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Risks and Side Effects of Simvastatin

Simvastatin is a generic name for a prescription medication prescribed by physicians for the reduction of cholesterol levels. A member of the statin class of drugs, simvastatin works by reducing how much cholesterol your liver produces. Despite its effectiveness in helping prevent or treating heart disease in people with high cholesterol, simvastatin poses a risk for side effects in some patients.

  1. Digestive

    • Gastritis or inflammation of your stomach lining occurs in approximately 5 percent of simvastatin users, while 2 percent report constipation, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Diarrhea, flatulence, belching, stomach bloat, indigestion, and heartburn are also possible.

    Musculoskeletal

    • Approximately 3.7 percent of patients who take simvastatin report muscle pain, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Use of the drug also poses a risk for a potentially life-threatening effect to your muscles known as rhabdomyolysis. This rare side effects occurs when your muscle tissues begin to break down into a substance known as myoglobin, which is harmful to your kidneys. The risk of musculoskeletal side effects from simvastatin increases when the drug is combined with other medications like antifungal azole medications such as itraconazole and ketoconazole, macrolide antibiotics like erythromycin and clarithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors like ritonavir and indinavir and the antidepressant medication nefazodone. Additionally, drinking more than one quart of grapefruit juice per day increases the risk of rhabdomyolysis.

    Respiratory

    • Some patients report experiencing more respiratory infections while taking simvastatin. Approximately 6.6 percent of users experience inflammation of the airways (bronchitis) and 2.3 percent develop inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) from simvastatin, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

    Neurological

    • The most common neurological side effects of simvastatin include headaches, insomnia, and vertigo, which occur in as many as 4.5 percent of users, reports the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Dizziness, weakness, forgetfulness, depression, tingling in your extremities, and nerve pain are also possible side effects to your nervous system.

    Hypersensitvity

    • Though rare, simvastatin has the potential to cause severe allergic reactions in patients. Possible reactions include severe swelling of your face, throat, or extremities (angioedema) or an immune system response that causes wheezing, chest pain, hives, and fainting (anaphylaxis), reports the Mayo Clinic. In some patients, the sensitivity manifests as a life-threatening skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which results in large lesions or growths on your body.

    Bleeding

    • Simvastatin slightly increases the effectiveness of the blood-thinning medication warfarin, explains the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Because of this, patients taking both drugs may experience prolonged or uncontrollable bleeding following an injury or surgery.

    Hepatic

    • Around 1 percent of patients who take simvastatin experience changes in the amount of liver enzymes or proteins, reports the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Infrequently, this results in inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) or in liver dysfunction that causes a yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice). Very rarely, simvastatin use results in liver failure, particularly in patients who already have liver disease.

    Pregnancy

    • Developing babies require cholesterol from their mothers' bodies to form vital tissues and organs. Because of this, simvastatin use in pregnant women poses a risk for fetal abnormalities, warns the Mayo Clinic.

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