Zocor Side Effects

Zocor side effects are generally minor and easily treated by you or your healthcare provider. Among the common side effects of Zocor are abdominal pain (or stomach pain), headache, diarrhea, and indigestion. A few rare side effects with Zocor include impotence, anxiety, insomnia, and joint pain. Some symptoms that you should report to your healthcare provider immediately include unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness accompanied by a fever or feeling of sickness.

 

Zocor Side Effects: An Introduction

As with any medicine, there are possible side effects with Zocor® (simvastatin). However, not everyone who takes Zocor will develop side effects. In fact, most people tolerate Zocor well. When Zocor side effects do occur, they are generally minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. In previous research studies, up to 1.4 percent of people taking Zocor stopped their medicine because of side effects.
 
If while taking Zocor you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness along with a fever or feeling of sickness, it is important that you contact your healthcare provider immediately.
 
(The Zocor side effects discussed below are not a complete list of side effects reported with Zocor. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of side effects with you.)
 

Common Zocor Side Effects

Zocor has been studied extensively in clinical trials, with over 21,000 people having been evaluated.
 In these studies, side effects are always documented. Based on these studies, common Zocor side effects occurring in more than 1 percent of people include:
 
  • Headache (3.5 percent of people)
  • Abdominal pain (or stomach pain) (3.2 percent of people)
  • A general feeling of weakness, known medically as asthenia (1.6 percent of people)
  • Constipation (2.3 percent of people)
  • Diarrhea (1.9 percent of people)
  • Indigestion, known medically as dyspepsia (1.1 percent of people)
  • Gas (1.9 percent of people)
  • Nausea (1.3 percent of people)
  • Upper respiratory infections, such as the common cold (2.1 percent of people)
  • Muscle pain, known medically as myalgia (1.2 percent of people) -- (see Zocor and Muscle Pain).
     
(Zocor Side Effects Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;