Valsartan for High Blood Pressure User Reviews (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• January 21, 2012

Valsartan "Diovan HCT has controlled my blood pressure for over 10 years. Recently, though my potassium has dropped, I've experienced atrial fibrillation, and have noticed ringing in my ears. I have gone to just Diovan and have dropped the diuretic."

• Anonymous
• October 8, 2012

Valsartan "Diovan does the trick as far as the blood pressure goes. I have been an athlete my whole life, so high blood pressure was just never dreamed of. The only problem is my erectile dysfunction, which was never a problem before this. Guess I will have to take the bad with the good."

• phi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2016

Valsartan "I was recently switched to a BP control regimen of Diovan and Concur (bisoprolol), and for the first time in 20 years, my BP is under control. It used to run in the mid 140s to mid 150s / hi 80s to hi 90s. Now it has stabilized to mid 120s to mid 130s / mid 70s to mid 80s. I couldn't be happier, and I have no side effects."

• mis...
• June 24, 2009

Valsartan "Taking Diovan 160 mg for 3 months with no noticeable side effects, then had what the doctor refers to as an orthostatic syncope episode. I passed out. Was out of work for 4 weeks. Doctor increased dose to 320 and nearly all of the side effects listed for this medication have presented themselves. The worst being muscle weakness and cramping."

• Anonymous
• September 23, 2009

Valsartan "After about six weeks of starting Diovan 80 mg, my blood pressure began to go higher. My dosage was increased to 160 mg. My blood pressure would go up and down, reaching over 200/100 several times. After a trip to the ER twice and the hospital once, I decided to take myself off Diovan and go back to my old medicine. Problem solved."

• But...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 23, 2012

Valsartan "I've been taking Diovan HCT (80/12.5) for a little over one year. It has done the trick on my blood pressure but leaves me with a slight headache and afternoon lethargy. After about 8:00 pm, I usually start to feel better. My doctor and I tried 3 other medicines before Diovan HCT with no results. I don't know if the side effects are something I will just have to live with or not. I will discuss this on my next Dr.'s visit."

• FMB...
• April 22, 2016

"I'm 51 and have been using Diovan HCT 80-12.5 for 5 months to control high blood pressure. The medication did work to regulate my blood pressure, keeping it in the 120s/80s. I started experiencing painful stiffness in my neck and shoulders, nausea. I decided to wean myself off the meds, and to do this, I knew I had to change my diet and exercise more. The first thing to go was soda! I also started eating raw garlic (4 cloves) daily (garlic helps to lower blood pressure along with other awesome benefits). I only drink lemon water and 8 ounces of V8 low sodium veggie juice daily-plenty of fruit and veggies daily (avocado, bananas, oranges, blackberries, spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, almonds). I selected these to provide nutrients needed. Five weeks in, and blood pressure has maintained! I feel fabulous, and I'm down to 1 tablet a week."

• Zab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 22, 2018

"Valsartan works so well getting my numbers down. But I’m now having really bad muscle fatigue in my legs. Especially my thighs. It’s sometimes hard to get up and down without feeling any pain in my thigh area. But I’m slowly getting used to it. Still don’t like it though, but the numbers are low, and that’s what I needed in my daily life. High blood pressure will kill you, you know? Lol. I’ve been walking hardcore prior to the two months I’ve been on this medication. So I know my legs/thighs aren’t hurting from the daily walking. My goal is to lose more weight (lost 15 lbs already) and hopefully get off of these blood pressure meds altogether. The good thing is it’s summer soon. So no excuses about the weather. That should be our goal, people, is to rid ourselves of these meds when we can. Good luck to all who post here."

• Lin...
• December 10, 2015

Valsartan "This medicine is a lifesaver. My doctor put me on blood pressure medicine when I turned 40. It made me feel tired and just bad, and in about 8 months after I started taking it, I started having chest pains. She swapped me to Diovan, and I've been on it for 3 years now. I have no side effects, I don't feel bad anymore, and it controls my blood pressure."

• Big...
• August 3, 2017

Valsartan "I took Lisinopril for about a year and a half. I coughed so bad all the time I could not stand it any longer. Stopped up head and hard to breathe. My doctor changed me to Diovan 160 mg, and I have been on it for 2 months now, and my head has cleared, and my cough is completely gone. My blood pressure has been in the 110's over 60's. So far, I am very happy with Diovan!!!"

• Iri...
• May 15, 2010

Valsartan "Yes, it lowered my blood pressure. I had, and still do, a persistent lingering dry cough, which led to many visits to the doctor's office: spirometry, chest x-ray, antibiotics, and more, to rule out any other reason for the cough. And I did hear from one of my co-workers later that her father had a similar experience, cough after taking Diovan."

• Gra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 26, 2017

"My experience with Valsartan was terrible: muscle stiffness, joint pain, chronic cough, vision changes, painful stiffness in my neck and shoulder. I felt terrible every day. I will never take this medicine nor recommend it to anyone. I went back to Diovan, it's more expensive, but it works."

• Tir...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 11, 2017

"I have been taking Valsartan 160 mg for 10 years now. It helps control my BP, but I'm tired of all the side effects it causes me. Examples of those are: tiredness, hair loss, post-nasal drip, loss of libido, delayed orgasm, insomnia. I have decided to stop the med and to exercise (walk) and eat better."

• Kac...
• March 26, 2016

"80 mg valsartan is the 1st BP med I have ever taken. After taking my second pill, I developed an extremely severe headache in the front of my face. It subsided the next day but did not go away completely. After the 5th pill, I experienced pain in my hips, knees, and fingers that woke me up constantly during the night. I took another pill the next morning. That evening, I developed a severe rash on my face right across the areas where I had my headache. Did not take another pill after that, but still have a headache after not being on it for a week. My BP was 148/83 and never really saw much of a difference being on the pill for such a short period of time. Valsartan made me feel very unwell!"

• Anonymous
• March 16, 2011

Valsartan "I started taking Diovan 80 mg some 15 years ago, it worked great for me. After about 5 years, I developed an allergy to the sun, and after many skin biopsies, I was diagnosed with discoid lupus. I had to stay out of the sun, almost like a vampire. My insurance (drug coverage) would no longer cover this medicine, so my doctor prescribed enalapril, which worked for a while, then blood pressure became erratic, and trying several other medicines made me so sluggish. My doctor wrote for Diovan again, stating it was medically necessary, and within 3 days, I had a severe skin rash. Lo and behold, I never had discoid lupus, so I quit taking it. Back to enalapril, and now my blood pressure is crazy again. I wish I could take Diovan, but I want to enjoy the beaches. Back to square one."

• pam...
• April 6, 2010

Valsartan "Controls my blood pressure but gives me stomach pain. Used to take 160 mg, had pain now I take 320/12.5, and I have terrible pains in my center and upper stomach. I am asking the doctor to try another pill. Can't take it anymore!"

• jim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 21, 2017

Valsartan "Took for 2 weeks, OK, then suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. Tingling sensation all over body, night leg cramps. I was on the generic, then had the pharmacy switch to the name brand ($274). The name brand seems stronger, as when I take it, 3 hours later, I get a tingling all over my body. I will stop taking this until the effects go away and try again."

• Hot...
• January 31, 2016

Valsartan "I was on Diovan five years ago for high blood pressure and had been taking it for about two years when I woke up one morning and felt so sick and weak that I could not walk. I happened to be in the hospital at the time, and they discovered that my potassium and blood pressure had dropped significantly. They stopped the Diovan, and two days later I was back to normal. However, my blood pressure is above the recommended levels, and the local doctor put me back on Diovan about six weeks ago, and this week I got the weakness back plus muscle aches, severe, so I stopped Diovan two days ago, and so far I still have all the bad side effects but hoping they will go away soon. A visit to the doctor is on the cards."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2018

"My side effects are debilitating burning of feet, swelling of hands, arms felt asleep. Progressive and worsening over 7 months. Spoke with both my primary and cardiologist who were not convinced my symptoms were related to the drug. Referred to neurologist. Waiting for nerve conduction test despite all of this pain and growing fear. Took myself off valsartan. Overnight relief. 90% improvement. No foot burning, no icing my feet. Not declaring a victory but looks very likely the drug is the cause."

• Car...
• June 9, 2017

"Been on valsartan for over a year. Had several side effects... cough, lethargic, and muscle weakness when walking for 5 minutes. Dr. was unhappy with my pressure the last few visits, so Dr. added HCTZ to valsartan. My symptoms now include higher blood sugar... 30 to 50 more points average daily on my morning testing. My A1C went from 6.1 to 6.6 when I had my 3-month blood test. All I do is cough and wheeze. Chest x-ray shows clear lungs. Tired of taking more meds to relieve symptoms. Feel like I'm not crazy after reading the comments of others."

• Swe...
• May 15, 2017

"I started valsartan a month ago. I am experiencing hair loss, body aches, heart palpitations, my head throbs, anxiety, but that could be from my heart racing at times. (Which is something that has never happened to me until I was put on this medicine.) It seems like my vision is blurry at times. My blood pressure runs about 135/85. Although some days I check it and it's all over the place. My face also is flushed since starting this medication."

• VAL...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 11, 2023

"I have been on this for a while for high blood pressure. I noticed the pharmacy changed the vendor they use for it, and for the past several months, I wake up every night several times with severe dry mouth. I read this causes electrolyte imbalance, so that is probably what it is. I drink a lot of water or sugar-free Gatorade every day and cannot shake this dryness. Has anyone experienced this? My new prescription is not from Absecend, so I am hoping the dryness goes away. It is miserable."

• aro...
• June 19, 2008

Valsartan "I used to take 360 mg a day, now I'm down to 80 mg a day. I have taken this for years. I wouldn't change to anything else, it has really done wonders for my blood pressure (BP). Now my BP is well controlled."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2017

"I have been taking this drug for a few months and started to feel off after 3 months. I have been increasing my exercise routine because I have been gaining weight and yet did not really alter my diet. I gained all the weight in the belly. My liver enzymes have changed, and also I developed a skin rash on my thighs and have been feeling a tingling sensation in both arms at night to the point that I would wake up several times a night. I have decided on my own to discontinue and will talk to my doctor about it."

• Amb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2016

"I might as well take sugar pills. This is the second generic brand of blood pressure medications I have been given since being forced to go off the name brand Diovan prescribed by my doctor. The first generic worked, although not as well as the name brand. This one, Mylan, does not work at all. My blood pressure is the highest it's been since I went on blood pressure medication over 22 years ago! Not acceptable at all. Normally, with the name brand it ran around 124 over 70 in the afternoon, with the first generic brand it ran about 130 over 75. With Mylan Valsartan, it runs 155 to 163 over 83 to 90 in the afternoon!!!"