I am on plain old Benicar 20 mg (no HCT) with very good results. Benicar is a little more potent and has better 24 hour control than Diovan. So, IMHO, it's a better choice anyway (aside from the fact that it is a little cheaper). Though I wouldn't expect there to be a dramatic difference between the two.

Each medication has two versions - plain, vanilla (Diovan, Benicar, Avapro, Cozaar) and HCTZ versions (Diovan HCT, Benicar HCT, Avalide, Hyzaar). My preference is a the plain version combined with a low sodium diet. If you want to continue eating normal (i.e. excessive) amounts of sodium, you'd be better off with the HCTZ versions.

Pal

I've taken Avalide, MicardisHCT, and finally BenicarHCT. Only the Benicar worked for me. No side effects and it was the only one that worked a full 24 hours. Micardis quit working after about 8-10 hours and the avalide caused anxiousness and insomnia.
But as we all say (the hypertension motto) "we're all different"
Cass