Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have been taking this product (niacin 500mg sustained release tablets, Now brand) for over 20 years. I started it when my cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL became abnormal, increasing my risk for coronary and other artery disease. I had been told about niacin by another physician (I am a physician) a few years earlier because that's what he was doing and it was working for him. He is still alive at about the age of 90. I am now 63. The pharmacology texts describe this vitamin's beneficial effects on lipid profiles and reducing the development of atherosclerosis, and I initially learned about it in medical school. Please read this whole review to see how to minimize the flushing that nearly everyone gets from niacin. I had learned that I would need to start with a low dose and gradually increase it to 2 to 3 gms per day. Even with that, there were some episodes of mild flushing when I started and with each increase of dosage, which is not surprising. The flushing wasn't noticeable by others, just me. I actually found it kind of interesting and stimulating. So, if you want to want to normalize your lipid profile at a low cost and avoid the potential side effects of the much more expensive presciption medications, please follow these directions. 1. Start at 250 or 500 mg per day. You may take 5gr (325mg) of aspirin 30 minutes before your niacin dose to reduce flushing. 2. Once you are no longer experiencing flushing at your current dose, usually after a few days to a week or two, increase your dose by 250 or 500 mg, and stay at that level until you are no longer experiencing flushing, eventually reaching 2000mg (four tablet of 500mg)per day. 3. Have your lipid profile checked again after you have been on 2000 per day for a few weeks, and if it is not yet normal, continue the above procedure to increase to 3000mg (six tablets of 500mg) per day. Check your lipid profile again after a few weeks at that dose. It should now be normal or close to normal. If it is not, you are not going to respond to niacin, and should try the prescription meds. My results (granted, this is anecdotal, but not atypical): My lipid profile normalized at 2000mg per day, and has stayed that way ever since, with greatly reduced total and LDL cholesterol, greatly reduced triglycerides, and significantly increased HDL. My personal physician has been amazed, considering that my levels were so abnormal before I started, the fact that my father had severe lipid abnormalities and died at age 66 of coronary disease, and that I have a great liking for all the wrong foods. To cap this off, I underwent a pre-operative cardiac catheterization a few years ago, and my coronary arteries were COMPLETELY CLEAR, without any signs of atherosclerosis. I have no reason to doubt that they have remained that way, and my peripheral pulses are full and bounding, like they were when I was in my 20s. On another note, I believe that niacin has actually been shown to reduce atherosclerotic plaques in those persons who have already developed them. So, please do your own research from reliable medical and pharmacological texts and articles, don't believe the bum raps from people who didn't use the above procedure, and give it a try. It just may extend your life. By the way, don't use the "flush-free" capsules, because they don't seem to improve the lipid profile the way that the sustained release tablets do.