Cholesterol, a substance found in everybody, contains three distinct parts. High-density lipoproteins perform beneficial functions in the body, while excessive levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins can cause serious health problems, the Mayo Clinic reports. A physician may prescribe the brand-name drug Vytorin, which contains the generically named medications simvastatin and ezetimibe, to help control these substance levels to prevent such problems as heart attacks, high blood pressure and strokes.
Flu-Like Syndrome
Vytorin, like many medications, may induce side effects that usually occur as symptoms of a cold or influenza, a condition known as flu-like syndrome. The person starting to use Vytorin may feel he has a fever with accompanying chills. He may get a sore throat and a stuffy or runny nose. He may get headaches and he may feel a general malaise or overall feeling of discomfort and illness. Flu-like syndrome does not classify as a serious side effect of taking Vytorin, Drugs.com reports, and for most people, it will stop as their bodies adjust to the medication.
Pain
Even without the common nonserious side effect of flu-like syndrome, the person using Vytorin may feel pain in her body. This most often will manifest as headaches, but also may occur as pain in either the legs or in the arms. This pain generally stops without medical treatment if it occurs in a mild form. If the pain feels severe, or if it continues for more than a day or two, Drugs.com reports, she should ask her physician for help.
Infection
When Vytorin first starts working in the person's body to get cholesterol levels under control, he may develop an infection in the upper portion of his respiratory tract. Although this, too, classifies as a nonserious side effect that commonly occurs with the use of Vytorin, if he feels the infection has become severe, he should ask his doctor about it, Drugs.com recommends.
Diarrhea
New medications when first introduced frequently play havoc with the digestive system, causing disturbances in how food digests. Vytorin may cause such problems in the initial phase of use, but despite abdominal cramps and frequent bathroom runs, diarrhea classifies as a nonserious side effect of the drug. It should be temporary in most Vytorin users, Drugs.com reports.
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