The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a Drug Safety Communication warning patients about a possible side effect of the blood pressure drug Benicar.

According to the FDA’s Drug Safety Communication, the blood pressure medication Benicar could cause symptoms that mimic those of celiac disease. These Benicar side effects include chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating.

The constellation of symptoms could have potentially caused years of pain, if patients were unaware of that blood pressure medication could be the cause of celiac symptoms. The FDA’s statement did not recommend that patients stop taking their medication without consulting their physicians.

Celiac disease is a disorder affecting the bowel. This disorder is difficult to diagnose — there is no single blood test that can reveal the presence of the disorder. It is typically diagnosed by a careful evaluation of the patient’s symptoms and ruling out other illnesses.

One of the main ways of controlling the celiac disease symptoms is through avoiding foods that contain gluten and other ingredients that can trigger flare ups. However, a percentage of celiac disease cases do not respond to controlled diets, leaving patients suffering without being able to mitigate their symptoms.

However, the FDA recently announced that Benicar can cause IBS/celiac symptoms in some patients, which could explain some patients’ celiac symptoms.

The FDA’s statement came in response to data from their Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS). Under federal law, drug makers are required to monitor reporting systems like AERS, as well as medical publications for signs that their drugs could be having unintended side effects.

However, the FDA’s announcement could have been the first time that many patients realized that Benicar could cause their symptoms. If a patient was suffering from celiac disease symptoms without knowing why, they could have endured months of painful chronic diarrhea only to have it resolved when switching to another blood pressure medication.

The FDA also demanded changes to the drug’s labeling to reflect the new understanding of the risk associated with the drug.

A class action lawsuit investigation has been launched to explore the possibility of legal action over Benicar side effects. Such a Benicar lawsuit could allege that the drug caused patients to suffer from painful celiac disease symptoms for months, or even years without knowing why.

Such a Benicar lawsuit could further allege that drug makers were aware, or reasonably should have been aware, due to their legal obligation to monitor postmarket reports like AERS for reports, of this possible link. Lawsuits of this type typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care, lost wages due to medical downtime, and legal fees associated with filing suit against a drug maker.