Simvastatin has had a bad press and rightly so. It is the 'cheapy' of the statins. It costs a fifth of Atorvastatin (Lipitor) I was put on Lipitor five years ago, after the second mini-stroke, but the dose has never been above 10 mg daily.
My OH had been on Simvastatin years ago and through having side effects, was changed to Lipitor. The comparison of the two drugs is such...that it takes four times the strength of Simv to equal the efficacy of the other statins. That is:
10mg Lipitor = 40 mg Simvastatin
40mg Lipitor = 160 mg Simvastatin, yet the daily medication is still much cheaper. But look at the absurd quantity of stuff being put down our throats!!!
Obviously, for reasons of cost, GPs want to get their statin patients on to the cheapest possible and we were all sent their circular, a few years ago, saying we would be put on Simv in the future.
OH reminded them about his history of contraindications, so he could stay put. I was tried on Simv for a week and had the rashes, pains with headache, so was granted my stay on Lipitor. GPs need to know when Simvastatin patients are not getting on with it, and especially after the pages in the press recently.