Zocor
Zocor is simvastatin in tablet form, sold in 5mg, 10mg, 20mg and 40mg strengths for lowering high cholesterol and protecting against heart attack and stroke.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5mg | 30 tablets | $27.30 | $0.91 |
| 5mg | 60 tablets | $45.60 | $0.76 |
| 5mg | 90 tablets | $62.10 | $0.69 |
| 5mg | 120 tablets | $78.00 | $0.65 |
| 5mg | 180 tablets | $111.60 | $0.62 |
| 10mg | 10 tablets | $11.30 | $1.13 |
| 10mg | 30 tablets | $28.20 | $0.94 |
| 10mg | 60 tablets | $55.80 | $0.93 |
| 10mg | 90 tablets | $80.10 | $0.89 |
| 10mg | 120 tablets | $105.60 | $0.88 |
| 10mg | 180 tablets | $156.60 | $0.87 |
| 10mg | 360 tablets | $305.98 | $0.85 |
| 20mg | 10 tablets | $15.80 | $1.58 |
| 20mg | 30 tablets | $44.10 | $1.47 |
| 20mg | 60 tablets | $86.40 | $1.44 |
| 20mg | 90 tablets | $126.90 | $1.41 |
| 20mg | 120 tablets | $165.60 | $1.38 |
| 20mg | 360 tablets | $489.60 | $1.36 |
| 40mg | 30 tablets | $74.70 | $2.49 |
| 40mg | 60 tablets | $135.00 | $2.25 |
| 40mg | 90 tablets | $188.10 | $2.09 |
| 40mg | 120 tablets | $244.80 | $2.04 |
| 40mg | 180 tablets | $361.80 | $2.01 |
- Category
- Cholesterol Management
- Active ingredient
- Simvastatin
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 5/10/20/40mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- High cholesterol · Heart disease prevention
- Therapeutic Class
- HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor
- Pharmacological Class
- Statin
- Minor Side Effects
- Constipation, Flatulence
- Moderate Side Effects
- Muscle aches, Headache
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Merck
- Onset Time
- 3–5 days
- Duration
- 24 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store in a cool, dark, dry place.
- Drug Interactions
- Grapefruit juice, Cyclosporine, Amiodarone
What you will receive
Zocor is the originator brand name, made by Merck. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Zocor.
- The same active ingredient (Simvastatin) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Zocor strengths and pack sizes are available?
Zocor tablets come in 5mg, 10mg, 20mg and 40mg. Packs start at 10 tablets for the 10mg and 20mg strengths and run up to 360; the 5mg and 40mg strengths come in packs of 30 to 180. This is generic simvastatin, not the original Zocor. The price per tablet in Hong Kong dollars appears on each page.
Can I change or track a Zocor order to Hong Kong?
You can cancel a Zocor order within 24 hours if it has not yet been dispatched. Once it ships, tracking is on the tracking page, and support answers 24/7 in English and Cantonese by live chat. A parcel that does not arrive or arrives damaged is sent again free, or refunded.
How long does Zocor take to work?
Cholesterol begins to drop in the first week or two of taking a tablet every day, and a blood test after about four weeks gives the fuller picture. Because simvastatin is a long-term medicine, the reading that counts is the one you settle at once the routine is steady.
Should I take Zocor in the morning or at night?
Night is the better slot. Your liver does most of its cholesterol-making after dark, so an evening tablet arrives when it is needed. Dinner time and bedtime are equally good; just pick one and stay with it.
Does grapefruit juice affect Zocor?
Yes. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice slow the breakdown of simvastatin, so a large glass a day can leave more of the medicine in your blood and raise the chance of muscle problems. Small, occasional amounts are less of a concern than a daily habit.
Can I drink alcohol with Zocor?
An occasional drink is not usually a problem. Drinking heavily most days is a different matter: simvastatin is handled by the liver, the same organ alcohol affects, and heavy drinking makes muscle and liver side effects more likely.
Can I stop Zocor when my cholesterol is normal?
Cholesterol drifts back to its previous level within weeks of stopping, because the tablets hold it down rather than resetting anything. That is why simvastatin is usually taken for years rather than a few months.
About Zocor
What Zocor tablets are for
Zocor is simvastatin: a daily tablet for people whose cholesterol is too high, and for people who have already had a heart attack, angina or stroke and want to lower the chance of another. It also has a place in diabetes and kidney disease, and in familial hypercholesterolaemia, a condition passed down in families that keeps cholesterol very high. The tablets come in 5mg, 10mg, 20mg and 40mg strengths.
How simvastatin works
Your liver, rather than your plate, supplies most of the cholesterol in your blood, and it needs an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase to do it. Simvastatin switches that enzyme down. Production drops, the body draws cholesterol out of the circulation to compensate, and LDL and triglyceride readings come down on a blood test; HDL may creep up slightly. The payoff is in the artery walls, where less cholesterol means slower narrowing and fewer of the clots that cause heart attacks and strokes.
Taking Zocor
Take a single tablet each evening; the liver carries out most of its cholesterol production while you sleep. Keep to roughly the same hour each day, and take it on an empty stomach or straight after a meal — either is fine, and a drink of water is all you need with it. This is not a short course. If you miss the evening tablet and only remember the next day, carry on with the normal schedule rather than taking two at once.
Side effects
Headache, dizziness, feeling sick, constipation or diarrhoea, indigestion, wind, aching muscles and disturbed sleep are the ones people notice most, and they often settle after the first few weeks. Rarer but serious: muscle damage, which shows as unexplained pain, tenderness or weakness and sometimes dark urine — that needs urgent attention; liver inflammation, which can yellow the skin and the whites of the eyes; and pancreatitis, which causes severe stomach pain.
Interactions and storage
Some medicines push the amount of simvastatin in your body up: antifungals such as itraconazole and ketoconazole, the antibiotics clarithromycin, erythromycin and fusidic acid, several HIV and hepatitis treatments, and other cholesterol medicines including fibrates and niacin. A lot of grapefruit juice has a similar effect. St John's wort works the other way and can leave too little simvastatin in the blood. Heavy drinking raises the risk of muscle and liver trouble, and this medicine is avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Keep the tablets in the pack they came in, in a cool, dry place.
Sources
- Simvastatin: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Simvastatin - Common brands: Zocor - NHS — NHS UK