Need to Switch My Meds, someone help

[TammyT]

I am currently taking Atacand 16mg, for the last 2 years and it works great for me. Well in Health Insurance is NO longer paying for this. I certainly cannot afford it on my own.

They gave me an alternative drug called Avapro. Has anyone taken this drug and if so how did it work.

I don't know what to do, I LOVE taking the Atacand, but again I cannot afford the $170.00 a month it will cost me.

I have been on Plendil, Verapmil, Cardizem (bad palps), Cozaar (then got pg had to come off of it) now Atacand.

I am very afraid to change.

[Stumper]

Tammy,


My wife took Atacand for a long time as well, and yes it worked good for her. Then because of insurance switched to Avapro. Avapro, I believe is in the same family (ARB) and they both have worked well for her.
If I was you however I would get DOUBLE the strength of what you think you need and SPLIT the pills in half. You can save a great deal of money and get 2 months worth. Also consider joining a Sams Club perhaps checking their prices BEFORE you join. Some have pharmacies with pretty good prices.
The ONLY other thing you MIGHT be able to do is try a Beta blocker like Atenolol. So cheap, so very cheap. Even without insurance it would only cost me about 7-8 bucks a month but then again it may not work but it may work well. I'd ask your doctor and tell him/her what you are up against. Some GOOD docs will give them to you in free samples....they WANT your business as well

[JJ]

Originally Posted by TammyT

I am currently taking Atacand 16mg, for the last 2 years and it works great for me. Well in Health Insurance is NO longer paying for this. I certainly cannot afford it on my own.

They gave me an alternative drug called Avapro. Has anyone taken this drug and if so how did it work.

I don't know what to do, I LOVE taking the Atacand, but again I cannot afford the $170.00 a month it will cost me.

I have been on Plendil, Verapmil, Cardizem (bad palps), Cozaar (then got pg had to come off of it) now Atacand.

I am very afraid to change.

Hopefully your insurance covers Avapro, as it is not cheap. I have been taking it for almost a year, 150 mgs.. Only thing I noticed was alot of lower back pain, sometimes into the legs, and also going to the lil girls room alot. I asked my dr. about it and she said yes, they do have a tendency to do that.

Not crazy about Avapro, but better then the Altace I was taking, that didn't agree with me at all. Nasty cough to the point of tears running down my face, plus I couldn't catch my breath, and also had some leg and ankle swelling with it.

Atenolol is cheap, but beta blockers is not the first choice of a BP med. I took 25 mgs. for awhile and did pretty good, but then they upped it to 50 and my pulse got way too low, as did my potassiam level, so my next EKG was considered abnormal. Went to a cardio man, they ran tests, all was fine, thank goodness, but was told between the low pulse rate and the low potassium it messed up my EKG. Have been weaning myself off of it by spilitting the 25 to 12.5, as I want off, cause it also can raise your glucose level, and the last 2 blood tests I had, showed my glucose a lil higher then normal. Last thing I need is a glucose problem.

Good luck.....

[Lenin]

Tammy,

It's early in the morning and my brain is still asleep...what is "pg?"

If you wasnt to try a cheaper renin sysem drug why not try one or the other of the ACE inhibitors. THey work better than the ARB's and many of them are cheap and generic now. If you don't COUGH they will work similarly and better than ATACAND with its obsene pricing.

Dont' let anyone talk you into yet another calcium channel blocker like Norvasc since you've been on, and rejected, three of them already.

Consumer Reports rated them this way taking cost and effectiveness into account:

For high blood pressure: benazepril, enalapril, and lisinopril

-- For heart failure: enalapril, captopril

-- After a heart attack: lisinopril

-- For diabetics: ramipril (Altace)

-- For people with kidney disease: benazepril, ramipril (Altace)

All but the Altace is generic and around $10 a month or less.

Unfortunately, if they cause incessant coughing you probably need something pricier and less effective.