Amiodrone & Zocor

Hi
I have my ICD 2-1/2 years already. And all has been well dispite the horrible side effects of Amiodrone. Now the Dr tells me the Zocor 20mg that I have been taking for 14 years cannot be taken with Amiodrone. I saw somewhere on Webmd the min. for statins is 10mg. when taking amiodrone. The Dr. changed to Lipitor but it is terrible on the kidneys. Can anyone please make a suggestion or tell me what they are doing or taking.
This web site helped me greatly before and after my receiving my
ICD. God Bless you.

2 Comments

Hi wednesday

by IAN MC - 2014-11-02 01:11:36

What anyone else is " doing or taking " won't help you much unfortunately because we are all different , we have different medical backgrounds , different medical histories, different cholesterol levels / kidney functions etc.

These differences can help the DR decide the best treatments for YOU; but having said that, my thoughts are :-

- yes Amiodarone can have horrible side-effects with some people but it is still one of the most effective drugs for atrial and ventricular arrythmias. Millions of people have taken it without any problems.

- Amiodarone plus a statin can increase the chances of the statin causing muscle problems. The higher the dose of the statin, the more likely it is to happen ! This applies to Zocor ( simvastatin ) and Lipitor ( atorvastatin but only applies to some people.

) . Don't let the Dr tell you otherwise , he has probably just been converted by the Lipitor rep but you may not have told us the full story; some statins suit people more than others. Were you having problems with Zocor ? if not, stay on it.

- All statins, not just Lipitor, can cause kidney damage but it is VERY rare. Zocor, which you were taking can also cause kidney damage. It is possible that it is the muscle damage which causes kidney problems but nobody knows !

It is crazy to look at what side-effects might happen , they usually don't !!!

I.M.H.O. everyone taking statins needs to be asking the Dr the question " Do I really need this ?" . If you have had cardiac plumbing problems in the past maybe you should consider statins, if you have not had any plumbing problems then the evidence for taking them is vey weak indeed !

I was on Zocor then Lipitor a few years ago and stopped taking both. I asked the Dr to give me good reasons why I should take them and he couldn't !

- but we are all different

Best of luck

Ian

Amiodarone & Zocor

by wednesday - 2014-11-03 08:11:37

Hi Ian
God Bless you. I have been on Zocar for all these years
and was comfortable. Blood tests reveal that my chol.level is always low. I will tell the Dr. I am staying on them I
never have a problem. I am 80 years old and I still work.
I am also going to ask if I still need them. I eat good food and very little. Again you help me when I first had my ICD you gave such excellent advice. I live great with the
Amiodarone and the side effects. It is the changes that are
upsetting. Again, Bless you and Thank you
Louise

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