Side effects
If you experience any unusual issues while taking this medication, contact your doctor right away. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program is available online at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch or by phone at 1-800-332-1088 if you or your doctor notice a serious side effect. Call your physician right away or seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of the following signs and symptoms: constipation, stomach pain, nausea, headache, memory loss or forgetfulness, confusion, itchy or red skin, muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness with or without a fever, dark red urine, decreased urination, fatigue, or weakness, loss of appetite, pain in the upper right part of the stomach, yellowing of the skin or eyes, fever. Side effects from simvastatin could exist. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or persistent, including: constipation, stomach pain, nausea, headache, memory loss or forgetfulness, confusion, itchy or red skin, muscle pain, tenderness or weakness with or without a fever, dark red urine, decreased urination, fatigue, or weakness, loss of appetite, pain in the upper right part of the stomach, yellowing of the skin or eyes, fever or chills, flushing blisters, rash, or hives.
Interactions
Avoid anything with grapefruit in it. Co-administration of grapefruit products may raise the risk of side effects like myalgia.
Contraindications
Alcohol can raise the possibility of harmful side effects. Additionally, let your doctor know if you have or have ever had kidney disease, diabetes, seizures, muscle aches or weakness, an underactive thyroid gland, diabetes, diabetes mellitus, or diabetes with low blood pressure. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of the ingredients. Inform your doctor if you are taking antifungal medications like itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), posaconazole (Noxafil), and voriconazole (Vfend); clarithromycin (Biaxin, in Prevpac); drugs containing cobicistat (Stribild); cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune Mention any of the following: dronedarone (Multaq), diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac), amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), amlodipine (Norvasc, in Caduet, in Lotrel), anticoagulants ('blood thinners') like warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), colchicine (Colcrys), digoxin (D Inform your doctor and pharmacist if you have any allergies prior to taking simvastatin, whether it be to the drug, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in simvastatin tablets or oral suspension. Ask your doctor about the safe consumption of alcoholic beverages while taking simvastatin, especially if you are hospitalized due to a serious injury or infection. Simvastatin should be stopped immediately if you become pregnant while taking it, and your doctor should be contacted right away. Inform your doctor if you have liver disease and about all the medications you are taking, including those not on this list, as other medications may also interact with simvastatin. Inform your doctor if you are breastfeeding because simvastatin can harm the developing fetus. The best birth control options for you can be discussed with your doctor. You should not become pregnant during your treatment with simvastatin. Simvastatin should not be taken while nursing, and you should inform your doctor or dentist if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, that you are taking Simvastatin. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Even if you do not believe you have liver disease, your doctor will still order blood tests to determine how well your liver is functioning. Your doctor will probably tell you not to take simvastatin if you are taking these medications. tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Inform your physician if you consume more than two alcoholic beverages daily, are 65 years of age or older, are Asian, particularly Chinese, and if tests reveal you may be developing liver disease. Your physician may advise against taking simvastatin in these circumstances.
Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes. Simvastatin belongs to the group of medicines called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, or statins. Simvastatin may also be used to prevent certain types of heart problems in patients with risk factors for heart problems. 1 This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Vytorin can cause liver dysfunction, which is why your liver should be monitored by your doctor. There is a risk of developing liver dysfunction, so liver enzymes should be monitored with Vytorin use. North Wales, PA: Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals; 2011. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2011/021687s033s040lbl.pdf Related Drugs Reference: Vytorin {package insert}. There is a risk of myopathy, and if you develop unexplained muscle pain while taking Vytorin seek medical attention.
Children and adolescents should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet before simvastatin treatment initiation; this diet should be continued during simvastatin treatment. Medicinal product therapy can be initiated simultaneously with diet and exercise. Adjustments of dose, if required, should be made at intervals of not less than 4 weeks, to a maximum of 80 mg/day given as a single dose in the evening. In patients taking simvastatin concomitantly with fibrates, other than gemfibrozil (see section 4.3) or fenofibrate, the dose of simvastatin should not exceed 10 mg/day.
The FDA has revised the drug labels for Zocor, generic simvastatin pills, and Vytorin to include the new 80 mg dosing restrictions. Patients who develop rhabdomyolysis can have several different symptoms, but most often complain about muscle aches involving their calves, back, or their entire body. For more information, see "FDA Drug Safety Communication: New restrictions, contraindications, and dose limitations for Zocor (simvastatin) to reduce the risk of muscle injury": • [06-08-2011] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending limiting the use of the highest approved dose of the cholesterol-lowering medication, simvastatin (80 mg) because of increased risk of muscle damage.... Simvastatin is sold under the brand-name Zocor and as a single-ingredient generic product. We are investigating rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo, lawsuits against Merck involving Zocor 80 mg pills as well as Vytorin pills containing 80 mg of simvastatin. We have been constantly monitoring the FDA's review of the Zocor 80 mg - rhabdomyolysis "link", since it started back in March 2010.
If you are Asian, because a different dose may be applicable to you. The doctor may perform a blood test to check the condition of your muscles before and after starting treatment. Dosage: • The recommended dose is 1 Simvastatin 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, or 80mg Tablet by mouth once a day. The risk of muscle breakdown is greater at higher doses of Simvastatin Tablets, particularly the 80-mg dose. You can also report side effectgs directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.