Lipitor zocor?

 Category: Lipitor

Questions and Answers

Switching from Lipitor to Zocor generic?

I am taking 20mg per day of Lipitor. What is the equivalent dose of generic Zocor?

It would be 40mg of zocor (simvastatin)
2 x10mgSimvastatin = 1x10mg Lipitor

Whch is better for lowering cholesterol? Lipitor or Zocor?

Considering both are statin drugs, is one better than the other? My sister's doctor said Zocor is not good because it affects the kidneys. Is that true?

Actually both drugs can adversely affect the kidneys.
They are in the same family.
They have almost identical side effects.
You can use either, if you react to one, you may not react to the other one.
Both are equally as effective, it just depends on the person's tolerance, and physiology.
If one doesn't work, then one of the others in the same family is implimented before you go to something like Zetia, which is in a different family.
The side effect for the statins that needs to be worried about is Rhabdomyolysis.
That's why they say, bad muscle pain, etc... call the doc.
Because myoglobin, which in in the breakdown of the muscles (rhabdo) can cause kidney failure, because it is a kidney toxin.

How long does it take medication like Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor out your system?

The half life of Lipitor is 14 hours, however Lipitor has active metabolites with half-lives ranging from 20 to 30 hours. Crestor has a half life of 19 hours and Zocor has a shorter half life of < 5 hours.

Statins (Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Crestor) are the number one selling drug in our country....?

Statins (Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Crestor) are the number one selling drug in our country. Currently, 11 million people are taking a statin drug. The current national lipid guidelines estimate that 36 million people should actually be taking statins. How do statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease?

stimulate production of HDL, which functions to remove excess cholesterol from cells

stimulate production of LDL-cholesterol, reducing levels of free cholesterol in our blood

stimulate the oxidation of LDL

causes the exocytosis of cholesterol from cells; and stimulates cholesterol secretion into the intestine

inhibit cholesterol synthesis; lowered cholesterol levels in cells induces the production of more LDL receptors

Which would be the most beneficial? Think about this - don't just throw out an answer. What do statins do? I'll give you a hint - they have something to do with inhibiting enzymes in a biosynthetic pathway

going from Lipitor to generic Zocor?

My insurance will no longer pay for Lipitor, so I had to go on Zocor(generic). I was on 5mg of Lipitor and am now on 10mg of Zocor.
They are 2 different drugs, so is that the equivalent? Or is there really no way to compare the two.

I amusing generic Lipitor, I wouldn't want to switch these meds, have you talked to your doc about it?

The site where I ordered my has both as much as I can see

http://www.1rx.biz/generic_lipitor.html
http://www.1rx.biz/generic_zocor.html

Why would someone take Lipitor rather than Zocor?

Zocor is going generic next month. So if someone were starting a statin regimen, wouldn't they prefer to take Zocor?

First of all, both medications are prescription, so it is also partly in the hands of the prescriber as to which one to take.

One major reason people may take Lipitor is that it is about twice as potent as Zocor. Some people need more aggressive lowering of their cholesterol levels. In most cases, you probably could have the doctor prescribe twice as much Zocor, but the max dose of Zocor is 80mg
/day. If you need even more cholesterol lowering, your doctor may add another agent that works in a different mechanism OR they can go to Lipitor 80mg (which would be like Zocor 160mg). Another option is Crestor, which is also more potent than Zocor.

It does make sense to use generic Zocor whenever possible--however, but it is not always possible.

Why don't doctors warn you about serious side effects from Lipitor and Zocor?

I have taken Lipitor off and on for a few years. I began hearing about side effects such muscle weakness, joint pain and liver damage and I had been experiencing side effects myself, so I did some research and found some frightening reports. I stopped taking it 10 days ago and still have symptoms. Is there permanent damage?www.medications.com/go/se/Lipitor

Patients always should take an active role in the course of their own treatments. Towards this purpose, nowadays when you receive a prescription from the pharmacy, it comes with a printed paper that outlines all of the known potential side effects, and telling you to watch for them and report immediately to your doctor if you are experiencing any of them to a significant extent.

Every time I get a particular prescription from my doctor, I take the time to say "OK, let's talk about any possible side effects, and how you feel they rate in terms of risk over benefits?" Matter of fact I recently had a discussion with my specialist about a minor heart abnormality, (a mild arrhythmia) for which he suggested giving me a particular drug. Upon further questioning he told me that, indeed this particular drug did have some disturbing side effects which, while not often experienced by the patient, had been known to occur and cause some trouble. We delved into it more, and in the end I told him that, with respect, I felt I needed to make the informed decision not to take this drug. He said "OK" and offered me an alternative, which I am taking and tolerating well.

Always consider YOURSELF - the patient - an essential part of the medical team that is treating you, and as a member of the team, you need to do your own homework and have your say in every step of the process.

Actually, information about Statins and some certain troubling side effects has been all over the news for two or three years now, and I am surprised that you have not come across it before. Lower doses tend not to be the problem for the majority of people, but on the other side of the coin, there is absolutely NO drug ever devised and put on the market that hasn't had an adverse effect on at least a few people. Look at the incredible and wide-ranging benefits of the humble aspirin. The overwhelming majority of people can take aspirin with absolutely no ill effects, and great benefit. But there are a selective few who develop quite serious problems with internal bleeding, stomach ulcers etc. It is why we all have to be aware, and diligent, whenever we are on any kind of medication, and listen to our body signals that will warn us when something is amiss.

Hopefully, as usually happens, the discontinuation of the statin will eventually restore you to normal with no lasting ill effects. It depends how long you were taking it, as it may take your body a while to totally rid itself of the problems that it caused. Meanwhile, remain watchful, and stay in touch with your medical caregiver.

Went from Lipitor to zocor?

I was taking Lipitor 20mg a day but i have no more insurance since i lost my job so my doctor put me on zocor 40 mg is that the same as lipitor i dont want to get any reaction everyone even my doctor said its just like taking lipitor, but its zocor same effect as one another, is anyone else change from lipitor to zocor

They are in the same class of drugs. No problem.

Which cholesterol medication is stronger, Zocor or Lipitor?

Both statins both poison. Lipitor is typically prescribed in larger relative doses but since the piddly 1% benefit is not dose or cholesterol level dependent, the added strength (or dose) just adds to the side effects. In my research, the really horrific side effects, seem to occur with Lipitor. My numerous side effects really took off when I was switched to Lipitor from Zocor.
Pharm dude, I never heard of a drug company proving that their drug was no better than their competitor. Seems like a waste of money. Yet CBS was able to discern an advantage. Really, CBS, is that what you call a reliable source? Even the drug companies have never proved that lowering cholesterol has a direct effect on CHD. It states that in all their advertisements. The 1% benefit is very repeatable but never tied to lowering cholesterol. The most likely mechanism of action seems to be an anti inflammatory effect. This appears to be confirmed by the latest Crestor study, where they gave Crestor to patients with normal cholesterol, but elevated C reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. It still reduced events by 1 person out of 100.. Those clever drug companies say this is proof, we should give their drugs to patients who have normal cholesterol. Of course, they stopped the study before the negative effect on the immune system could show an increase in cancer deaths.
Side effects that I personally experienced= depression, memory loss, muscle pain, tendon pain in ankle, hand and hip, stomach problems, sleep problems, eye problems, extreme low energy, argumentative (seems to be permanent), low testosterone, very short term amnesia.
Why do people spend up to $1500 a year for such a small chance of any benefit?

Pharmacist who's life was almost ruined by Lipitor

Has anyone gotten hives from Lipitor or Zocor? What works instead without the hives?

If you have had hives from both medications I would talk to your doctor. There may be something related to the structure of that drug class that is causing the reaction. I would ask him to call the poison control center/drug information center in your community and ask them. They are usually staffed with pharmacists who can look into structure activity relationships of medications. Please make sure to inform all your doctors about these hives. Hives are a sign of an allergic reaciton which is more serious than many adverse drug reacitons Please discuss this with your doctor and involve your home pharmacist or poison control center.