Vytorin: Serious Risks and Common Side Effects

Cholesterol medications are no stranger to hot topics in the news these days. And, it is no secret that having high cholesterol places an individual at greater risk for a variety of serious illnesses, including coronary artery disease, stroke and heart attack. While it is commonly known that cholesterol comes from the animal food products that we eat, Merck Pharmaceuticals has been seriously emphasizing, in an aggressive advertising campaign, the genetic component of having high cholesterol, hence the birth of their latest cholesterol medication, Vytorin.

Approved by the FDA in July, 2004, Vytorin, is a combination of 2 drugs, Zocor (a Simvastatin), and Zetia, (an Antilipidemic). The medication was primarily developed to treat both types of cholesterol, and works by blocking the absorption of cholesterol from the foods that we eat, while helping to reduce the type of cholesterol that is naturally produced by our bodies. Research has proven that taken daily, Vytorin can actually lower your Low Density Lipoproteins, (LDL's or bad cholesterol), by as much as 60%! While the benefits of taking this "miracle" drug seem overwhelmingly obvious, Vytorin side effects can be unusually serious and at times, life-threatening, therefore doctors must use extreme caution when prescribing this drug to their patients.

The most commonly reported Vytorin side effects are: 1) Headache (reported by 6.8% of patients studied), 2) Nausea and Vomiting (reported by greater than 1% of patients), 3) Diarrhea (reported by greater than 1%), 4) Muscle aches and pain (reported by3.5% of patients), and 5) Abnormal liver tests (reported by 3.6% of patients studied).