Blood pressure medication Benicar (olmesartan) is one of the most widely prescribed medicines for the 67 million Americans who fight high blood pressure.

Controlling blood pressure is essential to avoiding risks of stroke and organ damage, but side effects of medications need to be taken seriously as well.

A Wisconsin resident named Tracy has filed a Benicar lawsuit against the drug and its parent companies, Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories, for alleged, serious gastrointestinal complications.

Benicar Side Effects

Tracy was prescribed Benicar in 2008, and her Benicar lawsuit alleges the drug has caused the following Benicar side effects:

• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Villous atrophy/blunting/damage
• Inflammation
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Chronic diarrhea
• Dehydration
• Atrophy
• Kidney failure
• Weight loss
• Abdominal and gastrointestinal pain
• Colitis
• Gastritis
• Permanent injuries from the above

A look at Benicar’s website shows they are willing to admit that serious Benicar side effects may include kidney problems and severe, chronic diarrhea with considerable weight loss. These gastrointestinal complications may develop months to years after starting Benicar.

For some patients such as Tracy, the serious side effects have gone beyond that.

Sprue-like enteropathy is a disease that mimics Celiac disease because symptoms include severe, chronic diarrhea and substantial weight loss. A blood test can rule out Celiac disease as the root cause.

Villous atrophy also becomes an issue. The walls of the intestines are covered by villi, which are tiny tentacles that absorb nutrients in the foods we eat. Villous atrophy means those villi have eroded away and the insides of the intestines are so smooth, they can no longer absorb nutrients. This leads to nutrient deficiencies.

In July 2013, the FDA had Daiichi Sankyo add a warning to Benicar that side effects could include sprue-like enteropathy, one of the most serious gastrointestinal complications.

Studies Link Benicar, GI Complications

The FDA’s decision to add the sprue-like enteropathy warning was due in large part to a study done by the Mayo Clinic, where tests showed none of the patients suffering from what had been presumed to Celiac disease actually had it.

The one thing they had in common was they were all taking Benicar. Fourteen of the 22 patients examined ended up in the hospital with gastrointestinal complications.

The American Journal of Gastroenterology published a report in May 2013 that said patients who were negative for Celiac disease were ultimately proven to have villous atrophy from their Benicar use. Once the patients stopped taking Benicar, they were able to gain weight and symptoms lessened in their severity.

Latest Benicar Lawsuit Among Many

Benicar lawsuits are relatively new to the legal system because it has taken years to see many of the severe gastrointestinal complications develop in Benicar users.

Studies confirming the link between Benicar and sprue-like enteropathy, severe diarrhea, malnutrition and kidney problems now back up many of Benicar lawsuit allegations, including Tracy’s.

If you or someone you know has taken Benicar and developed gastrointestinal complications, you may be able to file a Benicar lawsuit to help you cope with medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and other repercussions.

Tracy’s Benicar Lawsuit joins the larger multidistrict litigation In Re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage.