FDA Warns of Zocor Risk to Muscles

Muscle Injury Risk With Higher Zocor Doses, Certain Other Drugs

By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 19, 2010 — Based on new data, the FDA today warned that higher doses of the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor, sold generically as simvastatin, carry an increased risk of muscle injury.

Muscle example: Heart – it injures your heart!

The FDA also warns that mixing Zocor with certain other drugs also increases patients’ risk of muscle injury, including the rare but serious complication known asrhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis can sometimes result in fatal kidney damage.

The combination products Vytorin and Simcor also contain simvastatin, the active ingredient in Zocor. Zocor is a member of the class of drugs known as statins. All statin drugs carry a risk of muscle damage, but new data suggest that this risk may be particularly high for the 80 milligram dose of Zocor.

The data come from the SEARCH study, in which muscle damage was seen in nearly 1% of patients taking the 80 milligram dose of Zocor but in only 0.02% of patients taking the 20 milligram dose of Zocor.

Rhabdomyolysis was rare in the SEARCH study. It happened in only 11 of 6,031 patients (0.02%) in group taking the 80milligram dose of Zocor, but was not seen in patients taking the 20 milligram dose.

A different study found that muscle damage was more common in patients taking Zocor doses of more than 20 milligrams a day who also took the heart rhythm drugamiodarone (brand names Cordarone, Pacerone). Patients taking another drug,verapamil(brand names Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan), also should not take Zocor at doses higher than 20 milligrams .

And patients taking the angina/blood pressure drug diltiazem (brand namesCardizem, Cartia, Dilacor, Diltia, and Tiazac) were also at higher risk of muscle injury if they also took Zocor at doses higher than 40 milligrams a day.

New data also suggest that people of Chinese descent should not take Zocor at the 80 milligram dose — and should be careful even when taking lower doses — if they also take niacin-containing products.

You should never take Zocor at any dose if you are taking:

· Itraconazole, Ketoconazole, Erythromycin, Clarithromycin, Telithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors, Nefazodone

You should never take more than the 10 milligram dose of Zocor if you are taking:

· Gemfibrozil, Cyclosporine, Danazol

“Do cholesterol drugs do any good?”

John Carey “BusinessWeek” Cover Story January 17, 2008

“Do cholesterol drugs do any good?”

Potential side effects:

§ Headache

§ Constipation

§ Diarrhea

§ Gas

§ Upset stomach

§ Stomach pain

§ Rash

§ Muscle and joint pain

§ Deadly muscle wasting disease

§ Liver failure

§ Liver problems

MYTH: Cholesterol causes heart disease!

Truths:

• It is the oxidation of cholesterol that causes heart disease.

• More people have heart attacks with normal cholesterol rather than elevated cholesterol.

• There is a higher death rate with low cholesterol than with high cholesterol.

• Statin drugs lower cholesterol but not a significant decrease in the incidence of heart attack and stroke. Recent studies showed no benefitin people over age 65, no benefit in women and no reduction in total deaths in anyone.

• Statins cause heart failure due to the depletion of co-enzyme Q (AN INCREASE OF OVER 50%).

• Statins have been linked to liver problems and joint pain.

Statistics from the New England Journal of Medicine

(Over)

The PROBLEM

MYTH: Cholesterol causes heart disease. (Our thinking)

TRUTH: The oxidation of cholesterol causes heart disease. (Hosea 4:6)

WHAT oxidizes cholesterol?

Sugar – Bad Fats – Toxins

The SOLUTION

WHY DID GOD CREATE CHOLESTEROL???

Benefits of cholesterol

§ Cholesterol is necessary for:

§ Creating hormones

§ Making bile acids to digest fats

§ Proper neurological function (brain and nervous system)

§ Repairing and protecting cells (healing your body)

§ Healing

The latest medical news gives humanity more confirmation GOD knows best. Man (doctors, drug companies, government) is still picking & eating fruit of the tree of knowledge in the garden – still searching….

Cholesterol is a building block for life. You need it to live. God the creator was no fool and God certainly did not make any junk. Remember you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Live in alignment with GODS DESIGN and you will have a wonderful life!

Be blessed- Dr. Pete

Revolution Assignment: Tell 5 people this week that they are fearfully and wonderfully made and give them a good example HOW AND WHY. (I recommend passing them this life saving newsletter)

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