Recall of tainted blood pressure drugs alarms some consumers

Check your prescription bottle — you may need to call your doctor

Some people suffering from high blood pressure who take valsartan-containing medications have been frantically calling their pharmacies and doctors to find out whether they should stop taking their heart pills in the wake of the FDA’s recent recall.

“We are getting a lot of calls,” says Dr. Vivek Bhalla, a nephrologist at Stanford Health Care who is director of the Stanford Hypertension Center. “We have a lot of patients who are concerned right now.”

The list of tainted drugs being recalled by the FDA is here. But because not all valsartan meds have been recalled and because many people do not know who manufactured their drugs, the recall has caused a lot of confusion. Consumers should start by comparing their prescription bottle to the FDA’s list to determine if their drugs have been recalled.

However, even if your pills are on that list, the American Heart Association advises that you stay the course until you can talk to your doctor.

“Patients taking the recalled valsartan-containing medicines should consult their doctor or pharmacist and continue taking their medicine until they have a replacement product, as the conditions the medication treats (heart failure and high blood pressure) are serious and patients could be harmed if they suddenly stop taking it without a replacement prescription,” said the association.

Even though the medication you are taking may be tainted, it does not pose an immediate risk. The impurity in question, N-nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA, which was detected in several batches, is considered a possible carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. FDA scientists estimate that one additional case of cancer would develop over the lifetime of 8,000 patients — if they had all taken the highest valsartan dose (320 mg) from the recalled batches daily for four years, USA Today reported, the length of time that the chemical impurity may have been added.

But Bhalla urges that you get an alternate medication as soon as possible. Some possible replacement drugs include losartan, candesartan and olmesartan.

“What you should do is switch meds to the same class of drug that works in a similar manner,” he says, “or if you can get valsartan from a supplier that is not affected by the recall.”

However, safe batches of valsartan may be

getting harder to find.

“I have been told by pharmacists that the suppliers are facing a shortage because there is a lot of demand,”

says Bhalla.

The real danger may be among consumers who hav not yet heard about the recall. Patients who take this class of drug are often elderly and less connected to the 24/7 news cycle.

“The real concern

is someone who has a three-month supply in hand and is unaware of the recall,” says Bhalla. “They are going to continue to take the contaminated medicine.”