Informational only — Not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider.

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Community data Updated 2 months ago
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Indications

Hyperlipidemia

Simvastatin is used to treat primary hypercholesterolaemia (types IIa and IIb) in patients whose cholesterol levels have not come down enough with diet and other appropriate measures. It is also used in patients with coronary heart disease who have raised blood cholesterol levels.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Simvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering medicine. It works mainly by blocking an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase. When that enzyme is blocked, the liver cells grow more LDL receptors on their surface. These receptors pull more LDL cholesterol out of the blood, so the body clears it faster and breaks it down more. Simvastatin also lowers very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and it cuts down how much LDL is formed from VLDL. The drug is broken down heavily in the liver, which is also where it does most of its work.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Category X: Animal studies or human data have shown clear evidence of foetal harm, and this risk outweighs any potential benefit of the drug. It should not be used by women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: Before starting Simvastatin, the patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol lowering diet, and this diet should be continued throughout treatment. The usual starting dose is 10 mg per day, taken as a single dose in the evening. If the dose needs to be adjusted, this should be done at intervals of at least four weeks, up to a maximum of 40 mg daily taken as a single dose in the evening. If LDL-cholesterol falls below 2 mmol/L or total plasma cholesterol falls below 3.5 mmol/L, reducing the dose of Simvastatin should be considered. In hypercholesterolemia, the recommended starting dose is 5 to 10 mg once a day in the evening, and the recommended dosing range is 5 to 40 mg per day taken as a single dose in the evening. In patients with coronary heart disease and hypercholesterolemia, the starting dose should be 20 mg once a day in the evening. Because Simvastatin is not excreted through the kidneys to any significant extent, dose adjustment should not be necessary in patients with renal insufficiency. Safety and effectiveness in children and adolescents have not been established.

Side Effects & Interactions

Side Effects

No side-effect data recorded yet.