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Brain, Neuro, Endo...
For 3yrs I had controlled HT w/Lisin/HCTZ 20/25 & Norvasc 5mg. I was a very healthy 44yo Fe, 4'10 110lbs. In Jan 07 my ins co said they wanted me to switch from Norvasc to Lotrel because they were "the same". My Dr kept me on the Lisin/HCTZ & added Lotrel 5/40. 12 days later I collapsed. At the ER my BP was 56/48, I was discharged 3 hrs later at 80/54. Things haven't been the same since. Chronic migraines & nausea were before I even left the ER & haven't gone a day w/out. After a few days I was having speech, memory & cognitive issues; Dysautonomia (no temp, BP, HR control), rt side tremors, dystonia, RSD, vasal vagosyncope; ACTH & Cortisol low, thyroid Disfxn (have gained 40lbs), menses stopped 14mn but will intermitantly bleed, estrogen is undetectable. Vision loss & unequal pupil in rt eye, blephorspasm; heart & GI issues. All the docs say just an odd coincidence. Neuro says most problems are "in my head", Endo says "hope its not your Hypothalmus, lets just wait & see." Any test suggestions to actually get some kind of answer? It would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story & respond back. If only I'd educated myself b-4 I switched, but I trusted my Dr. Lotrel is a combo HT med containing not just a CCB as Norvasc, but also contains an ACE INH like Lisinopril. Cost wise Norvasc was going to have a $50copay ($58 reg) vs Lotrel's $25copay ($117reg) & Novartis gave me a coupon for a free month. Apparantly Lotrels patent was ending & there were new brands coming out. My Dr apparantly knew nothing about Lotrel & then made a horrible dosing error which the pharmacy should have caught thru their comp system due to the mg & that it duplicated a med I was already on. I picked them up together. Turns out that I ended up getting triple dosed on the ACE I 60mg +CCB5mg+HCTZ25mg. Found out the FDA had reprimanded Novartis previously for doing the exact same thing(saying it was = to Norvasc). FDA also noted that Lotrel has very serious side effects & that its NOT to be used in people w/controlled BP or w/diueretics (HCTZ). The problems that happened from that night 4 yrs ago are chronic & progressive. I haven't been able to work since & just got approved for Soc Sec after 3 1/2yrs. I'm still trying to figure out the new, unpredictable me!
FYI a great website for checking drugs & user feedback is askapatient.com
FYI a great website for checking drugs & user feedback is askapatient.com
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If Norvasc and Lotrel were indeed the same, they would be called by the same name. They may claim to do the same things, however the standards in manufacturing the medications are not the same from laboratory to laboratory and there is no way to know if you are getting exactly the same dose of medication in the Lotrel as you did in the Norvasc since they are manufactured by two different manufacturers.
The very same issue is seen with Synthroid and Levothyroxine. In fact, my sister was told by an endocrinologist at Mayo, "Never use Levothryoxine." Though it is the generic for Synthroid, he stated that it does not work the way Synthroid does.
They also may use different fillers in the Lotrel than they do in the Norvasc and you could have an allergy or be intolerant to the fillers used in the Lotrel. Fillers are the "inactive ingredients" in medications. They help with the bulk, shape, color of the pills, etc. Generic medications are not required to contain the same fillers as the brand name medications. Gluten is one of the things they use as a filler and even pharmacists aren't always aware that gluten was used. The best way to find out about what is in a filler is to call the manufacturer of the medication.
If you really believe it is the new medication, then be prepared to argue with the insurance company. I have had to do this myself and I expected it to be more difficult than it was. You might find out that they will easily allow you to have the previous prescription after you call and explain to them that you feel you are experiencing negative side affects and your health has declined since switching medications. They may want to put you back on the Norvasc for that reason alone -- they don't want to pay if you have health problems caused by the use of the generic medication. It's been my experience that switching to the generic was rarely more beneficial to the patient unless they were cash paying. Insurance companies rarely request you switch because they are so concerned for your welfare. It is almost always because they want to save money.