OFF TOPIC: Niaspan

[admiralross]

Hello All!

My HDL was a lil low nothing dangerous. Dr. gave me some samples of Niaspan. He warned me that patients don't respond too well but to give it a try. He meant on the side effects. Anyone here takes this stuff? If so, I'd appreciate some feeback.

Thanks,

[roster]

Here are some comments from patients. http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.a ... me=NIASPAN

If you take it, let us know how it goes.

[admiralross]

Here are some comments from patients. http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.a ... me=NIASPAN

If you take it, let us know how it goes.

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!! I know that everyone is different. My dr told me about the side effects. After hearing what others have been through, it has scared me to DEATH. I'm for one am heat in-tolerate also have allergies. That makes the flushing and itching out of the question for me. I'm aware that you can take Benadryl in combination with the Niaspan. I'll just continue to exercise and loose weight.

[jtm]

Hello All!

My HDL was a lil low nothing dangerous. Dr. gave me some samples of Niaspan. He warned me that patients don't respond too well but to give it a try. He meant on the side effects. Anyone here takes this stuff? If so, I'd appreciate some feeback.

Thanks,

My doctor switched me a few month's ago from the OTC timed release niacin to
1000 mg/day of Niaspan. I haven't had any side effects on Niaspan, but on Niacin, sometimes I did.

jtm

[Snoredog]

I've taken up to 2000 mg's of Niaspan for over a year. Niaspan is time-release Niacin, same stuff you can buy over the counter.

2000mg /day is about the maximum safe level you can take per day or it can cause liver and kidney damage.

I was prescribed it by my Cardiologist (after a stroke) when my HDL levels were down to 28, for my age group I should have been above 32, 40 and above is ideal.

But I took it for that year and my HDL actually went down from 28 to 26 and taking that much was difficult to do. I take OTC 500mg niacin per day now and I get no flushing, maybe every once in a while but rarely, I take it before bed.

Niacin has another benefit it supposedly regressing clogged arteries, niacin makes the lining of the artery "slippery" so the cholesterol putty like plaque doesn't adhere to the wall as easily. Having a higher HDL level helps carry the bad cholesterol away.

Personally, I would rather fight it on the inflammation front then screwing with how my liver functions. I'm a strong believer that the amount of cholesterol you have in your blood stream is a result of arterial inflammation, get rid of the inflammation cholesterol will take care of itself (as long as you are not abusing your diet).

I asked my Cardiologist about taking that 2000mg/day dose when he prescribed it (taking 4ea pills per day) and the effect it would have on my liver, he said we are monitoring your liver function through regular blood tests, if there is a problem with the liver you simply stop taking it and the liver should recover.

But then a light bulb came on, I had a $20 co-pay for a 30 day supply, if I said nothing for that same $20 bucks I got 3 extra months supply for the same copay, so he wrote that 2000mg script for 1 year supply, 3 years later I finally ran out of them 500mg pills

Oh and the flushing? It feels like a sun burn on the back of your neck or even the hair on the back of your neck standing up.... it goes away after about 15 minutes, you get used to it when you take it regularly then you rarely notice it.

Niacin is also thought to speed up your metabolism.

[JennyLouWho]

I was prescribed the max 2000 mg of Niaspan and was told to take an 81 mg aspirin (which I did) and eat something about an hour before taking the Niaspan (which I did....both nights) to thwart any side effects. The first day, I experienced no side effects whatsoever. The second day, about an hour after I went to bed, I was awakened, seemingly, on fire with an itch and burning like I had never had before.That crap had actually BURNED my skin....it felt like from the inside out! I had a bumpy rash for 3 days. The skin on my thighs and upper arms look like I had been scalded. I will never take any more of that lethal poison ever, ever again.

[Guest]

I refuse to take Niaspan (or any variant) now, after what happened to me.

I took it for a few days, didn't notice anything. Middle of the night, woke up BURNING. My skin was ON FIRE. I was FREAKED OUT!

I called my mom in tears and asked her if I should call an ambulance. She said to take a cold bath, some Benadryl and some Ibuprofen, and call her back if I wanted to go to the ER.

I toughed it out, and after about 3 hours, the pain subsided, but NEVER AGAIN!

Literally, I thought someone had poured gasoline on me and set me on fire.

I take niacin in small doses in my multi-vitamin, but will not take any more than that.

There are easier and better ways to deal with this issue - diet, exercise, small doses of B Vitamins, Omega 3-6-9 supplements....

I've had very good luck bringing my numbers down with a product called "Cholest-Off".

The other great thing that works for me is just avoiding fast food.

Good luck!
Babs

[Amontilado]

Been taking 1000mg along with a 320mg aspirin before bed for about a year. Had the flushing problem the first few months, though with me, it seems as though the higher my blood sugar, the worse the flushing. I limit how late I eat deserts or candy as a result.

Steve

[RipVW]

Been taking Niaspan for several years, 500 mg 2x daily. I take a low dose aspirin each day as well, which is supposed to help with the flushing side effect. I've had no problems with it, no side effects. I think it is better than the chlosterol drugs we see advertised that metabolize through the liver, but only for those of us whose HCL is not too high.

[tchavalas]

Greetings,

I took Niaspan for a while too. It did tend to make me feel very warm. (Flushed.) It is also very expensive! Right now I take 1500mg of "No Flush Niacin" from GNC. It is a lot less expensive than Niaspan and it does not seem to make me feel flushed. According to my blood tests... It seems to be getting the job done.