Simvasatin

I have read that while taking Simvasatin you should avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol. What is a safe amount? Also, when you DO drink more, should you refrain from taking the pill that night?

[va_tony]

I also take simvastatin (zocor) and was told that one should avoid large amounts of alcohol because the combo might cause liver damage. I imagine that large means multiple drinks (>4) daily. Even if you have a sixpack while at a social function, I would imagine that's OK if done infrequently. A glass a wine with dinner would certainly be OK. Lke anything else, drinking should be done in moderation.

There was a review on simvastatin safety published in the June 7th issue of Lancet (you can google a summary of conclusions). Among their conclusions was:

"there is no evidence to suggest people consuming excess alcohol are at greater risk of side effects from statin use, although many such people were excluded from statin trials."

So that was a surprise to me (and to the doctors too, I imagine).

[ccscott]

You may be looking at this with the wrong perspective. Large amounts of alcohol may not be a big deal with taking Zocor but taking large amounts of alcohol will damage your heart not to mention your other organs. But, the point is, if you have a heart issue alcohol in your diet on a daily basis is to much alcohol regardless of whatever drugs your own. I am not talking about a glass of wine at dinner either. I mean that few* drinks on a daily basis is a few* to many. There are a lot of studies on the effects of alcohol, caffine ect on the heart. My husbands heart condtion is much worse today than it would have been had he quit drinking long before he did. I guess the bottom line always comes back to,,all things in moderation will not kill you..
Cheryl