A recent study found that the blood pressure drug Benicar has some unwanted and often painful side effects that could eventually lead to more serious medical conditions, including intestinal perforation and/or cardiac arrest.

Within the last few years, researchers have been studying the Benicar side effects, especially with the growing number of consumer reports of enteropathy (intestinal) problems. They have studied enteropathy problems include chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and various other gastrointestinal issues that allegedly tend to manifest a year or more after beginning Benicar treatment.

In many cases, these Benicar gastrointestinal problems and side effects may be misdiagnosed as celiac disease, when in fact Benicar allegedly causes a number of users to experience sprue-like enteropathy.

In the almost 15 years since Benicar’s introduction into the U.S. drug market, many consumers have developed Benicar sprue-like enteropathy and related gastrointestinal problems, but the majority of doctors reportedly did not know these enteropathy conditions were connected to their patients’ use of Benicar.

The most recent study published by Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine detailed the experience of one Benicar consumer, a 52-year-old Pennsylvania woman who allegedly suffered severe Benicar side effects. During the course of the study, it was discovered that the gastrointestinal side effects of Benicar eventually led to this woman developing a perforated colon and suffering a cardiac arrest.

While the patient was successfully resuscitated after her cardiac arrest, the doctors discovered the colon perforation and damage. Because of the number of gastrointestinal problems the Pennsylvania woman allegedly experienced, she lost 45 pounds over the course of six months and suffered extreme abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and chronic diarrhea. Once the patient ceased her ingestion of Benicar, her gastrointestinal issues reportedly ceased and were completely resolved within one month.

Background on Benicar

The hypertension medication Benicar (generic olmesartan) is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist drug manufactured and distributed by Daiichi Sankyo, a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Benicar was originally introduced to the North American medical community in 1995 and has since been prescribed to over 11 million hypertension patients every single year.

Within the last few years, however, many doctors and researchers discovered Benicar was associated with several health risks and carried with it a number of harmful side effects. These reports were soon followed the by the FDA’s July 2013 public health notice, which warned Benicar consumers of reports of sprue-like enterophathy and related GI problems allegedly caused by the hypertension medication.

Benicar Side Effects

On Benicar’s product warning label, consumers are warned only of the risk of kidney problems when taking Benicar. The label neglects to mention the possibility of GI problems.

Some other Benicar side effects experienced by Benicar patients include:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Sudden and severe weight loss
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Villous atrophy
• Other GI problems regularly misdiagnosed as celiac symptoms

Benicar users who were prescribed and consumed the Daiichi blood pressure medication for at least four months and were then hospitalized for severe gastrointestinal problems should consider filing a Benicar lawsuit or joining a Benicar class action lawsuit.