Memorial Day weekend wouldn’t be complete without a post on simvastatin (Zocor), a cholesterol-lowering medication and a member of the class of drugs we call “statins!”

After reviewing results from the major clinical trial called SEARCH and going over information from other sources (i.e. adverse event reports),  the FDA has issued a warning to the public and healthcare professionals that the highest approved dose of simvastatin, 80mg daily, can cause an increased risk of muscle injury compared to patients taking lower doses of simvastatin or other “statin” medications.

Symptoms of muscle injury you should look out for while taking high-dose simvastatin, or any “statin” for that matter, are muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness.  If your blood is drawn, the test results are likely to show an increase in a particular muscle enzyme, creatine kinase.

The higher the dose of simvastatin, the higher the risk of muscle injury (aka myopathy)!  There is also an increase risk of muscle injury when simvastatin is taken with certain other medications, escpecially at the increased dose of the cholersterol-lowering medication. 

Follow these dose limitations for simvastatin, and you should be able to decrease your risk of muscle injury (got this list from the FDA’s website):

Do not take simvastatin at all if you are taking:

• Sporanox (itraconazole)
• Ketoconazole
• Erythromycin
• Clarithromycin
• Ketek (telithromycin)
• HIV Protease Inhibitors
• Nefazodone

Do not take more than 10mg of simvastatin if you are taking the following medications:

• Gemfibrozil
• Cyclosporine
• Danazol

Do not take more than 20mg of simvastatin if you also take:

• Amiodarone
• Verapamil

Do not take more than 40mg of simvastatin if your medication list includes:

• Diltiazem

Do not stop taking your simvastatin without first speaking to your physician, but please make sure you contact them as soon as possible if you feel you are experiencing symptoms of muscle injury or if your dose falls outside the abovementioned limitations.

If I were you and was currently taking simvastatin 80mg once a day, I would make an appointment with my physician to see if they’d be willing to switch your high-dose simvastatin to a lower dose of another more potent “statin” like Lipitor.  With this change, your cholesterol levels will remain under control and your muscles will be happy because they will be at lower risk of injury!

Ever experienced muscle injury due to high-dose simvastatin?  Confused about whether you should contact your physician based on your simvastatin dose?  Need more clarity on this matter? Leave a comment below and we can help you out.

Please check out our video course on how to save money on your prescription medications -it will be helpful if your simvastatin is changed to Lipitor.  Plus, it’s available to you at no charge!  Can’t beat that!