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SIMVAR helps to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
SIMVAR is used in people who have coronary heart disease (CHD) or who are at high risk of CHD (for example, if they have diabetes,
a history of stroke, or other blood vessel disease).
SIMVAR may be used in these people, regardless of their cholesterol level to:
help prolong life by reducing the risk of a heart attack
reduce the risk of stroke
reduce the need for surgery to increase blood flow to the heart
reduce the need for hospitalisation due to angina.
Cholesterol
Everyone has cholesterol and triglycerides in their blood. They are types of blood fat needed by the body for many things,
including building cell walls, making bile acids (which help to digest food) and certain hormones. However, too much cholesterol
can be a problem.
Your body makes cholesterol, but it also comes from food.
Normally the body balances the cholesterol it makes with the cholesterol it gets from food. This means if more cholesterol
comes from food, less is made by the body. However, if you eat a diet high in fat, your body may not keep this balance and
your cholesterol levels rise.
High cholesterol is more likely to occur with certain diseases or if you have a family history of high cholesterol.
When you have high levels of cholesterol, it may 'stick' to the inside of your blood vessels instead of being carried to the
parts of the body where it is needed. Over time, this can form hard areas, called plaque, on the walls of blood vessels,
making it more difficult for the blood to flow. This blocking of your blood vessels can lead to coronary heart disease (such
as heart attack and angina), and stroke.
In people with CHD, SIMVAR may slow down the hardening of blood vessels and reduce the risk of developing new plaques.
There are different types of cholesterol, called LDL and HDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the 'bad' cholesterol that can
block your blood vessels. HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, is the 'good' cholesterol that is thought to remove the bad
cholesterol from the blood vessels.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are an energy source for the body. However, as with cholesterol, too much triglycerides can be a problem.
How SIMVAR works
SIMVAR belongs to a group of medicines known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. It works by reducing the amount of cholesterol
made by the liver. In terms of good and bad cholesterol, SIMVAR reduces the bad cholesterol and raises the good cholesterol.
SIMVAR does not reduce the cholesterol and triglycerides that come from fat in food.
Therefore, when you are taking SIMVAR, you also need to follow a low fat diet and other measures, such as exercise and weight
control.
In most people, there are no symptoms of high cholesterol or triglycerides. Your doctor can measure your cholesterol and
triglycerides with a simple blood test.
Safety and effectiveness have been studied in 10-17 year old boys and in girls, who had started their menstrual period at
least one year before (see How to take SIMVAR). SIMVAR has not been studied in children under the age of 10 years. For more
information, talk to your doctor.
Your doctor may have prescribed SIMVAR for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why SIMVAR has
been prescribed for you.
SIMVAR is not addictive.
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