Simvastatin and Cheeseburgers

I can’t tell you how many times during college and after graduating college, when simvastatin and cholesterol wasn’t any of my concern, dinner consisted of a good bacon cheeseburger and a beer. Everyone had their favorite food for indulgence, but for me it was a juicy thick burger. In my prime age, I had a high metabolism and constantly on the move into the early morning hours. Move that clock forward about 15 years and for me, the thought of a delicious, juicy burger and an ice cold corona makes my arteries clog to the point of no return.

Science Created Statins

Science has decided to come to the rescue with Zocor (simvastatin) which was designed to control your cholesterol and keep your arteries from clogging. As you can guess, Zocor is grouped in a class of drugs called statins. Simvastatin reduces your bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides and raises your good cholesterol (HDL). The whole idea is to prevent cholesterol from clogging your arteries and creating a heart attack or stroke. Zocor keeps the blood flowing through unclogged arteries when exercise and dieting isn’t enough.

Simvastatin Side Effects

By now your first thought is that you can bake your cake and eat it too along with the cheeseburger. Taking simvastatin has a price but it is not financial. This cholesterol-lowering medication has common side effects which are abdominal pain, diarrhea, indigestion and general feelings of weakness. The rarest side effects include joint pain, memory loss (it’s a great way to forget you had that meal) and muscle cramps.  In addition, the FDA recently announced that there is an increased risk of diabetes by taking simvastatin over longer periods of time. By the sound of it it seems that your diet has to be monitored more carefully.

Since When is Grapefruit Bad?

So by now it doesn’t sound too bad but there is also one little hitch when taking simvastatin: no grapefruit. You read it correctly; you can’t have grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Your thoughts of having that nice pink grapefruit with your egg whites and toast for breakfast have been dashed.

It turns out that grapefruit has an organic chemical compound called furanocoumarins that slows down the body’s ability to metabolize simvastatin. In essence, your body won’t process simvastatin to help lower cholesterol; instead it accumulates in your blood. Ok, so the next thought is, that’s perfect; my body will metabolize it later. Unfortunately, simvastatin in high concentrations is toxic to the human body. It is toxic to the point where you can develop allergic reactions, rashes or even liver damage.

Did you know that simvastatin was synthesized from a fungus? Which statin has worked for you?