Zocor vs. Tricor, Trilipix

Zocor (simvastatin) and Trilipix (fenofibric acid) lower lipids (fats) in the blood and are used to treat high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels.

Zocor is also used to treat heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) in adolescents (males and females that are one-year post menarche, 10 to 17 years old).

Zocor and Trilipix belong to different drug classes. Zocor is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (a “statin” drug) and Trilipix is a lipid regulating agent.

• Side effects of Zocor and Trilipix that are similar include stomach pain or upset, nausea, headache, joint pain, and cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, or sore throat.
• Side effects of Zocor that are different from Trilipix include heartburn, gas, bloating, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, muscle pain, skin rash, sleep problems (insomnia), and mild memory problems or confusion.
• Side effects of Trilipix that are different from Zocor include dizziness and back pain.
• Both Zocor and Trilipix may interact with other cholesterol lowering medicines, colchicine, blood thinners, and drugs that weaken your immune system (such as steroids, cancer medicine, and medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection).
• Zocor may also interact with alcohol, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, digoxin, digitalis, antifungals, and medicines that contain niacin.
• Trilipix may also interact with cyclosporine, diuretics (water pills), birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, cholestyramine, colesevelam, colestipol, and beta-blockers.

Common side effects of Zocor include:

• heartburn,
• gas,
• bloating,
• stomach pain,
• indigestion,
• nausea,
• constipation,
• diarrhea,
• headache,
• joint pain,
• muscle pain,
• skin rash,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• mild memory problems or confusion, or
• cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, or sore throat.

Common side effects of Tricor, Trilipix include:

• abdominal or stomach pain,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• back pain,
• headache,
• runny or stuffy nose,
• yellowing eyes/skin,
• dark urine,
• rash,
• itching, and
• swelling.

Zocor (simvastatin) is a statin that lowers lipids and cholesterol levels used in conjunction with lifestyle changes such as a low-fat, low cholesterol diet, and exercise to reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease and ischemic strokes in patients with elevated lipids and cholesterol. Zocor is also used to treat heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) in adolescents (males and females that are one-year post menarche, 10 to 17 years old). Zocor is available in generic form.

Tricor, Trilipix (fenofibrate) is an antilipemic agent and fibric acid prescribed for reducing "bad" cholesterol and fats (for example, LDL and triglycerides) and for raising "good" cholesterol (HDL) in the blood.

Tell your doctor about all other medications you use. Certain other drugs can increase your risk of serious muscle problems, and it is very important that your doctor knows if you are using any of them:

• amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone);
• colchicine (Colcrys);
• danazol (Danocrine);
• diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Dilacor, Diltia, Diltzac, Taztia, Tiazac) or verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan);
• gemfibrozil (Lopid), fenofibric acid (Fibricor, Trilipix), or fenofibrate (Antara, Fenoglide, Lipofen, Lofibra, Tricor, Triglide);
• ranolazine (Ranexa);
• medicines that contain niacin (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo-Niacin, and others); or
• drugs that weaken your immune system, such as steroids, cancer medicine, or medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as sirolimus (Rapamune) or tacrolimus (Prograf).

Also tell your doctor if you use:

• cimetidine (Tagamet);
• a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);
• spironolactone (Aldactone, Aldactazide); or
• any other "statin" medication such as atorvastatin (Lipitor, Caduet), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin and niacin (Advicor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), or simvastatin (Zocor, Simcor, Vytorin).

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with lovastatin. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Tricor, Trilipix may interact with blood thinners, medicines to treat a bowel disorder, medications to prevent organ transplant rejection, antiviral medications, chemotherapy, pain or arthritis medicines (including aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen), or injected antibiotics. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use. There are no adequate studies of Tricor in pregnant women. Tricor passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Breastfeeding while taking Tricor is not recommended. Use during pregnancy is not recommended unless the potential benefit outweighs the potential unknown risk to the fetus.

The usual dosage range is 5 to 40 mg/day. In patients with CHD or at high risk of CHD, ZOCOR can be started simultaneously with diet. The recommended usual starting dose is 10 or 20 mg once a day in the evening. For patients at high risk for a CHD event due to existing CHD, diabetes, peripheral vessel disease, history of stroke or other cerebrovascular disease, the recommended starting dose is 40 mg/day. Lipid determinations should be performed after 4 weeks of therapy and periodically thereafter.

Restricted Dosing For 80 mg

Due to the increased risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, particularly during the first year of treatment, use of the 80-mg dose of ZOCOR should be restricted to patients who have been taking simvastatin 80 mg chronically (e.g., for 12 months or more) without evidence of muscle toxicity .

Patients who are currently tolerating the 80-mg dose of ZOCOR who need to be initiated on an interacting drug that is contraindicated or is associated with a dose cap for simvastatin should be switched to an alternative statin with less potential for the drug-drug interaction.

Due to the increased risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, associated with the 80-mg dose of ZOCOR, patients unable to achieve their LDL-C goal utilizing the 40-mg dose of ZOCOR should not be titrated to the 80-mg dose, but should be placed on alternative LDL-C-lowering treatment(s) that provides greater LDL-C lowering.

Tricor, Trlipix usual adult dose is 48-154 mg/day.