Zocor: Mild Side Effects Make Drug Perfect for Fighting High Cholesterol

The bad news is that heart disease runs in my family. My mother died from a massive coronary, and my father had two heart attacks, which he thankfully survived. Having such a bad family heart history made me inarguably nervous. Despite the fact that I eat very little red meat or fat, am not grossly overweight and am somewhat active, I am still cursed with high cholesterol. I have been monitoring the situation closely for the past ten years. There's no way I want to become part of the heart attack statistics.

The good news is that high cholesterol is treatable by a wide range of medication. For the past several years, doctors have been treating my high cholesterol with Zocor, which is produced by Merck Pharmaceutical. Zocor side effects are very mild, if not rare, making it the perfect drug in the fight against high cholesterol. Because my cholesterol was only moderately high (around 220), he at first prescribed a very low dosage - only 10 mg. Only in the last year have they decided to increase the dose to 20 mg. Other patients, like my father, can take up to 80 mg daily.

I've been blessed. I haven't had any real side effects from the drug. The only caution on my bottle is a warning not to eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. On my last doctor visit, I asked my physician why this is so. I happen to love grapefruit but don't want to eat it if the combination of drug and citrus is going to kill me. There is something about Zocor mixed with grapefruit that can cause liver problems. She looked it up and determined I can have an occasional grapefruit, as the warning is against ingesting massive amounts of it. I'd actually have to drink over a quart of it to experience any adverse reactions.

As a drug, Zocor is known for its low side effects. According to www.rxlist.com, only about 1.4% of users report having any side effects at all. Commonly reported side effects include constipation, diarrhea, headache and abdominal pain. Also listed as side effects could be dizziness, depression, rash, itching and hair loss. Some people also complain of muscle pain which may lead to kidney damage.

As I said, I've been lucky in that I haven't experienced any of these negatives at all. I'll continue to take Zocor, as it helps keep my cholesterol down.