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Zocor And High Blood Pressure |
By:
Spencer McNight |
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Although Zocor is usually prescribed for atherosclerosis, recent studies involving Zocor and high blood pressure found that regular use of statin compounds, including Zocor, is associated with lowering high blood pressure and that when the statin medication is stopped, the blood pressure rises again. This means you could lower cholesterol levels with Zocor and your high blood pressure may be reduced at the same time.
Zocor, Also Known As Simvastatin And Zocor Heart Pro
Zocor is a statin medication that is taken orally and it is also known as Simvastatin. Its brand names are Zocor and Zocor Heart Pro and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. manufactures this drug. Zocor is used to reduce atherosclerosis, a medical condition that causes hardening of the arteries. The build up worsens atherosclerosis, which adds to the plaque that already clogs the arteries particularly if there is not enough exercise, or the right foods in the diet to keep the circulation system healthy.
The arteries are no longer flexible and this inflexibility creates areas in an artery where if a blood clot tried to pass through the artery, it might be stuck in a plaque clogged area because the artery can no longer move it along because it is hardened with plaque. The condition of the clogged artery can be worsened when the patient also has high blood pressure. Zocor lessens the amount of low-density lipoprotein LDL cholesterol and the total amount of cholesterol in the blood stream.
LDL is the "bad cholesterol" which clogs the arteries if there is too much of it in the diet and by reducing the total amount of cholesterol in the blood stream, the blood is thinner which will help it flow easier through the hardened arteries. Zocor is also prescribed to help to prevent heart disease when exercise and diet are not enough to reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood.
Statin Medications
The statin medications, including Zocor, reduce the LDL levels by inhibiting the enzyme that is responsible for the generation of cholesterol. Studies involving Zocor and high blood pressure show that statin compounds can go beyond this enzyme inhibition by slowing the effects of hardening of the arteries in some way, which needs more research. During a half year study, placebos were give to roughly 500 study participants while the others were given a statin compound, including Zocor.
The group, which was given the statin medications, including Zocor, experienced a small yet significant drop in their blood pressure. When the patients were taken off the statin medications, including Zocor, the patients’ blood pressure went back to the higher levels again. Zocor and lowering high blood pressure levels is an excellent combination it seems.
This study is significant to widening the range of condition that can be helped by statin compounds such as Pravachol and Zocor. High blood pressure can also be treated by Zocor apparently and this makes the results important to patients with high levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure. Zocor and other statin medications could become commonly prescribed drugs that can help reduce high blood pressure.
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Article Source: http://www.powerdirectory.net/articles/article100196.html |
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