Brand Names
In the U.S.--

Benicar

Category
Antihypertensive

Description
Olmesartan ( ohl-me-SAR-tan) belongs to the class of medicines called angiotensin II inhibitor antihypertensives. It is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

High blood pressure adds to the workload of the heart and arteries. If it continues for a long time, the heart and arteries may not function properly. This can damage the blood vessels of the brain, heart, and kidneys, resulting in a stroke, heart failure, or kidney failure. High blood pressure also may increase the risk of heart attacks. These problems may be less likely to occur if blood pressure is controlled.

Olmesartan works by blocking the action of a substance in the body that causes blood vessels to tighten. As a result, olmesartan relaxes blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage form(s):

Oral
Tablets (U.S.)

Before Using This Medicine
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For olmesartan, the following should be considered:

Allergies--Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to olmesartan. Also tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Diet--Make certain your health care professional knows if you are on any special diet, such as a low-sodium diet.

Pregnancy--Use of olmesartan during pregnancy, especially during the second and third trimesters (after the first 3 months), can cause low blood pressure, severe kidney failure, or even death in the newborn. Therefore, it is important that you check with your doctor immediately if you think that you may have become pregnant. Be sure that you have discussed this with your doctor before taking this medicine.

Breast-feeding--It is not known whether olmesartan passes into breast milk. However, olmesartan passes into the milk of lactating rats. Because this medicine may cause serious side effects, breast-feeding is generally not recommended while you are taking olmesartan.

Children--Studies on this medicine have only been done in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing the use of olmesartan in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults--This medicine has been tested in patients 65 years of age or older and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults. Elderly patients may have a greater sensitivity to olmesartan than younger adults.

Other medicines--Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking olmesartan it is especially important that your doctor and pharmacist know if you are taking any of the following:

Diuretics (water pills)--Effects on blood pressure may be increased

Other medical problems--The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of olmesartan. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
Congestive heart failure, severe--Lowering of blood pressure by olmesartan may make this condition worse
Dehydration--Blood pressure-lowering effects of olmesartan may be increased
Kidney disease or
Liver disease--Effects of olmesartan may be increased because of slower removal of medicine from the body.

Proper Use of This Medicine
To help you remember to take your medicine, try to get into the habit of taking it at the same time each day.

In addition to the use of the medicine your doctor has prescribed, treatment for your high blood pressure may include weight control and care in the types of foods you eat, especially foods high in sodium. Your doctor will tell you which of these are most important for you. You should check with your doctor before changing your diet.

Many patients who have high blood pressure will not notice any signs of the problem. In fact, many may feel normal. It is very important that you take your medicine exactly as directed and that you keep your appointments with your doctor even if you feel well.

Remember that this medicine will not cure your high blood pressure but it does help control it. Therefore, you must continue to take it as directed if you expect to lower your blood pressure and keep it down. You may have to take high blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life . If high blood pressure is not treated, it can cause serious problems such as heart failure, blood vessel disease, stroke, or kidney disease.

This medicine may be taken with or without food.

Dosing--

The dose of olmesartan will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of olmesartan. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The number of tablets that you take depends on the strength of the medicine.

For oral dosage form (tablets):
For high blood pressure:
Adults-- 20 milligrams (mg) once a day. Your doctor may increase your dose to 40 milligrams (mg) once a day if needed.
Missed dose--

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage--

To store this medicine:

Keep out of the reach of children.
Store away from heat and direct light.
Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

Precautions While Using This Medicine
It is important that your doctor checks your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects.

Check with your doctor immediately if you think that you may be pregnant. Olmesartan may cause birth defects or other problems in the baby if taken during pregnancy.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This especially includes over-the-counter (nonprescription) medicines for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems, since they may tend to increase your blood pressure.

Dizziness or lightheadedness may occur after the first dose of this medicine, especially if you have been taking a diuretic (water pill). Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy.

Check with your doctor right away if you become sick while taking this medicine, especially with severe or continuing nausea and vomiting or diarrhea. These conditions may cause you to lose too much water and lead to low blood pressure.

Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may also occur if you exercise or if the weather is hot. Heavy sweating can cause loss of too much water and result in low blood pressure. Use extra care during exercise or hot weather.

Avoid alcoholic beverages until you have discussed their use with your doctor. Alcohol may make the low blood pressure effect worse and/or increase the possibility of dizziness or fainting.

Side Effects of This Medicine
Side Effects of This Medicine
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common
Body aches or pain; blood in urine ; chills; cough or cough producing mucus; difficulty breathing; ear congestion; fever; headache; loss of voice; nasal congestion; runny nose; shortness of breath; sneezing; sore throat; tightness in chest; unusual tiredness or weakness; wheezing

Rare
Bladder pain; bloody or cloudy urine ; difficult, burning, or painful urination; fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse; frequent urge to urinate; joint pain, stiffness, or swelling; large amount of fat in the blood; lower back, side, or stomach pain; swelling of feet or lower legs

Symptoms of Overdose
Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur

Blurred vision; chest pain or discomfort ; confusion; dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness; fast, pounding, slow, or irregular heartbeat or pulse; shortness of breath ; sweating; unusual tiredness or weakness

Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome.

Less common
Abdominal pain; back pain; blurred vision; body aches or pain ; diarrhea; dizziness; dry mouth; fatigue; flushed, dry skin; fruit-like breath odor; general feeling of discomfort or illness; increased hunger; increased thirst; increased urination; loss of appetite ; muscle aches and pains; nausea; pain or tenderness around eyes and cheekbones ; shivering; sweating; tender, swollen glands in neck; troubled breathing; trouble sleeping; trouble in swallowing; unexplained weight loss; vomiting

Rare
Acid or sour stomach; belching; bloating or swelling of face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet ; chest pain; difficulty in moving; feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings; heartburn; indigestion; muscle pains or stiffness; nausea; rash; rapid weight gain; sensation of spinning; skeletal pain; sleeplessness; stomach pain; swelling or puffiness of face; tingling of hands or feet; unusual weight gain or loss

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.

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That list of side effects is pretty mild compared to the literature that comes with most drugs. The manufacturers are supposed to cover every possiblity of risk. If you go to a lot of the drug sites, the place where it lists side effects for Benicar, the response is usually "none", and "possible dizziness".

Now how 'bout you post the known side effects of your regular blood pressure med? I imagine the list would be quite a bit longer (actually, why not just post the link, that way people can download your info more quickly?).

Or how 'bout the side effects of a lot of the antibiotics people are taking? Reducing that risk seems potentially very beneficial, don't you think?

Also, all of us who are currently on the protocol have gotten prescriptions from our Doctors, who've already approved the protocol. Your concern for our safety is sincerely appreciated, but our doctors are not as worried as you seem to be. So I hope no one will get hysterical about it, until there's some kind of evidence to support the concern.

Let's see if I can make this simple:

THIS LIST, AND THE OTHERS SHOW SIDE EFFECTS EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE LYME OR OTHER INFECTIONS!

YET...Marshall and Scott suggest that HERX's are the reason for these things? or...I love this one...one's IMMUNE SYSTEM is kicking in??? REALLY? Who can prove it was not working well in the first place?

NONSENSE!!!!

All the people who had these side effects, according to Marshall, must be herxing?????

WHAT??????

I have a bridge to sell to anyone who actually believes this herxing nonsense.

Herxing itself is an unproven theory.

We are simply reacting to the drug as every one possibly can...

If fact, we at 40 MG, TID, ARE OVERDOSING...and this is according to the pharmacists at Sankyo Pharma.

So...believe what you want.

Penny...has am LLMD ever diagnosed you with LYME??? (Note...I am not asking if you ever had a positive Lyme test...Lyme is a clinical diagnosis BACKED UP by proper testing. However...very few people who test negative at Bowen or IgeneX have Lyme.

Every CFS patient does NOT have Lyme. If not, why are you posting your results???? I thought this board was for LYME DISEASE? I am NOT making light of your pain and suffering...if FACT I want you and everyone else to get better...as I have on this board for years...ask anyone here for a long time...but what helps you may not be appropriate for us LYMIES, and vice-versa.

It is deceptive to let people think you have Lyme are improving on this protocol.

That said...I hope everyone feels better and please remember: Everything you feel is not a herx, and all your symptoms might not be caused by Borreila...or a runaway immune system. Check out co-infections please!

I'd been searching on PubMed for "adverse events" and hadn't found very much of consequence there. Actually, I hadn't gotten around to searching for "side-effects" yet because side-effects are regarded much less seriously than adverse events are.

I'm reading both topics you've posted very critically and pondering it all right now.

I guess I'm the biggest "mug-wump" around -- you know, a "fence-sitter" with my mug on one side of the fence and my wump on the other -- if you still recall the expression from your high school American history textbook.

Anyhow, I'm really weighing the pros and cons of this, so would you please do us the favor of posting the link to the website where you found this? Thanks in advance.

I will add a couple of other comments, too, though. First, some of these patients are reporting on Benicar with HCT (HCT is with the diuretic component). Others don't specify clearly, so we can't be sure which form of Benicar they are taking, whether with or without HCT.

Also, some of these patients are on quite a lot of other Rx meds, whose interactions with Benicar are yet unknown, so some of these reports might be drug interactions rather than strictly side-effects from Benicar alone. There's no way to be sure about that either.

Furthermore, we don't really know what other underlying health problems this patient population might have, in addition to their high BP, for which they are being treated. Of course, that factor is going to hold true for our LD patient population, too, I guess, so maybe that comment is irrelevant.

Again, thanks for helping ferret out this information for us.

Yea, those Harvard people are such fools...

The fatigue, dizzyness, light-headedness, etc. ARE side effects of MOST High Blood Pressure drugs...the point I am trying to make, (it seems that EVERYBODY is NOT getting this)...is that what we users of Benicar are experiencing are NOT herx reactions, but COMMON side effects of the drug, (especially in the first two weeks of treatment,) and these side effects are more prevalent with the dose(overdose) we are taking.

No one has a right to even suggest out symptoms are herx's. Let's see the proof that these reactions are herx's...what? No Proof??? Gee...must be a THEORY...or unsupported hunch. Is there any data out there that proves these are herx's???

The word HERX is used way too often on this board by people who have absolutely no credentials to back up their words. This blind faith exhibited by many here is potentially very dangerous...especially when combined with a desperate mind set.

We are sick...does this mean we have to believe every UNPROVEN THEORY that comes our way???

If I said to you that I was positive I have a cure for cancer wouldn't you and the rest of the world ask for PROOF????? OR...would you just do what I said...even if I were an MD????

Someone saying "It is like a miracle how I feel after trying blank blank," is not a reason for everyone to think a new mesiah has arrived.

Good grief...I am just showing that other people have nasty symptoms too, and they are NOT experiencing LYME DISEASE!

My brother-in-law has NO other health problems, other than high blood pressure, and he got wacked by this drug for three weeks before he could tolerate it (Benicar.)

No drug is side-effect free. STOP CALLING SIDE EFFECTS HERX'S.

In fact...we have no proof of having an ongoing infection, just like the other side has no proof of "Post Lyme Syndrome."

I don't care about myself at this point...or I should say I don't worry about side effects...I wanted to help and be a guinea pig for others so we Chronic LYMIES could form an opinion based on my, and other experiences.

I give up....there is a reason why the doctor's theories did not impress the Lyme Doctors at the conference in New York City in 1999.

I WILL LET YOU ALL FIND THE ANSWER...I will NOT try to help...it is NOT worth the effort.

I will post for those who want to simply read progress or lack of. Discussion at this point is redundant at best, and quite unbelievable and childish at worst.

I do not follow pied pipers over the cliff...I will go close to the edge, but at that point, I will say: "Why should I believe in you and follow?"