Can you overdose on Simvastatin

Answer 1

Simvastatin (ZOCOR) is meant to lower cholesterol levels. It works by reducing the production of cholesterol by the liver; raising good cholesterol and lowering bad. Properly taken (at night when cholesterol is made most), it serves as a very effective way to keep levels healthy.

Recommended dosages range from 5-80mgs. What an overdose would be depends on the person who takes it. A diabetic or person with thyroid, liver or kidney disease would need to take a lower level than someone who is perfectly healthy because the side effects can make these conditions worse. If you need to take a lower dose, an overdose might be considered a dose a healthy person can take. An otherwise healthy person would have to take a lot.

Taking more than a recommended dose of any drug will result in an increase of side effects in proportion to the size of the overdose. In the case of simvastatin, the side effects are:

• muscle pain
• joint pain
• constipation
• nausea
• stomach pain or indigestion
• skin rash
• sleep problems (insomnia)
• cold symptoms
• dark colored urine
• pain or burning when you urinate
• swelling
• weight gain
• urinating less than usual or not at all
• upper stomach pain
• itching
• loss of appetite
• clay-colored stools
• jaundice

Also, it is advised not to take with grapefruits or grapefruit juice. There is a lot of hype to the claims of the extent what this does, but there is a reason for caution.

Rhabdomyolysis and myositis are very rare side effect associated with taking certain statins like simvastatin which causes the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle. By rare meaning less than 1% who take the drug. The 1% is most often in the group who either: is on the highest dose level, is diabetic, has thyroid/liver/kidney disease, is elderly, or drinks a lot of grapefruit juice (more than 1 quart daily).

Taking simvastatin with more than a quart of grapefruit juice everyday is the same as taking an overdose, but even by drinking a small glass of it or eating one grapefruit juice, you increase the levels of simvastatin acid in the blood which can accumulate over time. Not everyone who overdoses on simvastatin will get rhabdomyolysis or even suffer the worse part of the side effects if medical attention is received in a timely manner. Even if medical help is not sought, getting rhabdomyolysis is still rare and even if you get that, going into renal failure from that is also less than 5%, again, on getting medical help. And even if you progress to renal failure, it will get you sentenced to a dialysis machine sometimes for the rest of your life which can be more than 5 years if you don't get a transplant.

Why anyone would want to overdose on such a drug is beyond me. It is very difficult to kill yourself on it. The side effects will just make you feel sick. Even if you do take enough to do anything serious, it would be a long, slow, painful death, even worse than death by Tylenol.

If this question is being asked with the intention of taking a deliberate overdose to attempt suicide, get help and don't do this. It is a waste of time and money to do it this way anyway. Even if you do damage, you will only add to your depression and desperation.

Answer 2

no i think u shuld chk it with ur doctor....overdose of any kind of medicine may lead 2 more problems..........better consult the doctor for more information