The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has written to healthcare professionals with updated advice about drug interactions between medications containing simvastatin (Zocor, Inegy) and other drugs that may be prescribed at the same time.

Simvastatin is a drug taken to reduce cholesterol and is something that Birdshotters may be taking to counteract a side effect of their medication for Birdshot.

It states that:- “Simvastatin can cause muscle weakness (myopathy) or muscle breakdown leading to kidney damage (rhabdomyolysis) and it was already known that at high doses and if certain other medicines are taken at the same time this risk is increased.”

Of particular note are two drugs which a few our of our members also take are in the list of medicines not be taken at the same time as simvastatin.

They are the immunosuppressant known as Cyclosporine/ciclosporin (Neoral, Sandimmune)

and Amlodine which is  common blood pressure medication.    In this instance it recommends that simvastatin should not be used at a dose of more than 20mg daily

As with cyclosporine it is also important to note that grapefruit juice should be avoided by anyone taking simvastatin.

What does this mean to Birdshotters?

If any of our members are worried about this you  should talk to your doctor or health care professional  about it, rather than just stop taking the medication, because the benefits of treatment with simvastatin continue to outweigh the risks for most people who are on them.

To read the whole alert follow the link below.

http://uk.mediguard.org/alerts/alert/2164.html