Benicar, a high blood pressure drug, has been linked to several cases of severe sprue-like enteropathy with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that include severe, chronic diarrhea and substantial weight loss.

Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Inc. developed the popular prescription medication Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) to treat high blood pressure. It was originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, and today doctors write more than 11 million prescriptions per year for the drug.

The medication’s active ingredient, olmesartan medoxomil, lowers the body’s blood pressure by helping to keep blood vessels dilated (open). The drug can be taken as a stand-alone blood-pressure treatment or as part of a combination of drugs.

Benicar has been prescribed to help lower high blood pressure in patients by helping the blood vessels in the body to widen and preventing constriction of the vessels.

Benicar Side Effects

The symptoms of Benicar enteropathy look very similar to those of celiac disease. But, unlike celiac disease, a gluten-free lifestyle will not improve the symptoms. The only way to improve Benicar enteropathy is by discontinuing the medication. Some of the side effects of Benicar include:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Rapid and excessive weight loss
• Dehydration
• Cardiovascular problems

Studies of Benicar and Sprue-like Enteropathy

A number of recent studies by respectable scientific outlets have implicated Benicar in the development of sprue-like enteropathy, suggesting a significant number of patients taking Benicar may have cause to worry.

In June 2012, the Mayo Clinic published a report documenting serious gastrointestinal Benicar side effects experienced by at least 22 patients taking Benicar, 14 of whom landed in the hospital as a result.

When put on a gluten-free diet, the patients failed to improve, allowing researchers to rule out celiac disease as an explanation for the severe diarrhea, dramatic weight loss and other mysterious symptoms manifested in test subjects. Upon discontinuation of Benicar these same patients regained an average of 24 pounds and by and large saw a subsiding of intestinal inflammation symptoms.

The Mayo Clinic’s study preceded another, this one published by researchers from Columbia University in the Journal of Clinical Pathology in October 2014, which found an additional 40 cases of sprue-like enteropathy could be attributed to taking olmesartan-containing blood pressure medicines.

Such findings point to a verifiable link between blood pressure drugs like Benicar and sprue-like enteropathy, one that only now is gaining further scrutiny and more review from regulatory agencies like the FDA.

FDA Warns Benicar Use May Cause Enteropathy, GI Side Effects

In July 2013, the FDA announced Benicar would receive a label update to reflect the risk of sprue-like enteropathy. According to the FDA’s drug safety communication, this GI disorder can cause symptoms that include severe, chronic diarrhea with substantial weight loss. The condition may take months or years to develop and may require hospitalization, the federal agency said.