Zocor

Zocor (simvastatin) is a medicine prescribed for patients with high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. This is a dangerous condition that can lead to hardening of the arteries and development of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Just taking Zocor is not going to be enough to treat your high cholesterol – your health care provider will also recommend sticking to a while new lifestyle. This involves following a healthy diet (you will have to exclude foods high in fat and cholesterol for the medicine to work more effectively) and exercising regularly. So, as you can see, the treatment involves a lot more than simply eating foods high in fat and taking Zocor from time to time to neutralize the harmful effects of unhealthy products consumed. In some rare cases this medication can cause breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. You will need to notify your health care provider of the following symptoms that may indicate this condition: flu symptoms, dark colored urine, muscle weakness, and muscle pain or tenderness. You will also need to watch for any other side effects that are also possible, such as heartburn, diarrhea, stomach upset, mild stomach pain, constipation, bloating, gas, and nausea. The side effects mentioned are not serious at all and are likely to go away on their own. However, there are some cases when they may get too bothersome and serious. In that case you will need to notify your health care provider of them as soon as possible. In other cases they will just go away and your doctor will not need to be contacted. This medicine is FDA pregnancy category X. It causes severe birth defects in unborn babies and should not be taken by pregnant women. To prevent your baby from suffering dangerous and possibly life-threatening effects, you are not supposed to be taking Zocor during pregnancy. You will also need to make sure you use a reliable method of birth control throughout the period of your treatment. Your health care provider will help you choose the birth control method that will be most efficient. If you happened to get pregnant while suing Zocor – call your doctor as soon as possible and report this problem. Avoid using more of Zocor than prescribed to prevent an overdose. Although an overdose is not supposed to be life-threatening, make sure you seek emergency medical help if you think you may have taken too much of Zocor.