Zocor instructions for administration

How supplied
General Recommended Dosage Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia Adolescents (10-17 years of age) with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia Bile-acid Sequestrants Cyclosporine or Danazol Patients with Renal Insufficiency

General
The patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet. In patients with CHD or at high risk of CHD, ZOCOR can be started simultaneously with diet. The dosage should be individualized according to the goals of therapy and the patient’s response. Return to top

Recommended Dosage
The recommended usual starting dose is 20 to 40 mg once a day in the evening. For patients at high risk for a CHD event due to existing coronary heart disease, 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. Return to top

Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
The recommended dosage for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is ZOCOR 40 mg/day in the evening or 80 mg/day in 3 divided doses of 20 mg, 20 mg, and an evening dose of 40 mg. ZOCOR should be used as an adjunct to other lipid-lowering treatments (e.g., LDL apheresis) in these patients or if such treatments are unavailable. Return to top

Adolescents (10-17 years of age) with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
The recommended usual starting dose is 10 mg once a day in the evening. The recommended dosing range is 10-40 mg/day; the maximum recommended dose is 40 mg/day. Doses should be individualized according to the recommended goal of therapy. Return to top

Bile-acid Sequestrants
ZOCOR is effective alone or when used concomitantly with bile-acid sequestrants. If ZOCOR is used in combination with gemfibrozil, the dose of ZOCOR should not exceed 10 mg/day. Return to top

Cyclosporine or Danazol
In patients taking cyclosporine or danazol concomitantly with ZOCOR, therapy should begin with 5 mg/day and should not exceed 10 mg/day. Return to top

Amiodarone or Verapamil
In patients taking amiodarone or verapamil concomitantly with ZOCOR, the dose should not exceed 20 mg/day. Return to top

Patients with Renal Insufficiency
Because ZOCOR does not undergo significant renal excretion, modification of dosage should not be necessary in patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency. However, caution should be exercised when ZOCOR is administered to patients with severe renal insufficiency; such patients should be started at 5 mg/day and be closely monitored. Return to top