Niaspan vs niacin liver
Common Questions and Answers about Niaspan vs niacin liver
niaspan
I know that you're questioning Niaspan vs. liver. I wanted to also share with you a side effect of Niaspan is gout. If you never had it before, and start to more than likely it's the Niaspan that caused it. My husband was on Niaspan for a a couple of yrs. well, for the last yr. before discontinuing it, he kept getting flare-ups of gout. He started to get it more often than not.
You may want to try the Niacin (Niaspan is Niacin), it will definitely increase your HDL. I'm told that if you take it with aspirin it lessens the effect of the facial flushing. Also, a fatty liver is common in overweight individuals, the doctors I volunteer with have no issues prescribing cholesterol meds to individuals with fatty livers. It is very important, however, that you get your blood panel checked every 6 months or so to watch out for changes in your liver function.
Recent studies have found that statins like Lipitor acutally improve liver function in patients with liver disease and the incidence rate of liver failure is not turning out to be as high as originally thought. In fact, the FDA is considering dropping the liver failure side effect from the patient leaflet and consumer information.
I take Niaspan which is an extended release form of niacin. Niaspan will decrease your LDL and triglycerides and increase your HDL.
I would not change your niacin dose w/o talking to your doctor about it. Decreasing the dosage could decrease your HDL.
I was taking 1500 mg of Niaspan at one point for about 7 months My HDL was around 42-44 for 3 measurements. It then drop to 32. My cardiologist immediately bumped my Nispan dosage to 2000 mg and my HDL went to 50 a year later.
Sectral, coumadin, or lovenox are associated with elevated liver enzymes. Niasan (Niaspan) and tarka (verapamil) can increased liver enzymes. I really can't advise you on stopping medications, you should talk to your doctors about that one but niacin and verapamil can increase liver enzymes and are worth asking your doctor about.
I hope this helps.
I have searched the literature and have not found any articles linking Niaspan with any form of cancer. Niaspan is just niacin, one of the B vitamins, and as far as I can tell, is not cancerous in the dose given in Niaspan. As for your other question whether a five year study can demonstrate a drug-cancer connection, it would depend partly on the study design. The strength of the association between cause (the drug) and effect (cancer) would depend on how the evidence is gathered.
Try Niacin to raise your HDL and keep your trigs nice and low. Nuts would also help but Niacin for sure can improve that number..otherwise you have good numbers. I am a 44 year old male and take 2000mg of Niaspan every day and my HDL is up from 29 to 43..my LDL is down to 66 and my trigs are 82. Niacin plus a good diet can give you good numbers.
He knows I eat healthy but that I have eliminated temporarily (for last 6 months) exercise due to scare associated possible lung cancer diagnosis (mentally I just do not want to work out - yet). He has recommended Niaspan (500). I can find zero information on the web about reducing CRP with any prescription drug. Do other doctors look to reduce CRP levels w/Niaspan - a drug designed to improve CHOL and Triglyceride levels?
Your doctor might suggest a different statin. Certain other cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as gemfibrozil (Lopid) and niacin (Niacor, Niaspan), increase the risk of liver problems even more in people who take statins.
Although liver problems are rare, your doctor will likely order a liver enzyme test before or shortly after you begin to take a statin. You shouldn't need any additional liver enzyme tests unless you begin to have signs or symptoms of trouble with your liver.
Background: I have engaged a Niacin regimen to cut cholesterol (vs. using statin drugs) because Niacin also raises HDL and cuts LPa and triglycerides (while statins only cut LDL). I have been on this regimen since 2003 and the effect on my cholesterol/triglycerides and LPa has been more than as hoped for. Just as with statin drugs, it is necessary to get regular blood tests (ideally every 6 months) to ensure there is no liver damage.
Certain other cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as gemfibrozil (Lopid) and niacin (Niacor, Niaspan), increase the risk of liver problems even more in people who take statins.
Although liver problems are rare, your doctor will likely order a liver enzyme test before or shortly after you begin to take a statin. You shouldn't need any additional liver enzyme tests unless you begin to have signs or symptoms of trouble with your liver.
And my last heart doctor put me on Niacin, and it had NO effect, so he told me to double the amount of Niacin I was taking, and it still had ZERO effect. I'd be interested in seeing where someone would come up with a 20% increase figure, cause it simple is NOT proven. And Niacin can be very dangerous if to much is taken.
If people recommend something, they should tell us their person experiences with what they are recommending and how it effected their HDL.
I'm 52 and have never have had high liver enzymes. Took 500 mg of Slo Niacin for about a month between 12/15/13 and 1/15/14 and ALT went from 36 to 60, AST from 39 to 63, and GGT from about low 30's to 110!! based on blood testing done 1/15/14. Previous normal liver bloodwork from chemistry profile was from physical back in late July of 2013. Only a social drinker (few beers on weekend).
Diet only lowers your cholesterol by about 10%. So, it helps to not eat any extra cholestrol as your liver is what genetically controls the amount of receptors you are born with that break down cholesterol. So, try not eating anything with partially hydrogenated fat (trans fat), none. Also, have no egg yolks, no bacon, and so forth. Eat whole wheat cereal with fruit for breakfast, non fat milk or vanilla soy milk. lots of vegies and fruits etc. Very light on meats.
Having Chromium and Niacin listed as separate ingredients would not be the same as Chromium Picolinate. Separately, (Niacin would be niacin and Chromium would be Chromium plus one of the chelators).
It can get very confusing, but with all of that said, per the National Institute of Health "...given the limited data on chromium absorption in humans, it is not clear which forms are best to take.
My cardiologist started me on niaspan 500mg and we when up to 3gms per day plus zocor 20mg per day. My blood tests are very good as to my HDL is normally around 80's and my triglycerides around 30's and my LDL is normally around 50's but my LPa keeps going up and it is now up to 168! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
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