Diovan / Cough?

[Roger]

I have been on Diovan for at least 5 years. I have had no symptoms as far as I know. About a year ago I got a chest cold and I have not been able to get over the congestion. I don't feel bad other than this productive cough. I awake in the night and cough about 30 min to get my chest clear before I can get back to sleep. Anyone been on Diovan this long and developed anything like this?([e-mail])

[Sharon]

Cari wrote:

I was on lisinopril-hctz 10-12.5 for only 2 weeks when the cough began...as a teacher this isn't pleasant. Doc changed me to Diovan and I still have the cough. He says give it time...anyone know how much time?
Also, thanks for the 'empty stomach' info. I'll try that starting tomorrow.

I am also a teacher with high blood pressure. Same meds. and same sside effects. My cardiologist tols me to get a chest xray! I know it is the diovan. It is a tickle i9n my throat. I want to stop the meds for a week to see if cough susides. Did you try this?

[Sharon]

I too am a teacher with high blood pressure. Same meds and same cough. Ticke that starts a coughing jag approx. twice a day. My cardiologist just told me that diovan does not cause ma cough and that I should go for an x-ray of my chest! I want to stop the diovan for a week to see if the tickle goes away.Did you try stopping med?

[Fiddler]

I have been taking Diovan for 5 years or so with no apparent problems. This last summer in July I got a nasty chest cold with a productive cough which eventually went into bronchitis. After antibiotics the nasty phlegm went away, but it's now December and I still have a cough and bronchial congestion. My lungs are clear - I've had an xray and there are no bad lung sounds according to the docs. So its in the bronchail area - no in the lower part of the lungs. The cough happens only in the middle of the day for an hour or so. (I take Diovan in the morning). I'm going to talk with my doc and see is she thinks it could be the Diovan....

[Peeb]

I just started Diovan and am will soon be on my fourth week. It's done nothing for me thus far. I have no side effects like you guys mention, but still. It does nothing, or will I be surprised with results in the fourth week? I'm going to take that one posters advice and take it on an empty stomach and then eat an hour later. Controlling blood pressure takes patience, does it not? I'm new to all this. May you all get healthy, and get your BP under control:)

[ltour]

Brenda Alberta Canada wrote:

I have developed a consistant and terrible cough, so intense that I will actually vomit. I wake four or five times a night with coughing fits. I was on Lisinopril and Dr. switched me to Diovan. No change in the cough. I can not keep going like this. Anyone experience the same and seen improvement with different med. please let me know.

Thanks for sharing! I am in the same situation. I had high hopes for Diovin, but now I know I need to keep searching. You helped me save months of coughing!!!

[Cathy - Update]

I have been off the drug Diovan for 10 months now, the doctor put me on Norvasc. I have not coughed since and I have absolutely no side effects to Norvasc, which is working just as well. I have my life back. I thnik my doctor was initally skeptical to my coughing being caused by Diovan, but he believes me now!
Cathy from Calgary, Canada

Cathy wrote:

Wow! I just discovered this blog yesterday, sure wish I had seen it before. Except for the rash on the legs, I could have written the letter from PPF, Connecticut. I have been taking Diovan 80 for 6 years. In 2005 I had a choking gagging cough which last 3 months, ended up in the emergency. After several antibiotics I was told I had the 100 day whooping cough. In 2006 same thing, lasted over a month, ended up in Emergency again. I was sick on two occasions in 2007. This past Christmas Eve I was the sickest, started as flu like, coughing until vomiting, nauseated. The nausea went away but I am still coughing after three months. Had to cancell two trips, tried several antibiotics, inhalers, prescription cough medicines. It starts about 5:00 a.m., wake up coughing, wheezing. Chest xray and blood tests negative. I wondered if I had asthma. Last week I had a Pulmonary Function Test - didn't get results as yet.Had to wait several months to see a throat specialist. Yesterday I told my family physician something was terribly wrong, I am normally a healthy person who works out, but I have been out of puff for a few months. I was hoarse yesterday, he said that there was a slight possibility that it might be the Diovan - after three years he is telling mr this. Effective today I am OFF the Diovan - and after reading all the postings here I am cautiously optimistic. I will let you know what happens.

[Janice]

I have been on Diovan for six years and have coughed for six years. There is phlegm especially when I wake up each morning. The phlegm is clear and only a very small amount enough that it provokes a cough to clear chest. This goes on 3 to 5 hours before I can relax without this bother and then it occurs off and on during the day. No day is ever without this problem. I checked internet approx. 4 or 5 years ago for Diovan and cough and there wasn't any info. I searched again week ago and there were numerous cases. I stopped immediately. I can tell some difference but I have a ways to go. I don't know how long it takes to fully get off of this medicine. I have had many tests from several doctors and everything shows negative. I had put the blame on being allergic to my puppy which I had gotten several months before my cough. My doctor also did not think Diovan would make you cough. Any info on the phlegm please respond.

[PPF Connecticut]

Janice wrote:

I have been on Diovan for six years and have coughed for six years. There is phlegm especially when I wake up each morning. The phlegm is clear and only a very small amount enough that it provokes a cough to clear chest. This goes on 3 to 5 hours before I can relax without this bother and then it occurs off and on during the day. No day is ever without this problem. I checked internet approx. 4 or 5 years ago for Diovan and cough and there wasn't any info. I searched again week ago and there were numerous cases. I stopped immediately. I can tell some difference but I have a ways to go. I don't know how long it takes to fully get off of this medicine. I have had many tests from several doctors and everything shows negative. I had put the blame on being allergic to my puppy which I had gotten several months before my cough. My doctor also did not think Diovan would make you cough. Any info on the phlegm please respond.

I found the phlegm was from the months of continuous coughing which had irritated my bronchial tubes. It will take a while but the phlegm will go away.

[Laura]

I was on lisinopril for three weeks and immediately developed a cough that kept me up at night. It was terrible, at first I thought it was a cold, but when it didn't go away, I started searching the internet for "dry cough" and learned of the ACE inhibitor cough side effect. I immediately stopped the lisinopril and went back to Toprol XL for three weeks. Dry cough subsided, then I caught the flu which produced a phlegmy, productive cough. Doctor then wanted to try Diovan to get better control of my BP. Dry cough started all over again. Absolutely horrible. When I lay down at night, the coughing starts almost immediately and I cough to the point of vomiting. My sides, chest and back hurts from coughing. The cough starts with a horrible tickle that is not cleared simply by coughing or clearing the throat. The feeling is horrible. I don't want to socialize or go out for fear I will have a coughing fit. I stopped the Diovan on my own four days ago and still coughing. I want my life back!!!

[Laura - Update]

I finally stopped coughing after being off of the Diovan for about 2 weeks. I am finally able to sleep again! Don't let your doctor tell you that Diovan does cause cough. If you are bothered by cough while on an ACE inhibitor or ARB, demand another medication. It is not worth the sleepless nights from an unnecessary cough. Better yet, now I'm investigating natural remedies in addition to medication and weight loss to lower bp. I'm tired of relying on medication. Maybe I can eventually get off of medication all together. This has been an eye opening experience.

[Janice]

PPF Connecticut wrote:

<quoted text>I found the phlegm was from the months of continuous coughing which had irritated my bronchial tubes. It will take a while but the phlegm will go away.

Thank you so very much for your response. It has been since Dec. 2008 and I feel like it is getting better but by no means completely erased.

[Sharon]

Brenda Alberta Canada wrote:

I have developed a consistant and terrible cough, so intense that I will actually vomit. I wake four or five times a night with coughing fits. I was on Lisinopril and Dr. switched me to Diovan. No change in the cough. I can not keep going like this. Anyone experience the same and seen improvement with different med. please let me know.
Thanks so much.

Same here, I'm now on diovan for a day and coughed at night wanting to throw up.

[Donna]

Jessie Bissette wrote:

I have been taking Diovan for several months and have a persistent tickle in my throat which sometimes results into severe coughing. Has anyone else experienced this side effect?

For high blood pressure, try transcendental meditation (lowers bp 20-30 points in 20 minutes); walk; lose weight; try eating more almonds, ginger, garlic, pomegranate juice, fruit, and rice.

Metoprolol Tartrate for high bp nearly stopped my breathing and Diovan lowered my blood pressure several times suddenly to 90/60--it just plummeted and I nearly passed out.

Now I do not take any high blood pressure medicine. I stopped gradually and changed my lifestyle considerably. I watch my blood pressure carefully and change my thinking and actions if it creeps up. Usually the systolic is now in the 120's or lower.

[Dianne]

My husband has been on diovan 160 plus alot of other meds( diabetic) they increased his diovan to 320. The poor guy has been coughing around the clock to the point of no sleep ( both of us) and almost vomiting. I think i will take the bull by the horns and have him go back to 260 till we can get a hold of his doc. Has anyone benifited by cutting back ?

[Dianne]

on my last comment i meant to say cut back to 160 not 260 ooops :)

[Anne of Dallas]

I was given Altace about five years ago. I was coughing all the time. I stopped going many places and I got very little sleep.
Finally, after a lot of complaining my doc dropped the altace and put me on 80 mg of Diovan. I stopped coughing immediately. In the last two months I have started coughing again, although not near as bad as with Altace. Any suggestions on something else?

[emma36]

I am so glad I found this board. I have been coughing at night for 2 1/2 years now and take cough medicine every night. I've been to two ENT's who said they didn't see any problem and that possibly I was just dry and needed to drink more water. I have a clear chest x-ray. The past couple of weeks I have started coughing during the day too!! I am on 80 mg 2x a day. My doctor initially told me that diovan doesn't cause a cough but just today he told me that I should cut back to 40 mg 2x a day and see if that helps. From what I'm reading here, I'm more convinced than ever that it's the Diovan and I'm wondering if cutting back to half would even help at all? Should I push to discontinue it all together? I don't see my doctor again for six weeks. I don't want to cough for six more weeks. but my doctor will probably think i'm panicking and "self diagnosing" as he likes to say. Please help.

[patricia 7799]

Kofi wrote:

I was taking lisinopril and started to cough daily and nights. I had chest-congestion of phlem that won't go away. My doctor has placed me on Diovan 160mg as of 1/4/06. Will let you know if my coughing will subside or go away.

Your coughing will continue - I am on Diovan HCT 160/25 and I've had the same cough described in this blog.
Until I read all the entries, I blamed my persistent cough/spasms on everything under the sun except Diovan. Wow!!! What a learning experience this was.
I'm going to try the "honey remedy" Two tablespoons, locally produced honey in the AM, two tablespoons in the PM.

[patricia 7799]

I blamed my coughing and ciughing spasms/tickle on everything under the sun, except the Diovan HCT I've been taking for years. Sure my blood pressure is fine, but the coughing is driving me up a wall. I've had tests done, been to ENT. gastroenterologist. One said it's from Acid Reflux, the other agreed. Phooey! I now beliefve it's from the Diovan.

I'm going to try the "Honey Treatment" 2 Tablespoons of locally produced honey in the AM, 2 in the evening. We'll see where that takes me with this persistent cough/spasms/tickle.