Niacin... Anyone ever taken it?

I got my blood work results back today from my regular doctor and he said my cholestoral was a little high (which I already take mediation for) and he wanted me to start taking Niacin, 500mg... I took one about an hour ago and now my skin has red blotches all over it and it itches a little. I called my pharmacist and he said this was a common side effect with Niacin. Will it go away or does it persist the whole time you are on Niacin? If so, I don't want to continue taking it.

Has anyone else ever taken this over-the-counter medication? If so, how did it effect you and what were some of your common side effects while on it? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I've been taking NIACINAMIDE and haven't experienced any rashes. Maybe you can this other form of Vitamin B-3, instead. Tell the doc. about the rash. See what he/she recommends.

-Ray

There are flush-free varities of Niacin available - both niacinamide & a couple of others... I was taking up to 3000mg of it daily for a month as a cholesterol-lowering experiment, along w/eating more oatmeal & Omega-3 fatty acids. It didn't have a huge noticeable effect, but once I switched back to using butter from margarine & cut down on my coffee consumption, my cholesterol & triglycerides did come down.

Now the challenge is raising my proportions of HDL to LDL.

i've taken it and had no side effects. p

Thanks everyone... Will see about the flush-free kind. This obviously isn't the one for me. These rashes are itchy.