Niaspan ER and bedtime

Taking Niaspan my cholesterol dropped from 414 to 186 in ONE MONTH. I get the flush and itching BAD if I eat FATTY FOODS or drink alcohol before bedtime. Other wise, I take 1500mg and nothing bad.

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 was on 1000mg per day 500 in the morning and 500 at night. I had one or two episodes of flushing and if it was not for this site I would have gone to the Emergency Room because the burning of my skin was so severe that I was in a panic. I found this site and it calmed me a bit. After the flushing comes the itching. For me it is on the inside of the legs starting on the ankles and then the toes and then it moves slowly up the legs and sometimes hits the thighs. Sometimes it hits the underside of my upper arm. This was mild and tolerable and went away in a couple of days.

Now I have been moved to 2000mg per day and the flushing is under control, but the itching has gone out of control. I cannot deal with the itching. I sit in business meetings and want to scream. I find myself at my desk with my shoes and socks off rubbing my feet and ankles because it is intolerable. I have broken the skin many times and bleed from the scratching. I am intelligent enough to know not to scratch, but sometimes it just gets the better of me.

I have no idea what triggers this because I can count on it lasting three to four days and then it goes away again.

I have been taking the initial dose of Niaspan for 4 weeks, one 500 mg tablet at bedtime. I really experienced no side effects at all. This week I started on the second step and increased the dose to two 500 mg tablets at bedtime. Every night I have been waking up with diareaha. It always seems to subisde during the day, but after taking my bedtime dose, I'm up again in the middle of the night. Any suggestions?

I take my Niaspan at bedtime, having taken an 81 mg. asprin tablet about a half hour prior. I stil will awaken sometimes about 4-5 hours later and, well, if you're googling niacin flush, you know the rest. Then, because I HAVE to scratch, even though it's not exactly an itch, my skin then feels raw. After about a half hour I will typically get up and walk to the kitchen on the cold tile floors in bare feet and drink something cold - just a few sips and get some damp paper towels to blot whatever burns the most. This seems to help some. At least, I usually then go to sleep, but maybe after a half hour to 45 minutes, the flush was about to remediate itself anyway. Who knows!

I have been on Niaspan for quite a while, the flushing is almost unbearable. I take the med at bedtime with acephex, hydralazine, baby aspirin, lipitor and zetia. The flushing does not occur until about 4-5 hrs after taking it. It wakes me up from a sound sleep. It usually starts at the top of my head and gradually works it way down to my arms, torso, legs and feet. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to go from top to bottom. Someone has told me to try taking it at suppertime. That way the flushing is over by the time you go to bed. Does it ever stop!!!

I've been taking the 1000mg for about three years now. Yes, itching was a major problem at first, but it decreases with time.

My best tip for new users is to NOT take it at bedtime like they say. Take it in the area about two hours after dinner and two hours *before* bedtime. Any side effects that you might have will be far less and far easier to tolerate while watching tv. You get a good night's sleep that way. DON'T drink any hot drinks or eat any spicy foods for at least two hours before taking it.

One of the triggers I soon found was paprika. That's the red stuff on spicy Doritos etc. If you want to experience what the Niaspan flush/itch is all about, take your dose and then a half hour later eat a handful of spicy Doritos. Hot or spicy foods/drinks, direct sunlight, hot rooms, rubbing or scratching an area etc all can lead to Niaspan flush/itch so be careful!

Hot showers DO NOT relieve the itch! Warm showers, or even cool ones can help, but not much. Your best bet is to simply wait it out. Itch meds like Benadryl etc DO NOT WORK, so don't try to self-medicate!

If the flush/itch *does* get you even after being careful to avoid the triggers, DON'T scratch! You'll only tear up your skin! Instead, wrap a hand towel around your hands and gently rub the affected area. A large bath towel tossed over a chair makes a great "back scratcher". My wife calls it my "Niaspan shuffle" ;)

Flip on the tv and find a good sitcom to watch for 30-45 mins. It takes your mind off of it....and it's gone that quickly.

I have been taking this drug for four years. I have moved up and down from 500 to 1000mg depending on my mood. I do take an aspirin about 1 hour before I take the niaspan (bedtime) and found it works better than 30 minutes prior. I have always had the extreme side effects of the 'internal body fire' and tingling. Sometimes it wakes me up. I usually sit in front of a fan and/or hold an ice pack I keep in the freezer just for this reason and that helps. Relax though as panic makes it worse and lasts longer. If you haven't gotten past the side effects by now, you won't....no matter what the doctors say. Good luck!

I take Niaspin 1000mg at bedtime. Sometimes i wake up feeling a little flushed and itchy. This probably occurs once every two weeks. I go back to sleep and by morning the itching and flush feeling is gone. I also take aspirin in the evening with my meal. 13 out of 14 days I experience no side effects. Overall I am very happy Niaspin.

I've been taking Niaspan for about a year and occasionally experience the flushing and itching. I learned that taking the drug just before bedtime is best. I tend to sleep through the side effect most times.