Watch out for gasoline additives in your blood pressure meds

The drug recalls just keep coming fast and furious, my friends.

In September, I told you about some deadly mistakes that major pharmaceutical companies have made this year, involving substituting one medication for another, or mislabeling that could lead to an accidental overdose.

But poison? In your medication?

I’m afraid so. And I’m willing to bet you’re not completely shocked.

The string of “mistakes” made by Big Pharma in their rush to get their drugs to market isn’t a new story, but it seems to be getting worse.

As unbelievable as this may sound, two more pharmaceutical companies have recently recalled batches of common medications because, somehow, a deadly substance got into the batch.

A little cancer with your blood pressure meds?

N-Nitrosodiethylamine, or NDEA for short, is a highly volatile chemical that vaporizes and emits toxic fumes when exposed to light. This yellow oil is used as a stabilizer in gasoline and other industrial materials. NDEA is a known carcinogen.

In the past two months, two pharmaceutical companies have recalled medications you may very well be taking because they contain NDEA. No one seems to know how this deadly substance made its way into the manufacturing process.

A pharmaceutical company called Sandoz recalled a batch of two hypertension medications: losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide 100mg/25mg tablets. Both medications in batch JB8912 were laced with NDEA.

While Sandoz is quick to point out that these poisoned pills represent “less than 1 percent of the total losartan drug products in the U.S. market,” that won’t matter much if you’re the one who gets cancer from your blood pressure meds.

And in October, pharmaceutical company ScieGen recalled batches of irbesartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker. This batch was also contaminated with NDEA.

While hydrochlorothiazide controls hypertension by controlling edema (water buildup), an angiotensin II receptor blocker, as the name implies, blocks the action of angiotensin II, a chemical in the body that can narrow your blood vessels and increase hypertension.

The FDA is in no hurry to protect you

In February, the FDA sent pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. a warning letter.

The letter coming two years after a 2016 FDA inspection, cited the company for “significant violations of current good manufacturing practice” rules at one of its plants.

This particular plant was producing batches of the injectable antibiotic vancomycin found to be contaminated with cardboard and other “multiple foreign particles.”

Makes you wonder why the FDA wasn’t worried for the past two years. The letter takes Pfizer to task for not responding to this problem sooner, but really, FDA? It took you two years to respond, so why should a Big Pharma giant be worried?

Natural ways to avoid hypertension… and contaminated drugs

If you’re taking medication for high blood pressure, it’s never a good idea to stop suddenly.

That said, there are many steps you can take to prevent hypertension naturally and avoid running into contaminated drugs at all.

Don’t smoke. Or get help with quitting.

Eat the right foods, and avoid the wrong ones. Certain foods are “heart-friendly.” These include garlic and foods high in potassium, such as bananas and leafy greens.

Ask your doctor about the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stopping Hypertension) diet. One side-benefit of this eating style: research shows it also reduces the likelihood of depression.

Take supplements that support your heart. Magnesium is a big one. It’s crucial to maintaining a steady heart beat and normal blood pressure.

De-stress. Here’s a list of techniques you can try to “relax your high blood pressure away.”

Start an exercise routine. Study after study proves that even a moderate amount of exercise, if done consistently, can control blood pressure.

Sources:

1. RECALL ALERT: Another blood pressure drug pulled off the shelves by the FDA because of cancer risk — NaturalHealth365
2. FDA warns Pfizer over contaminated drugs putting patients at risk — NaturalHealth365
3. N-Nitrosodiethylamine — National Center for Biotechnology Information