Benicar and Depression

Extensive clinical trials did not find a link between Benicar and depression. However, because depression is a common condition in society today, you should be aware of the symptoms, such as feelings of hopelessness, and talk to your healthcare provider if these symptoms occur while taking the drug. Just because there is no reported connection between Benicar and depression does not mean it is never a side effect of the drug.

Benicar for High Blood Pressure

Benicar and Depression: An Overview

There are several possible side effects associated with

Benicar^® (olmesartan medoxomil). However, depression does not appear to be one of them. In clinical studies, depression was not reported as either a common or rare side effect of Benicar. Depression has been reported as a side effect with other angiotensin II receptor blockers, however, which is the class of medicines that Benicar is part of.

Although depression was not seen during clinical studies with Benicar, it does not mean that the medicine is not causing this problem for you. Clinical trials are designed to factor out as many variables as possible in order to understand whether a medicine works and its possible side effects. Once the medicine is approved, a wider range of people begin taking the medicine and for longer periods of time. As is often the case, this can lead to other side effects being reported. However, once a medicine is approved, a drug does not usually continue to be studied. This means that certain side effects that occur very rarely may never be reported. The bottom line is that for an individual person, it is difficult to say with complete assurance that a particular complaint is not caused by a medicine, even if the complaint is not a reported side effect.

(Benicar and Depression Continued: Page 2)