I've gone off the statin drug Vytorin, and started Niacin for reducing cholesterol... I'm over 300 bad kind. At first all went well, I took 250 mg Niacin with an aspirin ea morning for a week, as the doctor's protocol suggested....THEN I noticed the note said, "Please don't use time-released Niacin" which I guess I was using.

Anybody run into this problem? I don't know why you can't use time-relased,but I do know sinceI switched to the other form of Niacin, I've gotten that burning skin- flush I've read about...very uncomfortable even tho short-lived. don't think i'll continue (after only 2 days) does this go away?

Also, can you use Niacin and Revival Soy together? I've heard Revival also reduces cholesterol.

Any replies would be helpful.


Thanks and God bless.

My hubby is currently on Zocor for cholesterol, his total cholesterol is only 103 but his HDL (good cholesterol) is 30. His cardiologist wants that number doubled and he says if hubby can't raise it by exercising for 45 minutes 7 days a week he will put him on Niacin as a last resort. The side effects are horrible and that is why he is giving hubby a little time to try to raise it on his own. The time released is supposed to be a little better for side effects but most recommend starting you on the immediate effect niacin and gradually increasing the dose to 1,500 to 3,000 mg a day. The cardiologist says most people can not tolerate the side effects but it can raise HDL up to 35%. Cardiologists are now saying that a low HDL is as much a risk factor for coronary heart disease as a high LDL (bad cholesterol.)

thanks, Nite Owl
I thought I was being a "baby" when I felt the hot flushes (almost as bad as power surges) and the anxiety that accompanied them. I am re-thinking this niacin thing, and will try Revival Soy, and maybe back to Vytorin , with my NP's help.

Hope your hubby gets the number up!
Thanks again
lynsi

Do you know why a low HDL number is a risk factor for heart disease? I find that interesting.

Mopsy.

One function of HDL (good cholesterol) is to transport excess cholesterol, triglyercides, and other lipids from the bloodstream back to the liver to be excreted. The more HDL you have, the more excess that can be removed, and that reduces the amount available to attach to coronary arteries that build up into areas of blockage. Below are some articles discussing that low HDL is considered an independant risk factor for CAD.

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2000/12_00/safeer.htm

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/109/15/1809

http://www.physweekly.com/article.asp?issu...&articleid=1129

Hi, I also had a low HDL number and have been taking FLUSH FREE Niacin for over a year now and it has made my number go up. At first I got the regular Niacin and experienced the hot burning crawling ants all over my body and I could not do it again! So I went to the store and found the FLUSH FREE Niacin and have NO burning or anything else for that matter. So, Niacin has worked for me and I hope it works for you too.

What dosage of niacin did you take daily and what was your HDL before and after one year of therapy? Hubby's cholesterol will be rechecked in July and if it is not up I think the cardiologist will push for him to start the niacin. There just is not much out there medication-wise yet to get the HDL into the recommended 60's range to prevent/reduce coronary artery disease. There are trials being done on Torcetrapib that looks promising to raise HDL but it will not be market-approved for a few more years.

Researchers are working on ApoA-1 Milano but it will be a long time before it becomes available to the market. It is a synthetic HDL that early studies are showing can not only prevent plaque in coronary arteries but can actually melt away blockage that is already present. If the studies continue to pan out it could revolutionize cardiac treatment by doing away with the need for angioplasty and bypass surgery - that would be a major breakthrough that would benefit millions!

I take 500 mg daily -- I don't remember what my number was last year but that the doc said it improved.

Regular niacin that causing flushing is not harmfull, just causes short lived flush. But slow released version is taken for a longer period of time can cause liver damage. IMHOit's better better to deal with harmless flushing.
Both HDL and LDL are made from saturated fat, the difference in particles density. HDL is more dense and moves fast, LDL- is slow so it has more time to attach to artherial walls. Exercise and a bit of alcohol raises HDL as well as eating good old fashined saturated fat.
MY DH has elevated LDL, so we found CholestOff that lowered his LDL 30 points in 2 month without lowering HDL. It's sold in Costo and has plant sterols/stanols.
Total CHO is meaningless, the ration of HDL/CHO and HDL/LDL are better CAD predicting factors. Low HDL is indicator of metabolic syndrome, especially if the TRG are high and blood sugar issues are present.
Just my 2 pennies.

Forgot to post the link for niacin.
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/niacin.htm

Funny how it seems that different things work for different people. I used the CholestOff religiously for 2 months, and my cholesterol didn't change at all. I think that you just have to try different things to find what works for YOU.

my husband uses niaspan it is by perscription it helps to bring up his good colesteralhe also takes Zetia that is a colesteral pill he uses with the niaspan.I hope this was of some help but niacin is ti help bring up the good colesteral.

My ratios are good and improving. Mine is genetically high. LDL is 131 and HDL is 70 total is about 225. I'd like to still bring it down but I seem to be stuck. I've taken 1500 mg no flush niacin for the past 3+ years and red yeast rice extract in addition to CoQ10 and some other stuff. I guess menopause is keeping it high at the moment. Exercise is helping to raise the HDL but it's always been above 60.

My cholesterol has run high for years. Two years ago it was 256. I changed diet, exercise and brought it down to 198 (desirable range!!!!) this year with 131 LDL and 57 HDL; 50 triglycerides. I am not overweight and my blood pressure is low (112/72) My doc isn't happy and demanded I lower my LDL to under 100 in 3 months. I think this is ridiculous. I am very suspect of this striving for super low cholesterol numbers -- total cholesterol under 180 has been linked to depression, suicide, Parkinson's, cerebral hemorrhage. Plus, cholesterol is the building block for hormones. With our hormones on the decline ANYWAY in perimenopause and menopause, I really wonder if lowering their building blocks is a good idea for our mental health and menopause symptoms in the long run.

I'm not saying if cholesterol is dangerously high, don't do anything about it, but I think a lot of the current conventional wisdom of LDLs under 100 come from studies....funded by the drug companies who are making the pills that treat high cholesterol....hmmmmm. I think after much of the population has been on statins for a good number of years, we are going to see a link to lots of unanticipated side effects.

Those taking red yeast rice -- these contain naturally occurring statins and those can have the same side effects as Zocor, Lipitor, etc. Please check in with your doc every 6 mo. or so and have a blood test to make sure your liver is doing ok with them. And if you have muscle weakness, tell your doc right away!

I was interested to read about the no flush niacin....this is something I may try to alter the LDL some. Thanks for all the info!

Best,
Cat