The Diovan Valsartan Debacle and Express Scripts

I have been taking medicine for high blood pressure for as long as I can remember. And what I recall the  most is that it took months to get me on a regimen that had the least amount of side effects. One pill landed me in the hospital for a cardiac cath I was so short of breath. So it was of great concern when the generic form of diovan - valsartan - made the news a few months ago. Apparently there was a carcinogenic issue with some manufacturing plants that necessitated taking it off the market. Luckily, my prescription was not from one of them, but it was recommended that an alternative drug be named. All I know for the past three months it has been exceedingly difficult to have my prescription filled. I received notices from Express Scripts that the generic valsartan would not be available. So I asked my doctor to write a prescription for diovan, the official drug. Then I was notified that the diovan would cost $600+ for a three month supply! I have spent so much time sending messages and making phone calls to get this straightened out it is so aggravating to even think about! Luckily I had a three month supply so I had time to fool around with this. After talking to a pharmacist, he said the supply of valsartan is unpredictable right now due to the recall, but it was never discontinued. But since my new drug order was for diovan only with no substitute I had to ask my doctor - again - to write another script for valsartan. Then we had to cancel the diovan order to make way for the generic order, but the last conversation was about being charged the generic price for the original due to medical necessity. In the end I finally received the first batch of the new valsartan prescription last week. I didn’t believe it until I saw it. Who could honestly afford to pay $600+ every three months for medicine? There’s something very wrong. And being health professionals doesn’t make one bit of difference. 

Crestor and Other Statin Side Effects

If anyone has to take prescription drugs there can always be side effects. I know first hand from having to find a combination of blood pressure pills that worked thirty plus years ago. I ended up having a cardiac catheterization because of the symptoms I was having due to blood pressure pills. So it is with a great deal of concern whenever I have to start another prescribed drug. Since I have a family history of all things cardiac, it was recommended that I take a statin to lower cholesterol. The first one was simvastatin 10 mg every day two years ago. I got so lightheaded and dizzy I stopped taking it only after a few days. The next one was pravastatin 10 mg every other day. I had calf muscle pain, abdominal pain, nausea, and felt cold and clammy after a few doses. So we decided to skip the statins and continue on with exercise, diet, and fish oil. Then the cardiologist follow up visit recommendation in May was to start rosuvastatin 5 mg (Crestor) ONCE A WEEK. After two doses, I developed a knife like pain in my right thigh where every time I stood up, sat down, and walked was excruciating. A hard lump developed in the thigh muscle that lasted for two weeks with remnants persisting today. Not only was every step painful, but my legs felt like noodles - like I needed support to walk. It was extremely frightening but we knew it was the statin. So now I am back to fish oil tabs twice per day and waiting to see what the blood work shows in August. The statins do work well for some people - like my husband. I simply cannot tolerate them. This blog is just a warning about horrible side effects. But a life without bread, pasta, and potatoes looks pretty grim. I remember the good ole days when you didn’t have to think twice about it. 

Horse Pills

I am the worst pill taker. Even as a kid I had to have orange juice to take anything. And that practice continues to this day. I still marvel at people who can pop a pill without so much as a sip of water. So for someone who is taking some very hefty calcium pills to help prevent osteoporosis and even heftier looking fish oil pills to help with high triglycerides, it can be daunting. Add to that the high blood pressure pills and water pills and hormone pills and prophylactic aspirin. I used to think it was unusual when I saw all my mom’s pill containers in the zip lock bag when she came to visit. Now I do the same thing. One of the ways I have approached this pill taking dilemma is to make it more palatable by having the pills with a meal instead of in the morning or evening. So when I went for an annual check up this week, of course my triglycerides are higher and the bone density osteoporosis test was not as good as the previous one. So instead of two fish oil horse pills, I need to take four; because the vitamin D level was a little lower, I need to take more; and because the bone density wasn’t as good, add another calcium pill. I know things could be a LOT worse, and I have nothing to complain about. I just find it ironic that I get stuck with so many horse pills. 

Forgot Prescription Medications on a Roadtrip

Oops! What do you do when you forget a prescription medication on a roadtrip? I guess we are going to find out. My husband somehow forgot one of his pill bottles and will need to get a replacement somehow. We stopped at a pharmacy in Georgia and they said we had to either have the bottle or a hard copy prescription. I thought showing them the prescription in express scripts with an ID would be enough. Well it isn't. He suggested we visit an urgent care clinic to get the prescription. I'm not sure why a phone call and fax from our doctor's office doesn't do. In the meantime I'm trying to find a pharmacy at our destination that a fax could be sent to. All I know is this will never happen again - but I'm not sure we'll ever see these pills. Thank goodness they are not super essential, just really essential. More to come! 

Zocor, Dizziness, and Blood Pressure Pills

I used to marvel at all the pills my parents took. When they came to visit us in Milwaukee, they brought zip lock bags filled with bottles of medicines.  Now I am not far behind. Right before I retired, my cardiologist recommended taking a low dose statin, given my family history and test results. The problem is - I have a tendency to have adverse side effects from most prescriptions. It took many months to finally get me on a blood pressure regimen that worked. Only a few weeks after taking Zocor, I woke up to a spinning room and extreme dizziness that I didn't get over for most of the day. I wasn't sure if it was from a combination of statins and diuretics, but stopped taking it immediately. I also used to take my blood pressure routinely, but quit that quite some time ago. But I got out my Walgreens BP machine and saw that my blood pressure was significantly lower than typical, and on top of that I have orthostatic hypotension. So now we are changing the statin to another brand and will see what happens. Maybe because I don't work anymore my blood pressure is lower? I don't think so. But it is unnerving to get these side effects. Now my cabinet really does look like my parents. Some of us are just plain lucky! The pills are powerful and effective, but so are the side effects.