What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Simvastatin and verapamil
Simvastatin's FDA label of March 28, 2025 names verapamil in its drug interactions section, and verapamil's label names simvastatin too. The simvastatin label: “The risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis is increased by concomitant use of amiodarone, dronedarone, ranolazine, or calcium channel blockers with ZOCOR.”
Check it at the source: the simvastatin FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 28, 2025, Organon LLC); the verapamil FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 6, 2026, Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc.).
What does the simvastatin label say about verapamil?
Simvastatin label, drug interactionsAmiodarone, Dronedarone, Ranolazine, or Calcium Channel Blockers Clinical Impact: The risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis is increased by concomitant use of amiodarone, dronedarone, ranolazine, or calcium channel blockers with ZOCOR. Intervention: For patients taking verapamil, diltiazem, or dronedarone, do not exceed ZOCOR 10 mg daily. For patients taking amiodarone, amlodipine, or ranolazine, do not exceed ZOCOR 20 mg daily [see ].
Simvastatin label, warnings and precautionsZOCOR dosage modifications are recommended for patients taking lomitapide, verapamil, diltiazem, dronedarone, amiodarone, amlodipine or ranolazine [see Dosage and Administration (2.5) ].
Source: FDA drug label (ZOCOR), Organon LLC, effective March 28, 2025 (SPL set 8f55d5de-5a4f-4a39-8c84-c53976dd6af9), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the verapamil label say about simvastatin?
Verapamil label, drug interactionsCo-administration of multiple doses of 10 mg of verapamil with 80 mg simvastatin resulted in exposure to simvastatin 2.5-fold that following simvastatin alone.
Verapamil Hydrochloride label (Wilshire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., November 27, 2024), drug interactionsDRUG INTERACTIONS CYP3A4 inhibitors increase verapamil levels ( 7.1 ) CYP3A4 inducers decrease verapamil levels ( 7.1 ) If simvastatin is co-administered with verapamil, do not exceed doses greater than 10 mg daily of simvastatin ( 7.2 ) If lovastatin is co-administered with verapamil, do not exceed doses greater than 40 mg daily of lovastatin ( 7.2 ) Grapefruit juice may significantly increase verapamil levels ( 7.3 ) Beta blockers: reports of excess bradycardia and AV block, including complete heart block; monitor closely ( 7.4 ) Digoxin levels can increase by 50 to 75%; reduce digoxin dose ( 7.5 ) Alcohol elimination inhibited resulting in elevated ethanol levels
Source: FDA drug label (Verapamil Hydrochloride, NDA020943), Wilshire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., effective November 27, 2024 (SPL set 5f665d08-e1e4-422a-88c2-d8834abf9e1a), via openFDA
Source: FDA drug label (Verapamil hydrochloride), Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc., effective April 6, 2026 (SPL set e19ab8d8-dae5-489d-9805-7e7407bea06d), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Simvastatin | Verapamil | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Heart attack and coronary artery disease, High cholesterol, High triglycerides | High blood pressure, Atrial fibrillation, Angina |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.0321 per tablet 20 mg tablet | $0.191 per tablet 180 mg tablet |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once