You may want to stop simvastatin if you think you're having side effects. Talk to your doctor first to see if it really is a side effect of simvastatin or an unrelated problem. Your doctor may decide to lower your dose or change your medicine.
You will not get any withdrawal symptoms. However, stopping simvastatin may cause your cholesterol to rise. This increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes. If you want to stop taking your medicine, it's important to find another way to lower your cholesterol. There's some interest in taking CoQ10 together with statins. However there's no firm evidence that taking CoQ10 at the same time as simvastatin will benefit your health. More research is needed. If you decide to take a CoQ10 supplement, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Supplements can interfere with other medicines you may also be taking. If you're at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, taking statins may slightly increase this risk. This is because statins can raise your blood sugar a little. Speak to your doctor, who will be able to explain how the benefits of taking statins are likely to outweigh this small increased risk.
If you already have type 2 diabetes, your doctor may advise monitoring your blood sugar levels more closely for the first few months.
Tell your doctor or diabetes nurse if you find it harder to control your blood sugar. Statins all work in the same way, but they differ in how well they lower cholesterol. There are several other statin medicines for lowering your cholesterol, including:. If you have a side effect with one statin, it may not happen with another. Some medicines don't mix well with one statin, but you can take them with a different one. Your doctor will find the right statin and dose for you, depending on your medical history, cholesterol level and the other medicines you take.
Occasionally, simvastatin can make you feel dizzy. If this happens to you, do not drive, cycle or use machines or tools until you feel better. There's no clear evidence to suggest that taking simvastatin will reduce fertility in either men or women. However, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor before taking it if you're trying to get pregnant. Simvastatin won't affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. However, drinking a lot of alcohol may increase the chances of you getting muscle and liver side effects.
Try to keep to the recommended guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. A standard glass of wine ml is 2 units. A pint of lager or beer is usually 2 to 3 units of alcohol. Do not drink grapefruit juice if you're taking simvastatin. It increases the concentration of simvastatin in your system. Reducing your cholesterol may mean you don't need to be prescribed a statin medicine.
There are lifestyle changes you can make that will help lower your cholesterol:. Page last reviewed: 20 December Next review due: 20 December Simvastatin On this page About simvastatin Key facts Who can and cannot take simvastatin How and when to take simvastatin Side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.
Instead of completely stopping your statin use, your doctor might suggest reducing your statin dosage. Less medication could mean fewer side effects, and the drug might still work well enough to manage your cholesterol levels. Or your doctor could suggest reducing your statin dosage while adding another medication or supplement. This could resolve your issues with taking the drug, especially if they relate to side effects.
Drugs your doctor could add to your medication regimen while reducing your statin use include ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrants, or niacin. These medications can help manage your cholesterol levels while you take the lower dosage of statins. L-carnitine supplements are another option, especially for people with diabetes. L-carnitine is an amino acid derivative made by your body.
Preliminary studies have shown that taking L-carnitine twice daily could improve the effect of statins on LDL and also prevent a rise in blood sugar. Learn more about L-carnitine and its effects on the body. Another option could be to supplement your reduced statin dosage with CoQ10 , an enzyme your body makes naturally. A case study reported that a man had stopped taking statins due to side effects. When the plaque levels in his blood vessels began to increase, he started taking a low-dose statin on alternating days, as well as daily CoQ His plaque levels decreased to a healthy level on this regimen.
If side effects are your concern with statins, your doctor may suggest continuing to take the same dosage of your statin, but adding a supplement of CoQ Some studies suggest that this plan could help reduce side effects.
This is likely because statins can cause the levels of CoQ10 in your body to drop, leading to side effects such as muscle problems. Taking CoQ10 supplements could help reverse these side effects. Not everyone needs to stop taking statins. Many people take statins for decades without having any side effects or issues.
For those individuals, the medications can be a very effective form of treatment and prevention for cholesterol problems. Others may not have the same experience with statins. People who decide to quit taking statins may have several different reasons for doing so.
The following are some of the most common reasons for quitting statins. Others increase the amount of time it takes for clots to form. Instead, it reduces the amount of cholesterol your body makes. By doing this, Zocor lowers your risk of cardiovascular problems. If you need to take a blood thinner with Zocor, your doctor may need to monitor your bleeding risk more often. The drug gets broken down and removed from your body within about 1 day. However, studies have shown that along with a healthy diet, Zocor can help lower your cholesterol.
This can reduce your risk of heart disease and other health problems, such as stroke. People with high cholesterol or heart disease , or who are at risk of heart disease, should maintain a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
The American Heart Association offers dietary recommendations for managing cholesterol and lowering your risk of heart disease. These tips include:. As with other statins, you should maintain a heart-healthy diet while taking Zocor. Otherwise, the medication may be less effective. If you have questions about following a heart-healthy diet, talk with your doctor or dietitian. In general, yes, Zocor is safe for older adults.
Clinical studies of Zocor included nearly 6, adults who were ages 65 years or older. However, people ages 65 years and older may have a higher risk of developing muscle weakness or pain from taking Zocor.
Your doctor may also decide to use a different medication to treat your condition. If you have questions about whether Zocor is safe for you to take based on your age or other factors, talk with your doctor.
Yes, adults ages 20 years and older should get tested regularly for high cholesterol. If you have questions about what your cholesterol should be or how often you should get it checked, talk with your doctor. Typically, Zocor is taken once a day in the evening. However, be sure to take the drug as your doctor prescribes. A medication timer may be useful too. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have trouble swallowing Zocor tablets. Examples of other drugs that may be used with Zocor to treat high cholesterol include:.
As with all medications, the cost of Zocor can vary. To find current prices for Zocor in your area, check out GoodRx.
The cost you find on GoodRx. Before approving coverage for Zocor, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug. The insurance company will review the prior authorization request and decide if the drug will be covered. If you need financial support to pay for Zocor, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, help is available.
Medication Assistance Tool provides lists of programs that may help to lower the cost of Zocor. Zocor is available in a generic form called simvastatin. And generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs. To find out how the cost of simvastatin compares to the cost of Zocor, visit GoodRx. They may have a preference for one version or the other.
Zocor is FDA-approved to help lower cholesterol in adults and in children ages 10 to 17 years. Specifically, Zocor is approved to:. Cholesterol is a type of lipid, which is a fat-like substance made naturally in your liver. For example, cholesterol is vital for producing vitamin D and certain hormones. Lipoproteins are particles that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream. Having too much LDL cholesterol is known as high cholesterol. This buildup is called cholesterol plaque.
Cholesterol plaques narrow your blood vessels. This limits your blood flow and raises your risk of developing blood clots. Cholesterol plaques can also break off the artery walls and travel through the bloodstream. This could lead to serious problems, such as heart attack or stroke if the plaques reach the heart or brain. In this way, HDL helps prevent cholesterol plaques from forming in your arteries. Zocor works by preventing your body from making cholesterol.
An enzyme is a protein your body makes to help speed up reactions, such as making cholesterol. HMG-CoA is one of the most important enzymes for making cholesterol. Zocor also increases the levels of HDL in your blood. By preventing your body from making cholesterol, Zocor can lower your risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke. Zocor begins working as soon as you take your dose.
Zocor reaches its highest levels in your body about 4 hours after you take your dose. Studies have shown that Zocor like other statins can cause birth defects if used during pregnancy.
If you become pregnant while taking Zocor, stop taking the medication right away and call your doctor. However, if it does pass into breast milk, Zocor could cause serious side effects in a breastfed child. If you have questions about the best way to feed your child during your Zocor treatment, talk with your doctor.
Before taking Zocor, talk with your doctor about your health history. Zocor may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health, including the following.
Muscle pain and weakness is a possible side effect of Zocor. Some people have a higher risk of developing this side effect because of certain factors, such as:.
This is because Zocor can damage your liver. If you have a history of liver disease, you may have a higher risk of this side effect from taking Zocor. Before taking Zocor, tell your doctor if you currently have liver disease or have had it in the past. Consistently drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause liver damage.
Drinking excessively during your Zocor treatment could raise your risk of liver problems. Before taking Zocor, talk with your doctor if you have a history of excessive alcohol use. Ask your doctor other medications that may be better options for you. Do not use more Zocor than your doctor recommends. For some drugs, doing so may lead to unwanted side effects or overdose. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use their online tool.
But if your symptoms are severe, call or your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency room right away. When you get Zocor from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the bottle.
This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time. Most manufacturers of statins recommend that they are taken at night, on the basis of physiological studies which show that most cholesterol is synthesised when dietary intake is at its lowest. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.
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