Niacin symptoms and conditions

Are there any meds that are safe? I was taking 10mg norvasc. I started taking 20/25 mg lisinopril. I was doing ok on the norvasc but the added lisinopril has almost killed me. They had cut my norvasc down to 5 mg then to 2.5 mg when I started the lisinopril. 4 days ago I stopped the lisinopril and added back 2.5 mg norvasc. Back to 5 mg. The side effects seem to be letting up. Now im wondering is all of my meds are killing me. I can't live without them. My BP sores. Im so scared of what I should do. Im afraid of all my meds.

I first started on the generic form of celexa(10 mg once a day) a little over one year ago..it was because I was having some mild depression..I also in the past have had some anxiety/panic attack issues. When I first went on it..it kind of scared me because I felt like I was in a fog..felt like i couldn't respond to things in my normal way..However, i did feel like my energy level was better, wasn't flying off the handle the way i used to, my panic/anxiety seems less frequent. Good things to say. I recently decided, however, to come off of it..(under the direction of my Dr.) I just hate the thought of being on med's to help me cope..I have been having a horrible couple weeks since I have been off of it..back to some of my old behaviors..and worse! yelling at my husband and kids for trivial things..feel very angst and ready to tell someone off at any moment..it has been horrible..am hoping this gets better..I hate feeling like this!

I have been taking 40mg lipitor for over 9 years now.

I have had back issues since an injury to one disc (L4?), and had microdiscectomy in 2001? Took about two years to actually get close to normal.

The last few years, I have had multiple issues with shoulder pain, wrist pain, elbow pain, lower back pain, Upper rump muscle pain , and now both hips are killing me (the shoulder, upper rump muscles and hips are by far the worst). And I am now so weak in my lower back muscles, that it feels like I will (and do) pull out my back.

I have seen NO many doctors I can't even name them all. I have had operations, multiple injections (cortisone) taken pain meds, etc. Nothing has helped and in the last year and a half, I have gotten steadily worse. To the point where I can't really do much of any activity. Sleeping at night is painful. Can't lie on left shoulder, and can't lie on either hip for more than a few minutes. If I fall asleep on my side, the pain wakes me up. When I try to walk, 80% of the time, I end up with a pain in my upper right rump (sacroiliac area), that I MUST sit down to get the intense pain to go away, which it does. But comes right back when I walk again.

I have had x-rays, MRIs etc, and never reveals all that much. Disc issues, yes. NOt much else.

Recently, I have begun to get a nasty clicking (catching) on my left jaw (joint?). Not really painful, but something definitely wrong. My dentist sent me to his Chiro. I went and liked him right away. I had gone to another chiro for years and I believe in them. But this one is the best I have seen.

Anyway, one of the FIRST things he suggested, was that it was POSSIBLE that the Lipitor is causing all of my problems. Put me on COQ10, and doing multiple adjustments and treatments. I will be seeing my regular doctor 5/26, and my chiro wants me to see if he will take me off lipitor and put me on Niaspan instead.

I guess my question is: Can Lipitor be fine with me for so long, and then in such a short period of time, turn me into a compete wreck from the pain and wasting away of my body/muscles? I've told doctors for over a year now that there is SOME connection as to all these issues and pain. One Doctor, of course, gave me the "you are getting old" bull. Yes, I am 56 yrs old. But I understand the process of getting old, vs the complete failing of ones body.

Also, IF it is the Lipitor, can it possible all go away? Or should I expect some damage forever?

One more thing, the last ortho I went to the other day for a second opinion, wants me to do a EMG, to see if there is muscle damage. I was not planning on doing it, but wonder now, should I? He was not doing it because of lipitor, as he never even talked about that to me. I had shoulder operation and have not had the results I feel I should have had.

took lipitor and erythromycin and now have neuropathy

I've been taking Niaspan for about six weeks now; I started out at 500mg for the first three and I'm now on week three of 1000mg. I hadn't had any side effects and I was thrilled because I can't take statins (though I do take Lovaza with success). My doctor mentioned -- but did not stress -- the "take an aspirin ahead of time" or "eat something with it) thing, so I haven't been. Three nights ago I work up from a very weird dream about my house being on fire and couldn't go back to sleep, partly because I felt hot. I got up and looked in the mirror, and as others have described, I was beet red on my neck, chest, and arms, and very itchy and hot. The "rash" was mottled at the edges. It reminded me of sun poisoning. I wasn't sure what to do; it was 5 am and I knew my partner had a bad night with sleeping already, so I didn't want to wake her. I took a Benadryl. I was wide awake, so I got onto the computer to do some stuff (never thinking I should research the damn thing!), but about 20 minutes later, I felt itchy on my stomach. I went into the bathroom and looked again. My stomach and lower back were now getting it! Interesting. I went back to what I was doing, then about 10 minutes later, my stomach was hot, so I looked again. Now my stomach and all of my back were covered, and I noticed that my neck wasn't as red. Hmmmm... 20 minutes later I looked again, and now my neck and chest were pretty clear (but still itchy) and my butt and upper thighs were getting it (stomach and back still had it). I could actually feel it breaking out on my legs! 20 minutes later, my stomach and back were clear, and my legs were covered. about a half hour later, it was completely gone. I wracked by brain trying to figure out if it was something I ate, a new detergent, a drug interaction gone wrong, but I could think of nothing. I never associated it with the "flush" my doctor told me I could get. This was so much more than a flush. The next night I was so tired that I took a half an Ambien and slept through with no problems (and remember, I had no issues before this, at least that I could remember). I thought it was a fluke. I then spoke to my father yesterday about The Rash, and he asked if it could the the Niaspan, as he had taken it before (but the flushing had been too much and he stopped). I did some research and through that I found this page. Bingo! I had already taken the Niaspan, so I couldn't try the aspirin first. Last night, I woke up at 3 feeling hot and looked, and sure enough, it was starting on my face and neck. I took a Benadryl and went back to bed. I finally fell back to sleep. I'm still a little itchy, though nothing unbearable. Tonight I will try the aspirin a half hour before and eating something non-fatty with the Niaspan. I'll give it a week to help, then I'll call my doctor. I hate to give it up if it works because I am just about out of other options to lower my cholesterol.

I am a 60 year old male. I have been on high dose Niacin for more than 12 years. 2 years ago I started taking the combination drug, Advicor. (Lipitor and Niacin) Up until this point, there were no side affects with the Niacin other than occasional flushing. Since starting on the Advicor I have noticed a gradual weakening of muscles, and occasional joint pain. I have recently increased my exercise, thinking this was part of the aging process. I have not worked out consistently for 2 years. I have not noticed much improvement in my conditioning in the past 3 weeks, and have in fact noticed my quadriceps feel as though there is a buildup of lactic acid. I also notice my heart rate does not climb very high before my perceived exertion is above 50%. I did a fitness evaluation today at the health club I go to. The trainer mentioned that he hears the same thing from a lot of people who are on Lipitor. He went on to say, there heart rate is usually 20 bpm lower when on the drug. I am going to be talking with my physician to see about getting off Advicor and going back to just the Niacin. I will increase my exercise and more closely watch my diet. I want to thank the folks who have posted.

I,too, am having hot flashes. I take 1000mg in the morning and 1000 right before bed. At night, I don't wake up to feel any effects, but during the day I start having these hot flashes. I can feel it coming on because my ears start to tingle, then feel warm; and it just moves right over my face. I feel like I have a bad sunburn. My eyes start to be shrunk in and my skin on my face begins to droop. I think these are hot flashes. They only last about 5 minutes, but when it's happening at work, it's embarrassing. Haven't talked to the doctor yet, but will bring it up at next appt. Is what I'm going through serious? I hope not.

Hello All. Diagnosed bipolar in 2004, been on and off meds realizing that I guess I can't really be off of them, though having a hard time dealing with it. Been on Lamictal, Lithium, Geodon, and several anti-depressants and others I can't remember honestly in the past, now just Geodon, 80 mg at night (can't do it in the morning, can't work). It's now 2 a.m. and I'm desperate. I feel worse on my meds than I do off, though I get suicidal and sabotage my life and my marriage and kids. I have experienced insomnia, tired in the morning, my muscles ache, I dance all morning long and my co-workers think I'm crazy ( I guess I may be). I have landed in crutches because my "dancing" has caused shin splits. I hold a good job and I have two kids that I need to tend to. My husband travels a lot and I just can't seem to deal with the Geodon. All others caused similar issues. I'm desperate on my meds, but I suffer schitzo symptoms off meds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW, just found two great doctor's, one for therapy and one for med admin. Only been back on my meds and doctor's appts for 2 months after being off meds for 9 months and suffering another "great" relapse. Help me!!!!

After my heart attack 1 1/2 years ago, my cardiologist prescribed a statin. This dramatically reduced LDL from 125 to 72 within 2 months. But, after no improvement to the HDL, we switched to Crestor + Niacin. At first, I used a non prescription niacin (Slo-Niacin by Upsher Smith). Over the course of 1 year my HDL increased from 40 to 48. We decided that this improvement was too slow, so we substituted Niaspan ER (2000 mg) 6 months ago.
I was very disappointed to see my new lab report this week with the HDL back down to 42. (LDL continues to be no problem and is now 59.) My Doctor reports that I am her only patient who follows her recommendations including daily cardio exercise of 1 hour, good diet, and following medication regimen who demonstrates reduction of HDL with niaspan. We are going to try for 6 more months.
One theory (of mine) is that I have been taking 1000 mg of Niaspan at breakfast and 1000 mg at dinner, and perhaps, I should take all 2000 before bed. I started taking niaspan at meal routine to reduce side effects, and have had very little flushing. But, I will now try to take all 2000 mg at bedtime after a small snack and 1/2 hr after the aspirin. I'll report again after my next lab report, but am curious to know if anyone else has these disappointing results.

Began taking 500mg of niaspan after 81 mil of Bayer 30 minutes prior (at 11:00 in the am) about 3 weeks ago. Recommended at this time since I do enjoy my 2 glasses of red wine at night. I then take 10mg of Lipitor before bed. Side effects have been swollen lips that keep peeling, after many OTC lip balms, racing heart and unbelievable insomnia. Only had flushing the first day before nurse, not doctor, told me about aspirin. I don't know whether my allergic reaction is the Niaspan or the Lipitor. I also had mild nausea and foot cramps at night. The nausea has subsided but not my lip problem.

For one year prior to taking these drugs, I was on 10/40 of Vytorin but since all the negative results of that drug, my doctor has taken all his patients off of it.

My 5 1/2 year old son began taking 4mg Singulair in the p.m. and an inhaler (asmanex) in the a.m. We were still having trouble controlling the asthma and his Sing dose was raised to 5mg. & within 1 week of the increase he began having terrible facial tics and aggravated behavior (defiant, poor listening, easily frustrated and angered) The tics were in the form of opening and closing his mouth, as if you were trying to clear your clogged ears after a plane flight. This caused him much pain in his jaws and facial muscles, so he would tic and then cry as he was in pain. This ramped up his anxiety and it made the ticking worse. He has been off of all asthma medication (cold turkey) for 5 full days. He has episodes where the tics happen for 10 min -1/2 hr, other times during the day it is one here and one there. He does not want to leave the house to do anything, even his favorite activities. Thank god I found this site (and others like it), as I got some answers and some hope. We went to see my cousin this week who is a neurologist and he never heard of the correlation of Singulair and neurologic side effects like these. He said that (hopefully) the medication side effects will cycle through and resolve the ticking and behavioral changes. If not we are probably looking at a Tic Disorder which is in the Tourettes Family.He put my son on a very low dose of Klonopin to mellow out his anxiety and help reduce the tics, but has only been on it for 1 1/2 days and it usually takes a wk or 2 for full absorption and results.I have since sent him and my pediatrician and allergist links to this site and others. I think that I see some improvement in my son, yesterday I thought he did better and my husband thought it was a worse day, I think we have totally lost our perspective and objectivity on this. If anyone out there has a time frame on when they saw significant recovery and positive changes I would love to hear from you. This is a total nightmare and if it is this drug, someone is going to pay. My prayers go out to all who are going thru this.

my BF has been taking antidepressants for 15 yrs- mostly a combo of lamictal and parnate. he is always depressed, has no energy, can't lose weight, suffers from chronic migraines (for which he downs handfuls of Tylenol and Excedrin) and constant muscle pain. i'm afraid to drive with him because of the road rage. his thinking is foggy, he is overwhelmed by every little thing and he constantly loses his keys, his phone- you name it. when he saw the commercials for AADD, he started to think he had that too and needed even more medicine!

i've had about all i can stand and in doing research, i found that niacin is useful for people with depression. it has to be the flushing kind and you need to take enough without flushing. some very depressed people have taken 12,000 mg a day and still not flushed!

so i started him on niacin and as we built up his dose, he cut down on the antidepressants. he got to 2000 mg of niacin a day and it took him 2 months to wean off the antiDs. he had minor brain shivers, but not nearly as bad or as many as when he has tried to get off the meds in the past

he has now been completely off the antiDs for 2 months and is taking between 300 - 500 mg of niacin daily.

here's what has happened: in 2 months, he has only had one headache and his muscle aches have gone; consequently he has only taken one Tylenol in the last two months as opposed to 10 a day like he used to. he has more energy- this Sunday when he got out of bed, he got active doing things instead of slumping on the couch for hours. i also almost fainted when i drove with him and he didn't scream when a pedestrian cut out in front of him. he is much more able to focus, he is not getting overwhelmed by everything.

and for the past 3 weeks at weight watchers, his weight has gone down a little

he is very happy about it.

I have been io Lisinopril for several months, and the only side effect I can say is a VERY ANNOYING rash on the inside of my upper thighs. It comes and goes and gets worse with warmth, like a heat rash. I also have now developed a rash on my butt that is looks to me like shingles. Very itchy, to the point of bleeding from scratching. I treated with diaper rash ointment and triple antibiotic ointment to not much improvement. Reently tried a jock itch ointment which seems to be working. Also took myself off Lisinopril 2 days ago, and things are getting better, but very slowly........

I am currently 58 years old and lead a very active, healthy lifestyle. I began taking 10mg of Zocor, along with 1000mg of niacin in the summer of 2004 to reduce cholesterol (251) and triglycerides (571). The therapy dramatically improved my blood tests, however, within 6 weeks, I began to experience minor chronic skin infections, both fungal and bacterial. They were easily controlled with topical over the counter type medications, but they were annoying. At no time was this new condition linked to the statin/niacin therapy by my doctor(s). The infections became progressively worse over the next 3 years, and evolved into chronic folliculitis in my scalp, neck, and face, cystic acne, and persistent fungal infections that were becoming more difficult to control. In addition, I began to get chronic eye infections. It was as if my immune system was becoming ineffective. I stopped taking niacin in December of 2007 and the symptoms immediately lessened. I stopped taking Zocor in March of 2008 and within 2 weeks, all the skin problems and eye infections completely ended. My health was restored completely and I am glad to have put that whole mess behind me! I have been taking Omega 3 supplements to control my cholesterol and triglycerides and have had results that equaled the Zocor and Niacin therapy, with cholesterol at 160, triglycerides at 91, and a favorable HDL/LDL ratio. My physician is skeptical, but I know that my body was not functioning correctly with the statin/niacin treatment. I have found anecdotal reports from others who seem to have experienced a change in their immune system, but no mention of this as a side effect by the medical establishment.

I was on simcor, which is heavy dose of niacin plus simvastatin.Was taking simvastatin alon and i was fine.
my lipids and trygllicerides were very high so put me on this medication''
I'm sure its the niacin that is the culprit. sever itching on back and inner arms.

Was very red and hot to the touch.

I am now off of it for a week. Continue to have the itching and rash.
It has to be a reaction to the niacin, as that is when it started, I refuse to live with this, Will not take again.

I have been on Lipitor for over a year know after having a heart attack at 43 and having two stents put in. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia by in 2002. Recently, I have been having more arm, leg, back, pelvic, hip and hand pain then ever before. I am going to talk to my doctors now about the side effects. I have just know decided to start halving my Lipitor and may ween off of it completely. I'm on Niacin and Zieta in addition to the Lipitor. Have also been having a lot more digestive problems lately...am to be scheduled for a upper GI. I came here looking for info on the fact that although since being on Plavix (didn't realize Lipitor could be culprit) I have had bruising...today I found knots under two bruises on my upper arm. Not only are there knots but they (the bruises) are a different shade of blue (if that makes sense). Thanks to all who have shared their stories.

Last night I woke up burning all over and about to explode from the firey heat. Made it to the bathroom where my husband found me, eyes fixed and unresponsive...I was worse than comatose...I was dying. He talked to me and keep me "with him" and was telling me he was going to call EMS when finally I began to comer out of it. My eyes were fixed and I could respond to him. I had turned a gray color.I will never take it again. I, in reality nearly died, not from discomfort, but from a whole system shut down. I had only taken 500Mg at bedtime for about a week. No More for me...ever!!! jcw in San Antonio

I have been on a 1000mg of Depakote for over fourteen years,in the last month i have become severely ill with feelings of electricity going thru my brain,vertigo,nausea and fainting spells. I have been communicating with my Doctor and he said stop all Depakote immediately. As a result of it i feel like a new person.Always pays to do your own research and listen to body symptoms.I saved my own life. Andrew.

Note to admin: please move my April 16 2008 7:50 AM note about Simvastatin to the drug Simcor. Simcor is a Niacin / Simvastatin combination and I posted incorrectly. I was prescribed Simcor which is 750 mg Niacin and 20 mg Simvastatin. The pharmacist says my itching burning was due to the Niacin and that I should take an aspirin 30 minutes before the Simcor pill.

No serious side effects. I want to add my experience as I see everyone
here has a side effect. I am always wary about medication, and I have taken
statins mainly Zocor and Lipitor off and on for 10 years or so. I have familial
hypercholesterolemia, so diet hasn't helped much, and I have tried all kinds
of food supplements etc. I do take CoQ10 based on reports I have read, not from any side effect. If there are any side effects its not significant that I can
notice it. Sometimes I am forgetful, hard to say if its caused by the drug, as
the times I have been off it, has been much different.

I wonder if high cholesterol is a real problem, I wonder if high triglycerides are worse? Lately I found what seems like an improvement by eliminating high glycemic foods like rice and replacing with barley and oats. Barley also has some fiber and other things that are apparently helpful. Grapefruit is also helpful, but there is a warning not to take it, if you are already taking statins. Based on all this side effects reported here, I feel I might need to try once again, to try an alternative. I am maintaining my 10mg Lipitor, though I had been planning to move back to Zocor as its cheaper for me. I will take a test
in 2 months to test my current barley diet, and recent exercise routine to see
what improvements can happen. Then if successful, I might get off statins,
maintain the non-glycemic diet, exercise and in addition take a lot of grapefruit and a reasonable dose of niacin.

In the past I have tried ginger, garlic, Chinese herbs, and more then I can list here without much help. Occasionally I had been surprised by low readings,
once when I had come back from a 10 day meditation retreat. I have read that cholesterol can change due to stress, and this is a very variable thing. I have
taken lab tests within 2 days from the same lab and seen almost 20% difference (with fasting). I think each body is different and one needs to take a very long term, positive attitude of experimenting and not feeling discouraged too much, but always reading and trying different things and being careful of how you interpret the results.

I would rather ignore the high cholesterol, except my brother died at 65 from cardiac issues, but he also had diabetes. I am now 51.

openlotus

I am absolutely amazed at all the side effects that may be a result of Lipitor.I have been on Lipitor for approx.4 weeks. Accdg to my blood work, my cholesterol was extremely high...possible genetic factor.(father had hight cholesterol).My diet is fairly low in fat, exercised regularly, etc. I have had muscle, joint, breast, and all over body pain, nausea, headaches,decreased energy. I actually think I am having heart attack or stroke pain....I have become very anxious due to these symptoms. Having lipid profile done tomorrow, see the doctor next week. I am going to go off the Lipitor and see about an alternative from a health food store.(I am also a registered nurse)

60 yr old/young female: I started generic toprol (metoprolol 50mg xr) yesterday (11/22/07). Took about 3:00 PM. The next morning around 6:00 AM, I had a hot flash that equated to one you would have if you had taken niacin. Body was burning and I was sweating. Looked in the mirror to see if I was flushed, because of the severity of the hot flash I thought my body would be totally red. It wasn't. I called my pharmacist to report this event. He researched and found no evidence of such. He did say that it did not rule out the possibility that it was caused by the Toprol. Asked me to keep him posted as his customers were the ones that helped him be able to report side effects to other. Well I found this site and low and behold I have read of the hot flashes and all of the other problems. I will not be taking this medication. I am not a pro medication person anyway and related that to my dr, but at some point you feel you have to have trust in someone. I don't trust medications. I know at some point in my life I will probably have to take something, but not Toprol. Sounds as though it will cause more problems than it will cure. Thanks so much for your input. It will prevent me from having to wean myself off this mess. Oh yeah, I was also feeling the depressed, anxiety mentioned. Not at a high level , but just knew I wasn't myself. That was after just one dose. I can't imagine how it would have progress. I feel very blessed.

I started taking NIASPAN last Wednesday night 500mg and on Thurday night I awoke at 330am feeling like I was on FIRE. My whole body was burning and my skin was turning redder and redder by the minute. I jumped in the cold shower and stayed there for 45 min. I then started getting the shakes and very rapid heartbeat and my tongue was purple. I advised my doctor that I will not take this medicine and proceeded to throw it out. Can you imagine the long term affects of this medicine. How can a rapid heartbeat and burning feeling be actually good for you. I AM OFF THIS MEDICINE AND ADVISE anyone else to think twice about going on it.

I have read a ton of the posts in this category. I have been taking Lisinopril as an addition to my regular blood pressure medication for approximately 3 years, with absolutely no problems. My 10mg was increased to 20mg a week ago. Still no problems. It has only helped me. If there are any changes, I will definitely post it. I believe that symptoms can arise from reading an article. I actually know a couple people who read things, and suddenly they are convinced they have the problem or disease referenced. I call it an Epidemic of Diagnoses. Always seek a doctors advice before stopping medications. Stopping suddenly on certain drugs, can be more dangerous than taking them.

No Need to Experience the Flushing of Niaspan !!!!
NOT an allergic reaction OR a "cardiac" reaction,.. it IS temporary & it is PROSTAGLANDIN !! Try this,...
Not a big deal. ~90% of ALL patients can tolerate Niaspan / ER-niacin
1-2 gms/day,.. IF,.. the prescriber knows a few tricks. Dr. Wm. Castelli, he uses plain ole crystalline niacin AND Niaspan. 40 years ago, ALL they had was IR-Immediate Release aka plain ole crystalline niacin,.. 3-4 gms a day MONO therapy. The patients FORGET THE ASPIRIN which prevents the flush. If you forget to take an aspirin AT LEAST 30 min before dosing,.. FLUSH! Taking with the dose is too late. SOLUTION 40 YEARS AGO?
Alka-Seltzer ; that`s a 325 mg of AQUEOUS aspirin, no need to take sooner,.. wash down the niacin with that. AFTER,.. you eat 3 TBS applesausce whil waiting for the ALKA-SELTZER tablet to dissolve. Use just enough water to swallow pill, so you get all of the 325 mg aspipirin in the ALKA-SELTZER. 90% of patients get through the 'rough' 1st 2-4 weeks & stick with it after. IT IS THE ONLY DRUG WITH AN FDA INDICATION TO HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO REVERSE CAD, REGRESSION.
Remember; hot drinks, alcohol, spicy food less than 2-3 hrs prior to Niaspan is a NO-NO !!
Take care,.. ...be well... Steve the Lipid Guy