Diseases & Conditions Blog

More lawsuits involving the statin Zocor are moving beyond rhabdomyolysis, a treatable kidney disease, and toward other side effects that are focused on to a lesser degree. Problems with Zocor, as with other cholesterol lowering drugs, include cardiomyopathy, liver damage, and erectile dysfunction.

While rhabdomyolysis can be treated if caught early enough, cardiomyopathy can cause heart attacks that kill without warning. It's believed that Zocor and other statins deplete conenzyme Q10 levels in patients who take the drugs. Depletion of Q10 leads to cardiac events including congestive heart failure.

Hormones derived from cholesterol include testosterone and statins inhibit cholesterol synthesis. This in turn has lead to research linking erectile dysfunction and statins.

Using statins may also increase liver enzymes, which can lead to permanent liver damage if not treated. It is recommended that patients who take Zocor and other statins have a blood test six weeks after they begin taking the drugs to see where their liver enzyme levels are.

Zocor side effects, including liver damage and muscle damage, have cause the FDA to issue warnings about the drug since 2002.

If you or a loved one is suffering from the side effects of Zocor, or another type of drug, please contact an experienced defective drug attorney in your area today.