Medication Safety Tips
Featured Resources
About UsReporting Medication ErrorsContact Us
Brought to you by
Left Chevron
Back
Left Chevron
Reporting a Medication Error

Muscle Problems with Cholesterol Medications

a63cd9e38964634741a5a3fe89055308 MCholesterol-lowering medicines can cause a variety of muscle problems. These side effects can range from mild soreness to a potentially deadly condition called rhabdomyolysis (pronounced rab-doe-my-o-ly-sis).

Rhabdomyolysis is a breakdown of muscle fibers in the body. The damaged muscles release harmful by-products that clog the kidneys, causing kidney failure.

The risk of rhabdomyolysis is greater when patients take more than 20 mg daily of simvastatin (Zocor) along with another medicine, amiodarone. Simvastatin is a common cholesterol-lowering medicine, and amiodarone is a heart medicine used to control irregular beats.

Medicines that contain simvastatin can also lead to this problem, including Vytorin (ezetimibe and simvastatin) and Simcor (extended-release niacin and simvastatin). Many cholesterol-lowering medicines taken with other drugs can also increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis:

  • Medicines used to lower triglyceride levels, such as Lopid (gemfibrozil)
  • Medicines used to treat fungal infections, such as Diflucan (fluconazole) and Sporanox (itraconazole)
  • Certain antibiotics, such as Biaxin (clarithromycin) and erythromycin

If you or family members take simvastatin and other medicines listed, call your doctor if you develop symptoms of rhabdomyolysis such as pain, muscle cramps, tenderness, stiffness, and muscle spasms.

More Safety Articles

Caution: Intravenous (IV) line disinfection caps can become a choking hazard

Caregivers of small children who are either hospitalized or visiting someone in the hospital should be aware of an unsuspecting source of choking. The small object is called a disinfection cap and is commonly used in the healthcare setting as a barrier on an intravenous port. The small cap has a foam sponge inside saturated with alcohol to help prevent infection. However, these brightly colored caps may be attractive to young children and could be a potential choking hazard.

Learn More

Fleet Enema Label Is Misleading–It’s Not Just “Saline”

Fleet enemas are commonly used in both healthcare facilities and in the home to relieve constipation. These seemingly safe treatments are available over-the-counter (OTC). As shown in Figure 1, the product label says, “Fleet Enema Saline.” This would lead you to believe that the enema was basically made of saline (salt or sodium chloride and water). However, this product actually contains phosphate which can cause bad side effects, especially in elderly people or those with kidney disease.

Learn More

Picking Up the Right Patient's Prescriptions

A pharmacy technician in a chain retail pharmacy issued the wrong medicines to a patient. The pharmacy uses a bin system for prescriptions awaiting pick-up and the technician accidentally selected the prescription in the bin next to the correct one. The first name of the two patients was exactly the same.

Learn More

What Do We Do With Your Report?

Learn what we do with your medication error reports.

Learn More