ZOCOR (SIMVASTATIN)

Zocor Generic or Brand

Zocor is a “statin” drug often prescribed to treat high cholesterol, though it is not a cure. Taking Zocor along with a positive lifestyle change that includes eating healthier, becoming more active, and quit smoking, you can reduce your chances of other health risks. These can include a heart attack or stroke due to the buildup of plaque on the inner walls of your arteries.

Zocor and generic Simvastatin are available as a tablet that is taken by mouth as prescribed. You must obtain a valid prescription from your doctor in order to start taking Zocor. The generic alternative is not manufactured by the company that makes the brand product.

How Do Statin Drugs Work?

When taken as prescribed, Zocor works by decreasing your stores of “bad” LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, while simultaneously increasing your stores of “good” HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol by inhibiting the body’s cholesterol-producing HMG CoA reductase enzymes in your liver, which are responsible for producing cholesterol. With less cholesterol in the liver cells, they will then take up the bad cholesterol from your blood and your cholesterol levels will be reduced.

Conditions Treated by Zocor

Having high cholesterol levels does not usually cause any symptoms that can alert you that you are at risk for arteriosclerotic vascular disease that can be the reason for a heart attack or stroke. A simple blood test will show if bad cholesterol levels are high and should be treated before the arteries leading to your brain or heart become blocked.

Your body needs cholesterol in order to perform several significant functions, including making sex and steroid hormones and helping with digesting fat by making bile salts. But if your diet is unhealthy, you are inactive and overweight, and you smoke and/or consume alcohol, you need to reconsider your lifestyle.

Before You Take Zocor

Ask your doctor about any risks of taking Zocor while you are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are breast feeding. To determine if Zocor is safe for you, tell your doctor about other medical conditions or allergies you have and list any OTC or Rx drugs you take, including herbal remedies and dietary or vitamin supplements.

Precautions for Zocor

Advise your doctor if you have ever experienced muscle pain and weakness, or if you have ever been diagnosed with a thyroid or kidney disorder. During treatment, you will need to watch for unexplained muscle pain coupled with nausea, fever, and dark colored urine; these may signal potential kidney failure and should be reported as soon as possible.

Keep Zocor and other meds out of children’s reach and never share them with anyone else. Do not stop, start, or change the dosage of any drugs without consulting with your doctor first.

Possible Side Effects of Zocor

• Headache
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Cough and cold symptoms