oh, great! (sarcasm)...i was switched to diovan after my previous...

oh, great! (sarcasm)...i was switched to diovan after my previous meds (olmesartan medoxomil) sp?--it's known as benicar at the pharm--started causing a bad side-effect--some possible muscle damage, i was told. not sure how bad but i had some bloodwork done to check liver function b/c i mentioned to the doc that i have muscle cramps, body aches as though i ran a marathon...just a bit of soreness and tingling sensation on my extremeties when I lay on one particular side. these were tolerable side-effects compared with the constant coughing with lisinopril. goodness...if the high blood pressure doesn't kill you first, the numerous side effects from these drugs surely will! can anyone else here tell me more about diovan before i take this new poison masquerading as medicine? with the benicar, i did notice bloating and some wt gain--or, it's just harder to shed pounds. what other bp meds are out there that aren't ace inhibitors? i'm dreadful of drugs that cause hair-loss :P anyway, to those that are on any meds....never miss your follow-up visits even if your medication is "working" for you. get a blood test just to make sure there aren't really any abnormal readings. best of all, if you have to keep switching and trying out meds to find the right one, do insist from your doc that they give you free samples first...like a months worth, as these arb's sure aren't cheap.