Patients taking simvastatin 80 mg daily have an increased risk of myopathy compared to patients taking lower doses of this drug or other drugs in the same class. The risk appears to be higher during the first year of treatment, is often the result of interactions with certain medicines, and is frequently associated with a genetic predisposition toward simvastating-related myopathy and lead to Zocor Lawsuit. But what about other side-effects that have been associated with statins? Many people are now looking into a connection between Zocor and erectile dysfunction.

Due to the aggressive backlash of these potentially lethal side-effects of Zocor, not much attention has been paid to sexual dysfunction caused by these drugs. This does not mean that Zocor class action lawsuit cannot be filed by Zocor Lawyer. One of the main issues is that,

Zocor Muscle Injury Lawsuits Open to All

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.In rare cases, the Zocor muscle problems may result in a condition known as Zocor rhabdomyolysis, which involves deterioration of the muscle tissue that can also damage the kidney as the body tries to filter it out. A Zocor lawyer can help preserve an injured party’s legal rights by getting that complaint timely filed.

A Zocor lawyer is best equipped to determine who can file a Zocor class action lawsuit against drugmaker Merck. Zocor side effects are still being revealed by continuing medical study and clinical analysis.

Zocor Lawsuit Settlements: How Much?

A number of former patients of the cholesterol-reducing statin drug Zocor have experienced one or more of the drug’s side effects, which for the most part include two forms of Zocor muscle injury-related disease: myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is the more serious of the two, because if it is left untreated it can lead to kidney damage and kidney failure, and even death in some cases. Myopathy is a condition characterized by the breakdown of muscle fibers. Rhabdomyolysis is linked to myopathy in the sense that when muscle fibers break down, they release a chemical into the bloodstream. The kidney, which helps to filter the blood, cannot process this chemical. As a result, kidney damage can ensue.

Symptoms of Zocor side effects include inflamed and painful joints, joint stiffness, dark colored urine, and muscle weakness. Patients of Zocor rhabdomyolysis who are experiencing any of these symptoms should talk to their physician right away.

Building a Zocor Case: Zocor Lawyers and Rhabdomyolysis

Only an experienced personal injury lawyer can truly help a patient with a case like that of Zocor rhabdomyolysis. Many patients who have suffered from the disease are learning that more people just like them have already filed lawsuits and are planning to go to court in order to win damages. The damages will depend on a number of factors, including the severity of the disease and the amount of treatment that was needed, not to mention wages lost. There can also be punitive damages paid out, an amount that is usually a large sum and exists in order to punish the company for breaking the law if it is determined that they have done so. 

Deciding to file a Zocor lawsuit can be difficult and sometimes confusing, and a patient first needs to get medical treatment for his or her side effects before he or she can file a Zocor class action lawsuit. Once they have been sufficiently treated—to the point that they are stable and functional,

Zocor Settlements Sought by Plaintiffs

High cholesterol is a growing problem for Americans as waistlines expand and foods become faster and fattier. However, people who are in shape and watch what they eat can also have high cholesterol, as both food and family history are factors into a person’s cholesterol levels. High cholesterol can contribute to heart disease and other serious conditions that amount to some of the country’s biggest killers. Zocor rhabdomyolysis has recently been in the news for completely different reasons than helping patients reduce their cholesterol levels, however.

It has been linked to a rash of side effects that have impacted a large number of patients who used the medication, and some of these patients are filing Zocor class action lawsuits by Zocor lawyer. Most of the side effects of Zocor are related to muscle injury, whether it be muscle damage that can cause pain and soreness or the more serious condition called rhabdomyolysis.

Consumer Watch Group Calls For Ban of Zocor

Zocor (simvastatin) is a synthetic statin developed by Merck that is designed to lower cholesterol. Zocor is part of a class of drugs called statins that are used to treat high LDL (bad) cholesterol. Simvastatin is also sold in generic versions, and is an active ingredient in the combination drugs Vytorin and Simcor. Zocor muscle injury has long been recognized as a possible statin side effect, and the labels of these medications all bear warnings regarding this risk. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the labels of high-dose simvastatin to warn of an association with muscle injuries.

The FDA now says that doctors should no longer prescribe 80 milligrams of Zocor unless a patient has already been taking the dose for a year without any apparent trouble. But not everyone agrees that the warning goes far enough. Public Citizen has placed the Zocor 80 mg doses on its “Do Not Use” list, following an FDA warning about the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening muscle damage from Zocor that

Zocor Side Effects Come To Light As Effectiveness Is Questioned

Zocor is a drug given to patients to reduce cholesterol levels.  Its generic version is called simvastatin and there’s also a drug called Vytorin that contains Zocor.  Patients who took 80mg levels of Zocor and developed rhabdomyolysis are now beginning to engage in lawsuits with Zocor’s parent company, Merck & Co. Public Citizen, a prominent consumer group, has placed the Zocor 80 mg doses on its “Do Not Use” list, following an FDA warning about the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening muscle damage from Zocor that was issued earlier this week. However, instead of issuing a Zocor recall for the 80 mg dose, the FDA allowed doctors to continue prescribe the medication to patients at the highest dose as long as they had taken it for at least a year without ill effects.

Zocor (simvastatin) is a synthetic statin developed by Merck & Co., which is also widely available

Zocor Side-Effects Have Been Linked To Max Dosage

The FDA has revised the drug labels for Zocor, generic simvastatin pills, to include the new 80 mg dosing restrictions. According to the FDA, there is a higher risk of developing rhabdomyolysis (sometimes just called "rhabdo") with the 80 mg dose of Zocor or simvastatin in two instances: during the first year using pill with 80 mg, and when a Zocor 80 mg or generic simvastatin pill which contains 80 mg dose of simvastatin is used in combination with patients taking calcium channel blockers, particularly Cardizem or generic Diltiazem. The FDA also indicated that the 80mg Zocor dose has the highest rate of many different types of muscle injury of any statin and recommended that it only be used by patients who had already taken 80 mg of simvastatin for at least a year without problems.
Zocor is a synthetic statin developed by Merck & Co., which is also widely available as generic simvastatin. Before patent protections expired in 2005, it was Merck’s best-selling drug and the second best-selling cholesterol lowering drug in the world, bringing in $4.3 billion in 2005. Currently, potential product liability lawsuits are being reviewed by lawyers for individuals throughout the United States who have been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, myopathy or severe Zocor related muscle problems. The side-effects are usually reported in patients over 65 years of age or those who have renal impairment or uncontrolled hypothyroidism.
Of the 253 million prescriptions written for cholesterol-lowering drugs in 2010, some 11 million were prescribed at the 80mg dosage. Given the recent FDA warning, Merck may soon be defending numerous Zocor lawsuits.  Additionally, the FDA has also required Merck to change the drug’s labeling in order to reduce the risk of prescription errors, and clearly differentiate the drug’s differing dosage amounts.  As a result of Merck’s failure to warn consumers about the risk of muscle injuries and potential for kidney failure, the likelihood that those individuals will begin filing Zocor lawsuits increases.  Should Merck be found liable in these Zocor lawsuits, the company will have to pay compensation to injured victims.