High Cholesterol Support Group

OMG....I feel like an idiot telling this story, but here goes.
A friend told me that Niacin has the capability of lowering LDL so I bought some OTC and took ONE pill. Within an hour, I was beet red and thought I was going to internally combust. It scared the crap out of me. I thought I was having a severe allergic reaction so I called the poison control hotline.
I was told that one of the side effects of Niacin is flushing. That was an understatement lol. I resembled a human tomato!
Anyway, my point in replying to this is as follows: My family doctor told me that although Niacin can lower LDL somewhat, you'd have to take 6 times the dosage I took on a daily basis to see any improvement. Like I'm gonna attempt that! LOL Let your doctor be the judge before you attempt this.

My doctor wanted to push my LDL lower without upping my statins, so he put me on Niaspan about 7 months ago. It's a high-dose, time-release form of niacin, so you don't have to take pills several times a day. Instead, you take one pill at night, in hopes that you sleep through any flushing. Of course, within my first week of taking it, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling extremely hot and prickly, and my skin was bright red. Yeah, the doctor warned me that flushing was a possible side effect, but I still freaked out--that is definitely not the most pleasant experience I've ever had. Fortunately, the flushing has diminished for me (still happens occasionally, but isn't as uncomfortable as it was at first), and has actually worked better than my doctor had expected.

I had thought about taking Niacin, but when I heard from a family member that it can cause certain symptoms I decided not to try it. I now am on a generic brand for Zocor and it is under a doctors care, I started taking it 2 days ago so I am glad that will help.

my overall cholesterol is 261 and my ldl is 190 so I need to get those down and I will get those numbers down :)

have you gotten your ldl down Jana ? I hope so. if you want to talk just email me. :)

Amy

Time-release niacin helps to reduce the flushing effect. Taking aspirin 30-60 minutes before the niacin can also help reduce flushing.

I take Niaspan, it has less incidence of flushing. And, I take a baby aspirin 20 minutes before the Niaspan dose to help decrease the possibility of flushing.

I was told Niaspan targets the Triglycerides, raises HDL's and Lowers LDL's...triple treat!!

I am also on Zocor...but my Trig's elevated this last check...maybe due to a new med I am on...?? But, need to treat it, so on Niaspan.

NO flushing noted yet, but just started this week.

Yeah, the Niacin has more of a flushing effect. If you need it, ask your doc about Niaspan. I think it's prescription only...cheap too I think.

I started taking Niaspan about 6 weeks ago when I found out my Lipoprotein (a) level was 225, and should be under 20!

My doctor told me to take one regular aspirin a half hour before the Niaspan, and I have not had any flushing at all.

I also am drinking about 4 to 6 oz. of Cabernet Sauvignon, red wine, with dinner. Something about the skin of red grapes and flavonoids...

And eating Smart Start oatmeal with barley and flax seed every morning.

Going next week for retesting. I hope Ive managed to do something positive!

i've been taking niacin for about a month now. i started taking two hundred milligrams a day(one hundred in the morning, one hudred at night) and now am up to a thousand a day...my doctors goal is to me up to six thousand milligrams(six grams) a day!! i get a little flushing just about everytime i take it(i take the immediate release) and have only experienced really untolerable flushing once when i was checked into the hospital and they upped my dosage from two hundred to five hundred and didn't give me aspirin. that sucked!! it felt like my skin was on fire for about an hour. but other than that one time it hasn't been too bad.
i've been reading this book called The Eight Week Cholesterol Cure by Dr. Robert Kowalski, and he (along with my own doctors) is HUGE on niacin, even devotes an entire chapter on it. i'm going back for a follow up lipids appointment in about a month so i'm hoping to see some serious results.

1000 mgs time released at night. sometimes I dream that my flesh is on fire and melting away. my triglerydes were high, HDL low, and LDL high. was put on tricor for 8 months, then Niaspan for two.

results:
tri: 301 to 194
hdl: 38 to 44
ldl: 149 - 118

also changed my diet a bit. no one told me of the aspirin, so i will start that now and hope my face doesn't burn off at some point. but it works and if you can live with the pain, is worth it!

Have heard controversy over taking niacin. I am not sure exactly why, but do know it causes flushes or flashes. Not sure if that is what drs are against or something else.

Never had hot flashes but once I started Niaspan, started flushing. Did not dare eat spicy food or achohol after 6:00. One evening did had one drink & woke up after an hour sleep totally disoraniated. When I stopped taking niaspan it was a month for hot flashes to stop but they did. Terrible experience.