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Suggest Treatment For Side Effects Of Simvastatin

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Posted on Tue, 11 Apr 2017
Question: treated for TIA. Dr. wants to lower blood pressure which is not hight (average 100/60); and lower cholesterol which is marginally hight (triglycerides 130); treated with. simvastatin that makes me light-headed. I am taking levothyroxine and a chlosterol pill (Lisinopril) for the last 10 days, but not comfortable with the light-headed and vision challenges (depth and 3 dimensional issues).
I stopped the medicine for two days, but will re-start this afternoon if no other good alternative..

XXXXXXX XXXX


doctor
Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX

Welcome on HCM!

I passed carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms could be related to low blood pressure.

I would not recommend lowering further blood pressure, because it may lead to low blood perfusion to the brain.

So first, I would recommend reducing the dose of lisinopril or even stop it if your blood pressure values are within the normal ranges (135/85 mm Hg).

Regarding Simvastatin, it is not known to cause dizziness or vision troubles as adverse effects. So, I do not think that your symptoms are related to it. Nevertheless, as your blood lipid profile is borderline, I would recommend reducing the dose to a minimal daily dose of 10mg daily. You can even stop taking it and make some diet modifications to help reduce cholesterol levels. It is not the best drug for high triglycerides, because its main action is on cholesterol levels.

Anyway, I would recommend checking your thyroid hormone levels. You should know that thyroid dysfunction can lead to dizziness. It is important to periodically check thyroid hormone levels in order to regulate the dose of levothyroxine.

Regarding troubles with the vision, they could be related to low blood pressure, thyroid dysfunction or a brain damage (considering the fact that you have had a TIA). Sometimes, during TIA some brain cells are damaged, although they are not seen in the brain MRI.

Considering the fact that you have had a TIA, I would recommend performing some other tests to investigate for the possible underlying causes:

- a cardiac ultrasound
- an ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring to examine your heart rhythm trends and exclude possible cardiac arrhythmia, which could be related to thyroid dysfunction
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical arteries to check for possible narrowing and low blood flow to the brain.

Meanwhile, I would also recommend taking daily aspirin 80-100mg (if no contraindications) to help prevent further TIA in the future. Taking plenty of water and fluids can help maintain a good hydration and raise your blood pressure values.

You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.

Hope to have been helpful!

Feel free to ask me again, whenever you need!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Ilir Sharka

Cardiologist

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 9535 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Side Effects Of Simvastatin

Brief Answer: I would recommend as follows: Detailed Answer: Hello XXXXXXX Welcome on HCM! I passed carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms could be related to low blood pressure. I would not recommend lowering further blood pressure, because it may lead to low blood perfusion to the brain. So first, I would recommend reducing the dose of lisinopril or even stop it if your blood pressure values are within the normal ranges (135/85 mm Hg). Regarding Simvastatin, it is not known to cause dizziness or vision troubles as adverse effects. So, I do not think that your symptoms are related to it. Nevertheless, as your blood lipid profile is borderline, I would recommend reducing the dose to a minimal daily dose of 10mg daily. You can even stop taking it and make some diet modifications to help reduce cholesterol levels. It is not the best drug for high triglycerides, because its main action is on cholesterol levels. Anyway, I would recommend checking your thyroid hormone levels. You should know that thyroid dysfunction can lead to dizziness. It is important to periodically check thyroid hormone levels in order to regulate the dose of levothyroxine. Regarding troubles with the vision, they could be related to low blood pressure, thyroid dysfunction or a brain damage (considering the fact that you have had a TIA). Sometimes, during TIA some brain cells are damaged, although they are not seen in the brain MRI. Considering the fact that you have had a TIA, I would recommend performing some other tests to investigate for the possible underlying causes: - a cardiac ultrasound - an ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring to examine your heart rhythm trends and exclude possible cardiac arrhythmia, which could be related to thyroid dysfunction - a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical arteries to check for possible narrowing and low blood flow to the brain. Meanwhile, I would also recommend taking daily aspirin 80-100mg (if no contraindications) to help prevent further TIA in the future. Taking plenty of water and fluids can help maintain a good hydration and raise your blood pressure values. You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues. Hope to have been helpful! Feel free to ask me again, whenever you need! Kind regards, Dr. Iliri