I used simvastatin for five years
at full dosage. Muscle weakness and the
related symptoms eventually forced me to which out to another statin which has
proven to be much more gentler. This suggests
that the issue is specifically an issue with simvastatin rather than any other
statin.
If that is the case, then
realistically, Zocor and its generics need to be withdrawn in favor of the much
better tolerated statins. It was also
contraindicated in conjunction with grapefruit which never made a lot of sense
were other stains are not.
There are plenty of alternatives
available, so this version will not be missed.
High Doses of Statin Can Harm Muscles
Thursday, June 9, 2011 7:53 AM
U.S. health regulators recommended limiting the use of the highest dose
of Merck & Co's cholesterol drug Zocor, citing an increased risk of muscle
damage.
Zocor, also known as simvastatin, is widely available as a generic drug
and is also sold in combination with ezetimibe as Merck's Vytorin and niacin as
Abbott's Simcor.
The highest approved dose of 80 mg should be used only by patients who
have been taking it for 12 months or more without any evidence of muscle
injury, the Food and Drug Administration said on its website.
"We do not see much impact here given the fact that relatively few
patients were being started at this high dose," Merck Chief Medical
Officer Michael Rosenblatt said.
"Most doctors were already aware that there was a disproportionate
number of muscle side effects at this dose. And most of it is generic any way
for simvastatin," he added.
The FDA also requires changes to the drug label to add new
contraindications and dose limitations for using the drug with certain
medicines.
Patients taking Zocor 80 mg daily have an increased risk of muscle
injury compared to patients taking lower doses of the drug or other drugs in
the same class, the FDA said.
The risk appears to be higher during the first year of treatment, is
often the result of interactions with certain medicines and is frequently
associated with a genetic predisposition toward simvastatin-related myopathy,
the regulator said.
In March 2010, FDA said it was reviewing the safety of simvastatin
based on review of data from a large clinical trial and other sources.
While muscle injury, also called myopathy, is a known side effect with
all statin medications, higher doses usually pose a greater risk.
Patients with myopathy experience muscle pain, tenderness or weakness,
and an elevation of a muscle enzyme in the blood.
The FDA said an estimated 2.1 million patients in the United States
According to IMS Health data, simvastatin, including all dose
strengths, was the second-most prescribed drug in the United States
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