Help In Getting Non-formulary Real Zocor

[RockyA1911]

Hey all,

A little history. Back in Feb 2006 my VA PCP wanted me to take ZOCOR (The real stuff by brand name, not just simvistatin). My cholesterol at that time was 205. In March of 2006 I decided to go ahead and try the medication as I was encouraged to by other VA doctors including the neurologist. I called the VA Clinic and asked the doctor to go ahead and prescibe the Zocor. In late March of 2006 I received the brand named ZOCOR, small triangle pink pills with ZOCOR embedded on them. I was to take 1/2 a tablet (10 mg) daily. So the last week of March of 2006 I was taking them faithfully.

In May of 2006 I had another fasting blood draw of which my total cholesterol was 147. I felt good and didn't experience any adverse side effects from the ZOCOR. In August of 2006 I had another VA Clinic visit but they did not tell me that I was going to have blood drawn so I did not fast. The lab result was total cholesterol of 171, but I had eaten a big breakfast such as bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and whole milk. The Dr said it was ok.

I continued to take the Zocor and in October of 2006 and my fasting total cholesterol was 158. At this point I was taking Zocor for over a year up until June of 2007. I still had not experienced any muscle weakness, joint pain, etc. All was well.

In the middle of June 2007 I noticed my second refill was not the brand name ZOCOR and had no name on them except 93 on one side and 7154 on the other and instead of being triangle shaped they where round and pink. It was a generic form of Simvistatin.

The first week in July I started getting cramps, and a stiff neck. Then my wrists hurt while riding a motorcycle. The last week in August I could not bear taking the generic crap anymore. I could not feel my left hand and couldn't squeeze the clutch or even feel it. My left foot got numb etc., so I quit taking the crap. I also had a blood draw on 17 August 2007 and my cholesterol was up to 191 with triglycerides up to 387 from previous 147.

Not only did the generic cause me harm, but it raised my cholesterol instead of lowering it. Point it doesn't work as it should and it is also harmful to me. I had no problems with the previous over a year long taking of brand named Zocor that was previously furnished by the VA.

I complained via IRIS and requested I be prescribed the now non-formulary ZOCOR due to the problems and adverse reactions I had with the generic. My VA PCP put in a non-formulary prescription request for the ZOCOR. I received a letter from the Director of the VAMC which was written by the VAMC Pharmacist. The Pharmacist denied any problems with the generic and stated it was equivalent and also got her way and denied my doctors non-formulary request for ZOCOR. I wrote them and tole them they should not be messing around with statins and that I had been ok with the ZOCOR for over a year, no side effect, cholesteral well below normal and don't understand why they will not go out and buy it for me as the regs state there must be a procedure to request non-formulary drugs within each VAMC.

The Pharmacist then recommended I try some of their other generic statins that were in the formulary and also stated that my cholesterol has been fluctuating but not mentioning that the 205 was before I had even taken any statins.

I am a believer of if it ain't broke don't fix it. Since the generic simvistatin hurt me and scared the crap out of me I am more than hesitant to try any more generic statins period. I was lucky this time and have my feeling back after almost a couple of months without any statin drug. I have been without medicine since middle of August.

I refuse to be a guinea pig so I guess I can't get the ZOCOR unless I buy it myself I was told at the clinic.

I happened to recall the last line of the letter from the Director in Iowa City stating "The VA strives to provide the highest quality of healthcare and medicines to our veterans".

Kind of an oxymoron isn't it? Yet, top shelf medicines and brand named medicines are not even made available to veterans at all.

What do I need to do the get the VA to give me back the ZOCOR I had been taking for over a year with no problems?

[Guest morgan]

Rocky, sorry you're having a problem getting the medicine that works for you. We had the same problem with my husband's Neurontin for peripheral neuropathy, we tried but they would never let him have the brand name. The brand name costs us about $250 mo. Dr. Bash told me that the effects of generics average 20%, plus or minus, compared to brand name drugs.

I suggest that you go see your patient advocate and see if you can get help there. But in suggesting that, I hope yours is better than the one here, he is totally useless.

[RockyA1911]

Morgan,

I did start with the patient's advocate at the VAMC Iowa City. He is the one that stirred the pot and the pharmacy contacted my VA Dr at the clinic and told him to submit a non-formulary request for Zocor since I had adverse reactions with the generic. Later after I received a letter from the Director I called the advocate and told him what had happened. He said he was appealling it and would have a meeting with the chief of staff at the VAMC. Apparently the pharmacist overrides everybody, including my PCP and everyone else when it comes to administration of medications.

Even the President wrote that 30% and above veterans are the United States very best citizens. They all claim to give us the very best there is in health care and medicines. Yet brand name drugs or drugs in the top 5 best to treat conditions are not even made available to veterans.

I plan on taking that letter from the Director and going to both Congressman Phil Hare's and Senator Barrack Obama's offices in Moline, IL and file a complaint and that the VA is a fraud and since we are America's very best citizens and will be given priority health care, why are we treated like this over necessary medicines.

The VA claims now that the generics are "equivalent", notice before they used to say the "same" as the brand name. But research proves on the Consumer's reports that the generics must have the same amount of active ingredient but have many differences as far as fillers and inactive ingredients used to form the pills or tablets and make the active ingredient stick to it. There are many forms of niacin and it may not have to be the same exact form of niacin used in Zocor and of course the fillers are definitely not the same. The consumers report also states that it is not recommended to switch from a brand name statin to a generic as your body is used to the brand name.

Oh well, just another hill to fight to the top.

What is strange is that I do get non-formulary Aciphex from the VA and they approved that one. I have been getting the brand name Aciphex for over a year now. I had adverse reactions to the formulary stuff the VA had so my Dr put in a non-formulary request and my private gastro guy also wrote a letter that I must have Aciphex as I tolerate it well. They still turned me down and I went on IRIS and filed a complaint over that. A week letter the Aciphex was delivered to my door by FedEx.

[allan]

>I started getting cramps, and a stiff neck. Then my wrists hurt

Hello Rocky,

Thanks for this post warning all of us.

I'm taking the same crap and having the same reaction.

Correction, I was taking the same crap. It's going in the garbage when I find the bottle.

Thanks again. I would never put it together that it was this generic Zocor. My wife says I've been taking this for a few months. It was recently increased, so has these same side effects. Colesteral levels are still running high.

I continue to pay for all my chronic pain medication each month. VA refuses to provide it, even though I'm intolerant to what they offer.

Health care through the VA is allot like ring toss at a carnival. It will usually leave you feeling very disapointed and it doesn't take long to figure out just how rigged the game is.

Allan

Edited October 10, 2007 by allan

[jmack]

Hey all,

A little history. Back in Feb 2006 my VA PCP wanted me to take ZOCOR (The real stuff by brand name, not just simvistatin). My cholesterol at that time was 205. In March of 2006 I decided to go ahead and try the medication as I was encouraged to by other VA doctors including the neurologist. I called the VA Clinic and asked the doctor to go ahead and prescibe the Zocor. In late March of 2006 I received the brand named ZOCOR, small triangle pink pills with ZOCOR embedded on them. I was to take 1/2 a tablet (10 mg) daily. So the last week of March of 2006 I was taking them faithfully.

In May of 2006 I had another fasting blood draw of which my total cholesterol was 147. I felt good and didn't experience any adverse side effects from the ZOCOR. In August of 2006 I had another VA Clinic visit but they did not tell me that I was going to have blood drawn so I did not fast. The lab result was total cholesterol of 171, but I had eaten a big breakfast such as bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and whole milk. The Dr said it was ok.

I continued to take the Zocor and in October of 2006 and my fasting total cholesterol was 158. At this point I was taking Zocor for over a year up until June of 2007. I still had not experienced any muscle weakness, joint pain, etc. All was well.

In the middle of June 2007 I noticed my second refill was not the brand name ZOCOR and had no name on them except 93 on one side and 7154 on the other and instead of being triangle shaped they where round and pink. It was a generic form of Simvistatin.

The first week in July I started getting cramps, and a stiff neck. Then my wrists hurt while riding a motorcycle. The last week in August I could not bear taking the generic crap anymore. I could not feel my left hand and couldn't squeeze the clutch or even feel it. My left foot got numb etc., so I quit taking the crap. I also had a blood draw on 17 August 2007 and my cholesterol was up to 191 with triglycerides up to 387 from previous 147.

Not only did the generic cause me harm, but it raised my cholesterol instead of lowering it. Point it doesn't work as it should and it is also harmful to me. I had no problems with the previous over a year long taking of brand named Zocor that was previously furnished by the VA.

I complained via IRIS and requested I be prescribed the now non-formulary ZOCOR due to the problems and adverse reactions I had with the generic. My VA PCP put in a non-formulary prescription request for the ZOCOR. I received a letter from the Director of the VAMC which was written by the VAMC Pharmacist. The Pharmacist denied any problems with the generic and stated it was equivalent and also got her way and denied my doctors non-formulary request for ZOCOR. I wrote them and tole them they should not be messing around with statins and that I had been ok with the ZOCOR for over a year, no side effect, cholesteral well below normal and don't understand why they will not go out and buy it for me as the regs state there must be a procedure to request non-formulary drugs within each VAMC.

The Pharmacist then recommended I try some of their other generic statins that were in the formulary and also stated that my cholesterol has been fluctuating but not mentioning that the 205 was before I had even taken any statins.

I am a believer of if it ain't broke don't fix it. Since the generic simvistatin hurt me and scared the crap out of me I am more than hesitant to try any more generic statins period. I was lucky this time and have my feeling back after almost a couple of months without any statin drug. I have been without medicine since middle of August.

I refuse to be a guinea pig so I guess I can't get the ZOCOR unless I buy it myself I was told at the clinic.

I happened to recall the last line of the letter from the Director in Iowa City stating "The VA strives to provide the highest quality of healthcare and medicines to our veterans".

Kind of an oxymoron isn't it? Yet, top shelf medicines and brand named medicines are not even made available to veterans at all.

What do I need to do the get the VA to give me back the ZOCOR I had been taking for over a year with no problems?

Rocky;

I kind of experienced the same with the VA, so I lost trust in the medicine that they have there. Do you see an outside provider? Are you RETIRED military? If the answer to especially the latter, and you have at

[jmack]

Hey all,

A little history. Back in Feb 2006 my VA PCP wanted me to take ZOCOR (The real stuff by brand name, not just simvistatin). My cholesterol at that time was 205. In March of 2006 I decided to go ahead and try the medication as I was encouraged to by other VA doctors including the neurologist. I called the VA Clinic and asked the doctor to go ahead and prescibe the Zocor. In late March of 2006 I received the brand named ZOCOR, small triangle pink pills with ZOCOR embedded on them. I was to take 1/2 a tablet (10 mg) daily. So the last week of March of 2006 I was taking them faithfully.

In May of 2006 I had another fasting blood draw of which my total cholesterol was 147. I felt good and didn't experience any adverse side effects from the ZOCOR. In August of 2006 I had another VA Clinic visit but they did not tell me that I was going to have blood drawn so I did not fast. The lab result was total cholesterol of 171, but I had eaten a big breakfast such as bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and whole milk. The Dr said it was ok.

I continued to take the Zocor and in October of 2006 and my fasting total cholesterol was 158. At this point I was taking Zocor for over a year up until June of 2007. I still had not experienced any muscle weakness, joint pain, etc. All was well.

In the middle of June 2007 I noticed my second refill was not the brand name ZOCOR and had no name on them except 93 on one side and 7154 on the other and instead of being triangle shaped they where round and pink. It was a generic form of Simvistatin.

The first week in July I started getting cramps, and a stiff neck. Then my wrists hurt while riding a motorcycle. The last week in August I could not bear taking the generic crap anymore. I could not feel my left hand and couldn't squeeze the clutch or even feel it. My left foot got numb etc., so I quit taking the crap. I also had a blood draw on 17 August 2007 and my cholesterol was up to 191 with triglycerides up to 387 from previous 147.

Not only did the generic cause me harm, but it raised my cholesterol instead of lowering it. Point it doesn't work as it should and it is also harmful to me. I had no problems with the previous over a year long taking of brand named Zocor that was previously furnished by the VA.

I complained via IRIS and requested I be prescribed the now non-formulary ZOCOR due to the problems and adverse reactions I had with the generic. My VA PCP put in a non-formulary prescription request for the ZOCOR. I received a letter from the Director of the VAMC which was written by the VAMC Pharmacist. The Pharmacist denied any problems with the generic and stated it was equivalent and also got her way and denied my doctors non-formulary request for ZOCOR. I wrote them and tole them they should not be messing around with statins and that I had been ok with the ZOCOR for over a year, no side effect, cholesteral well below normal and don't understand why they will not go out and buy it for me as the regs state there must be a procedure to request non-formulary drugs within each VAMC.

The Pharmacist then recommended I try some of their other generic statins that were in the formulary and also stated that my cholesterol has been fluctuating but not mentioning that the 205 was before I had even taken any statins.

I am a believer of if it ain't broke don't fix it. Since the generic simvistatin hurt me and scared the crap out of me I am more than hesitant to try any more generic statins period. I was lucky this time and have my feeling back after almost a couple of months without any statin drug. I have been without medicine since middle of August.

I refuse to be a guinea pig so I guess I can't get the ZOCOR unless I buy it myself I was told at the clinic.

I happened to recall the last line of the letter from the Director in Iowa City stating "The VA strives to provide the highest quality of healthcare and medicines to our veterans".

Kind of an oxymoron isn't it? Yet, top shelf medicines and brand named medicines are not even made available to veterans at all.

What do I need to do the get the VA to give me back the ZOCOR I had been taking for over a year with no problems?

Rocky:

I am hesitant as well taking some of the generic medicines that in the VA formulary. So allow me to ask you this. Are you RETIRED mililtary and enrolled in at least Tricare Prime? Do you have an outside provider? If so ask your provider to give you a prescription for the medicine that YOU prefer that works best for YOU. You can also see if your VA doc will give you a "hard script" so you can take to your local pharmacy. I used to take zocor for my cholesterol but now I take Lipitor, it works best for ME. I get all my prescriptions both from my VA doc and my outside providers from CVS, my local pharmacy. Hope this helps, and good luck.

jmack

[sixthscents]

OK, maybe I am being just stupid here and if so I am sorry. My problem here is that generic medication that is a generic of a brand name have EXACTLY the same active ingredients, at the same dosage. Now, sometime a doctor will prescribe a generic that is NOT a match for the brand name. For example, they will prescribe vytorin, which is not the same drug a simvistatin/zocor... but has simvastatin as an active ingredient along with others. Now if you'd like I can provide the entire chemical formula for each drug, its effects etc.

However, a generic, which is a generic substitute for a brand name drug is the same drug. Neurontin/gabapentin are EXACTLY the same chemically... in fact their chemical formulas are:

Gabapentin is described as 1-(aminomethyl)cyclohex-aneacetic acid with a molecular formula of C 9 H 17 NO 2 and a molecular weight of 171.24.

Now it doesnt matter if you buy the generic or the brand name, the chenical formula is the same.

So, I am confused as to how a generic can cause different effects than a brand name. I used to take Neurontin when it was non-formulary and they still paid for it, but when the generic became available, (gabapentine) I was switched over and have notice no difference.

Now.. the reason a drug is only available in brand name for a while is because there is a law that any new drug introduced can ONLY be produced in a brand name for 5 (I think thats the amount, but am not 100% sure) years. This is to allow the drug creators to recoup their expenses in research and development etc. Personally I think it's stupid, and is just a law that was passed due to intense lobbying by the drug manufacturers in America...

So, after 5 years generics can be produced by other drug companies, and the VA formulary is almost ALL generic. However, generic or brand name, the chenical formula of the drug is the same if it is THE exact generic. Again, often doctors prescribe drugs that have some of the same chemicals, but also include others....

Perhaps this is the problem. I am unsure. I am not trying to be critical, or say that anyone is wrong... I just dont understand how two drugs that are chemically exactly the same, and only differ in color and shape of pill or capsule can cause differing side effects - unless they simply are not the same drug....

All drugs have active and inactive ingredients... but the inactive ones are simply the coloring, or dye, the stabalizing compound etc. They shouldn't have ANY effect... but maybe this is what is causing the problems... I simply dont know, and don't understand.

I do know that the generic neurontin (gabapentine) supplied by the VA, and the brand name are made in the same plant, by Parke-Davis. So I dont really see how they could be different... since by law they cant be...

Anyway, I hope I didn't upset anyone... I am sure that what you are feeling is real, I just dont understand why, and that DOES worry me.