Should I be on Niaspan???? - High Cholesterol Message Board

cook82 · 02-10-2007, 05:22 AM

I am very disappointed with my last cholesterol test although I am not surprised at the change. I recently started a new job and there are a lot of forbidden foods around all the time and my job is very stressful.

I take 1000mg of niaspan.

TC went from 216 to 246
LDL went from 115 to 140
HDL went from 85 to 92
Triglycerides went from 84 to 66

The ratios indicate I am still below average risk.

One of the things that is disturbing me is that for the 2nd time my glucose level is just slightly out of normal . The limit is 109 - I am out at 114.

Also another number went out of range. This is the G-GTP level. It is also 5 points above normal. Doctor said this is the number that normally goes out of range when someone is drinking too much. I had added wine to my diet as I thought it helps with cholesterol but in no way would I think of myself as drinking enough to cause something like this. I think it is more likely a result of the niaspan.

The doctor didn't seem concerned about the glucose or the G-GTP numbers. He said to keep doing what I was doing but to clean up my dietary sins a little bit.

People normally take niaspan to raise hdl. Mine is 92. I'm wondering if niaspan is really the right answer at this point. I would like to stop for a few months and see if the glucose and G-GTP numbers go back to normal. Then I'll know if it is the drug or if something else is going on.

Any advice or opinions?????

Lenin · 02-10-2007, 07:00 AM

No,
Niaspan is not the drug for you, cook.
It is for people with low HDL's.

Do you know what your HDL was before taking the Niaspan?

Quote:

Special note should be made of the gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) and lactase dehydrogenase (LDH) as liver tests. The GGTP is too sensitive (frequently elevated when no liver disease is apparent). The only utility of the GGTP is that it confers liver-specificity to an elevated alkaline phosphatase. An isolated elevation of GGTP does not need to be further evaluated unless there are additional clinical risk factors for liver disease.3 The LDH is insensitive and nonspecific because it is present in tissues throughout the body.

jkhh · 02-10-2007, 08:14 AM

Ditto with Lenin on not needing Niaspan.

Really, your numbers are not that bad. I would think diet and exercise should be your goal right now (to try and bring down your total and ldl). Also, Fish Oil seems to keep my tri's down (along with Vytorin 10/20).

Good luck.

cook82 · 02-10-2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lenin

No,
Niaspan is not the drug for you, cook.
It is for people with low HDL's.

Do you know what your HDL was before taking the Niaspan?

My HDL was 54 at the time I started Niaspan BUT my HDL has always thoughout life been in the 60's and 70's sometimes 80's when I was exercising.

HDL dropped after going on a very low fat diet to control the LDL. LDL was 200 - after diet and Niaspan it dropped to 115.

Now I am starting to realize that the Niaspan wasn't responsible for the drop in LDL. It was just religious dietary discipline.

It just made my HDL soar which would naturally occur in someone who typically ran a high HDL in life anyway.

Problem is I tried Lipitor and REALLY coudn't tolerate the side effects.

Gail