1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, May 11, 2007, 12:19 pm PDT

dear dr. Margolis, could u provide a few references that refer to no flush niacin not having any therapeutic benefic. thanks.

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, May 24, 2007, 6:47 pm PDT

While aspirin is considered a mild drug the idea of taking it on a regular basis just to prevent flushing is ridiculous. The flushing is not an alergic reaction. If one simply takes their niacin in a gradient fashion they will be able to stand the flushing with the least discomfort and will quickly stop flushing at all after a few days. They should of course make sure to take niacin as a part of a balanced set of vitamins so the body will have all the building blocks it needs to do its job.

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, 3:23 pm PDT

My own experience with "no-flush" niacin accords with Dr. Margolis' statement regarding its lack of effectiveness, although with a dose of 2 grams per day my HDL did appear to increase by about 10%. That compares to a 34% increase in HDL with 750 mg. of standard niacin (nicotinic acid) spread throughout the day.

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4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Jul 25, 2007, 6:44 am PDT

Are you connected with the manufacturer in any way? Did you take part in the trials? What do you base your conclusions on regarding No Flush Niacin?

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5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 9:12 am PDT

In response to merlev2005, flushing from NiaSpan did not stop "after a few days", in my case at least. I had severe flushing and itching reactions almost every time I took the drug. Aspirin 325 mg lessened the severity of the reactions after about 2 weeks but never completely eliminated them. I finally had to stop the drug because of GI discomfort when I reached a 1-gram daily dose though.

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6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Aug 29, 2007, 9:24 am PDT

Rather than determining whether something does NOT have therapeutic benefits, most scientific studies are designed to prove that something DOES have benefit compared to a placebo or some standard therapy. Do you know of any randomized, controlled studies showing that no-flush niacin (e.g., inositol hexanicotinate) lowers cholesterol as well as or better than NiaSpan or other lipid-lowering drugs?

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7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Sep 28, 2007, 4:05 pm PDT

Thanks for pointing out the possible dangerous side effects of taking niacin. Many people think that because it is considered a vitamin it is safe to take. Shannon http://arthritis-symptom.com/

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8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Oct 02, 2007, 11:23 pm PDT

my cholesterol is 250; if I take Niacin how long will take to lower it.

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9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Mar 19, 2008, 10:13 am PDT

Would like more indept explanations about Niacin.

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10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jun 14, 2008, 7:23 am PDT

I practice clinical nutrition, and while I agree no flush niacin is generally not very effective (research: http://tinyurl.com/6867m3) you also don't run into the problems of liver toxicity that exist with other forms. Saying it is altogether ineffective though is rubbish. My last patient on no-flush niacin now has an HDL of 106, and her triglycerides decreased by 30 points. However, in general, nicotinic acid (regular niacin) will be much more effective. DO NOT start treatment unless a trained professional monitors your liver function. There is also time-release niacin, which reduces flushing. Research shows that while effective, it is less so. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3925290.

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11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Jun 14, 2008, 7:26 am PDT

I practice clinical nutrition, and while I agree no flush niacin is generally not very effective (research: http://tinyurl.com/6867m3) you also don't run into the problems of liver toxicity that exist with other forms. Saying it is altogether ineffective though is rubbish. My last patient on no-flush niacin now has an HDL of 106, and her triglycerides decreased by 30 points. However, in general, nicotinic acid (regular niacin) will be much more effective. DO NOT start treatment unless a trained professional monitors your liver function. There have been reports of eosinophilia as well. There is also time-release niacin, which reduces flushing. Research shows that while effective, it is less so. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3925290.

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12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 11, 2008, 5:20 am PDT

My physician disagrees. European studies suggest it's about half as effective as regular niacin and has less liver toxicity. I am up to 4 grams daily with no effect on liver enzymes. My hdl is 85. Total cholesterol is 210 ( high cholesterol runs in the family ). Triglycerides under 100.

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13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Aug 22, 2008, 5:52 pm PDT

It was important to know that flush free forms of OTC Niacins most likely have no positive effect on cholesterol.

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14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Jan 18, 2009, 7:32 am PST

Kos Pharmaceuticals is the manufacturer and is also a company that funds clinical research studies at Johns Hopkins (just google the university and the name of the prescription drug this doctor is recommending). That is NOT to say the doctor on this blog is on the take or that he was involved in a Kos funded study. He happens to believe in the drug as it seems to be effective. Very few practicing MD's and few PhDs support the use of vitamins. I wish the vitamin industry would regulate itself so that drug potency was certain! It'd save us all a lot of angst. Johns Hopkins does have an article that appears to support the use of both the OTC vitamin and the RX version for Hyperlipidemia, Atherosclerosis prevention and myocardial infarction prophylaxis and Niacin deficiency and pellagra at: http://www.hopkins-hivguide.org/drug/lipid-lowering_agents/full_niacin.html Also, if you read the manufacturer's description of the drug, it is a slow release niacin. The only difference is that it's strength is by law consistent and guaranteed and it's use forces the consumer to get their liver enzymes checked frequently. I'd find a brand that has a 'standardized' strength and get your liver enzymes checked before, during and regularly until you get the dosage right...it'll be much cheaper. Here's a good update on research in this area: http://www.jhu.edu/clips/2007_03/28/frontier.html I'm not a doctor

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