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Simvastatin

Medication statin heart & blood pressure
Aka: Zocor, Simvor
Brands seen in Singapore: Zocor, Simvor, Priacin, Kardak, Covastin
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Prescribed for high cholesterol — a doctor decides
When to take
NHS: once a day, in the evening, with or without food
Take with
Water · NHS: grapefruit juice can stop it working
Pros & cons
Pros
  • NHS: one tablet a day, with or without food
  • HealthHub: may reduce heart attack and stroke risk
  • NHS: a liquid form exists as well as tablets
Cons
  • NHS: headache, dizziness, muscle ache, indigestion
  • NHS: rare liver, pancreas or muscle damage
  • NHS: not recommended during pregnancy
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg open dataset, 5,511 rows, cached locally at /tmp/hsa_all.json and filtered offline) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “All 27 registered simvastatin products (18 single-ingredient) carry Forensicclassification 'Prescription Only' — SIN03789P ZOCOR TABLET 10 mg · SIN11815P SIMVOR 20 · SIN13914P PRIACIN · SIN14454P KARDAK 40 · SIN12093P COVASTIN 20”
  2. NHS Medicines A-Z — Simvastatin: what simvastatin is for · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Simvastatin is used to lower high cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. It can also reduce the risk of angina, heart attack and stroke.”
  3. NHS Medicines A-Z — Simvastatin: how to take simvastatin · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Simvastatin usually comes as tablets or a liquid (oral suspension) that you swallow … try to take it at the same time each day – usually in the evening … you can take it with or without food”
  4. NHS Medicines A-Z — Simvastatin: side effects · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Common side effects of simvastatin include: a headache; dizziness; feeling sick (nausea); digestive problems … muscle aches; sleep problems … Possible serious side effects … hepatitis … pancreatitis … muscle toxicity”
  5. NHS Medicines A-Z — Simvastatin: who can and cannot take it, and pregnancy · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “it may not be suitable if: … liver or kidney problems, or an underactive thyroid … unexplained ongoing muscle pain … a history of muscle problems in your family … Simvastatin is not recommended during pregnancy”
  6. NHS Medicines A-Z — Simvastatin: taking it with other medicines, food and drink · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “antifungal medicines, such as itraconazole and ketoconazole … antibiotics such as fusidic acid, erythromycin and clarithromycin … ciclosporin … amlodipine, diltiazem or verapamil … avoid drinking grapefruit juice as it can stop the medicine working properly”
  7. HealthHub (National Medication Information workgroup, SG) — Simvastatin: what is this medication for · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “High 'bad cholesterol' levels can cause your blood vessels to clog up and lead to chest pain (angina), heart attack or stroke. Hence, statins may reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke.”
  8. HealthHub — Simvastatin: how should I take or use this medication · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Do not stop taking your medication without checking with your healthcare professional … You may take this medication with or without food, at night.”
  9. HealthHub — Simvastatin: what food or medication should I avoid · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Avoid taking grapefruit, or grapefruit juice … Avoid taking a supplement called red yeast rice as this supplement may increase the risk of side-effects … Warfarin … clarithromycin, erythromycin … itraconazole, ketoconazole”
  10. US FDA label for ZOCOR (simvastatin), section 2 Dosage and Administration, via openFDA drug/label.json (effective 2025-03-28) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The maximum recommended dosage is ZOCOR 40 mg once daily … An 80 mg daily dosage of ZOCOR is restricted to patients who have been taking simvastatin 80 mg daily chronically … without evidence of muscle toxicity”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.