leave big purple skin bruises. My doctor thinks that the lisinopril is the culprit and has changed me to benicar.

I'd had been on Altace 20mg (2-10mg capsules) for about 2 yrs. A year ago a 25mg. HCTZ tablet was added. BP was under control (140-150s/ 80's) with only side effects from HCTZ, cramping from mineral imbalance, and the occasional bouts of being lightheaded. I decided to go off meds and monitor BP. I was fine for about 6 weeks, but then BP started up and felt I needed to get back on meds. Dr. agreed and prescribed what she said was a replacement ACE inhibitor with the convenience of HCTZ built in, Lisinopril HCTZ. She also prescribed Benicar an ARB. I took both for five days with side effects of being light-headed, feeling like fainting occasionally. On day 6, I developed an ugly skin rash/swelling on right front part of my head. I thought it might big a spider bite. Next day I developed more of the same on the right side of my nose, my right eye, and on my right cheek. I thought it was the Benicar, since I was made to believe an ACE inhibitor is an ACE inhibitor (from Altace to Lisinopril), and did not have a history of problems with it, and the ARB was the new kid on the block. I quit taking the Benicar but the symptoms persisted for 3 more days. I called the Dr. and was told they did not believe it was related to the meds since it did not manifest earlier, but to go ahead and stop taking the Benicar until the symptoms subsided, then resume to see if they came back ( sound like good advice to you?) 4 days after being off Benicar the rashes and swelling were worse. I then decided the problem had to be the Lisinopril. I have been off only 24 hrs, but symptoms are starting to improve. I will be calling tomorrow for a new Dr.

I just started taking Lisinopril on 2/11/09. Looked up this medication on the internet because i feel so weird since yesterday and saw all these comments. I have the heavy chest feelings, stomach problems, dizzy, depression, and many of the other symptoms that are described by everybody. I was on Benicar and am going back to it even though my insurance doesn't cover much of the cost. Thanks for everyone's comments..... .CN

i got a bad sinus infection for the past month after starting lisinopril, on many meds for this, i switched from avapro to lisinopril as i wanted to join the walgreens plan for cheaper drugs, the doc put me on lisinopril instead after i sent him the walgreens list of available drugs that they use, the avapro was not on the list,, ive been to my ent and allergy doc for this sinuse thing that is well over a month now and getting better, but i have spent more $ for drugs to combat this infection that r not on the walgreens list over $300 spent out of pocket but with a discount for switching to the lisinopril from the avapro that ive been on for about a yr,, it was not worth it,, BUT my cardio doctor thinks it ws just a coincidence that i got the sinus infection about the same week that i started lisinopril, he asked me to tell my ent and allergy doc about this, the ent thinks i shld go back to the avapro if ii feel that it may have started the infection with the little cough, i have not talked to my allergy doc about it yet, has anyone felt they got these symptoms with lisinopril????? i am still taking it all thru this sinus thing, MRI and 2 inhalers and antibiotics, narcotic cough med, sinus wash and musilex r doing ok and on the mend, i have no other symptoms and on the 5 mg , what do u all think? and anyone else have a sinus thing going on when starting the lisinopril??? D.

I have been on Toprol XL 25 mg for a few years, then 50 mg for 2 years. The last two have been spent on 40 mg Benicar and 25 mg of Toprol XL. Originally I was put on to elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and palps at 24 years of age. I blame it on anxiety, especially the white coat kind, but have since gotten seem to get that control. Not to mention I have quit smoking, both cigs and pot, and cut down on the late nights of boozing from my twenties. In any case, I am still taking the Benicar to make sure my bp stays in control, but off the Toprol completely for a week now. I can feel my heart rate is more elevated at times, but I think that is good and actually natural. My energy has increased, especially while working out, and I am thinking clear for the first time in years. Not that I was stupid, I managed to get promoted twice and an MBA during my time on Toprol, but feel much better. Will see if I have any of the side effects from that everyone describes, but my experience both on and off the drug was pretty good. I think most people on this drug already have anxiety, so learning to control that is key to living a life off the drug. Good luck to everyone, but glad to be off at least one medicine.

Okay folks, I've been taking metoprolol for nearly two months and It sucks big time. Came to this site because of feeling dizzy and I find that's a big problem. I keep feeling dizzier, more tired and I'm a zippy old gal, not overweight, none of that, but dang I just feel like crap and tend to drink more coffee and stuff just to keep zipping. I will take a half dose tonight and call the doc in the morning. Also have gastric problems. Heck, I would rather die of heart attack or brain aneurysm (sp, I know) than live life dizzy.

this is a wonderful website. I was just put on the lisinopril hctz yesterday. My doctor said to try this first rather than the benicar hctz due to the difference in price. After reading these posts I could care less about the cost. I just called him and asked him to switch me to the Benicar. Thank you for your comments and I hope things get better.

I took Lisinopril for 1 day I had a heart attack the next day. I had not missed any of my meds, and was changed to Lisinopril because of the price of Benicar. I had the same side effects and still have the sore throat.
It's been about 3 weeks since the heart attack

Well, my first posting didn't take for some reason. I have been taking L. for about 5 weeks. I had thought that I had developed a full allergy and had begun suffering from early menopause until I read these other entries. The hacking gagging cough and clear mucus from lungs?throat . The fatigue is constant and the depression is to tears about twice a week for no known reason. I didn't have these symptoms when I was on Benicar. Guess what I'm switching back to.?!!

Have been taking Lisinopril for approximately 6 months. Was previously taking Benicar, but insurance company strongly recommended the generic form.

Have experienced depression, eye problems, extreme leg pain, mood swings, sinus problems tightness in my chest, and severe rash and sores over my entire body.

Went to a dermatologist for the rash and sores. She took a biopsy and the report stated I was allergic to something. Had to use 4 anti-itch medications and 4 pills to be taken internally. Rash never did completely clear.

After having a nuclear stress test, my primary care physician referred me to a cardiologist. My left circumflex artery was 90% blocked, so a stent was inserted.

So I should be feeling alot better with all this being done. NO!! Have had more problems since the stent.

Am going today to the dermatologist again for the rash and sores and am taking the Lisinopril so when the biopsy is done, the lab can check to see if this is the culprit.

Also, am going to my PCP today for the leg and back pain. Am going to let him know I will not be taking Lisinopril anymore. An alternative blood pressure medicine will have to be prescribed.

Thanks for all the information. I will update my situation as soon as I know what is going on.

I am 46 years old and have been on Toprol XL 25mg for almost 3 years. I have been tired, but have not been sleeping well at night, I have had anxiety attacks and episodes where my heart was racing. The worst part is that I gained 22 pounds in 2 1/2 years and I was the type of person who never had a weight problem. It wasn't until the other day that I decided to go on line to see if Toprol could cause weight gain. I was shocked to see that so many people have had the same complaints as I. I have a Dr.'s appointment this week and I plan on telling him that I don't want to be on toprol any longer. My question is, what is an alternative to taking toprol?

My doctor took me off metopolol (genericToprol), and my last dosage was a week ago. I suffered weight gain, tiredness, and muscle fatigue during my 18 months on the drug.

I have 2 questions - how long will the drug remain in my system, and has anyone who experienced weight gain while on Toprol or the generic, lost any weight after stopping it?

Thanks, Tony

OK FOLKS -HERE'S A GOOD ONE FOR YA- Just over a year ago I was on a heart transplant list. Today my heart function is normal and I am off ALL HEART MEDS. Even after finding out my heart function level was normal I was still living a nightmare for some unexplained reason. After MONTHS of tests and everyone telling me I was nuts a neurologist finally found out I was having seizure activity. Funny how my "seizure activity" feels EXACTLY how I felt when they increased my beta blocker dosage. I'm telling all of you.. This beta blocker helps some but they are burying their mistakes. I now know all of my ER trips, only to have them laugh and have them send me back home, were do to seizures caused by beta blockers while I had heart failure. I'm lucky to be alive.... and now that my heart function is good I have to fight this seizure BS. *REMEMBER THIS - Only YOU know what your body is telling you.. LISTEN TO IT! But do be careful.. You can't just stop taking a beta blocker.. Good luck all cuz we sure need it!

WOW, I am so happy to find this site. I am a 56 yr old female. I too am on Toprol. I was on 75 mg 2 x's a day for HPB and mitral valve prolapse pain. Then yesterday the Dr. increased my dose to 100 mg 2x's a day .Today my ankles and feet blew up like balloons. I have been having profuse sweating and was cold and clammy for the past year and no Dr could tell me why!! NO sex drive , depression,sleep apnea, severe insomnia, brain fog, short term memory issues, moody, irritable, my husband has threatened to leave me. NO appetite!! Floaters in my eyes started a few months ago, I have so many symptoms that I have read in all your posts. No quality of life for the past year. I have felt like I was losing my mind, gained 35 lbs in past 2 years without changing my eating habits. I gained the weight after I had lost 50 lbs. Been on Toprol about 2 1/2 years ( I think ) Every symptom I have experienced I have read in your posts!! I have type 2 diabetes and am on glucophage, I also take 10 other scripts. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, RSD in my left arm, muscle pain and joint pain. Pain in my right upper qaudrant. Nausea/ some vomiting, NO ENERGY, Loss of interest in most of life. So now after reading all your posts I have to ask myself, are all my symptoms linked to the Toprol and not syndromes or illnesses? I am calling my doctor in the morning and getting off this med!! They will just have to put me on something else!!!
So how do I post to receive replies?
Joyce47oh