Could this heart med set you up for… skin cancer?

If you’re taking a certain type of medication to lower your blood pressure, you could be setting yourself up for skin cancer.

Nope, that’s not a typo — skin cancer.

And I’m not just talking about some obscure hypertension med, either… but best-selling drugs that over 20 million Americans faithfully take every single day.

It’s yet another side effect from these meds that adds to a growing list of dangers that have now become too big to ignore.

And here’s the worst part: Millions are being treated with these risky drugs for hypertension based on some illogical new “guidelines” that have erroneously labeled half of the adults in the U.S. as suffering from high blood pressure.

A perfect storm
A new study from researchers at the University of Southern Denmark has linked taking hydrochlorothiazide, also called HCT or HCTZ, to a sevenfold increase in squamous cell carcinomas (a connection they didn’t find when looking at any other group of blood pressure meds!).

Although common and treatable (usually by surgically removing the cancer), squamous cell carcinomas can still spread and metastasize — as any other cancer can.

They also found close to a 30 percent increased risk of having a basal cell carcinoma, another common skin cancer that can also deceptively invade deeper into the skin.

And even though you might not mind a small scar from removing either one of these cancers on certain parts of your body, this recent research found that the most likely place for it to appear in the HCT patients was on the lip!

The scientists followed 80,000 Danish citizens who developed non-melanoma skin cancers, and they identified a “clear dose-response effect” with these HCT drugs. That means the longer you’ve been taking one, the greater your skin cancer risk.

One possibility as to why this drug can up that risk, the researchers said, is that HCT appears to ultra-sensitize your skin to the sun’s rays.

Only a few months ago, in fact, I warned you about this same class of hypertension meds — how they can raise your blood sugar to the point where you can be diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes.

And just yesterday, I told you how another class of blood pressure-lowering drugs, ones that contain olmesartan, can cause a terrible digestive disorder that’s frighteningly similar to celiac disease.

But here’s one of the most disturbing parts of all this.

Last month, 30 million more Americans woke up to find out that they had “developed” high blood pressure overnight and were now candidates for starting up on one of these drugs.

That was when 11 “expert” organizations released new guidelines (much to the delight of Big Pharma) that managed to push what’s considered an acceptable blood- pressure reading down to a maximum of only 130/80.

This came three years after a group that included some of the most well-respected heart doctors out there published guidelines that had actually raised those numbers. They had concluded, for example, that if you’re 60 or older, there is no reason in the world to start taking drugs unless your readings are 150/90 or higher.

And for those under 60, they said that there was no need for treatment unless you were at, or over, 140/90.

There’s no doubt that last month’s announcement created a perfect storm of confusion and worry that sent millions scrambling to their doctors — and leaving with an Rx for one of these highly dangerous drugs.

So, if you’re currently taking a blood pressure med, you need to be checking that bottle for two big things:

• common brand names for drugs that contain HCTZ (the ones linked to skin cancer and type 2 diabetes), which include Tekturna HCT, Vaseretic, and Benicar HCT, and,
• the names of meds that can trigger terrible abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, including Benicar, Benicar HCT (that med is a double whammy!), Azor, and Tribenzor.

And remember that both drugs are mixed into numerous combo pills and sold as generics, meaning that you also have to check for the generic names olmesartan (the diarrhea-inducing drug) and hydrochlorothiazide (the skin cancer one). Your best bet may be to ask your pharmacist or doctor.

And along with checking your medications, why not also check to see if you really have high blood pressure in the first place?

Because as I told you last month, the big announcement that put so many new seniors in the hypertension club didn’t change the facts of the matter — only the numbers!

“Hydrochlorothiazide side effects: Skin cancer and more!” Joe Graedon, December 7, 2017, The People’s Pharmacy, peoplespharmacy.com