Drug name: Simvastatin

Active Ingredients:

• simvastatin

Therapeutic effects of Zocor (Simvastatin): Simvastatin can also be called a statin. It is responsible for reducing the production of cholesterol by the liver.

The amount of LDL, often called the bad cholesterol is reduced due to the blockage of an enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase whose role is cholesterol production. Thus the level of cholesterol in the liver cells is lowered which forces them to absorb LDL cholesterol from the blood stream. Consequently, there is a lowered LDL cholesterol level in the blood.

Indications: Zocor tablets are administered to treat the following:

• High cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD)
• To decrease the risk of mini stroke (ransient ischemic attack) and stroke
• To decrease the need to have a heart operation
• To decrease the risk of heart attacks
• To reduce the risk of coronary death

Do not use Zocor tablets if you have the following conditions:

• Abnormal Liver Function Tests
• Diabetes
• Any disorder of the liver
• Pregnancy
• Lactation

Before taking this medicine talk to your doctor if:

• You are an elderly person aged above 70 years
• You suffer from any renal or liver ailments
• You consume alcohol on a regular basiss
• You suffer from hypothyroidism (inadequate production of thyroid hormone)
• You suffer from any muscle disease that is hereditary
• If you have any previous experience of muscle related side effects after using statin or fibrate medicine
• If you recently had hemorrhagic stroke

Warning!

• Discuss with your doctor and plan a diet which is low in cholesterol while using this medicine.
• Try to avoid having grape juice while using this medicine, because grape juice may have an impact on the metabolism of Zocor and thus increase its side effects.
• If you experience any muscle related symptoms such as cramps, weakness, pain, tenderness, etc, then you should report it to your doctor at once.
• Use of this medicine in rare cases can cause lung related disorders, so if you experience any symptoms like breathlessness, breathing difficulty, etc you should immediately inform your doctor.

Side effects of Zocor: Use of Zocor tablets may cause certain side effects. The below mentioned side effects may not occur to every user of this medicine. Some of the common side effects are:

• Adverse reactions that affect the digestive system such as stomach problems, constipation, belching, diarrhea, pyrosis, pain or cramps in the abdomen, eating disorder such as anorexia, poor appetite or reduced appetite, urge to vomit, swelling of the pancreas, jaundice, hepatitis, fatty changes in the liver, and, scarring of the liver, serious liver failure and damage, and Hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Muscle related side effects such as breakdown of muscles, arthralgia, myalgia, myasthenia, cramping of muscle, etc
• Problems of the nervous system such as impairment in spatial perception and stability, cephalalgia, sleeplessness, tingling, memory loss, damage to nerves causing weakness and/or loss of sensation and/or abnormal sensations, fear, depression, tremor, loss of balance, psychic disturbances.
• Various skin reactions such as discoloration of the skin, dry skin, hair loss, itching, rashes, and others
• Other side effects such as weak eye muscle, progression of cataracts, change in taste perception, blurry vision, etc

The above mentioned lists of side effects is not comprehensive hence for a detailed list kindly consult a doctor or see the information provided by the manufacturer of this medicine.

Interactions: Before using Zocor tablets it's very important to consult a doctor and apprise him of the treatment or medication you are using. Get a prescription from your doctor before starting any new drug. It's important to tell your physician if you're already under the medication. This is to make sure that the combination of the two drugs is safe. Zocor tablets may interact with the following:

• Nefazodone (Serzone)
• Medicines used to treat HIV such as indinavir (Crixivan), ritonavir (Norvir) and saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase)
• Erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin); digoxin (Lanoxin)
• Telithromycin (Ketek); nefazodone (Serzone); amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone)
• Drugs used to lower the level of cholesterol such as fenofibrate (Tricor), gemfibrozil (Lopid), and niacin (nicotinic acid, Niacor, Niaspan)
• Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verela)
• Danazol; cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral); clofibrate (Atromid-S); cholestyramine (Questran), clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• Blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin)
• Medicines used to treat infections caussed by fungus, this includes itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Additional Information: Zocor tablets should not be used without prior approval of a doctor and do not share these drugs with anybody else. Zocor tablets are made for treating certain kinds of ailments so it's not advisable to use them for other purposes. Keep medicinal drugs, needles, syringes and other such medical substances out of the reach of children.