Zocor and muscle damage
Common Questions and Answers about Zocor and muscle damage
zocor
For two years I took Zocor for the purpose of lowering my Cholesterol. When I complained to my doctor about my body aching all over she suggested I discontinue using the Zocor for several weeks. As time passed I realized a lessening of body aches so I decided not to go back on the Zocor. It has now been 5 months since I have taken Zocor. Meanwhile, I have been losing weight (about 5 pounds) without changing my diet. I realized that my pants were baggy in the thighs and seat.
However on looking on the other side many people taking statin drugs complained of muscle weakness, dizziness, balance, memory and numbness and tingling problems. It occurred to me, although I don't think anyone on this site is taking statin drugs, that those side effects sound a lot like the symptoms of MS.
It's weird where your searches lea you.
Marcie
http://my.americanheart.org/jiveforum/thread.jspa?messageID=36057
scroll down a couple of posts.
In the ZOCOR Survival Study, the number of patients with more than one liver enzyme level elevation to greater than 3 times the normal upper limit was no different between the ZOCOR and placebo groups. Only 8 patients on ZOCOR and 5 on placebo discontinued therapy due to elevated liver enzyme levels. Patients were started on 20 mg of ZOCOR, and one third had their dose raised to 40 mg.
There is also a focus of deep white matter in the posterior left frontal region. My primary care physician told me there is damage and narrowing of the arteries; prescribed Zocor, diet, exercise and blood tests. I am 62-years old, a nonsmoker or drinker. I do take Lamictal/Klonopin for bipolar 2. My mother died of a stroke at age 69 (smoker). My maternal grandmother also had a stroke. I am very concerned.
they gave her a cat scan blood and urine tests and came to the conclusion that she was allergic to the zocor. the doctor took her off it and put her on a muscle relaxer called robaxin. she went home. the next day we went out for my birthday and she was the same way. we went back to the hospital and she was admitted to the psych floor. my question is what could cause her to develoup hallucinations all of a sudden?
Vytorin does a remarkable job of reducing your Cholesterol, much better than Zocor (Simvastatin) alone. However, Zetia doesn't seem to add anything to the picture as far as preventing heart disease is concened. But read this about Zocor:
-"Zocor Users Not Warned of Risks:
The FDA's June 2011 safety alert is the most serious of many warnings regarding Zocor and associated risks of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Zocor manufacturer Merck & Co.
Vytorin is a combination, I believe, of Zocor and Zetia. Zocor should help with the cholesterol already there. If not, Lipitor has studies showing that Lipitor at 40mg can help reduce cholesterol on heart valves and in arteries. If it reduces cholesterol there, it may reduce cholesterol on the heart muscle. Cholesterol builds in the arteries, valves and muscle of the heart. In order for cholesterol to stick, there has to be a sticking spot.
Augmentin and Zocor have been known to be potentially hepatotoxic. Tylenol is safe, if it is taken as directed (less than 4,000 mg/daily). I imagine that those 3 drugs taken together can increase the potential for damage to the liver.
Have you talked with your doctor about possibly substituting another lipid lowering drug...and getting off the Zocor? Are you still taking Augmentin?
Remember to be careful about your tylenol intake...
I think it's more of which one your body will tolerate the best. Different brands seem to show different side effects in many people. Lipitor in some women have produced breast pains or enlargement and even the manufacturers cannot explain that one. Still, I suppose it's cheaper than plastic surgery. Some statins cause abdominal pains in some people, or nausea or serious muscle cramps and even damage.
Has anyone read how horrific the side effects really are to some of these statins and realized that either they or their loved ones had these very symtoms and becames seriously ill to the point that they ended up in ICU not knowing who they were, where they were, in so much pain they could not bear to be touched and had regressed to near infancy before anyone figured out that it was zocor or lipitor or another statin they were on that was causing these bizarre illnessess ?
The very definition of a heart attack also referred to as a myocardial infarction is heart muscle damage and cell necrosis. If you HAVE NO heart damage, it is difficult to believe you have had a heart attack. There may be some confusion or misunderstanding!.
However, looking at your measurements your HDL is slightly high, and as you point out ALT 58 exceeds the normal high range of 48 U/L.
Its good that he took you off of the Zocor, as statins have also been linked to liver damage (which, I am sure, is why he took you off of it).
I would guess that you are going to find that your enzymes start trending downward after being off the Augmentin and Zocor. I would suspect that the combination of drugs (which are known to be potentially harmful to the liver) could have caused the elevation of your AST...but that is just my guess.
I have been taking Simva Statin for the past 3 years to lower my cholestreol which it has done. However I have also suffered from bad muscle spasms in my legs in the evening and at night. I decided to stop the statins and the spasms have gone immediately thank goodness ! I will never take this statin again but I know I have to still control my cholesterol. Does anyone know of a statin that will not give me leg spasms ?
t find the right medicine...Lipitor caused severe muscle weakness, Zetia caused all kind of digestive problems and Pravachol zapped my energy...my count actually went up 30 points while taking WelChol! My doctor is telling me that I have no other choices of medicine to lower my count (total 285, HDL 106 VLDL 21, LDL 188, Triglycerids 106.) My sister is having the same problem so I guess this problem is a family thing. I am really troubled by my doctor's lack of concern.
Fat-soluble statins like Lipitor and Zocor cause more damage than water soluble statins like Pravachol and Crestor. Hence the latter should be tried at lower dose. Possibility of hypothyroidism and diabetes should be ruled out as the presence of either disease can complicate the muscle pain. The role of Co Q10 in lowering cholesterol is controversial and should not be tried without consulting your doctor. Please discuss these points with your treating physician.
Fat-soluble statins like Lipitor and Zocor cause more damage than water soluble statins like Pravachol and Crestor. Hence the latter should be tried at lower dose. Possibility of hypothyroidism and diabetes should be ruled out as the presence of either disease can complicate the muscle pain. Please discuss these points with your treating physician. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted.
You need to speak with your doctor for clarification. Zocor and Crestor are both used to reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycercides not raise HDL levels. Also ask your doctor for an A1c [hemoglobin A1c] test to see how well you are controlling your glucose levels and whether your lifestyle has made you a candidate for diabetes.
just this constant feeling of drowsiness.
The lipitor caused my severe muscle pains and aches and raised my CPK levels, to the point I would be in tears by the time I left work each day. Doctor was able to convince the insurance company to, once again, cover the Zocor. My lipids, triglycerides, and over-all cholesterol levels remained abnormal for years, even with proper diet, exercise, and statins. Finally found a great doctor who decided to try me on dual meds, that being Zocor, still at 60 mg daily, and 2000 mg niaspan.
I had a nerve conduction study done and was told that I had muscle and nerve damage starting at L5 S1. I have numbness in my right foot starting at my toes and going up my leg and on the bottom of my foot. I did not feel the needles that they put in my back, calf, or foot. The neurologist said that he had only been asked to do the study and could not tell me anything more. I would need to go back to my primary care doctor.
Recommended
