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Experience with Crystalline Niacin as the Preferred Drug for Dyslipidemia in a Specialty Clinic
Author(s) -
Rindone Joseph P.,
Arriola O. Greg
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1002/j.1875-9114.1997.tb03095.x
Subject(s) - niacin , tolerability , dyslipidemia , medicine , adverse effect , medical record , drug , retrospective cohort study , pharmacology , surgery , gastroenterology , disease
To determine the tolerability and efficacy of crystalline niacin in reaching target lipid goals, we conducted a retrospective review of medical records of 62 patients treated with the agent over 2 years in a lipid clinic at a nonacademic veterans hospital. Most patients received niacin for hypercholesterolemia. Thirty‐one patients (50%) stopped therapy due to adverse events, principally, intolerable cutaneous reactions. Twenty‐nine withdrew from therapy during the first 6 weeks of treatment. Of those who tolerated niacin, 23 did not achieve target lipid serum concentrations at the maximum tolerated dosage; 8 did achieve target concentrations. Thus crystalline niacin was largely ineffective in treating patients with dyslipidemia.