Before Taking Zocor

You should not take Zocor if you are allergic to simvastatin, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, or if you have liver disease.

If you have any of these other conditions, your doctor may need adjust the dose of Zocor or order special tests:

history of liver disease;
history of kidney disease;

diabetes;

a thyroid disorder; or

if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily.

In rare cases, Zocor can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. This condition may be more likely to occur in older adults and in people who have kidney disease or poorly controlled hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). You may also be more likely to develop this condition if you are of Chinese descent and you take high-dose Zocor while also taking medication that contains niacin (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo-Niacin, and others).

Tell your doctor about all other medications you use. Certain other drugs can increase your risk of serious muscle problems, and it is very important that your doctor knows if you are using any of them:

amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone);

danazol (Danocrine);

nefazodone (an antidepressant);

gemfibrozil (Lopid), fenofibric acid (Fibricor, Trilipix), or fenofibrate (Antara, Fenoglide, Lipofen, Lofibra, Tricor, Triglide);

antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), or telithromycin (Ketek);

antifungal medications such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), or ketoconazole (Extina, Ketozole, Nizoral, Xolegal);

heart or blood pressure medication such as diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem) or verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan);

HIV medications such as atazanavir (Reyataz), ritonavir (Norvir), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), saquinavir (Invirase), and others;

medicines that contain niacin (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo-Niacin, and others); or

drugs that weaken your immune system, such as steroids, cancer medicine, or medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

FDA pregnancy category X. Zocor can harm an unborn baby or cause birth defects. Do not take Zocor if you are pregnant. Stop taking this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Use effective birth control to avoid pregnancy while you are taking Zocor. Simvastatin may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not breast-feed while you are taking Zocor.