Generics come from China and India.
According to Bloomberg, "An FDA quality-control nightmare reveals how impurities end up in America's blood pressure pills.
Do you think contaminants in generic drugs is the issue that should be of greatest concern to you?
Read in Bloomberg Businessweek: https://apple.news/AXVsCEhUBQpWb7iGV121XQA
The drug in question is the blood pressure drug, Valsartan which is a type of blood pressure-reducing medication (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor - ARB)
Let's look at the value of this drug, independent of the generic contamination issue:
1. These drugs don't do much for you. Here is a 2017 medical research paper titled,
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Do Not Reduce Risk of Myocardial Infarction, Cardiovascular Death, or Total Mortality: Further Evidence for the ARB-MI Paradox
Here is the summary:
A systematic review/meta-analysis conducted demonstrated that in 20 trials of ARB (Valsartan and other BP meds in this class) versus placebo (66,282 people in the studies, 21 studies) ARB DID NOT improve all-cause mortality. Furthermore, when the trials were analyzed in combination, the impact of ARB on mortality was precisely zero compared with placebo and virtually zero compared with an active comparator.
Placebo-controlled trials are the most rigorous method of assessing treatment efficacy (as well as harm), and, consequently, it is concerning that other meta-analyses of ARBs versus placebo-controlled trials have also reported a lack of mortality reduction in patients with high risk, those with diabetes mellitus, and patients with hypertension as well as no reduction in heart attack or cardiovascular mortality.
Please re-read until you are sure you got the message which is:
...No benefit from taking these drugs...
Downside of Valsartan and ARBs to lower blood pressure:
Common side effects include:
headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, tiredness, flu symptoms, upper respiratory infection, diarrhea, cold symptoms (cough, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat), sinusitis, nausea, stomach pain, swelling, blurred vision, itching or skin rash, back pain, and joint pain.
Serious side effects of include:
chest pain, fainting, palpitations, shortness of breath, weight loss, vomiting, and swelling of the skin, most often around the lips and eyes.
If you have high blood pressure, ACE inhibitors may be recommended instead of Valsartan or other ARB. Phew, there is an option.....
Let's see what the British health national health system says about ACE inhibitors.
"Blood pressure drugs…could raise the risk of potentially deadly kidney problems," the Daily Mail warns. Researchers have looked at whether there is an association between the prescribing patterns for these drugs and hospital admissions for kidney problems.
They were specifically interested in the relationship between two widely used antihypertensive drugs (ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-II receptor antagonists) and hospital admissions for kidney failure.
Kidney failure (now known as acute kidney injury, or AKI) is when the kidneys suddenly lose the ability to filter waste products from the blood and balance fluids in the body. It leads to a range of serious and potentially fatal symptoms.
The study found that in the four years up to 2010, English hospitals saw a 52% increase in admissions for AKI. During the same period there was a 16% increase in prescriptions for ACE inhibitors and related drugs. They estimate that up to 15% of these increased admissions – one in seven cases – could be as a result of increased prescriptions for these drugs.
A paper titled, Change in renal function associated with drug treatment in heart failure: national guidance, confirms concerns about kidney (renal) failure.
oh oh - no free lunch......
How about fixing your elevated blood pressure without drugs. This is the only way to be healthy, have normal blood pressure, and not be exposed to substances with side effects or contaminants.
Here are simple things you can do:
1. Measure your fasting insulin value and work to lower it to between 2-4 uIU/mL
2. Increase intake of potassium-rich foods like avocados, mushrooms, squash, beans, and spinach.
3. Move more
4. Increase your intake of vitamins C, D, K2, and magnesium to help redistribute calcium in your vessels.
5. Make sure your are periodontal disease-free. That means no bleeding gums even when you floss. Chronic infection like that found in periodontal disease damages vessels and may lead to elevated blood pressure.
6. Find ways to relax. Meditation and deep breathing exercise appear to lower blood pressure by lowering your "fight and flight" mechanism (caused by a raise in your hormone cortisol).
7. Turn off your display devices after sunset - to reduce your cortisol levels and get better sleep.
8. Measure and chart your BP every day, and at different times. Consider plotting your values. You may find that you actually don't have high blood pressure.
9. If you are on a BP med, work with a doctor who actually cares about your wellbeing and follow his/her protocol to lower your BP medication slowly while monitoring it daily. You may find that the drug isn't doing much, if anything, to lower your BP.
Health is all about the little things - start with some of these simple suggestions - but be consistent and persistent.
Be Well...
