NIASPAN Reviews (NIACIN)

Average Rating: 2.7 (694 Ratings)

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 HYPERLIPIDEMIA

 Type: Rx Drug

  

NIASPAN  (NIACIN):  Niacin is used with a proper diet and exercise program to help lower "bad" cholesterol and fats (LDL, triglycerides) and raise "good" cholesterol (HDL) in the blood. It is generally used after non-drug treatments have not been fully successful at lowering cholesterol. Niacin is also known as vitamin B-3 (nicotinic acid), one of the B-complex vitamins. It may be used with or without other medications. Lowering "bad" cholesterol/triglycerides and raising "good" cholesterol helps prevent strokes and heart attacks. Lowering fats may also help reduce the risk of pancreas problems (pancreatitis) in people at risk. In addition to eating a proper diet (such as a low-cholesterol/low-fat diet), other lifestyle changes that may help this medication work better include exercising, losing weight if overweight, and stopping smoking. Consult your doctor for more details.   FDA Approval Date: 1997-07-28 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR NIASPANCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  high cholesterol no negative side effects, only positive, my skin is fantastic, nails and hair are gorgeous and growing really fast. I take one childrens aspirin half hour prior to taking Niaspan. 500 mg lowered my total cholesterol 44 points my LDL down 45 points, HDL down 1 point, triglycerides up 9 points. Not working as Abbot Labs says it should, but I am satisfied F 53 9 weeks
9/26/2009
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 4  high cholesterol The first time I took it, severe flushing about an hour later, which lasted maybe 3 hours. Also, slight nausea, but that subsided after I ate lunch. From the 2nd day on, no problems whatsoever. Obviously all people are different, but if you're considering this drug but afraid of the 'hot flash,' at least give it a try, you may have the same experience I had. I would give this a 5, since I had no side effects (after the first day, that is). I gave it a four because at the dosage I was taking, it didn't lower my cholesterol quite as much as I hoped. However, I'm staying on it for the foreseeable future, and Lord knows it is better than a statin. Did I mention I pay my own medical expenses? M 52 3 months
9/24/2009
 4  Triglycerirdes High HDL Low Flushing and Sweating mostly at random times, and a rare occassion of the red blotchy rash that feels like many have desribed as being on fire, having fire ants stinging and so on. The red blotchy rash accompanied with the itching and swelling mainly in the areas of the ankles, face and arms mostly I have confirmed is contributed by eating something with a fat content just prior to taking the Niaspan or taking the baby asprin at the same time. This last about a hour or so for me. I am 44 years of age, 6ft 1 Inches tall and 230lbs. I am working to get below 200lbs which is near to my supposed ideal weight. I do excercise, not regularly but I do. I walk, bike ride and even swim, whatever you can do to keep the metabolism high enough to do your body the best it can, then do it because it defintiely has it's advantages, but also a good diet is important as well. For me, I try my best to eat correctly but that is not always easy because of many life factors we all suffer from, long work hours, stress and so on. So we have to manage it all as best we can. As with anything everyone can react differently to OTC's or Prescribed meds, some more acute than others as clearly mentioned on this blog, or many experienced nothing at all, or experience the exact same things at the same levels. SO I STRONGLY RECCOMMEND that before you do anything, consult with your physician 1st and if you don't have one, find one through a friend or relative! Do your research, because it's your body not your physicians or anyone elses. I for one hate taking meds like most people do, but sometimes we have no choice. That said before I was precribed anything I did some research and asked some friends who have the same issues with Cholestorol that I have which were high triglycerides and Low HDL. Although they excercise (SOME A LOT MORE THAN I DO) and try and eat right, cholestorol can be genetic issue or just a problem for some regardless, and the need for OTC's or MEDS becomes neccessa M 44 24 months
9/7/2009
 3  High cholesterol I was told about the side effect of flushing, which I was told does not last long. I experienced what the er doctor called a reaction as in long term burning, itching and swelling that needed treatment with epinephrine and benedryl. There is a difference. The side effect is an uncomfortable nuisance the reaction can be life threatening and is much more intense. F 53 9 months
9/6/2009
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 5  Raise Good Cholesterol Mild flushing on occasion. 500mg nightly with snack. This is the second time I've taken this (first was 3 years ago). I think raising one's good cholesterol is worthwhile and a good reason to take this. Statins do not raise good cholesterol. M 62 30 days
8/27/2009
 3  Low HDL I have been taking this drug for 5 months with no side effects whatsoever. I always took the 325mg dose of aspirin 30 minutes prior to administering the Niaspan. However, for the last month I have taken no aspirin before the Niaspan without problems until last night when I was awakened at 3:30am with intense itching in my feet which suddenly progressed into the sensation that my entire body was being seared in a frying pan and then I was dumped onto a hot sidewalk during July in Phoenix and covered with angry fire ants up to my neck and roasted for an hour. My heart was pounding and my skin turned bright red and my brain began to panic. My stomach cramped and I ran upstairs and blew up the crapper in a powerful watery discharge. Convenient symptoms for someone who needs sleep before going to work. I immediately suspected these meds and found this site which helped relieve my brain panic. I took a dose of aspirin and the symptoms passed after about an hour. Very tired today. After this episode I'm not sure whether I'll take this med again even though it did raise my 'good cholesterol' levels significantly. M 43 5 months
8/26/2009
 1  low hdl I GOT SO DAM SICK PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS CRAP....I WAS NEVER SO SICK IN MY LIFE...HAD TO BE RUSHED TO THE ER,,,,THE HELL WITH THE LOW HDL..I AM GOING TO TRY A GLASS OF WINE A DAY M 59 4 days
8/19/2009
 4  Hi total cholestrol (209),Hi Trigli Took 500 mg Niaspan for 6 months. Hot "flashes," restless sleep, red legs, swollen ankles, fast heartrate + other side effects were my experience. I took a baby aspirin (don't take the big aspirin as that dosage compounds the problem). A snack didn't help and aspirin didn't always help. After about a month, most of these effects went away, but occasionally returned. I'm 67, female, overweight by 30 lbs, I think, and doc thinks maybe 20. He also said if I lose another 8-9 lbs, I won't need any drugs. Took 4 different statins causing severe myalgia, even my heart (its a muscle) felt like an elephant standing on my chest, with back muscle pain out of this world. Statin intolerant. Took WelChol(all meds with Niaspan)and it caused constipation, bloating and gas. Stopped it. Took Fenofibrate for a week with more side effects, including the muscle crap. I could barely walk at work or concentrate on my tasks. Then to make matters worse, the blood pressure meds (Ramipril) and Amlodop People with a hypersensitivity to any drug must weigh the side effects against the benefit of Niaspan and all drugs. Niaspan did work, but I had to suffer the side effects. I fear the gout and sugar problems it can cause. F 67 6 months
8/15/2009
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 1  cholesterol Just took 2 doses of niaspan 500mg--the first and THE LAST!!!! Flushing does not begin to describe the horrible side effects i am experiencing. My wife is a RN and told me this is common or else i would be at the ER now. I AM ON FIRE---nauseated, itching, burning, muscles twitching, scared, disoriented---this is terrible. will NEVER take another niaspan and would advise everyone i know to NEVER take niaspan!!!!! M 53 1 days
8/12/2009
 4  high cholesterol I am suprised at the lack of understanding the side effects. Of course it can cause flushing, itching, burning of the skin, swelling but it is a quick thing that goes away. It is niacin!!!After a few weeks or months it completly goes away. Would you rather take a stain (poison) compared to a B-vitamin (niaspan)? Not me, I am taking 250-500 during the day cause I like my sleep. I do take 81mg aspirin about 30-60min before. I started with 500mg but I got flushed once so I backed down to 250mg. I will work my up into to 1,000's mg after a few months. I do feel bad for the people that were not told of the side effects by their prescribing doctor (qwack). It must have been a scary episode for 1-2 hours till it went away. But... we are adults and almost every pharmacy prints out the drugs data sheet with side-effects listed. Maybe people should pay more attention and read it. I tried taking a statin and I knew to take CO-Q 10 but I still got extremly painful muscle cramps. Statins are poison for people that do not have heart disease and out of 100 people taking statins only 2 have heart attacks and out of 100 people taking a sugar pill, 3 have heart attacks. That is where they (the statin creators) get the 33% less chance of having a heart attack. I have really high cholesterol like tri's over 500 and chol over 250 but it is hereditary and no one in my family history has died of heart disease. Go figure. M 33 20 days
8/4/2009
 2  High cholesterol It was 1 a.m. when I awoke with acute flushing and burning, all over my body. At 9 p.m., last night, I took my usual dosage of 500mg, a reduced Rx, down from 1000mg that I had taken up until two months ago. The reduction was because of mild flushing I has experienced. Tonight's reaction is much more severe that any I had previously experienced. As I write this, my entire body is burning and covered with the "pin prick" syndrome. My skin is bright red and my heart is throbbing although the rate is not accelerated. It is now one hour since the symptoms woke me out of a deep sleep and there is no reduction of the symptoms. I am experiencing a chill and I'm shaking all the while my skin is burning. I even submerged myself in my swimming pool in an effort to find comfort. It didn't help. Hopefully, the "attack" will subside soon so I can get back to sleep. Before retiring, last evening, I had a late dessert ... cherry pie ala mode with chocolate ice cream. In reading at least one other report from this site, I suspect that chocolate may be the culprit. I am going to discontinue taking this Rx until I can consult with my physician. M 76 2 years
8/3/2009
 5  elevated cholesterol initially flushing face and ears = now nothing Works as well as statins which I now refuse to take. The night flushing went away after a couple of months. M 45 4 years
8/2/2009
 1  High cholesterol I never had any problems with this UNTIL LAST NIGHT!! I was dreaming I was in a room with the heater cranked up to the max. I woke up and my heart was pounding out of my chest, my skin was ON FIRE from head to toe, It looked like I had the worst sunburn ever all over my body, it felt like millions of needles poking me, I was dizzy and had a hard time breathing. This all happened about 3am and my wife took me to the ER where they gave me benadryl and a steroid shot. This lasted a little over an hour. I will not take this again. M 42 5 weeks
7/31/2009
 2  Low HDL extreme swelling of the feet and ankles. Itchy, bumpy rash around ankles and lower legs. Swelling so bad I can't even put shoes on. I haven't taken it for 2 nights now. Swelling still present. Not sure how to make that go away. I have only been on this drug for 2 weeks, but work in a professional setting where i have to wear dress shoes. my feet are so swollen i can barely get them in a pair of flip flops. I experienced no flushing episodes. F 35 14 days
7/26/2009
 1  high triglycerides Took Niaspan 500 for 2 months with no problems. Always took a Motrin 1/2 hour before, along with an applesauce snack cup. Was awakened with itching one night, which turned into a full blown episode - swelled up so bad I couldn't bend my legs, felt like a thousand bees stinging my body, couldn't move my arms, heart pounding, couln't talk, couldn't breathe, husband helped me into the bathroom where I fainted dead away. I have never fainted in my life and I stayed out for a while. My hubby was scared to death! This whole episode lasted for almost 2 hours. I called my Doctor the next day, and she told me that I probably got scared from the "flushing" and my fright caused me to faint!!! Yeah - right. Told me to wait 4 days and try it again. Never will this poison pass through my lips ever again. This is an awfully expensive medicine to take so that you can scare yourself to death. F 62 2 months
7/23/2009
 1  cholesterol after 2 weeks of no side effects...tonight all of a sudden....reddening burning needles in my skin itching and swelling.....heart racing blood pressure dropping. took 2 benadryl and felt nausea and then my wife called 911 b/c i lost bodily functions and was making weird throat noises..felt lifeless and lost color...luckily i had an epi pen exp date 2004....she stuck me with it. by the time 911 arrived i was feeling better...they stayed to make sure i was ok. wife called dr prior to 911 dr said take asprin...but advised me not to stop taking meds...BS!!! i will not be taking this $@%* again and do not recommend it to anyone!!! will have a discussion with dr tomorrow!!! M 46 2 weeks
7/20/2009
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 1  high cholesterol Almost always flushing. This morning woke up with my face so swollen I almost couldn't open my eyes, looks like I have a bad sunburn. Using ice packs, and taking Ibuprofen and Benadryl all day. Still at 12:26 a.m. face hurts and lips burn. Taking 500 mg. Will switch back to OTC slow-release and start with 250 mg. Will call the Dr. in the morning if symptoms don't reside. F 55 6 months
7/20/2009
 4  Low HDL During the first few weeks I had one very hot flash that woke me up and had uncomfortable tingling in my arms during the day. I've had two or three other times when I woke up feeling like I had been lightly sunburned, but nothing like the first blast. I've learned not to eat spicy foods at supper and always take 1/2 aspirin a half hour before the Niaspan--then eat some yogurt or low-fat snack with it before bedtime. I started with 500 mg dose and after three months the Dr. was very pleased with the results and has not increased the dosage. M 63 4 months
7/14/2009
 3  cholestrol is high I sometimes wake up with a burning feeling all over, dry mouth, and can't get back to sleep. I started taking 1000mg of this drug at bedtime per my doctor along with lipitor and a baby aspirin at bedtime. I ate some japanese food right before bedtime last night,not a good idea. I have since I've been on these drugs been told that I now have to see a cartelogist and a urologist as my EKG has changed and I now have cysts on my left kidney. I'm not blaming the drugs, but I've been told by a former Navy medic, that an over the counter SLO-Niacin is what he takes and he has been getting good reports on his cholestrol and blood pressure. I've had the episodes of hot flashes about four times now.I will be asking if I could be taking the less intrusive over the counter niasin. M 59 2 years
7/14/2009
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 3  high cholesterol Wow! Woke up tonight feeling like my whole body was on FIRE! This is the first time I have felt like this and I have been taking med for 6 months. I did eat spicy foods about 1 hour before taking meds. M 34 6 months
7/11/2009

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