Gary Taxali
Posted on 01/23/2007 6:07:00 PM PST by neverdem
Perhaps you heard it? The wail last month from the labs of heart researchers and the offices of Wall Street analysts?
Pfizer Inc., the pharmaceutical giant, halted late-stage trials of a cholesterol drug called torcetrapib after investigators discovered that it increased heart problems — and death rates — in the test population.
Torcetrapib wasn’t just another scientific misfire; the drug was to have been a blockbuster heralding the transformation of cardiovascular care. Statin drugs like simvastatin (sold as Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) lower blood levels of LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol, thereby slowing the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
But torcetrapib worked primarily by increasing HDL, or good cholesterol. Among other functions, HDL carries dangerous forms of cholesterol from artery walls to the liver for excretion. The process, called reverse cholesterol transport, is thought to be crucial to preventing clogged arteries.
Many scientists still believe that a statin combined with a drug that raises HDL would mark a significant advance in the treatment of heart disease. But for patients now at high risk of heart attack or stroke, the news is better than it sounds. An effective HDL booster already exists.
It is niacin, the ordinary B vitamin.
In its therapeutic form, nicotinic acid, niacin can increase HDL as much as 35 percent when taken in high doses, usually about 2,000 milligrams per day. It also lowers LDL, though not as sharply as statins do, and it has been shown to reduce serum levels of artery-clogging triglycerides as much as 50 percent. Its principal side effect is an irritating flush caused by the vitamin’s dilation of blood vessels.
Despite its effectiveness, niacin has been the ugly duckling of heart medications, an old remedy that few scientists cared to examine. But that seems likely to change.
“There’s a great unfilled...”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Gary Taxali
I was told a few months ago that my LDL cholesterol was too high (I'm only 30!), but I think I'm allergic to niacin. I've took niacin as a supplement a few years ago, and it caused my face to flush and I felt feverish for an hour or so.
I take Niacin, for the aforementioned-reasons. It makes my head feel like it's going to burst into flames, but I take it anyway. Old habit from when I didn't have any health coverage- I was trying to create the effects of a statin.
Flushing is a common side effect, and not reflective of an allergic reaction.
Isn't that in Vegamite that they eat in Australia? I've heard of that causing flushing.
It gets better. I just took about 500 Mg., and it's not as bad as it used to be. I'm getting ready for bed now- when I was taking it before and had the most alarming effects, I was doing it in the morning before a brisk walk to the Metro station, about a mile away.
Seems not to be so bad when you're relaxed and not exerting yourself.
Try the timed-release formula. It works for some people -- they don't have the flushing. However, a couple of people I know said that the flush lasts a longer time, although not as severe.
This post reminded me that I had the stuff, and that I ought to be taking it. I'm up to 1000 mg right now, and the flushing is nothing like what it used to be.
That's enough Niacin for tonight I think- time to lie down and read some Patrick O'Brian. :-)
The tin foil hat crew would like this to be another example of the evil drug companies. The reality is that it's damn near impossible to get people to take their drugs as directed when they DON'T cause serious, discomforting side effects every time. It's like Pavlov's dog, niacin compliance rates are pretty terrible.
Ahh, another reminder of why I didn't go into primary care.
My doctor recommended that I start at a low dose and build up my dosage very slowly.
Her specific suggestion for me was to start at just 100 mg/day, double it after a week, and keep increasing by 200 mg/day each following week until I got up to 1000 mg/day.
I actually got to like the flushing. It feels so good when it subsides.
I just started taking a relatively new form of Niacin that I had read about in one of Dr. Atkins books. It's inositol hexanicotinate, found some in Walgreens.
It's not supposed to cause flushing in most people. And it breaks down into 5 parts niacin and 1 part inositol.
One side effect of Niacin is it makes you drowsy. I take this at night and sleep like a baby. I wake up and cry all night because of the flushing. Just kidding... I sleep well after taking this.
I was put on a cholesterol lowering drug that contained niacin. The second dose put me in the E.R. with a full blown allergic reaction to the niacin and since that episode I have been treated for high blood pressure.
make sure to get time-released. Start with 100 mg, and build up slowly enough to acclimate. Flushes are only occasional for me. You will have to consult with your doctor, because you should have your liver function tests checked, as well as your lipid (fats) profile, to show it's doing some good.
I had a heart surgeon tell me once that you can reduce triglycerides by cutting back on carbohydrates.
Don't buy into too much fat...it's simple carbs...like sugar that creates the problem.......flaxseed oil in cottage cheese will correct the problem over time.
How do you deal with all the niacin that's in food and all? Could it have been some other ingredient? Food allergy reactions are so hard to pinpoint.
niacin is just vitamin B3; it's in everything, but obviously not at pharmacologic doses.
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