A new French study added to the mounting evidence that Benicar side effects can mimic the symptoms of celiac disease and IBS. Benicar is a drug approved to treat high blood pressure, but a growing body of evidence suggests that Benicar side effects may be painful and severe.

According to the research study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the research team found that the active ingredient in Benicar caused an immune reaction that produced the symptoms of celiac disease. The researchers had sought to compare Benicar side effects to those of related drugs. Researchers found that Benicar triggered the immune reaction, but they were unable to find the same reaction in related drugs.

Celiac disease, along with IBS, villous atrophy, and several other disorders are  immune reactions that cause inflammation in the intestines. In many individuals it goes hand-in-hand with gluten intolerance. Celiac disease symptoms include painful bloating and chronic diarrhea. In most individuals with celiac disease and IBS careful attention to their diet can alleviate symptoms. But some individuals continue to experience symptoms of celiac disease even though they change their diet.

Growing awareness of Benicar side effects may explain some of these cases that do not respond to treatment. In July 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Safety Communication to spread the word that Benicar side effects could mimic celiac disease symptoms. According to the announcement, patients taking various formulations of Benicar could cause sprue-like enteropathy, a generic term for intestinal problems that include IBS, celiac disease, and villous atrophy. The chief symptom of sprue-like enteropathy is chronic diarrhea. For many patients taking Benicar, and their physicians, this may have been the first time they realized that their chronic diarrhea could be a Benicar side effect rather than an unusual case of celiac disease.

Lawsuits have been filed by patients who suffered from chronic diarrhea after taking Benicar. These lawsuits allege that the makers of Benicar were aware, or reasonably should have been aware, of the serious risk of celiac disease symptoms allegedly linked to their drug. These Benicar lawsuits further allege that not only were drug makers aware of these risks, but that they did not do enough to protect the public from these alleged Benicar side effects, leading to months, or even years of painful celiac disease symptoms that could have possibly been resolved by changing blood pressure medication under a doctor’s guidance.