Americans love simple solutions to complex problems. Doctors seem to fall into that trap as well. For decades we were told that if we ate margarine instead of butter, that would be good for our hearts. Big ooops! Discerning whether something is healthy or harmful can be challenging. A surprising number of medications that heal some people hurt many others.
Binary Thinking Is Risky: Oversimplifying Complexity
We like to cheer heroes and boo villains. That’s true whether the topic is sports, politics or nutrition. Foods such as eggs, olive oil or avocados have taken turns being demonized or glorified by various nutrition “experts.”
We have done the same thing with medical procedures. There was a time when coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery was the go-to recommendation for almost any patient with chest pain or even mild narrowing of a heart artery.
We heard from patients who were told that they were a “heart attack waiting to happen” even if there was minimal blockage and no symptoms. When scientific studies revealed that bypass surgery didn’t necessarily reduce the risk of a heart attack or death in mild, stable cases, most cardiologists became far more selective about who should be treated.
Treatment or Trouble? Predicting Outcomes Is Precarious:
Doctors and patients want medicine to be beneficial and not cause serious side effects. Unfortunately, medications that heal one person could be poison for someone else. There often is no good way to tell in advance who will get benefit and who will be harmed.
Researchers have been trying to identify genetic factors that might make it easier to predict if someone is a slow metabolizer or a fast metabolizer of medications. Liver enzymes are responsible for breaking down and helping eliminate most medicines. Some people break down drugs really fast (fast metabolizers). They may need a higher dose to get the same result as a slow metabolizer. People who have a harder time breaking down and eliminating medications may be more vulnerable to side effects because they get a higher dose that lingers longer.
Although the research about drug metabolism has been ongoing for decades, very few healthcare providers take metabolism into account when prescribing a medicine. Consequently, they don’t always know the most appropriate dose for any given patient. There are also many other factors that affect drug outcomes. In far too many cases it is a hit or miss proposition.
Is Gabapentin A Medication That Heals or Harms?
The most frequently prescribed pain medicine in America is gabapentin (Neurontin). Roughly 10 million people receive a prescription for this drug annually. Some get it after a surgical procedure for a few days. Others take it regularly to ease nerve or back pain.
Some people find it highly effective. One person states that gabapentin is a medication that heals:
“My doctor prescribed low-dose gababentin off-label at bedtime to ease my nighttime joint aches. This medicine has allowed me to stop tossing and turning and get a good night’s sleep.”
Another adds that gabapentin stopped leg cramps:
“What a blessing to be able to sleep the night through.”
Yet a third describes a partner’s trigeminal neuralgia head pain as a condition that could lead to suicide:
“When he begins to feel preliminary electric sparks in his head, he takes gabapentin and it controls the problem.”
Other readers have had terrible experiences with gabapentin. One reports:
“My wife was prescribed a low dose of gabapentin for post-surgical nerve pain. It worked well for the pain. But after a couple of days, she developed significant side-effects: blurred vision, memory loss, apparently some hallucinations, odd eye movements and loss of muscle control.”
Another man reported that his wife had hallucinations while she was taking gabapentin.
We also received this tragic story:
“My husband was prescribed gabapentin for back pain. While taking it, he became more depressed and isolated himself. We did not realize the link with gabapentin. As a result, his suicidal thoughts became actions.”
According to Dr. John, commenting on this website:
“Gabapentin is well tolerated by about half of the patients for a wide variety of problems. The other half of people shouldn’t take it.
“I have seen patients get their brains organized for the first time and help their families. My life would be severely limited without some gabapentin because of disc disease in my neck after a car wreck.”
We don’t know if Dr. John’s estimate is accurate. His general point, though, that some people get benefit while others are grievously harmed, is exactly what these stories illustrate. And we fear that there is no good way to predict who will describe gabapentin as a medication that heals or a medicine that harms.
Lisinopril: A Blood Pressure Pill with a Split Personality:
Gabapentin is not the only medication with a “split personality.” The most prescribed blood pressure medication in America is lisinopril, taken by more than 20 million people. It is known as an ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor.
Most people have no problem with lisinopril or related compounds (benazepril, captopril, enalapril, fosinopril, moexipril, perindopril, ramipril, trandolapril). While many people tolerate ACE inhibitors well with few problems, some people experience serious complications. Hundreds of people have written to us about an unbearable lisinopril cough. It does not respond to cough medicine and can be incredibly disruptive.
Even more serious is angioedema. This potentially life-threatening reaction can affect the face, lips, tongue, throat or intestines. Rapid swelling can interfere with breathing or digestive function. Abdominal angioedema can be hard to diagnose.
Because long lists of side effects are virtually meaningless, here are some real people who have been harmed by the #1 BP drug in America:
Stacy reports that lisinopril has caused her harm. We have not verified the number of adverse reports to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System:
“I’ve done extensive research into lisinopril! I’ve read how the medicine works in the body and its hidden dangers. I’m a victim of lisinopril. I’ve sustained severe, catastrophic and personal injuries! As of September 2019, 231,346 consumers have reported to the FDA side effects from usage of lisinopril! Lisinopril is the cause of an ‘unrecognized epidemic’ across the USA!”
Kathy developed a relatively common complication of lisinopril: A dry hacking cough:
“I had been dealing with a dry hacking cough for nearly nine months. I have been to the doctor at least six times concerning this cough. I was prescribed cough medicines, asthma inhalers, and allergy medicine all in an effort to deal with this cough. My sleep has been severely impacted by this cough. I am now dealing with depression because of the lack of sleep owing to this drug from hell.
“I have been off the drug for four days. The doctor told me it would take up to three weeks to see some improvement. I am so frustrated, my family is frustrated with me and what can you do but wait for it to subside. I am experiencing a lot of pain and frustration that my doctor did not warn me or figure this out.”
Tommy reinforces Kathy’s message:
“I was just diagnosed with angioedema this morning. I’ve been taking 10mg of Lisinopril for the past 4 years. This morning I woke up with a VERY swollen bottom lip. Scary stuff. I was lucky it was only the lip.
“Then I heard that Lisinopril can also cause a bad cough. For the past 4 years I’ve had a bad, unrelenting cough that no one seems to be able to figure out. Then I read about this. I am now on another non-ACE drug. I hope that is what caused the cough because it’s bad enough to make you think about ending it all. NO MORE ACE drugs.”
Diane has a tale of woe and intrigue:
“In September 2017 I had a reaction to lisinopril. I woke up at 3AM with my tongue swelling. I got up and took a Benadryl. My tongue continued to swell so I woke up my husband and he took me to the emergency room which was about 3 miles away.
“My throat was now swelling. The doctor in the emergency room had never done a tracheotomy but had taken a class 2 weeks prior. She worked only one night shift a month and this happened to be the night. She did a trach and I was then transferred to a larger facility that was more equipped to handle my case: a trauma center.
“I was intubated and the physician while trying to intubate me fractured my vocal cords and trachea. He also had the intubation tube coming out of my trach that the first doctor had done. I now was taken to the ER to be intubated. They decided to transfer me to Stanford hospital by air but my right lung collapsed. I was taken over 100 miles by ambulance to Stanford with ICU nurses.
“I was on life support for 9 days and had 5 surgeries. When I came to I was not able to write my name or add or subtract. They told my daughter who lives in Colorado to come prepared for my funeral. I was released from Stanford with a tracheotomy. I refused to go to a nursing home. I was so scared to get an infection in the trach. So I came home and my husband took such good care of me.
“I’ve survived but still having much difficulty with joint pain, weakness, muscle and bone pain. I also had 2 DVT’s (blood clots) in my right leg when I came home. I was on Xarelto for 3 months. This was a horror and don’t wish this on anyone. Also I had taken lisinopril for 16 years prior to this crisis.”
Lisinopril: One of the Medications that Heal and Harm!
Diane, like many other visitors to this website, described a situation where lisinopril controlled her blood pressure well for 16 years with no obvious complications. Then, one night out of the blue, everything went horribly wrong. This may be more common than physicians think.
David is a pharmacist. He is upset that the FDA has not put the angioedema reaction in a boxed warning for lisinopril:
“I took lisinopril and yes I had a cough and always had cough drops in my pocket. After taking it for over 15 years, one night I was rushed to the hospital with angioedema. Fortunately I live only 3 miles from emergency care. If I had been on an extended airline flight I would be dead. Why is there no black box on this dangerous drug? The FDA hates to admit they missed something and lose credibility.”
Angioedema can also occur in the intestines, as JoAnn describes:
“Two years ago my husband went to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain. He had emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage and had his colon and part of his small intestine removed. He became septic and had numerous complications.
“No cause was ever determined, as he did not have a tumor, cancer, or other reason for his colon to become ischemic. He spent 8 weeks in the hospital and made a slow recovery. He had been on 20mg of lisinopril for several years prior to this incident. Prior to going to the emergency department, my husband had experienced sporadic bouts of nausea, bloating, and diarrhea for several months.”
Voltaren Gel and Other Topical Diclofenacs: Medications That Heal and Harm:
Tens of millions of people have aches and pains. Many suffer from arthritis or some other musculoskeletal problem. Because oral NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, diclofenac and meloxicam can cause stomach irritation, raise blood pressure or trigger atrial fibrillation, some people prefer topical NSAIDs such as diclofenac gel (Aleve Arthritis Pain Gel, Voltaren Gel).
Here are some examples of people who love such NSAID Medications That Heal:
Deb appreciates Voltaren Gel:
“I have acute plantar fasciitis with a thickening on the bottom of my heel. My doctor recommended an injection which I didn’t want and Voltaren Gel. I have been using the Voltaren Gel since July 1, 2025. I helps tremendously and so far has not caused me any issues. I only apply 1-inch two times a day, morning and night, as you can use too much. I’ve never had any blood pressure issues. I do have stomach issues with oral NSAIDs.”
Faber also got relief from Voltaren Gel:
“I have used Volataren Gel on one knuckle for a couple of months, and I have had zero adverse effects. This topical NSAID has been a life-saver to me. My dad was an amazing physician. He used to say often, ‘You can’t argue with success.'”
Kenneth loves Voltaren Gel:
“Love the stuff. I use it as recommended except I’ve taken it longer than 21 days. It doesn’t mess with my stomach like the pills did.”
People Who Were Harmed by Diclofenac Gel:
While most of the comments on this website praise diclofenac gel, others say it hurts their stomachs. A few experienced serious blood pressure problems.
Lisa experienced a serious adverse reaction:
“Voltaren gel raised my blood pressure to 209/91 and caused Afib. I never experienced anything so scary in my life. It should not be an OTC gel. Hopefully, I will have a full recovery.”
Eileen had a somewhat similar reaction:
“I just got out of the ER – blood pressure 190/112. My normal BP for 50 years has been 120/80.
“I had been using Voltaren Gel on my shoulder because I have cervical radiculopathy. I probably used it too liberally. I will never use it again. I am praying it leaves my system quickly. Terrifying!
Chris took Voltaren Gel for knee arthritis until…
“My doctor urged me to try Voltaren Gel. He said the warnings were for the oral medicine. Although I didn’t experience stomach pain (which is what had ended my use of ibuprofen), after three weeks I suddenly developed very bad edema in the leg I’d been treating with the gel. My blood pressure shot up to 220/110 from a norm of about 130/80.
“When I told my doctor I’d spent the night at the ER being monitored for these reactions, she said ‘must have been the Voltaren.’ I wish she’d been more honest at the outset.”
Final Words About Medications that Heal and Harm:
The bottom line is that drugs are neither good nor bad. Some people may benefit while others can be harmed. Predicting such outcomes in advance is challenging. That means doctors are practicing by trial and error. Some side effects may take weeks, months or years to show up. You have read about people who took lisinopril for many years with no problem. Then, out of the blue, they developed angioedema, a potentially life-threatening swelling of the lips, tongue, throat or digestive tract.
Here are links to more in-depth articles on lisinopril, gabapentin and diclofenac gel:
“Surprising and Scary Gabapentin Side Effects“
Swollen Ankles from Amlodipine and Swollen Tongue from Lisinopril
What Are the Advantages of Voltaren Gel?
The moral of this story is that many medications can heal or harm. And there is rarely a way to predict who will benefit and who will be hurt. That is why you, dear reader, must be informed and vigilant! That is why we have been writing books, a syndicated newspaper column, articles on this website and maintaining this website for so many years. It is a labor of love because we are barely able to keep this boat afloat.
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