Olmesartan User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• November 14, 2012

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Benicar for four years with no noticeable side effects; keeps my blood pressure at 115/75 easily. I had experienced negative effects such as leg cramps and severe dizziness with other medicines prior to taking Benicar. I still monitor other aspects of my life that affect blood pressure - adequate exercise, proper diet, etc., but am happy this medicine is available to 'close the gap.'"

• BS ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 9, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "This olmesartan generic I am going to agree with a lot of you folks is not the same! I have experienced the same as many of your folks switching from brand to generic due to insurance policy changes. Everything from an irregular heartbeat, breathing, shakes, chills! At times feeling like I'm going to stroke out! It's garbage, and it is not the same!"

• Ned...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 31, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "Had really bad experiences with Losartan. Then was given Olmesartan. Still having shortness of breath, now runny nose, joint and spinal pain. Can hardly walk a hundred yards and heart starts to race and can't breathe. Severe anxiety follows. ED is bad. I am on Medicaid and limited to a research hospital. Doctors unconcerned with drug interactions and side effects. Muscle cramping and fall often. Going to reduce Olmesartan little by little and stop taking it. Very bad experience. Have to take the bus to the hospital, but the walking distance from the bus stop to the medical center is too far. So I haven't been able to see my cardiologist. Hate this medication!"

• You...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 5, 2019

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (HBP) at the young age of 14. I weighed about 100 lbs at the time. I've been taking Benicar for about 4 years, previously Lisinopril 40 mg. I started 20 mg of Benicar, and blood pressure was not controlled. So I was put on 40 mg. I would take it every day, and I would get so tired. So I told a new doctor, and she said to decrease back to 20 mg, so I did and switched my time taking it to bedtime. It puts me to sleep, however, after 4 straight nights of it, I wake up so drained, have no energy, and feel a little confused. I too have breathing problems but assumed my asthma was getting worse. I've been asking for a new medicine, with no luck. I'll be honest, I hope for the weight gain, I could use some of that, but it hasn't happened. Hopefully, I can get off of this soon!"

• Cob...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 11, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "When I first took this med (olmesartan plus diuretic), I was fine. Now, ten years older, I'm now suffering terrible side effects: painful muscles, joints, skin rash, tinnitus, shaky, trembly feeling, anxiety, and cramps. My doctor doesn't believe me, and I am afraid to stop taking them."

• Jaz...
• May 8, 2015

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I gained 13 pounds rapidly. I was only on the medication for less than a month. I also experienced asthma-type symptoms. I am not an overweight person, and I am very athletic, but was diagnosed with HBP. I stopped taking Benicar, and my lungs are back to normal, and the weight gained stopped. I know it was the medication because the extra weight went away."

• Nik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2019

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "Ended up in ER. Had taken generic form Olmesartan 20 mg every night at bedtime for 3 weeks. I felt okay until one early evening. I was out, felt weak, nauseated, and actually fainted while sitting down. First time ever in my life, luckily med staff were near. I went to ER and BP recorded very low 60 over...? Blood work showed kidney function impaired, very frightening and traumatic for my family to see."

• Lol...
• July 20, 2018

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "Have taken Benicar for 10 years or so. Blood pressure around 123/70. When forced by insurance to take generic, now 156/89. In the past, I got name brand with $42.00 a month co-pay. In order to get name brand now, my co-pay would be around $290.00 a month. Outrageous! Switching to something else."

• Col...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 28, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I didn't realize for a couple of years that the excruciating lower back pain wasn't two bulging disks but this olmesartan drug. I know this for sure because after going off it for a few weeks, the pain went away. My back felt like a vice was crushing the lower back."

• Jos...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 18, 2023

For High Blood Pressure "The worst medication ever! Helped with the blood pressure, but at what cost? Took it for almost 3 months only, I just stopped it less than a week ago. From the beginning, I had coughing and a horrible problem with acid reflux. Later, the chest pain kicked in. I was feeling tired and drowsy all the time. My muscles and joints hurt. Unusual cramps in my legs. Numbness, tingling, and itchiness especially on my legs and feet. Legs felt swollen, heavy, and sore. Abdominal pain all the time. My IBS got worse, having to pass bowel motions many times a day without any relief. Tinnitus and migraines happen more often than ever before. After suffering from this for almost 3 months, I stopped the medication cold turkey. Like magic, the cramps, tingling, and numbness went away the next day. Two days later, the muscle aches were gone. Still have tired and heavy legs but are less now. The only new thing I have is diarrhea. I found a study that says it can happen after stopping this poison."

• Ny ...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 14, 2013

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I have been on Benicar for about a year now, and I have to say it has helped my blood pressure. Blood pressure is 120-130 and over 70-75 on average. My pressure was not dangerously high, but my doctor recommended I go on it since it is in my family history. I am 40."

• Kob...
• September 2, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I have been taking this for about a month. I started getting nasal congestion and an earache and swelling. I was thinking I just had a sinus infection. I tried everything to get rid of it. One day I missed a dose, and I felt better that day, and the next day I started taking it again, and all of a sudden my symptoms came back. I’m done with this medicine. I hope this will help someone else in the future. It’s hard to find the right one that works for you."

• lit...
• August 4, 2013

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Benicar 20 mg for 2 1/2 years. The doctor switched me from lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide after prostate surgery. My blood pressure has remained in the 120/75 range the whole time. The only side effects I have noticed are a change in my sex drive and leg cramps. The lack of sex drive could be from the surgery, or the fact that I am almost 72 years young."

• Mik...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 30, 2018

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I've had uncontrolled high blood pressure for years. I was taking or had taken multitudes of meds for it. Diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, etc. Finally, Benicar was tried, and wow... normal blood pressure for the 1st time in 20 years! I don't get the side effects like many here either. I'm still taking my diuretics and B-blocker as well and switched to the generic version of olmesartan (insurance). For me, Benicar (olmesartan) is a miracle drug."

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 17, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I am 54 years old male. I have been in and out of the hospital for the last 4 years. I have tried, I think, every drug for high BP. The medicines and doctors are not perfect, as they think they are. I recently did a test to see if it was the olmesartan. I stopped it cold turkey, and like many of you - yes, I feel better, but even stranger is that my BP went down and flu-like feelings are gone."

• Tim...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 2, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "Olmesartan has been one of my daily BP meds for about 15 years at 40 mg per day. Stopped taking it a week ago cold turkey and feel loads better with no aches and pains or blocked nasal passages and feeling I have the flu all the time. I think I have suffered all the side effects possible, which have gotten worse with time. I also take Atenolol, Amlodipine, Doxazosin and am 75 years old in June."

• Con...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 9, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Benicar for years and the generic more recently. It does control my BP, but the side effects have gotten so much worse over time. Started with a scratchy throat, moved to an irritating cough, and now watery frequent bowel movements and a lot of post-nasal drip and awful phlegm at night, which results in vomiting. I am just now realizing that the diarrhea is probably caused by the rx. My problem is I have tried so many different meds, and this is the only one that works and am scared to start all over trying different meds."

• tod...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 13, 2015

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "Benicar is great. I have been using it for 4-5 years now. I had an initial period of being light-headed for a few weeks when I first started the medicine, but after that, no problems whatsoever. Keeps my blood pressure around 115/70. My bottom figure had been around 95. Benicar is more expensive than a lot of the other hypertension medicines, but it is well worth it for me."

• Iaq...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2015

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Diovan HCT for the past 10 years; varying doses as my BP continued to increase with age. Diovan was giving me debilitating migraines, and the weight gain was out of control; even though I am a vegetarian and walk about 3 miles a day. Life on Diovan was miserable. Two weeks ago, I persuaded my doctor to switch me to Benicar HCT and to start me on the lowest dose. My BP while on Diovan HCT hovered around 190/102; the highest was 200/105, which was becoming rather common lately. So my doctor also prescribed Bystolic. Three hours after taking Benicar HCT, my blood pressure slowly dropped to 133/80. I am not used to 'normal' blood pressure, so I felt like I was drunk. Quite a nice feeling from such a small pill... LOL."

• Anonymous
• July 5, 2009

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "My doctor put me on Benicar HCT about 7 years ago. I was the type of person who hated to take medication so I didn't take it consistently. I think that is why I finally realized every time I would take a pill, I would wake up during the night with severe leg cramps. I told my doctor about it, and he changed my prescription to plain Benicar. After that, I take it regularly and have no side effects or problems at all, and it keeps my blood pressure level at 110/70."

• Anonymous
• March 2, 2008

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "BP dropped over 100 pts for systolic and diastolic pressures after ONE dose of 20/12.5 Benicar HCT. No side effects at all. Has remained below 120/78 for a week at two daily dosages of 20/12.5 AM and PM. Shortness of breath is gone, all leg and feet swelling is gone, and no increase in frequency of urination. Absolutely no side effects and BP taken twice a day, AM and PM is around 113/63."

• Sha...
• May 12, 2009

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I had been using Benicar with good results except an occasional headache and lightheadedness upon getting up quickly. Because of the high price, I asked my doctor to prescribe a cheaper product - Lisinopril. I have only been on it a short time but have experienced so many side effects that I'm asking to go back on Benicar - high cost or not."

• HBP...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 24, 2015

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "Was previously taking Lisinopril at the highest dosage and still had blood pressure readings of 160/95. Benicar HCT 40/12.5 (Benicar combined with a diuretic called hydrochlorothiazide) is the only drug that has ever gotten my blood pressure fully under control (120/77 at the doctor today). I take it with a banana or some orange juice in the morning to ensure my potassium levels don't drop too low. I have no side effects with this pill, other than running to the restroom a bit more during the first couple of days I was taking the medication."

• Chu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2016

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "I took 20 mg Benicar as an alternative to Lisinopril, which caused a cough. With Benicar, the cough went away after a few weeks, but a new side effect took its place: I would wake up in the middle of the night with a sore chest and upper back pain. It's a shame because during the day, Benicar had no apparent side effect and kept BP at 128/79."

• Vik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2018

Olmesartan for High Blood Pressure "Been on beta blockers, clonidine, lisinopril over the last year. The beta blockers and I don't get along. I actually had higher BP over time on them. Clonidine is super at reducing pressure, but is intolerable daily. Benicar for me is fantastic. No side effects and keeps pressure in check at 20 mg once a day. I demanded the real thing as generic beta blockers caused me problems. I do not trust generic quality. So far, Benicar is the best drug I can imagine for blood pressure patients."