Zocor is a hypolipidemic drug used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol. As with all medications, use of Zocor is associated with several risk factors, commonly indigestion, weakness and diarrhea. Zocor may also cause rare, but serious side effects including muscle pain, memory loss, and joint pain. Chronic Zocor users also report increased risks of rhabdomyolysis, hepatic cirrhosis, myositis and cholestatic hepatitis.
While the drug's possible side effects are numerous, Zocor has also proven to have many benefits. In addition to controlling elevated cholesterol levels, the medication may help raise good cholesterol (high density lipoprotein, or HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (triglyceride, or TG). Zocor may also slow the progression of atherosclerosis, and lower risk of Parkinson's disease and dementia.
The Henry Ford Health Sciences Center in Detroit, Michigan recently revealed another possible use for Zocor: repairing brain injury and increasing neurological function in stroke victims. The research, which was published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, studied adult male rats that had suffered from brain strokes (middle cerebral artery occlusions). The rats were divided into four different groups: a control group; a group that received only Niaspan (vitamin B3); a group that received only simvastatin, the generic name for Zocor; and a group that received a combined treatment of simvastatin and Niaspan. The group of rats receiving the combined therapy showed the most improvement in higher brain function.
However, stroke victims and their families should consider the risk factors before using Zocor. It may be a case of exchanging one symptom for another, as studies into Zocor and its risk reveal many uncomfortable and potentially serious Zocor side effects, including Zocor muscle pain. In fact, Zocor's side effects are so numerous that resulting lawsuits prompted the FDA to issue a drug safety warning in June 2011. At that time, the FDA also banned high-dosage (80 mg) Zocor prescriptions.
Victims of Zocor side effects are encouraged to contact Zocor lawyers for information regarding current lawsuits and legal options. Compensation depends on a patient's symptoms and other contributing factors, and victims are often eligible for out-of-court settlements.
