Blood Pressure Drug Effects: Allergies, Diabetes, Weight Gain, Sexual Dysfunction, Depression, Acute Kidney Injury, Lung Cancer, Abnormal Heart Rate, and More

Blood pressure-lowering drugs have not been shown to be effective; do not address the root cause(s) of hypertension; have been contaminated with cancer-causing agents; and cause harm ("side effects").

Contents

1. Blood Pressure Drugs

2. Essential Points

3. Root Causes of Hypertension are Identifiable

4. Evidence of Harm

5. Context: See how this subject fits in the bigger picture, and get links to related topics

Blood Pressure Drugs

Drugs commonly prescribed to lower blood pressure include diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

• Diuretics include Aldactone, Aquazide H, Bumex, CaroSpir, Demadex, Diamox, Diuril, Dyrenium, Edecrin, Inspra, Lasix, Microzide, Midamor, Nadolol, Thalitone, and Zaroxlyn. [source]

• Beta blockers include Betapace, Brevibloc, Bystolic, Coreg, Corgard, Hemangeol, Inderal, InnoPran, Lopressor, Sorine, Sotylize, Tenormin, and Toprol. [source and source]

• Calcium channel blockers include Afeditab, Calan, Cardene, Cardizem, Cartia, Cleviprex, Conjupri, Dilacor, Dilt, Diltia, Diltzac, Katerzia, Matzim, Norliqva, Norvasc, Nymalize, Procardia, Sular, Taztia, Tiadylt, Tiazac, and Verelan. [source]

• ACE inhibitors include Altace, Catopril, Enalaprilat, Epaned, Fosinopril, Lotensin, Moexipril, Prinivil, Qbrelis, Quinapril, Trandolapril, Vasotec, and Zestril. [source]

• Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) include Atacand, Avapro, Azilsartan Medoxomil, Bernicar, Candesartan, Cozaar, Diovan, Edarbi, Iosartan, Irbesartan, Micardis, Olmesartan, Telmisartan, and Valsartan. [source]

Essential Points

1. Blood pressure-lowering drugs have poor outcomes. They have not been shown to be effective. [source and source and source]

2. Drugs do not address the root cause(s) of hypertension (high blood pressure).[source] Root causes are identifiable and can be resolved. [source and source]

3. Blood pressure drugs cause harm (“side effects”) including electrolyte imbalance (a serious issue), headaches, dehydration, constipation and other digestive issues, allergies, diabetes, mood swings, depression, edema, extreme tiredness and fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness, low blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, an excessively slow heart rate, weight gain, cold hands or feet, nausea, chronic dry cough, loss of taste, acute kidney injury, lung cancer, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, and abnormal heart rates. [source and source and source and source]

4. Blood pressure drugs have been contaminated with cancer-causing agents and mislabeled. [source] and source and source]

Treating Mild Hypertension with Drugs has Not Been Shown to be Effective

Treating mild hypertension with drugs has not been shown to be effective, yet it is common practice. Some of the risks of blood pressure-lowering medications include headaches, dizziness, depression, sleep problems, erectile dysfunction, and renal or cardiac dysfunction. Often, these side effects lead to additional prescription drugs like testosterone or Viagra. The good news is that dietary changes, lifestyle strategies, and supplements have the potential to reverse high blood pressure without the need for lifelong prescriptions. – Chris Kresser

Root Causes of Hypertension are Identifiable

While medical textbooks claim most cases of high blood pressure are idiopathic, meaning the underlying cause is unknown, this is simply not true.

– Dr. Joseph Mercola link

For a medical professional to claim that “we” don’t know what causes 90% of cases of high blood pressure is to display their willingness to spout pharmaceutical propaganda disguised as medical education, and a willful ignorance of reams of research and clinical experience showing a direct link between high blood pressure and diet, stress, and other lifestyle factors. Extensive research (covered here) shows that a number of lifestyle interventions address the conditions which lead the body to compensate for weak blood flow (by increasing blood pressure), thereby naturally reducing blood pressure and promoting heart health.

“If You Have Hypertension, There’s a Reason”

Your body never does anything “just because.” If you have hypertension, there’s a reason, and you’ll want to investigate the root cause before taking medication. Many times, high blood pressure is actually compensating for another imbalance. – Dr. Eric Berg, The End of Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) link and 9-min video

Evidence of Harm

Diuretics Can Cause Electrolyte Imbalance, GI Issues Due to Dehydration, Low Blood Pressure, Diabetes

Many different types of diuretics exist with slightly different side effect profiles and different electrolytes they affect, but generally, these drugs cause a wide range of symptoms [including] electrolyte imbalances, particularly of sodium and potassium (e.g., low sodium levels are a common cause of weakness and hospital admissions, while low potassium affects 8.2% of users — occurring at a rate 973% greater than those not on the drugs). They cause many of the gastrointestinal side effects associated with dehydration (due to the drugs effectively dehydrating you). They (depending on the class) can sometimes create sulfa sensitivities or allergies. They cause many of the general effects associated with low blood pressure (e.g., lightheadedness). Some of them (ie. the thiazides) also increase uric acid levels, which may explain why these drugs increase the risk of diabetesor why they significantly increase one’s risk of gout. – Mercola.com

Common Effects of Beta-Blockers: Mood swings, depression, extreme tiredness and fatigue, dizziness or light-headedness, low blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, an excessively slow heart rate, weight gain, cold hands or feet, nausea, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath

Beta-blockers slow the heart and make it pump less forcefully. This is found to be very helpful for heart failure patients, but simultaneously has a variety of common side effects such as constricting the peripheral arteries… Patients frequently report a worsened quality of life from them.. Some of their most common side effects include mood swings, depression, extreme tiredness and fatigue, dizziness or light-headedness, low blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, an excessively slow heart rate, weight gain, cold hands or feet, nausea, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath. – A Midwestern Doctor

Beta Blockers Can Cause Depression

Patients who have had a heart attack are typically treated using beta blockers. According to a recent study, this drug is unlikely to be needed for those heart patients who have a normal pumping ability. Now a sub-study shows that there is also a risk that these patients will become depressed by the treatment. – Uppsala University

Calcium Channel Blockers Can Cause Edema, Dizziness, Lightheadedness, Constipation, Headaches, Abnormal Heart Rates, Shortness of Breath

The major issues with these drugs are that they cause edema (swelling) throughout the body and frequently cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or constipation. These drugs are often quite helpful for resetting an abnormal heart rhythm, but also can cause other symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, abnormal heart rates, and shortness of breath. – A Midwestern Doctor

Blood Pressure Meds Were Contaminated with an Agent that Damages Genetic Material and Causes Cancer

Nitrosamines are a group of compounds that can damage DNA. Long-term exposure can increase the risk of developing cancer. The first nitrosamine was identified in July 2018 in blood pressure medicines known as ‘sartans’, which are classified as ARBs. It was determined that the nitrosamine contaminant came from an active ingredient sourced from an overseas manufacturer… The contaminant detected was NDMA, which is a genotoxic [damages genetic material such as DNA] and carcinogenic [cancer-causing] agent in animals and is classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans”… This led to a voluntary recall of several drugs under the generic names of valsartan, losartan, and irbesartan, medications for high blood pressure and heart failure… For the “sartan” drugs, here is a list of drugs more readily recognized. Some of these medications had more than one type of nitrosamine in the final product: Trade names for losartan : Cozaar, Angizaar, Losatc. Trade names for valsartan: Diovan, Prexxartan, Valcacor. Trade names for olmesartan: Benicar, Olmetec. Trade names for candesartan: Atacand, Blopress. Trade names for irbesartan: Avapro, Irbegen. Trade names for telmisartan: Micardis, Pritor. Trade names for eprosartan: Teventen. Trade names for azilsartan: Edarbi. – Dr. Sherri Tenpenny

Context, Organized Curation

This article is a subset of a vast resource curation on the failure and corruption of establishment medicine. See here for the entire collation, or select links below to focus on an individual subject.

The subject matter above is an excerpt from Cause of Harm. Blood pressure drugs are one of the types of drugs covered there.

1. Failed Health Outcomes — The U.S. spends nearly twice the per-capita amount on healthcare than the next highest spender, yet Americans are the most chronically ill, and rank 48th in life expectancy, among other countries. In addition, medical misdiagnosis causes permanent harm and death to 795,000 people every year.

2. Verifiably Corrupt — Establishment medicine as a system* is verifiably corrupt, and structured to serve the interests of industry — not health. (*Obviously, not every individual working in establishment medicine is unethical. Rather, the system that educated / indoctrinated them, and that sets policy, hires, pays, and promotes them is verifiably corrupted.)

3. Not Evidence/Science-Based — The bulk of establishment medicine’s standard of care is not based on unbiased, reproducible science. (We prove it here.)

4. Regulatory & Professional Betrayal — Government agencies entrusted to regulate the field of medicine fail to do so. The majority of influential professional organizations such as the American Medical Association are corrupted by industry.

5. Cause of Harm: Evidence by Drug, Treatment, and Test — Establishment medicine providers routinely utilize diagnostic testing and “treatments” that have harmful (“adverse”, “side”) effects, some of which have a high risk of severe consequences. Get verifiable evidence of the harms, organized by drug, treatment, or test (mammograms, CT scans, antibiotics, statins, benzos, etc).

6. Drug & Vaccine Harms: Organized by Illness or Symptom — Review an illness or symptom of interest, and quickly identify drugs and vaccines that may have caused it (e.g. depression, infertility, kidney issues, nervous system disorder, seizure, etc).

7. Failed Strategies; Suppressing Symptoms vs. Resolving Cause — The philosophies and strategies used by establishment medicine are dysfunctional and irrational, including a focus on suppressing symptoms rather than understanding them. Providers do not seek to identify and resolve root causes of illness. Diagnosis is simply an exercise in naming groupings of symptoms, disconnected from their purpose and message.

8. Stifling Treatments That Don’t Enrich Industry — Healing modalities that don’t benefit industry are underutilized, suppressed, and disparaged. Providers who are perceived as a threat to establishment dictates or lucrative markets are condemned, intimidated and attacked.

9. Suppressed Cancer Treatments — Cancer treatments that don’t benefit establishment medicine are ignored and disparaged. This curation of more than 150 clinical studies and testimonials provides quick access to documented cancer reversal and recovery successes.

10. The Significance of Legal Precedent — Legal precedent, breach of duty, and “standard of care” are significant factors in the state of the medical industry.

11. Alternatives & Considerations — Alternatives, considerations, and what you can do.