My Doctor prescribed 500 mg of timed release niacin daily for 8 weeks to try to get my LDL (good) cholesterol level up to acceptable (it is 34 instead of 40). He said that I am at greater risk of heart disease with the low number- according to statistics (of course). My family history doubles the risk , I'm sure.

I read on the bottle that some people who take this timed release at the 500 mg level (25 times th USRDA) have experienced a a liver dysfunction.

Made me feel warm and cozy (and I don't mean the niacin flush either)!! I'll be getting blood work done again after 2 months.

Any thoughts out there?

-- Rick in Southwest WV (Rick_122@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

This web site has some info. on Cholesterol & Nicotinic Acid, http://www.focusoncholesterol.com/script/main/art.asp? articlekey=9487&rd=1 “Nicotinic acid or niacin, one of the water-soluble B vitamins, improves all lipoproteins when given in doses well above the vitamin requirement. Nicotinic acid lowers the total cholesterol, "bad" LDL- cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while raising the "good" HDL- cholesterol level."

"A common and troublesome side effect of nicotinic acid is flushing or hot flashes, which are the result of the widening of blood vessels. Most patients develop a tolerance to flushing, and in some patients, it can be decreased by taking the drug during or after meals or by the use of aspirin or other similar medications prescribed by your doctor.”

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 13, 2002.

Just make sure you get the blood work done in that time frame, I hate taking pills for what I can change on my own with some effort!

Other things you can do to raise HDL's and lower LDL's, watch your fat intake closely, should be less than 50 grams of fat taken in daily, and eliminate all hydrogenated fats of all kinds, these are truly deadly; increase your exercise to include daily walking of at least 30 minutes a day, this alone will drastically improve your HDL's; increase your fiber intake, this helps push out any excess fat from your body, including your arteries and veins; maintain a healty weight, you can't eliminate artery clogging fat inside your body well if you are toting around excess fat on your body!!!

I used to have dangerously high BP and cholesterol, not anymore, with only dietary changes and daily exercise I am down to 120/80 and a total cholesterol of 147, and HDL's of 89, my internist calls me her "poster girl" of drug free cardiovascular good health.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), February 14, 2002.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Annie - I really appreciate the addidional thoughts.....I don't want to pay for, or take these tabs for long. I will work on the tips you offered....particularly the fats and Hydro fats. I switched to butter on the 1st of the year, and eat only natural peanut butter now.

-- rick (Southwest WV) (rick_122@hotmail.com), February 14, 2002.

since b vitamins are water soluble, i dont think they can affect the liver, whereas, vitamin a and e can since they are not water soluble.

-- js (schlicker54@aol.com), February 14, 2002.

Niacin at that high a dose affects the liver much the same as the "statin" drugs do that lower cholesterol, all those statin drugs are extremely liver toxic, it is the way they work to lower the cholesterol in the liver that makes them so toxic. Better to try other ways to lower cholesterol than drugs!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), February 15, 2002.

50-Gms is one heck of a lot of fat! My doc put me on a low-fat diet of 12-Gms of fat a day and it was almost impossible to do it. That was for a post gall bladder surgery.

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 20, 2002.