A Benicar lawsuit filed by an Ohio woman claims that the blood pressure medication caused serious side effects, including chronic diarrhea and dehydration. Plaintiff Theresa M. is suing Benicar (Olmesartan) manufacturers Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Pharmaceuticals, alleging they fraudulently concealed the severe side effects that left her hospitalized.

Theresa reports using Olmesartan products including Benicar and Tribenzor since 2004. The plaintiff alleges that she developed serious gastrointestinal injuries as a result of taking these medications. According to the Benicar lawsuit, Theresa has suffered physical injuries and loss of income due to her medical condition.

The plaintiff is seeking financial compensation for the screening, testing and treatment of the Benicar side effects.

Benicar Overview

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002, Benicar quickly became a widely prescribed treatment for high blood pressure. However, the FDA has received multiple adverse event reports from consumers who claim the medication caused severe complications.

Some of the reported side effects of Benicar include:

• Debilitating diarrhea
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Rapid weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Nausea
• Dehydration
• Acute renal failure
• Villous Atrophy

The gastrointestinal problems that consumers claim to have experienced after using Benicar can take anywhere from a few months to a few years to develop. This makes it difficult for physicians and patients to connect the symptoms to the blood pressure medication.

However, Benicar consumers allege that once they stop taking the drug, the chronic diarrhea and other related side effects typically stop. According to plaintiffs though, just because the side effects cease does not mean that permanent damage hasn’t already occurred. Many Benicar consumers claim they developed intestinal damage, including villous atrophy, even after the chronic diarrhea ended.

Benicar FDA Warnings

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration required Benicar manufacturers to include a “sprue-like enteropathy” warning on the drug label starting in 2013. This came after numerous reports from Benicar consumers concerning the chronic diarrhea side effects of the medication.

The federal agency claims that olmesartan-containing drugs, including Benicar, are the only known blood pressure medication linked to sprue-like enteropathy.

Sprue-like enteropathy and villous atrophy occur when the intestinal lining is damaged and often requires hospitalization. Because the symptoms are similar, Benicar consumers who develop chronic diarrhea are often misdiagnosed as having celiac disease.

Benicar Lawsuits

The number of Benicar lawsuits alleging the blood pressure medication causes severe side effects continues to grow. In general, Benicar plaintiffs claim that they would not have taken the medication had they been fully informed of the side effect risks.

Benicar plaintiffs generally claim that the health conditions they develop as a result of Benicar’s side effects require continual treatment and monitoring even after the symptoms have subsided. Often times, filing a lawsuit is the only way to receive financial compensation for the medical bills and pain and suffering associated with chronic diarrhea.

Some Benicar lawsuits name spouses as co-plaintiffs, and sue for loss of consortium.

Theresa’s Benicar Lawsuit is Case 1:15-cv-04831-RBK-JS and is part of the Benicar MDL known as In re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.