Statins
Simvastatin
Simvastatin (generic Zocor) is an older statin taken once daily in the evening to lower cholesterol. It is inexpensive and still widely prescribed, though newer statins have replaced it for people who need large reductions.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
All strengths are generic. The 80 mg dose is restricted by the label to existing long-term users.
About Simvastatin
Simvastatin lowers cholesterol by inhibiting the same liver enzyme as other statins. It is usually taken in the evening because the body makes most of its cholesterol overnight and simvastatin has a short half-life. It is effective for low to moderate cholesterol reduction and has decades of safety data behind it.
The main thing that sets simvastatin apart is its interaction profile. It is broken down by a liver pathway that many common drugs block, including certain antibiotics, antifungals, calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine and diltiazem, and grapefruit. When those are combined, simvastatin levels rise and the risk of muscle injury goes up. For this reason the FDA restricts the 80 mg dose to people who have already been on it long-term without problems, and prescribers cap the dose when certain other medicines are used.
Because of those interaction rules, a person who is started on amlodipine or a related drug is often moved from simvastatin to atorvastatin or rosuvastatin rather than kept on a reduced simvastatin dose.
Why the cash price for Simvastatin differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Simvastatin is among the least expensive prescription tablets in the country, so almost the entire cash price is what the pharmacy chooses to charge above cost. That is where the widest percentage spreads between pharmacies occur, because a customer paying a few dollars more per month rarely notices.
Some pharmacies bundle very cheap generics into a low flat-price list, and others do not. Whether simvastatin is on such a list at a given pharmacy has more effect on your price than anything about the drug itself.
Ways to pay less for Simvastatin without insurance
- Ask for a ninety-day prescription to avoid paying a dispensing fee every month.
- Ask whether the pharmacy has a flat-price generic list and whether simvastatin is on it.
- If you have been started on a drug that interacts with simvastatin, ask the prescriber whether switching statins makes more sense than a dose cap.
- Compare independent pharmacies; the difference on a very cheap generic is usually the dispensing fee, and independents often charge less.
- Upload your prescription to Script Unlock and let licensed pharmacies quote their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Simvastatin
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Simvastatin prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Simvastatin
- 1.Should I take this in the evening, and does timing really matter?
- 2.Which of my other medicines interact with simvastatin?
- 3.How much grapefruit is a problem?
- 4.What muscle symptoms should I report straight away?
- 5.Would a different statin suit my other medicines better?
Related medications
Sources
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.