Niacin - High Cholesterol Message Board

Clover0411 · 08-25-2002, 05:56 PM

My LDL is borderline high --- with low trig. and much higher than recommended HDL. I'm very active, eat lots of fruits and veggies and have a low risk factor even though on Social Security!!!! My doctor has recommended taking a statin drug for this, however, I hesitate starting on drugs as I'm in pretty good health. We have agreed that I would try taking 1000 mg of niacin daily. Has anyone had any experience with niacin for controlling cholesterol??

GatorFan · 08-26-2002, 03:54 PM

Hi--My doctor also just prescribed niacin. I'm 34, healthy, not overweight, exercise regularly, have low blood pressure, eat well, and have cholesterol of 280+, with HDL of 65+. I've never taken any cholesterol lowering drug, and I was worried about the potential long term liver damage with Lipitor, so my doctor suggested niacin. I also want to know...how have other people on this board tolerated niacin? What were the side effects, and was it effective?
As a new board user, I would love any Niacin advice and/or help. Thanks!

ARIZONA73 · 08-26-2002, 04:05 PM

I have been taking niacin for many years (750-1000mg/day), and have found it to be beneficial for both raising HDL and lowering LDL cholesterol. But give it some time to work, since it may take anywhere from 4-6 months before you achieve maximum benefits. Niacin also does something else which no statin drug can do-- it lowers lipoprotein(a), which is considered to be even more damaging than LDL. All in all, I think you will benefit from niacin. If you find skin flushing to be a problem, you can always substitute inositol hexanicotinate, a flush free version of niacin which is said to be equally effective. The one thing that puzzles me is why your doctor was so eager to put you on a statin drug even though your HDL was high, your triglycerides were low, and you only had a borderline high LDL level. To me that simply doesn't make a great deal of sense. In any case, I think you are making the right decision, and I wish you the best of luck.

Clover0411 · 08-26-2002, 07:39 PM

Thanks AZ73 for your input --- really appreciate your understanding about hesitation to start with drugs for control of cholesterol. Doctors have been trying for years to put me on statins even though my chol. is only about 230 and with a low risk factor ---- if I refuse to take the meds, they fire me as a patient --- so I take the script but never get it filled!!! Of course, they are happy because they think I'm taking the meds!!! If niacin can be as helpful why do the doctors not recommend it as a first line of defense???? All doc. recommend exercise and diet (which I do) and it doesn't seem to help.
Again -- really appreciate your input --- I'm new to this site but have found it to be extremely interesting!!!

vipergg22 · 08-26-2002, 08:14 PM

You have asked the classic question of why don't they reccomend niacin , the answer is that a lot of them are in bed with the drug companies so they reccomend their drugs . niacin is a vitamin supplement in which nobody is going to make a lot of money because there are hundreds of different makers who make niacin .

Quote:

Originally posted by Clover0411:
Thanks AZ73 for your input --- really appreciate your understanding about hesitation to start with drugs for control of cholesterol. Doctors have been trying for years to put me on statins even though my chol. is only about 230 and with a low risk factor ---- if I refuse to take the meds, they fire me as a patient --- so I take the script but never get it filled!!! Of course, they are happy because they think I'm taking the meds!!! If niacin can be as helpful why do the doctors not recommend it as a first line of defense???? All doc. recommend exercise and diet (which I do) and it doesn't seem to help.
Again -- really appreciate your input --- I'm new to this site but have found it to be extremely interesting!!!