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Does Niacin Help Lower Cholesterol Levels?

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Posted on Thu, 30 Jul 2015
Question: I would like more information on Niacin, the cons and pros. Will it lower my cholesterol?
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Answered by Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (23 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Niacin

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Thanks for the query

I personally dont like this drug, I try to avoid prescribing Niacin to my patients simply because it is not tolerated well. It has a lot of side effects like hot flashes, irritability, headache, itchiness of skin, and also effects the liver.

The pros of Niacin is that it increases the level of good cholesterol ( HDL) and also reduces total cholesterol. It has been shown time and again that it helps in preventing heart attacks. I recommend rosuvastatin or atorvastatin over nicain. Please speak to your doctor about my suggestion

I hope I was of help, if you have any further queries please get back to me

Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha

Nephrologist

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 4364 Questions

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Does Niacin Help Lower Cholesterol Levels?

Brief Answer: Niacin Detailed Answer: Hello Thanks for the query I personally dont like this drug, I try to avoid prescribing Niacin to my patients simply because it is not tolerated well. It has a lot of side effects like hot flashes, irritability, headache, itchiness of skin, and also effects the liver. The pros of Niacin is that it increases the level of good cholesterol ( HDL) and also reduces total cholesterol. It has been shown time and again that it helps in preventing heart attacks. I recommend rosuvastatin or atorvastatin over nicain. Please speak to your doctor about my suggestion I hope I was of help, if you have any further queries please get back to me Regards