Who has tried Niaspan or Niacin before making a decision...? - High Cholesterol Message Board

Guy1_USA · 07-12-2007, 09:44 PM

Who has tried Niaspan or Niacin before making a decision as to whether you got good results or whether you can tollerate it?

People are so quick to jump on the statins because their Doctors "say so"... but who has tried an alternative. BTW, I was one of those folks regarding statins and taking them blindly.

Connie122516 · 07-13-2007, 11:15 AM

Well, I didn't really have a choice...heart disease diagnosed a week after my 54th birthday (99% blockage in the LAD). And with a lot of previous "borderline high" lipid readings which my conservative doctor had decided didn't need treatment (I'll never know whether taking niacin and/or statins earlier would have made a difference).

I started the Niaspan after statins and lifestyle changes alone did a good job with reducing my LDL and total, but had no effect on my dangerously low HDL.

Niaspan works wonders on my HDL (and helps my triglycerides) but does nothing to the LDL.

babygirl127 · 07-13-2007, 11:51 AM

I think I may if they doctor mentions it on my follow up visit. I refuse to go on a statin for now atleast. My TC was 264 and now it is 211. My LDL was 180 and now 140 on diet & exercise alone. He told me he may try Niacin as another option since he knows I do not want to go on a statin. But I hear it is only good to get the HDL higher and does nothing for the LDL? I will say my HDL was 60 and dropped to 47 with the diet & exercise. Normal Trigs. Is it worth a try the Niacin? I think so.

Guy1_USA · 07-13-2007, 12:39 PM

There is hope. Like any meds, sometimes they work well for some and sometimes they don't. Niaspan worked well for me at lowering my bad Cholesterol about 50% across the board, and raising my HDL 6 points.

I'm now taking 3000 mg of Niaspan a day, and have achieved the lowest cholesterol I have had in 16 years... lower than statins could get me.

To contrast my Niaspan regimen, these are the numbers from Jan 6th, 2006 before I started Niaspan:

Tot 328
Trig 304
LDL 222
HDL 46
Ratio 7.13

Here are my numbers from June 06, 2007, after a regimine of 3000 mg of Niaspan a day for a year.

Tot 195
Trig 153
LDL 112
HDL 52
Ratio 3.75

Guy1_USA · 07-13-2007, 02:10 PM

Do you think I need to take a B-complex...?

My liver enzymes are way in the normal range. Like with all cholesterol meds, I plan on tests every 6 months.

This stuff is great... occational mild flushing at night when sleeping, it mostly just makes me feel warm so I just throw off the covers and pull my shirt up to cool off and I'm back to dozing in seconds. An occation 10 minutes of mild flushing is the worst I have had to deal with... nothing nearly as bad as how statins made me feel 24 hours a day... like I had the flu 24 hours a day with all the aches.