Anyone else have this problem?

[Nicole]

steven b wrote:

I understand from your posts that you are all currently taking Benicar. As you may know, the FDA recently issued a "Warning Letter" to the company that manufactures and sells Benica (Sankyo Pharma) advising them that the sales materials used by the company are false and misleading. Those materials according to the FDA contain unsubstantiated claims of effectiveness and omit and minimize risks associated with the drug.
I am an attorney in Washington, D.C. who formerly worked for the federal government. I am now investigating the practices of Sankyo Pharma in connection with their sale of Benicar for consumers. In connection with that investigation, it would be very helpful if you could contact my office to discuss your experience with this medication.
If you have any questions or are interested, please contact my office.
Thank you for your cooperation
Steven Berk, Chavez & Gertler LLP

I have been on Benicar for 2 months. I have noticed considerable hair loss, breakage and dryness. I spoke to my doctor about this and he said that he never heard of that before but offerred to switch my medication. I have had nothing but side effects from all BP meds so far. I am frustrated. I had low potassium level which landed me in the ER from HCTZ. I had dizziness and headaches and felt horrible on betablockers and chest pain from calcium channel blockers.

[Jennifer]

Hello I'm 26 and I've always had very thick very coarse red curly hair. In the year that Ive been taking benicar hctzmy hair has thinned, lost it's curl and has even changed in color. At first I attributed this to stress but now I'm convinced more than ever that this medication is the root of my hairloss. To be so young and have such profound hairloss is extremley depressing especially since my hair has always been the one unique feature I always prided myself on. I also began having heart palpitations when excercising this has never happened before.

[Mander]

CarolR wrote:

I have been taking Benicar/HCT 20 mg for about 2 mos. All of a sudden...in the past couple of weeks, I have been noticing LOTS of hair loss. Strand after strand afer strand. I can run my hands through my hair and get 20 plus hairs!! Taking Benicar is the only thing I have done differently. I notice now that one of the side effects is alopecia! Has anyone had this problem??
<quoted text>

I started benicar 20mg about 6 weeks ago and yesterday my dr. took me off of it because of extreme hair loss! I have normaly very thick hair and even my dr saw that I lost alot. It better grow back. I work with the public and will lose my job if I go bald. It has changed color and texture and looks like crap...very depressing.

[FCM]

LOL... In my opinion, anyone who swallows Benicar-HCT 40-25MG and doesn't smell and taste anything nasty should seriously consider having a thorough exam of the nose and taste buds! I've decided it's time to educate myself about my growing list of medications. Benicar-HCT tops my list of concerns: anything so vile and wretched to my senses certainly cannot be good for me! I hope the odor containment equipment at the plant(s) that manufacture this drug work well! Perhaps a hard shell coating that dissolves quickly would be a solution... but I'm looking for alternatives.

[FCM]

anthony wrote:

I work as a technician in a pharmacy and have noticed this as well. These pills smell amazing! I know it must sound weird, but nobody who comes into contact with this drug can deny that it has a particular smell. I even find our pharmacist sniffing it. We all think that it smells much like a buttery cake frosting or something around that. Maybe its just the manufacturer that we use, but i get hungry every time i fill this med! Just thought a little bit of comic relief was needed in this section. Thanks to everyone for all of the info and dedication to things like this though!

And I guess that's the rest of the story... didn't read this comment until after I posted mine. When I first started taking Benicar-HCT, it's odor reminded me of butter. I thought it strange for a blood pressure medication to smell like butter.(Yes, I know. All things in moderation.) But I stand firm. 20 years ago, my doctor told me that weight loss would be by far the best health improvement I could make. I've been 130 pounds lighter for 15 years now - back to where I was before college, a broken heart, pizza and a few beers... fairly much in that order. Guess maybe I could encase the pill in a ball of peanut butter. The dog wouldn't swallow it, but he's smarter than me. Amazing? again, LOL. Although I guess it might be a healthy thing, please tell me you won't be basting your turkey with Benicar!

[peggy brown]

Ann wrote:

Never had a problem with Benicar pills and any smell. Strange!
I was started out on Benicar HCT which made me feel extremely weak. Was switched to Benicar 40 mg. Later symptoms showed up with lethargy, palpitations, increased joint pains, and several other problems. Even got a complete cardiac work-up. After being off Benicar for several months now, I feel much better and not having those symptoms (besides my normal arthritis and BP problem.

I have been on bencar1yr.started to have light headedness

[Denise Columbus Ohio]

I have been taking Benicar HCT 20/1.5 for several months. I am experiencing major hair loss. I wish the doctor would have told me this was going to be a side effect. Now I am stuck with take my blood pressure medicine and be BALD or stop taking it and pray that my hair comes back. Well, I do want to live, but I like having hair too!!

[Laura]

I have the same problems since I been taking Benicar HZT for 8 months. My hair is coming out in large amounts plus I have aches and pains in my legs. Sometimes I can't hardly get out of the bed so I know something is wrong. That why I decided to type in and find out if anyone else was having the same pains.I am call my doctor tomorrow to be remove of this stuff ASAP.

[Loret]

CarolR wrote:

I have been taking Benicar/HCT 20 mg for about 2 mos. All of a sudden...in the past couple of weeks, I have been noticing LOTS of hair loss. Strand after strand afer strand. I can run my hands through my hair and get 20 plus hairs!! Taking Benicar is the only thing I have done differently. I notice now that one of the side effects is alopecia! Has anyone had this problem??
<quoted text>

Yes I have been on this for 2 months and I am
so scared because of the noticeable hair loss.
Did you get off this??? I think I am real soon

[Cheryl]

Cinmar...I have nearly the same rash conditions as you describe and was treated for a "fungal" condition. I also take lipitor and I have learned that Lipitor and HBP meds can casue dry eye. My eye lids are red rimmed and feel really gritty upon waking. I sometimes wake up with dry mouth and both my arms are completly numb The eye Drs treated me for Rosecea with out result. The dermatologist said it is not Rosecea and suspects it is Lipitor, Benicar or the combination of both. I see my primary physcian this week to discuss the meds with him and have some lab work done to rule out other causes for symptoms. My rash at my bra line was EXACTLY as you described. My BP is 123/75 during the day but low in the PM..like 96/55. I understand too low is anything below 90/60. Out of all the blogs here I most identified with your symptoms.

Cheryl in Portland, OR

[Henri]

I have been taking benicar hct for about 10 years. Several years ago I felt that my stress level and Bp had gone down enough to stop taking it. This was a major mistake, I had a strange headache for about 3 days followed by waking up in the night with a severe nosebleed that landed me in the hospital for week and blood transfusion!Has anyone out there tried stopping this medication and had severe reaction,please share.

[MAN HAT TAN MAN]

I have been taking Benicar for 2 months. I attribute the dizziness and lightheadedness to the fact that I also take Bystolic and Hydralazine.(also blurred vision)...but the main reason I am getting off Benicar is difficulty...MAJOR difficulty in swallowing...even like a swallow of water. I think my doc has gone a little overboard with Benicar, Hydralazine AND Bystolic...so I have taken myself off of all three and am seeing another doctor next Tues. I wonder how long it takes this crap to get out of your system...anybody know?

[Debbie]

Is Benicar the same as olmetec (olmesartan medoxomil tablets for blood pressure)? I am very worried after reading these bad reports, as I have only just been taking the medication for a month

[mannie]

I also have tremendous hair loss, and my hair shafts are soo thin. This is expensive medicine, and I wonder what is in it to cause this??? I look just terrible.

[jjj]

Nan wrote:

I have just started taking a low dose of Benicar HCT (not soon enough to know if it is working on the BP) and I have an odd problem: the smell and taste of the pill make me gag violently. It's bad enough that I have a hard time getting it down - and keeping it down. Has this happened to anyone else? And if so, do you have any suggestions for getting around this? I don't want to change meds again (this is the 4th one I have tried because of either allergic reactions or no reaction at all by my BP) until I find out if it will work, but I have never had this kind of response to any other pill, ever. But it is such an ordeal to take this one that I dread it every morning. Help?

Ive been taking for apprx 3yrs and never noticed the smell, until this last prescription. I put my nose to the bottle and started to gag. I thought it smelled of vomit. Why I never noticed before is beyond me. I went to a pharmacy to compare. Theirs wasnt as bad,but had same type of smell. The pharmacist said it smelled like buttered popcorn. I admit that the smell of buttered popcorn is one of my favorite. These pills dont remind of that. I was told there's an ingredients that does have an odor and that it can vary in degrees. I going to try airing them out and see if this works. Otherwise, I will be forced to try something else.

[Kathy]

I have been on Benicar for about 1 month and this morning I noticed I can pull out several hairs from head with a soft pull. I am mortified. I lost my hair from chemo 10 years ago. Most of it grew back. I just cannot stand the idea of losing it again and if I do, will it grow back? I am stopping taking Benicar today. Is there anyone out there who can answer the question....Will my hair loss now stop and will what I lost grow back?

[Kathy]

CarolR wrote:

I have been taking Benicar/HCT 20 mg for about 2 mos. All of a sudden...in the past couple of weeks, I have been noticing LOTS of hair loss. Strand after strand afer strand. I can run my hands through my hair and get 20 plus hairs!! Taking Benicar is the only thing I have done differently. I notice now that one of the side effects is alopecia! Has anyone had this problem??
<quoted text>

I have been taking Benicar for 1 month now. I noticed this morning that I could easily pull out several strands at a time. Did you ever stop the Benicar and did your hair loss stop and did the hair you lost grow back?

[Pat-MA]

Has anyone noticed hair regrowth or thickening after stopping the Benicar? How about with Metoprolol? If so, how long before it was better?

[Marlene]

I have finally been told that the benicar hct is the probable cause of my hair loss. had the coughing fits with lisinopril. switching to benicar without hct. hope it keeps bp down without
hair loss. i am only 46 and lost my hair to chemo 10 years ago. would prefer to keep it now.