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Adverse Effects of Simvastatin

Simvastatin is a drug used to treat certain aspects of heart disease, more specifically high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Cholesterol is a substance produced by the liver that is needed for many bodily functions. It is believed that sometimes the body produces too much cholesterol in some people. Limiting cholesterol produced by the body with drugs such as simvastatin reduces the risk of heart disease. Simvastatin is the generic brand of the drug Zocor and part of the statin drug family.

  1. How it Works

    • Simvastatin works by blocking an important enzyme that is linked with the production of cholesterol in the liver so there is less cholesterol produced naturally by the body.

    Effects of Lower Cholesterol

    • Simvastatin works well to lower cholesterol. Unfortunately, by lowering cholesterol, our bodies are put at risk in other areas. Lower cholesterol can also mean lower amounts of essential enzymes, less vitamin D and the depletion of CoQ10, all of which are necessary for health.

    Common Side Effects

    • The most common side effects of simvastatin are headache, constipation, muscle aches and pains, diarrhea, upper respiratory infection, indigestion, nausea and memory loss. Dr. Duane Graveline, a former NASA astronaut and scientist suffered from memory loss while taking statin drugs and has warned the public repeatedly about the risks.

    Serious Side Effects

    • Dr. Joseph Mercola of Mercola.com, one of the leading alternative medicine web sites, writes extensively on the dangers of simvastatin and other statin drugs. He asserts that the depletion of CoQ10 due to simvastatin or other statin drugs may eventually lead to death.

    Testimonials

    • The website Askapatient.com is dedicated to rating all drugs according to patients comments. Simvastatin has 610 comments with a rating of 1.8. The rating system is 1 through 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Overall, simvastatin rates low because of its many negative side effects.

    Contraindications

    • Simvastatin should not be taken with the following drugs: Itraconazole, Ketoconazole, Erythromycin, Clarithromycin, Telithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors or Nefazodone. Large quantities of grapefruit juice should not be consumed while on simvastatin. Lastly, if you have active liver disease, are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, you should not take simvastatin.

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