Simvastatin Patient Tips

How it works

• Simvastatin works by blocking an enzyme in the liver that makes different types of cholesterol. Simvastatin also boosts the breakdown of cholesterol.
• Simvastatin belongs to a group of drugs known as statins.

Upsides

• Simvastatin is used  to treat inherited high cholesterol disorders in adolescents (10 to 17 years of age) and adults with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease if dietary modifications fail to lower cholesterol.
• Simvastatin is also used for the prevention of coronary events (eg, heart attack and stroke) in patients at high risk (eg, with existing coronary heart disease, diabetes, peripheral vessel disease, or a previous history of stroke and stroke-like events or heart attack) and also to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (build-up of fatty deposits in the lining of the arteries).

Downsides

If you are between the ages of 18 and 60, take no other medication or have no other medical conditions, side effects you are more likely to experience include:

• Headache, abdominal pain, nausea and constipation.
• Muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness - initially needs further investigation to rule out more serious side effects.
• People of Chinese descent are more susceptible.

Notes: In general, seniors or children, people with certain medical conditions (such as liver or kidney problems, heart disease, diabetes, seizures) or people who take other medications are more at risk of developing a wider range of side effects. For a complete list of all side effects, click here.

Bottom Line

Simvastatin is effective at lowering cholesterol; however, use is limited by side effects such as muscle pain especially at higher dosages.

Tips

• Take once daily in the evening and avoid large quantities of grapefruit juice.
• Adhere to the National Cholesterol Education program diet while taking simvastatin.
• Regular exercise is also important as well as avoiding smoking.
• Dosage needs to be individualized but higher dosages (ie, 80 mg/day) should not be used unless shown to be tolerated without causing muscle pain. If higher dosages are needed, your doctor may consider an alternative statin (ie, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin).
• Regular blood tests are needed (after 4 weeks of therapy then periodically thereafter) to determine effect of simvastatin on lipids .
• Report to your doctor immediately if you experience severe muscle symptoms or fatigue .
• Tell your doctor if you experience even mild-to-moderate muscle pain as further tests may need to be done.

Response and Effectiveness

• Peak levels seen within 1.3 to 2.4 hours following administration; however, may take one to two weeks of regular dosing before improvements in your cholesterol level are seen.