3000mgs of flush free niacin - High Cholesterol Message Board

Sarah101 · 04-03-2003, 06:04 PM

Hi well my last numbers came out very bad, so my dr gave me two choices- zetia or 3000 mgs or niacin. Well I decided to try the zetiza first. OH MY GOD- I was doubled over with such horrible stomach pains. I wanted it to work so badly that I tried it for 4 days and then had to stop and as soon as I did, my stomach got better. So, then I decided to try the tricor again that I had tried last year. Well, I got such a spliting headache from this that I had to stop this too. My body is so sensitive to meds it is horrible. SO now, I am trying the niacin. I am up to 2000 mgs with no problems and slowly will try to get up to the theraputic dose. I am also taking gugul lipid and 3000 mgs of fish oil. So , my question is- who has tried the flush free niacin in this amount and did it work? I was told by many doctors that it does work at this amount, but I have to watch my liver enzymes which I do every 3 months. I have to lower my numbers, I am like a walkling time bomb and it is scaring me to death. SO, please, any replies to this will be so appreciated. THank You

CobaltBlue · 04-04-2003, 04:51 AM

Well, 1500 mg produced fantastic results as far as helping to elevate my HDL-C and shifting the particle sizes from small LDL-C and HDL-C to intermediate and large size particles (also greatly lowers risk for future cardiac events).

I never minded the flushing, I knew when it happened that it was a minor inconvenience for the benefit being realized.

Unfortunately, my liver did not tolerate the niacin and it resulted in elevations of both direct and indirect bilirubin. After stopping niacin for a month, I restarted on 500 mg and am continuing at this level. (All of these changes are being done under the care of a physician). If you can tolerate 2000mg, then I would expect that you should have the benefits from Niacin.

From what I understood with tricor though, the advantage (w/r/t liver problems) is that after about a year of watching your hepatic panel, if tricor did not result in abnormal values, then you had a low chance that tricor would in the future. With niacin, apparently, you have just as much chance of it causing adverse effects in your liver 5 years from now, as it does in the first month. Therefore, on niacin, a hepatic panel needs to be done routinely throughout treatment.

maryrnbsn · 04-04-2003, 07:47 AM

I tried Zetia but became so nauseated that I had to stop it. Only took it for about 3 weeks but it was making me feel just awful. I am on 1500mg of Niacin now. I tolerate Niacin just fine. When I first started the Niacin at 500mg about a year ago my total cholesterol dropped about 30 points in the first four months. My HDL increased and my ratio was extremely good. At that point I felt I was really on to something. However, when I had a lipid panel done four months after that my total cholesterol had increased once again to the original figure. Very discouraging. At that point I went up to 1000mg of Niacin. I waited another four months and my total cholesterol was still high. That is when I went on Zetia and my doctor raised the Niacin to 1500mg. I watch everything I eat so I cannot cut back any more on the diet. It is very discouraging. I haven't wanted to try the statins but my have to.

Sarah101 · 04-04-2003, 04:56 PM

It sounds like the niacin helped you guys, but my question is - was it flush free niacin? I cannot take the regular- it makes me itch and gives me flashes all the time, so I am on flush free and have no side affects at this time. But, I took blood last week after being on it for 2 months and my numbers went up. not down. THis was when I was on 1000mgs. My dr. said that the least I must take is 3000mgs to work. I wonder if the flush free works as good as regualr. I hope it doe because it is the only think left that i have not tried. I even tried wellchol- it is horrrible on the stomach and you have to take 6 pills a day- and they are real big. Anyway, I hope that someone can give me info on this and maybe set my mind at ease. THanks

JeanneMarie · 04-05-2003, 12:10 PM

Hi Sarah and all. I have a question about Niacin. I started on Zocor last night, and upon reading the information sheet with the drug, it states a warning: The risk of myopathy is also increased by the following lipid-lowering drugs that are not potent CYP3A inhibitors, but whicn can cause myopathy when given alone. Niacin ( nicotinic acid) (>1 g/day).
Now I notice in my long acting Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement tablet, one of the ingredients stated is: Niacin (as Niacinamide 50 mg). Just because it's Niacin, now I am afraid to take this pill. Comments?

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JeanneMarie