Diovan Pill Pricing...Grrrrr!

[violet312s]

Okay, so I'm trying to find my optimal Diovan dose without making me dizzy but still giving adequate BP control. I was on Diovan 160mg plus 10mg Claritin (for hives). Cut both in half (under doc supervision). Total cessation of dizziness. Felt normal for the first time in a year.

BP not adequately controlled, but it's nearly there. At my worst time of day (about 9pm) it's running 140-145/95-100. Rest of day it's under 130/85. When I was on 160mg Diovan the worst readings I ever got were in the 130-135/80-85 range.

So, I have a problem. Get this. They do make 40mg Diovan. One would think that the prices are linear. Heck no. 40mg Diovan is $60. 80mg is $68. 160mg is $72 (Walgreens).

Ideally I might want to land on 120mg Diovan but that would cost me twice as much as it should. My insurance company will probably disallow one of them.

Oh and the fine makers of Diovan make the pills in a teardrop shape so you cannot split them effectively.

[Lenin]

violet:
Do the best you can with the splitting...I do the same with the teardrop shaped Cozaar.
Split the 160's in half and take one every 18 hours. (that's six hours earlier each day: midnight, 6PM, Noon, 6 AM, Midnight...etc.) earlier every day Tedious, but that will get you exactly 120 mg./day dosing and a price that is 2/3 of $72 per month.
And since Diovan has a half life of only agout 6 hours, your coverage will be more even.

I'll BET that the dizziness is caused by the Claritin though. Take only the Diovan for several days and IF the hives appear, then stop the Diovan for a few more days and see if the hives stop.
Basically, what I am saying is that if the Diovan is CAUSING the hives, then the proper response is to stop the drug rather than to medicate the hives. Hives are a sign of an allergic reaction and these can turn deadly.

[violet312s]

Thanks for the pill splitting advice. I'll ask my doctor about it when I meet with her on Thursday. She's also into trying to find ways to save money on medications.

And not to worry on the hives, I've had them for years, well before starting on the Diovan. The hives are hayfever related. Thanks for worrying though!

[Lenin]

Hint:

If you use a razor blade and split teardrop-shaped pills in half LENGTHWISE, you'll have no trouble getting matching halves.

[jpd39]

Violet,

Give Costco, Sam's Club, or WalMart a try for the Diovan. Costco's pricing is usually about 15% less on the branded/patented drug than Walgreens.

Walgreen's is nice enough to discount my Toprol XL 50 mg to $27.00 a month with my BCBS Health Plan.