When a Medication Causes a New Condition
A drug taken for a service-connected condition can cause a second problem of its own. Years of anti-inflammatories for a bad back can damage the stomach; steroids for asthma can thin the bones. The Board has decided thousands of these claims. This page reports what it decided: first the drug classes the record has a pattern for, then every claim where the Board ruled on whether a medication caused or worsened the condition, by condition.
Read this first
A grant below means that in one veteran's case, on that veteran's evidence, the Board connected a condition to a medication. It does not mean the drug causes that condition, and it is not a reason to stop taking anything. No percentages appear on this page: at these sample sizes a percentage would look exact and mean nothing.
Two different claims live here. Most are ordinary secondary service connection: a drug prescribed for an already service-connected condition caused a new one. A smaller set are 38 USC 1151 claims, where VA itself prescribed the drug and the claim is about VA's care. They use different forms and carry different burdens, so every count below says which is which.
Drug classes with a pattern in the record
12 classes where the Board found the drug caused or worsened the condition 5 or more times. A claim counts here only when the Board's ruling named the drug, or its family, as the step between the service-connected condition and the new one, and then decided it. 608 of the 3,560 medication chains the Board ruled on name the drug this way; the rest say only "the medication" or what it was taken for, so they are counted in the condition table below and not here. Simply mentioning a drug does not count: 74,853 decisions mention an anti-inflammatory (counted October 7, 2026), nearly all of them just listing a treatment history.
Anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs)
Ibuprofen, naproxen, meloxicam, diclofenac and aspirin. The most common prescription for a service-connected joint or back condition.
Plus 3 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 3 rejected), counted apart.
- GERD / acid reflux (114)
- Stomach / bowel condition (53)
- Kidney disease (14)
- Hypertension (12)
- Death (survivor claim) (4)
- Erectile dysfunction (3)
- Heart disease (3)
- Blood vessel condition (2)
- and 6 more
How the Board names it: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugsnsaidsnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugsnsaidnsaid medicationnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids)
"The Veteran's GERD is proximately due to his use of NSAIDs for his service-connected headaches." Secondary Decision A26017007
Steroids (corticosteroids)
Prednisone, methylprednisolone, cortisone shots and steroid creams, used for asthma, skin conditions, bowel disease and inflamed joints.
Plus 9 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (5 accepted, 4 rejected), counted apart.
- Diabetes (7)
- Hip (6)
- Bone condition (5)
- Eye condition (5)
- Skin condition (4)
- Arm / elbow / wrist / hand (2)
- Hypertension (2)
- Knee (2)
- and 11 more
How the Board names it: prednisonesteroidssteroid treatmentsteroid medicationsteroidcorticosteroids
"The Veteran developed left open-angle glaucoma due to steroid use from his service-connected atopic dermatitis." Secondary Decision 21052952
Opioid painkillers
Hydrocodone, oxycodone, tramadol, morphine and methadone, prescribed for service-connected pain.
Plus 4 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (3 accepted, 1 rejected), counted apart.
- Sleep apnea (21)
- Death (survivor claim) (10)
- Stomach / bowel condition (9)
- Erectile dysfunction (3)
- GERD / acid reflux (2)
- Several named conditions
How the Board names it: narcotic medicationsopiatesopioid pain medicationmorphinemethadonenarcotic pain medication
"The Veteran's central sleep apnea was caused by use of opiates that were prescribed for his service-connected back." Secondary Decision 22061283
Antipsychotics
Older drugs like haloperidol and chlorpromazine and newer ones like quetiapine and risperidone, used for psychosis and as add-ons in mood disorders.
Plus 6 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (3 accepted, 3 rejected), counted apart.
- Eye condition (3)
- Nerve or brain condition (other) (3)
- Death (survivor claim) (2)
- Erectile dysfunction
- Heart disease
- Hypertension
- Seizure disorder
- Several named conditions
- and 1 more
How the Board names it: thorazineantipsychotic medicationsolanzapineprolixinetrafonneuroleptic medication
"The veteran's bilateral pigmentary retinopathy is causally related to his use of Thorazine for his service-connected psychiatric disorder." Secondary Decision 9615953
Antidepressants
Sertraline, fluoxetine, escitalopram, duloxetine, bupropion and the older tricyclics.
Plus 3 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (1 accepted, 2 rejected), counted apart.
- Erectile dysfunction (7)
- Death (survivor claim) (4)
- Sleep apnea (3)
- Headaches / migraines
- Shoulder
- Stomach / bowel condition
- Tinnitus
How the Board names it: amitriptylineanti-depressant medicationcitalopramsertralinevenlafaxinewellbutrin
"The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is the result of his treatment with Amitriptyline for his service-connected disabilities." Secondary Decision 1729798
Seizure and nerve-pain drugs
Phenytoin (Dilantin), carbamazepine, valproate, gabapentin and topiramate, used for seizures, nerve pain and migraines.
Plus 4 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 4 rejected), counted apart.
- Sleep apnea (3)
- Bone condition
- Death (survivor claim)
- Dental / mouth condition
- Eye condition
- GERD / acid reflux
- Injury or wound residuals
- Several named conditions
- and 1 more
How the Board names it: dilantingabapentintegretolantiepileptic medicationstopamax
"The evidence is in approximate equipoise that the Gabapentin prescribed to treat the service-connected disabilities aggravates the obstructive sleep apnea." Secondary Decision A25056502
Sleep and anxiety drugs
Trazodone, zolpidem (Ambien) and the benzodiazepines: alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, temazepam.
Plus 2 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 2 rejected), counted apart.
- Death (survivor claim) (4)
- Erectile dysfunction (2)
- Nicotine dependence (2)
- Dizziness / vertigo
- Several named conditions
How the Board names it: valiumxanaxbenzodiazepinesativanbenzodiazepinedesyrel
"his Xanax medication, which he took to treat PTSD, was stopped and then restarted but at a significantly lower dosage. This led to sharply increased anxiety, increased heart rate, and atrial fibrillation." Secondary Decision 18115189
Antimalarial pills (mefloquine, chloroquine)
Mefloquine (Lariam) and chloroquine, issued to troops deploying to malaria areas.
- Hearing loss (2)
- Eye condition
- Several named conditions
- Tinnitus
How the Board names it: anti-malarial medicationmedication for malariaantimalarial medicationquinine/atabrineatabrinemedications for malaria
"The veteran's present bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus may not reasonably be disassociated from his inservice acoustic trauma and treatment with quinine/Atabrine." Secondary Decision 9614106
Blood pressure drugs
Lisinopril, amlodipine, losartan, metoprolol, hydrochlorothiazide and the other antihypertensives.
Plus 5 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (4 accepted, 1 rejected), counted apart.
- Diabetes (3)
- Death (survivor claim)
- Dizziness / vertigo
- Erectile dysfunction
- Joints / arthritis (several or unspecified)
How the Board names it: hydrochlorothiazideprazosinbeta blocker medicationbeta blockerschlorthalidoneclonidine
"Beta blocker medication taken to control service connected hypertension has aggravated the Veteran's erectile dysfunction." Secondary Decision 1146729
Lithium and mood stabilizers
Lithium and the psychiatric drugs most associated with weight, thyroid and kidney changes.
Plus 1 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 1 rejected), counted apart.
- Kidney disease (4)
- Thyroid / hormone condition (2)
How the Board names it: lithiumlithium carbonatelithium medication
"The Veteran's hypothyroidism is a side effect of lithium medication he was prescribed for his acquired psychiatric disability to include bipolar disorder and schizophrenia." Secondary Decision A25083759
Blood thinners
Warfarin (Coumadin) and heparin.
Plus 1 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (1 accepted, 0 rejected), counted apart.
- Anemia / blood disorder
- Death (survivor claim)
- Other condition
- Sinus / rhinitis
- Stroke
How the Board names it: coumadinanticoagulantanticoagulant medicationsblood thinnersblood thinning medications (coumadin)plavix
"It is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's anemia is due to bleeding caused by anticoagulant medications prescribed, in part, to treat his service-connected atrial fibrillation." Secondary Decision 25012680
Chemotherapy
Cancer treatment drugs. Where the cancer itself is service-connected, damage the treatment leaves behind can be claimed too.
Plus 1 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 1 rejected), counted apart.
- Kidney disease (2)
- Peripheral neuropathy (2)
- Hearing loss
- Prostate / male reproductive condition
- Several named conditions
How the Board names it: chemotherapyoxaliplatin
"the evidence is at least in equipoise that chronic kidney disease was caused or aggravated by chemotherapy for bladder cancer." Secondary Decision 24009861
Still unsettled
3 classes the Board has found caused or worsened a condition fewer than 5 times, and other drugs it namedThe record here is real but too thin to show a pattern. A few rulings cannot establish that a drug causes anything, and this page does not claim they do. They are listed because silence would read as "nothing exists", which is not true either.
Cholesterol drugs (statins)
Atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor) and the other statins.
Plus 1 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 1 rejected), counted apart.
The Board has not found this drug caused or worsened a condition in a chain it decided.
How the Board names it: statin medicationstatin
Tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid)
Isoniazid, ethambutol and rifampin, given for tuberculosis and for a positive TB skin test in service.
- Dizziness / vertigo
- Mental health condition (unspecified)
How the Board names it: streptomycinisoniazidpas
"Entitlement to service connection for the residuals of a toxic psychotic episode, as secondary to treatment for tuberculosis, is granted." Secondary Decision A23007015
Hepatitis C treatment (interferon, ribavirin)
The older interferon and ribavirin regimen used to treat hepatitis C.
Plus 1 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (0 accepted, 1 rejected), counted apart.
The Board has not found this drug caused or worsened a condition in a chain it decided.
How the Board names it: interferon
Other drugs the Board named
Drugs outside the families above, each named in only a few chains: thyroid hormone, diabetes drugs, transplant and immune drugs, prostate drugs, stomach-acid drugs and others.
Plus 6 from decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim (3 accepted, 3 rejected), counted apart.
- Cancer (5)
- Kidney disease (5)
- Anemia / blood disorder (2)
- Nerve or brain condition (other) (2)
- Bladder / urinary condition
- COPD / lung disease
- Erectile dysfunction
- Eye condition
- and 13 more
How the Board names it: dapsoneimmunosuppressive therapyinsulinlevothyroxinemethotrexateamphotericin b
"The Veteran has chronic diarrhea that is at least as likely as not due to his diabetic medication, Metformin" Secondary Decision 1735695
A closer look: blood thinners (warfarin / Coumadin)
The class whose side effects the VA's own patient education documents in detailWarfarin (brand name Coumadin) is prescribed to prevent blood clots, commonly after a pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, for atrial fibrillation, or with a mechanical heart valve. Because it works by keeping blood from clotting, the VA's own Veterans Health Library drug sheet and the FDA's prescribing information both document the same serious side effects: major bleeding that can be fatal, stomach and bowel bleeding (red or tarry black bowel movements), blood in the urine, severe or unusual bruising, death of skin or other tissue (necrosis or gangrene), and a condition the label calls purple toes syndrome. Unexplained anemia appears in both documents as a warning sign of hidden bleeding, not as a separate condition the drug is documented to cause.
The Board record is thinner than the medical documentation, and the blood thinners card above shows it raw. Thousands of decisions mention blood thinners. In the chains the Board decided that name one, it found a blood thinner caused or worsened the condition 5 times and found it did not 2 times. The rating schedule itself recognizes long-term anticoagulant use in one place: the 60 percent level of DC 6817 (pulmonary vascular disease) is defined by chronic pulmonary thromboembolism requiring anticoagulant therapy. Published survivor (DIC) decisions have also named warfarin-related bleeding among the conditions contributing to a veteran's death.
The bigger picture: every medication chain the Board ruled on
3,560 chains in 3,162 decisions where the Board ruled on whether a medication caused or worsened the conditionThe classes above are the part of the record that names a drug. Most of it does not: veterans and the Board usually argue these claims by condition, as in "reflux caused by the medication I take for my service-connected knee". This table counts a claim only when the Board's ruling named the medication as the middle step and then decided it. Accepted means the Board found the medication caused or worsened (aggravated) the condition; rejected means it found it did not. Remanded claims are left out, because a remand sends the claim back without ruling on it. The decisions run through September 21, 2026; the mention counts on the drug cards above come from a separate count made October 7, 2026. The conditions are grouped the same way as the causation chain chart.
Erectile dysfunction3801464 accepted, 6 rejected
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Stomach / bowel condition2602362 accepted, 4 rejected
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GERD / acid reflux3491103 accepted, 1 rejected
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Sleep apnea198461 accepted, 0 rejected
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Death (survivor claim)80595 accepted, 10 rejected
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Hypertension461021 accepted, 3 rejected
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Kidney disease71391 accepted, 10 rejected
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Heart disease35630 accepted, 9 rejected
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Diabetes38555 accepted, 6 rejected
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Nerve or brain condition (other)52314 accepted, 7 rejected
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Eye condition33422 accepted, 2 rejected
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Headaches / migraines39320 accepted, 1 rejected
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Several named conditions28371 accepted, 6 rejected
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Liver disease / hepatitis12431 accepted, 4 rejected
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Skin condition25210 accepted, 4 rejected
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Joints / arthritis (several or unspecified)1830none
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Other condition19172 accepted, 5 rejected
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Dizziness / vertigo26150 accepted, 1 rejected
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Dental / mouth condition13243 accepted, 1 rejected
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Bladder / urinary condition14211 accepted, 1 rejected
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Cancer1718none
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Peripheral neuropathy19101 accepted, 1 rejected
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Tinnitus1813none
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Hearing loss11180 accepted, 1 rejected
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Bone condition2261 accepted, 0 rejected
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Mental health condition (unspecified)12160 accepted, 1 rejected
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Knee9161 accepted, 0 rejected
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Hip1590 accepted, 1 rejected
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Back / spine4170 accepted, 1 rejected
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Thyroid / hormone condition1470 accepted, 1 rejected
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Chronic pain / fatigue / fibromyalgia1721 accepted, 1 rejected
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Stroke7110 accepted, 3 rejected
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Anemia / blood disorder951 accepted, 1 rejected
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Arm / elbow / wrist / hand59none
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Depression560 accepted, 3 rejected
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Prostate / male reproductive condition212none
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Seizure disorder670 accepted, 1 rejected
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Blood vessel condition75none
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COPD / lung disease75none
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Leg271 accepted, 2 rejected
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Insomnia / sleep disorder83none
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Sinus / rhinitis65none
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Neck271 accepted, 0 rejected
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Injury or wound residuals430 accepted, 2 rejected
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Foot521 accepted, 0 rejected
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Obesity16none
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Shoulder33none
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Alcohol or drug use disorder05none
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Ankle210 accepted, 2 rejected
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Asthma23none
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Gynecological condition32none
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Infection (malaria, TB, HIV, other)32none
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Anxiety120 accepted, 1 rejected
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Traumatic brain injury22none
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Nicotine dependence21none
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Schizophrenia12none
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Bipolar disorder20none
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Radiculopathy11none
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Service-connected disabilities (not named)010 accepted, 1 rejected
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Ear condition (other)01none
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In decisions with no 38 USC 1151 claim, these are ordinary secondary service connection claims: the Board accepted the medication link in 1,992 and rejected it in 1,420. Another 148 chains (44 accepted, 104 rejected) come from 123 decisions that also carry a 38 USC 1151 claim, a claim about VA's own care. Their lane cannot be told apart, so they are counted in their own column. Together these make the 3,560 chains counted above. Another 29 chains whose middle step was not a medication at all (radiation, a CPAP machine, surgery) are left out and are not in that total.
Open a condition to read its decisions, with the Board's own words and a link to each one.
Search every medication decision, not just these conditions ↗
Common questions
Is this a reason to stop my medication?
No. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and stopping a prescribed drug on your own can be dangerous. This page reports how the Board has ruled on claims other veterans filed. Any question about your own medication belongs with your doctor.
What is the difference between a secondary claim and a 1151 claim?
A secondary claim says a drug you take for an already service-connected condition caused a new condition, so the new one is service-connected too. A 38 USC 1151 claim says VA's own treatment injured you, and it generally requires showing VA was at fault or that the harm was not a reasonably expected result. Different forms, different burdens. The 1151 claim guide covers the second one.
Why is there no grant rate on this page?
Because the samples are far too small for one to mean anything. A percentage calculated from a handful of decisions looks like a statistic and behaves like noise. The counts are shown raw so you can see exactly how thin or thick the record is.
Why isn't my medication listed?
A drug class appears only if the Board decided at least one claim where its ruling named that drug as the step that caused or worsened the condition. Most of these claims never name a drug at all: the Board writes "the medication taken for the service-connected knee". Those claims are counted in the condition table at the bottom of the page, which is the larger picture.
How would a veteran prove one of these?
The Board record repeats one thing: a medical opinion connecting the drug to the new condition. This page reports outcomes only. A VA-accredited representative can help with your own case, free.
Related Tools and Guides
RateMyVSO. Educational aggregate of published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. Not affiliated with the VA. Not legal or medical advice, and nothing here is a reason to stop or change a medication. Talk to your doctor. Whether a medication caused a condition in a specific case is a medical and legal question. A VSO representative can help.