Avapro Side Effect - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

jtu91952 · 05-19-2004, 05:34 PM

Can somebody please answer this ? for me? I was recently prescribed avapro, 150 mg for hbp. I took the samples given and it made me sleepy, so I started taking half a dose. When i take a full dose, my skin gets very dry and dingy . My feet hurts and toes tingle. I also get real tight sharp pains in my ankles and back of my legs. Please help, because I need to continue walking at least 4 miles a day, but it seems impossible. I really need to take something for my bp. I feel so helpless. The dr thinks I just hate taking pills, but the truth is I've been given so many in the past that only caused problems, i am reluctant. HERE IS WHAT I NEED HELP WITH:
1. Side effects 2. How long will side effect last. 3. Are the things mentioned side effect of avapro. My bp is 143/80 most of the time.

JJ · 05-19-2004, 05:53 PM

I have been taking Avapro, 150 mg. also for the last 3 months. It seems to be doing good on the BP, but I do get lousy backaches and pains in my legs. Somedays it doesn't seem to bad and other days I could scream, especially if I walk alot. Like U, I have also noticed my skin being very dry. I have to go to the dr. next week and am going to mention it to him. Of course I expect him to give me a dirty look, as I am very sensative to meds. and have not had good luck on many. I took Altace for almost 2 years and PLEADED with the dr. to take me off of them due to the horrid cough, diarrhea and lousy appetite, but was told they are a great drug, it must be you. Reluctantly he finally gave in and switched me to this Avapro stuff.

God I hate it when they treat U like your a mental case. I know my body, and yes, am very sensative to alot of meds., but hey, I didn't ask for this. Discuss it with your dr. and see if these are side effects. I know I read they can cause backaches and a few other things, including urinary track infections, so who knows. Almost all these fool drugs sometimes make ya feel like the cure is worse then the disease. Good luck!!

jtu91952 · 05-19-2004, 06:04 PM

Thank you so much JJ. I go in to see my dr on Friday. What do you do about the dry skin. It seems this med has aged me alot. My hubby told me to stop taking it, but I really need to bring my bp down because I am a diabetic.Like u i've tried so many bp meds i think all my dr are getting frustrated with me. I am going to try and stay on the avapro for at lest a month, but i am worried. My skin feels so tight and dry and this is on half a pill. Can you imagine what's going to happen when i finally increase to the full dose.

JJ · 05-19-2004, 08:04 PM

Basically I really don't do much except put a little lotion on my legs after a shower, as that seems to be where I get it the most. I've always used Noxema on my face, so it seems to take care of that ok.

I know what u mean about the drs. My old dr of 32 yrs. retired, but I loved him. Not only was he a darn good dr. I could talk to him about anything, as could my hubby. After he retired I went to a new one, liked him, but he moved..DARN IT! Since then I have tried 2 new drs. in the last 4 yrs. , one female, this one male, and to be honest, I don't like either of them. This guy is like the female one, shoves ya in and out and doesn't listen at all. The female dr. that I complained so much about the Altace to, just wouldn't listen till I finally told her ENOUGH ALREADY. She put me on Atenolol, 25 mgs. and I felt alot better, but this guy said 25 mgs. was a baby dose, so uped it to 50. I started having wacky dreams, a touch of insomnia, and very low pulse rate, plus my glugose level went up as did my trigs. I asked him about it and all he said was "don't worry about it". Well excuse me, but I was worried about it, as mine was usually very normal!

2 months ago I went in for a physical and he got all freaked out cause he said my EKG didn't look normal to him. I asked what was wrong but all he would say was, it ain't normal, so off to a cardiologist I went. The cardio guy told me, the only problem he saw could be caused by 3 things, low pulse rate, low potassium, and high BP, all of which I had on the blood test. He did an Echo and said all looked fine, but to have my dr. put me on another BP pill, as he felt the Atenolol was causing alot of the problems, so that is when I was switched to Avapro, put I still take 25 mgs. of the Atenolol till I can ween off. When I go to see my dr. I want to see if he will knock my dose of Avapro down to half, as sometimes my BP gets really low and I feel a bit light headed. I'm a very petite person, so sometimes I can't take the same dose as someone larger then myself.

Hubby's dr. is from the VA hospital, and she sits and talks to him and if a med is bothering him she tries something else, as he is diabetic and also has very nasty nueropathy from it, plus he has high BP, has for many years, but at least she and the cardiologist listen to him. Sometimes lately I feel like I attract all the quacks out there. Right now I am asking friends about their drs. as I just am not comfortable with this new guy, and if ya can't feel comfortable with them, no sense in sticking with them. Oh well, maybe the right one will come along, hopefully before anymore damage is done. Just can't take this awful fear all of a sudden of freaking out when I have a drs. appt., never had that in my life.

Do try some lotion, nothing fancy, I just buy a pharmacy brand after I usually ask the pharmacist what is good, and so far, so good. Right now I have been using the CVS lotion. Hope U get some answers from your dr. and also maybe the side effects will go away, or U get changed to something that agrees with ya. Good luck kiddo, I know what your going thru!!!

CASSIEBEL · 05-19-2004, 08:41 PM

After reading some of these posts about docs NOW I can understand why so many people have WHITE COAT HYPERTENSION. If your doc won't listen to you about side effects you must feel so hopeless.
These are the most common side effects of Avapro ( according to WEB MD )
diarrhea or upset stomach;
swelling;
muscle pain, cramps, or backache;
dizziness;
headache;
insomnia; or
congestion or cough (very unlikely).
Take Care