Zocor Side Effects Can Include Disease of the Heart

A number of people have been made aware of Zocor side effects including Zocor muscle injury and Zocor rhabdomyolysis, because of the mounting number of Zocor lawsuits dealing with these particular side effects, but plaintiffs who have experienced other side effects may also be eligible to file a lawsuit and seek damages from drug makers. Other Zocor side effects tend to get less attention than those having to do with muscle injury, but they can be just as harmful and cause a patient just as many problems. 

Zocor cardiomyopathy side effect

Some Zocor patients may experience symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and swelling of the legs, feet, and ankles. These symptoms could be a sign of Zocor cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that causes improper heart function. It is believed that Zocor heart problems could be caused by a depletion of a certain enzyme, which Zocor may be linked to. Coenzyme Q10 is essential to proper heart function and, as Zocor may deplete it, this may lead to heart problems. 

Muscle Damage Not Only Zocor Side Effect

Zocor and other statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol levels. The drugs do this by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. But as a side effect, statins also reduce levels of Coenzyme Q10, an important chemical in proper muscle functioning. There has been recent research to show that other complications arise from the hormones that statins like Zocor block. Cardiovascular Zocor side effects are serious and may be life-threatening. Because manufacturers of statins, like Zocor, have not provided adequate warnings or sufficient clinical studies, many of those suffering from cardiomyopathy caused by statins are pursuing legal action with a Zocor lawyer to recover compensation for medical bills and pain and suffering.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. There are three types of cardiomyopathy which can be caused by Crestor and other statins. The most common form of cardiomyopathy that is attributed to Crestor is dilated cardiomyopathy. With dilated cardiomyopathy, the heart becomes enlarged to the point where it cannot pump blood normally. This can lead to heart failure, arrhythmia, and the development of blood clots and the potential for embolisms. Statins, like Zocor, decrease bad (LDL) cholesterol in the blood by lowering the levels of an enzyme, CoQ10. This enzyme is essential to energy production in the heart and other muscles, and reduced levels of this chemical can lead to deterioration of the heart muscle, or cardiomyopathy.

Another side effect attributed to high-doses of Zocor is liver disease. Studies conducted at the Mayo Clinic indicate that Zocor and other statins can cause an increase of liver enzymes. In some patients taking Zocor this increase of liver enzymes can cause permanent liver damage. Erectile dysfunction, also known as ED, has been linked to use of Zocor in recent studies, adding to the ever-increasing list of Zocor side effects. The “adverse reactions” section of the Zocor side effects label now alerts users to the fact that some patients have begun to suffer from Zocor erectile dysfunction. Until a verifiable link is established, though, a Zocor erectile dysfunction lawsuit may be difficult to pursue.

Zocor Lawsuit Hinges on Time and Dosage Before Side Effects Started

Zocor (simvastatin) is a synthetic statin developed by Merck that is designed to lower cholesterol. It is one of Merck’s best selling drugs and the second best-selling cholesterol drug in the world. Generic Zocor is widely available and the active ingredient, simvastatin, is also contained in the drugs Vytorin and Simcor with other medications. When considering a Zocor lawsuit, a Zocor lawyer will need to evaluate the amount of time the drug was used, the dosage and the extent of the damages suffered by the patient and whether or not they were pre-existing.

Zocor Side Effects May Be Serious

Zocor, a prescription medication taken to treat high cholesterol, has been found to cause serious side effects in certain situations. Myopathy, or muscle injury, is a potentially life threatening condition that may result from high dosages of Zocor. It may result in a breakdown of muscle tissue that may lead to kidney failure. This can be severe, permanent, and debilitating for some, and has led to an increased number of Zocor lawsuits. However, many patients have reported that the Zocor side effects and disease diminish when they stop taking Zocor.

Myopathy normally starts with temporary muscle cramps, along with pain. It can then rapidly evolve into a much more serious muscle condition, known as rhabdomyolysis. This is a potential Zocor side effect caused by muscle fibers releasing myoglobin, a protein, into a patient’s blood. Most patients’ kidneys cannot filter myoglobin, and the result may be kidney failure, or even death in certain cases. Symptoms include muscle tenderness and weakness, fatigue, and dark urine. Treatments vary, but usually involve elimination of myoglobins by flushing them from the body through use of electrolytes and fluid intake, or, if the condition has progressed, dialysis, or kidney transplant.

Implications of Zocor Side Effects and FDA Involvement

The eighty milligram dosage of Zocor may be the cause of rhabdomyolysis. In June, 2011, the FDA announced a direct link between high Zocor doses and muscle injury risk. The FDA also prohibited physicians from prescribing Zocor for new patients at this higher dosage.

Many Zocor lawsuits have recently been filed. This is, at least in part, based on the FDA announcement concerning serious Zocor risks. Even patients who have recovered from rhabdomyolysis may be filing Zocor lawsuits. They may be compensated for pain and suffering, lost wages, and related medical expense. Patients who have suffered more permanent injuries, or have lost relatives and loved ones due to Zocor use, may also want to file a lawsuit.  Zocor attorneys should interview potential clients quite carefully to determine what Zocor dosage was taken, and what injuries have been suffered.

More Zocor Lawsuits May Be Filed

With many recent studies showing a higher prevalence of Zocor muscle injuries, as well as rhabdomyolysis, in the Chinese and Japanese population, more Zocor lawsuit may be forthcoming to try to receive damages for those injuries.

Zocor is a cholesterol lowering medication manufactured by Merck. In March 2010, the FDA issued a drug safety communication that warned about an increased risk of Zocor muscle injury for those patients taking the eighty milligram dose, which is the highest permitted. Also in March 2010, the FDA approved a label revision based on the Heart Protection Study 2, which warned Chinese patients that they should not receive the eighty milligram dose, or even a forty milligram dose, if they also take a niacin product, which is also used to lower cholesterol. Chinese and Japanese people may be more susceptible to Zocor injury due to genetic differences affecting how the drug is metabolized in their bodies.

Zocor Rhabdomyolysis Could Soon Lead to Lawsuits

A risk of Zocor muscle injury and similar drugs, known as statins, has been known for some time. However, it appears that the risk may be substantially increased when Zocor 80 mg doses are taken, and the manufacturer failed to adequately warn about the risk. In June, the FDA placed restrictions on the use of 80 mg Zocor, which could include twice-a-day 40mg doses, due to the risk of myopathy and Zocor rhabdomyolysis, a potentially life-threatening muscle injury. The FDA’s new recommendation was prompted by a seven-year study and patient reports that prove those taking the higher dosage of simvastatin have a greater risk of muscle injury than patients treated with lower doses or other statins.

Rhabdomyolysis from Zocor can occur when muscle damage caused by simvastatin causes the release of myoglobin into the blood stream. This may cause kidney damage as the organ attempts to filter it out of the body, potentially leading to kidney failure or death in some cases. Similar warnings were also added about the risk of rhabdomyolysis from side effects of Vytorin and Simcor, where the cholesterol drugs may be prescribed at levels that contain an 80 mg daily dose of simvastatin, the active ingredient in Zocor. Vytorin combines simvastatin with exetimibe, while Simcor combines simvastatin with niacin. Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis side effects may start with unexplained muscle cramps, tenderness, stiffness, pain or spasm.

The presence of myoglobin in the blood stream, or elevated muscle enzymes, may also cause dark or red-colored urine, which is often described as “tea colored.” Other possible symptoms of problems from rhabdomyolysis may include nausea, vomiting, confusion, coma or abnormal heart rate. The only good news to come from this study is that Zocor users can often stop and even reverse the symptoms of Zocor rhabdomyolysis. This requires that the condition be discovered as early as possible. The cholesterol-lowering drug may be in hot water but safety groups like Public Citizen have argued that the FDA did not go far enough in its warnings against Zocor and that the drug should be recalled due to the imminent threat that it offers its patients.

Zocor Side Effects Common, Says Doctor

An important development in Zocor muscle injury news occurred recently when rheumatologist Dr. William C. Shiel Jr., the co-founder and chief editor of MedicineNet.com, wrote on the site that although many types of medications can cause muscle aches, statin drugs such as Zocor are “the most common culprits”.

Dr. Shiel goes on to urge doctors to be aware of Zocor muscle injury, because if it is diagnosed early, it can be treated before it progresses to a much more serious condition such as rhabdomyolysis, in which muscle tissues breaks down and releases muscle protein into the bloodstream, where it can go on to clog the structures of the kidney, potentially causing kidney failure or death. Zocor muscle injury can also cause cardiomyopathy, a condition affecting the heart, and it can also cause too much of the enzyme CPK to be released into the bloodstream, resulting in renal failure which may require dialysis.