Niacin Side Effects

Niacin is an important nutrient that is part of the B spectrum of vitamins. We all need niacin in our diet but niacin has also been used by many doctors to lower cholesterol for years, while there are many natural sources of B12 many doctors will prescribe high levels of niacin to lower a patients cholesterol. Niacin side effects do exist even though it is a natural supplement so as with any other drug you must be careful to watch for side effects even with nutrients that you take. Studies have shown that niacin can lower triglycerides by as much as 25% while raising HDL by 15% to 30% and lowering LDL by 10% while this may seem like good news there is more to the story. Niacin may seem like a better bet as many cholesterol lowering drugs have an abundance of side effects and not all of them are very effective however to get the benefits from niacin you will need to take very high doses of the vitamin and of course this can cause niacin side effects. For this reason niacin must be taken only under the care of a doctor so that he can monitor you for niacin side effects that can cause you problems. While the most common side effect is flushing or hot flashes more serious side effects can occur. While infrequent, high doses of niacin can cause an irregular heartbeat, and kidney or liver damage. Others may have an allergic reaction that can cause itching. Niacin can also cause gout or raise your blood sugar making it not a good fit for anyone that is at high risk for Diabetes. Niacin works by increasing the blood flow, this can have a number of good benefits for a patient such as an increase in the ability to heal and it is also what causes the well known niacin flush that patients refer to. Many doctors are starting to move away from the use of niacin to help lower cholesterol and are advocating the benefits of healthy diet and exercise instead. Healthy diet and exercise have been shown to be just as effective as medication if adhered to with none of the niacin side effects that you really want to avoid. If you and your doctor do decide to try a regimen of niacin for your high cholesterol you will most likely need to go to the doctor to have your kidneys and liver monitored as well as your blood sugar.