Zocor Heart-Pro available from us in the following ways -

• Zocor Heart-Pro single packs of 28 to order now
• Zocor Heart-Pro Repeat Packs (3x28) which we post to you every 12 weeks

Zocor Heart-pro is the first preventative prescription-only medicine to be licensed for sale direct to the public in the UK. It lowers anyone's cholesterol level, whatever the starting level, and this reduces the chance of you having a heart attack. Use the Zocor Heart-Pro Assessment to see if it will benefit you.

• Effectively reduces the risk of a heart attack
• Helps reduce build up of plaques in arteries
• Significantly lowers cholesterol levels
• Now available without a prescription

The active ingredient in Zocor Heart-Pro, simvastatin, belongs to a group of medicines known as statins. These significantly reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Zocor Heart-Pro reduces the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol and fatty substances called triglycerides in your blood and raises HDL (good) cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because it is the cholesterol that clogs your coronary arteries. HDL is called "good" cholesterol because it helps to protect against heart disease. Too much cholesterol in your blood builds up in the walls of the coronary arteries causing plaques to form. This leads narrowing of the coronary arteries, just like hard water furs up a water pipe. Heart attacks can then happen when a blood clot forms in a narrowed coronary artery.

Taking these tablets can significantly reduce cholesterol levels and help to reduce build-up of artery-narrowing plaques. In order to benefit from treatment, these tablets should be taken regularly on a long-term basis. The risk of heart attacks increases as you age because of the build up of plaques. Reducing this risk with these tablets and changes to your lifestyle needs to be a lifelong effort.

How to take Zocor Heart-Pro:

• Take one tablet every evening.
• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water.
• The evening is the best time because it means that your medicine will be working when your body is producing the most cholesterol.

• Never take more than one tablet each day.
• If you forget a dose, just take one dose the next evening you remember. Do not take an extra one to make up.

Contents: Each film-coated tablet contains 10mg simvastatin as the active ingredient.

The tablets also contain ascorbic acid (E300), butylated hydroxyanisole (E320), citric acid monohydrate (E330), lactose, magnesium stearate (E572), microcrystalline cellulose (E460), pregelatinised maize starch, hydroxypropylcellulose (E463), methylhydroxypropylcellulose (E464), talc (E533b), titanium dioxide (E171), red iron oxide (E172) and yellow iron oxide (E172).

Zocor Heart-Pro tablets come in calendar packs containing 28 film-coated tablets.

Is Zocor Heart-Pro right for you:

• Do not take Zocor Heart-Pro tablets if you:
• know you have liver disease or you have been told you have abnormal liver function blood tests;
• have had an allergic reaction to this or similar medicines or to any of the ingredients in the past;
• are already taking prescription drugs to lower your cholesterol;
• could become pregnant, are pregnant, are planning to become pregnant, or are breast feeding;
• discover you are pregnant while taking Zocor Heart-Pro. In this case you should stop taking these tablets immediately and contact your doctor;
• have had muscle problems in the past after taking a cholesterol lowering medicine;

• Are taking one of the following medicines:
• oral antifungal medicines called itraconazole or ketoconazole.
• antibiotics called erythromycin, telithromycin or clarithromycin.
• medicines for HIV infections called protease inhibitors (such as indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir or saquinavir).
• the antidepressant nefazodone.

If you have an under active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), kidney problems, a family history of muscle disorders or are aged over 70, you should check with your doctor before taking this product.

If you drink more than 4 units of alcohol a day for men and 3 units of alcohol a day for women (one unit is 1/2 pint of lager, a pub measure of wine or one short), check with your doctor before taking this product.

This product contains lactose. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.

Zocor Heart-Pro should not be used by children.

If you are in one of the groups below, you are at a higher risk of coronary heart disease. You should discuss your condition with your doctor since Zocor Heart-Pro is not intended for you if:

• You already have angina or have had a heart attack.
• You have diabetes.
• You have had a stroke.
• You have disease of the arteries of your legs or neck.
• You have inherited (It runs in the family) very high blood cholesterol levels.

If you think any of these apply to you or you are unsure that you have one of these conditions, go and talk to your pharmacist or doctor first.

If your doctor has told you that you have high blood pressure, check with your doctor before taking Zocor Heart-Pro.

If you have your cholesterol levels checked and you find that you have a fasting LDL-cholesterol measurement greater than 5.5 mmol/l, you should talk to your doctor because you may need more than Zocor Heart-Pro to reduce your cholesterol levels.

Before you take Zocor Heart-Pro: If you are taking any other medicines, speak to your pharmacist before taking Zocor Heart-Pro.

Driving and Zocor Heart-Pro: This product can cause dizziness. If affected, do not drive or operate machinery.

While taking Zocor Heart-Pro: Very rarely, these tablets can affect the muscles. If this problem develops, it can be serious especially if you continue to take the drug. Stop taking your tablets immediately and check with your doctor if you develop generalised muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, unless it is clearly the result of flu, unaccustomed exercise, or recent strain or injury.

The chance of your muscles being affected is greater if you drink grapefruit juice, (see below) or if you have kidney problems or are taking certain medicines.

In addition to the medicines listed above this medicine can react with the following drugs to cause muscle problems:

• Ciclosporin (an immunosuppressant medicine).
• Danazol (a steroid).
• Prescription cholesterol-lowering medicines (such as bezafibrate, gemfibrozil and high doses of niacin or nicotinic acid (more than 1000mg/day)).

If you go into hospital for major surgery, tell your doctor you are taking Zocor Heart-Pro as you will need to stop taking it a few days beforehand.

If your skin or whites of your eyes turn yellow or your urine appears very dark in colour, this may mean that you have a liver problem. So, stop taking your tablets and see your doctor.

What else do I need to know: Grapefruit juice contains one or more substances that alter the metabolism of some medications, such as Zocor Heart-Pro. You should avoid drinking grapefruit juice while taking these tablets.

Does Zocor Heart-Pro react with other medicines: In addition to the medicines listed in the section 'While you are taking Zocor Heart-Pro', other medicines may cause problems when you take them with these tablets.

• These are:
• medicines for thinning the blood, such as warfarin
• high doses of niacin or nicotinic acid (more than 1000 mg a day) for poor blood flow to the hands or feet.

If you are taking any prescription medicine, your pharmacist may advise you to check with your doctor before taking Zocor Heart-Pro. If your doctor prescribes a new medicine for you while you are taking this product (for example, if you develop an infection and your doctor decides to give you a course of antibiotics), you should mention that you are taking Zocor Heart-Pro.

Side-effects: Like all medicines, Zocor Heart-Pro may occasionally cause side effects in some people. The most common side effects are stomach upsets (such as sickness, stomach pain, constipation and flatulence (wind)), weakness and headache.

• The following have also been reported:
• Anaemia (not enough red blood cells)
• Headache, tingling and numbness, dizziness, painful, heavy pins and needles.
• Constipation, abdominal pain, flatulence (wind), indigestion, diarrhoea, feeling sick, being sick, inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
• Liver disease (e.g., yellowing of the skin or the whites of your eyes, dark coloured urine).
• Rash, itching, hair loss.
• Muscle disease (aches and pains) which can be severe (see "While you are taking Zocor Heart-Pro" section).
• Weakness.
• Abnormal blood test results for liver and muscle function.

Rarely, a few patients have reported an allergic reaction. The allergic reaction may include: swelling of the face or neck, muscle and joint pains, joint and blood vessel inflammation, itchy, lumpy rash, (hives, nettle rash), a high temperature, flushing, difficulty in breathing, or tiredness.

If any of these happen to you, or you have any other unusual symptoms or feelings, stop taking the tablets and contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Remember: this medicine is for you. Do not share it with anyone else, it may not suit them.

You are likely to be at moderate risk if you are a man aged 55 or over.

You are also likely to be at moderate risk if you are a man aged between 45 and 54 or a woman aged 55 or over and you answer yes to one or more of the questions below:

• Do you have a parent, brother or sister who suffered a heart attack younger than 55 for men or 65 for women?
• Do you smoke or have you smoked within the past 5 years?
• Are you overweight? This means you haves body mass index over 25 kg/m² (your weight in kilos divided by your height in metres squared), or your waist is greater than 40 inches or 102 cm (for men), or 35 inches or 88 cm (for women). Your pharmacist can help you answer this question.
• Are you of South Asian origin i.e. from the Indian subcontinent that includes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Sri Lanka?

If, in addition, you take no physical exercise other than normal daily activities, your risk of a heart attack is further increased.

Other ways to reduce the risk of a heart attack: At the same time as taking Zocor Heart-Pro tablets, try to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by doing the following:

• Stop smoking - there is strong evidence to link cigarette smoking with heart disease. The risks increase with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day, but risks still exist even if you smoke as little as five a day. It is better to stop smoking altogether rather than just cut down on how much you smoke. Your pharmacist can advise you on a suitable programme to help you stop smoking.
• Eat a healthy diet - a healthy diet will not only help towards preventing coronary heart disease, but has also been shown to reduce the risk of stroke and a number of cancers. Try to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet and reduce the amount of sugar, salt and fat.
• Lose weight - being overweight can cause a rise in your blood pressure, increases your risk of developing diabetes and increases the risk of developing heart disease due to high cholesterol levels. Change your diet as described previously and take more exercise.
• Exercise - a brisk walk to the shops can help. Swimming is a good all-round exercise that you could consider doing, as it is something you can gradually build up without overdoing it to start with. You could try adding the following to your daily routine: vigorous housework, walk upstairs more often (and don't take the lift or escalator when you are out), and gardening.

Zocor have a Healthy Heart Programme to help you.

Checking your cholesterol: If you have a moderate risk of heart disease, reducing the level of cholesterol in your blood will reduce your risk. Your pharmacist can arrange to check your cholesterol level, but it is not necessary to know this before you start Zocor Heart-Pro. Checking your cholesterol can provide additional information and can be helpful to show your progress while taking Zocor Heart-Pro. If your fasting LDL-cholesterol measurement is above 5.5 mmol/l, speak to your doctor.