Vytorin

Vytorin (ezetimibe and simvastatin) is a medicine prescribed to reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. It is recommended for patients with high risk of developing heart disease, heart attack or a stroke because of hardening of the arteries high levels of cholesterol can cause. Make sure you follow the recommendations of your health care provider concerning your lifestyle – diet, exercise and weight control. You will need to eat more healthily and exclude foods high in fat and cholesterol. Otherwise Vytorin is not going to be as efficient for you as it could. Grapefruit juice has been reported to interact with this medicine causing potentially dangerous effects. Make sure you talk to your health care provider about drinking grapefruit juice during the treatment. Let your doctor know if you have ever been diagnosed with some muscle disorder, underactive thyroid, diabetes, or kidney disease, as these aspects are also very important in determining your dose. It may take you some 2-3 weeks to notice the first results of the treatment. Your blood will need to be tested regularly by your doctor to monitor the progress you are making. In case you get ay of the following serious side effects of Vytorin, make sure you stop the treatment and talk to your health care provider as soon as possible: easy bruising or bleeding, loss of appetite, clay-colored stools, blurred vision, weakness with fever, muscle pain, stomach pain, pancreatitis, tenderness, and fast heart rate. Less serious side effects are also possible, such as sore throat, dizziness, headache, memory problems, back pain, cough, numbness, constipation, diarrhea, and insomnia. Unlike the serious side effects mentioned, these mild side effects do not need to be reported to your doctor, as they are most likely to go away on their own. Make sure you avoid taking any medications along with Vytorin without your doctor’s consent. Tell your health care provider if at the moment of asking him for a prescription you are already using amiodarone, blood thinners, gemfibrozil, HIV medicines, digoxin, hormonal pills, verapamil, danazol, niacin, cholestyramine, cyclosporine, nefazodone, or oral steroids. To exclude the possibility of drug interference your doctor may recommend lowering the dose of Vytorin or those meds you are using to make sure you do not get any unpleasant or dangerous health effects.