did the study also look at the extended use of aspirin? I've been told to take an aspirin with my niacin to help prevent itching yet I also see in the news that extended use of aspirin is bad.
I take a high dose of niacin to try to raise my hdl (from 25) but it doesnt seem to do much (I get to 27 or 28). I'm 62, male and my hdl ought to be much higher. My ldl is about 110
I have taken niacin for 2 years and I also took zetia as part of Vytorin. I can say that my total cholesterol and LDL dropped rapidly on Vytorin (10/20), to the point where it frightened me (98 points for TC in 4 weeks). But vytorin also caused my HDL to drop to 41. My HDL was 45-47 range, too low for a female. I switched to Zocor. In March 2009, we tried the the vytorin again but a lower dose (10/10) with the Niacin (1500mg). By July 2009 my total cholesterol and LDL dropped again (TC-105, LDL 45) and the HDL only rose to 48. I started having some serious side effects with my cholesterol being that low. (Depression, insomnia, hormonal issues and problems with my gallbladder). The depression and insomnia improved with days of stopping the Vytorin. It took a couple of months for the hormonal levels to readjust. As for the gallbladder, it is coming out on March 8th.
Now I am only taking Niacin and my cholesterol and LDL are up (TC 205, LDL 140), and I feel much better. Oh yes, my HDL is up to 49. My doctor is fine with my TC of 205, since the LDL is below 150, because I have no other risk factors for heart disease.
I read somewhere that feeling good was a sign of high cholesterol. Cholesterol is the basic building block of all our hormones and things like seratonin.
Reta
This is a very interesting study result, which is quite similar to my experience. I had a quadruple CABG a little over five years ago and during cardiac rehab it was recommended I start taking Slo-Niacin - 2000 mg per day along with Simvastatin. As a result, my HDL reached an all-time high for me of 54 and my LDL dropped to 35, which is a complete reversal of my readings prior to the CABG. Now my cholesterol is 106 and triglycerides 74. I did not have a heart attack, now was my total cholesterol ever above 176, but I had plaque blockage that the surgeon tells me is hereditary. Because my LDL went so low and there is no data to support readings below 35 my Simvastatin dosage was cut in half and my latest LDL reading was 37. I am a firm believer in taking niacin!
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Until three years ago I had been taking a statin drug and developed nasty comprehensive side-effects. I ditched the statin, began taking an over-the-counter niacin supplement and eating a red grapefruit a day. I lost the bad side-effects, developed great HDL and really lowered the LDL. I believe niacin is really effective in lowering bad cholesterol and is a small fraction of $$ compared to the cost of a statin.