Originally Posted by
phoebeisis
Don
Zetia isn't a statin.
You didn't say it was-but you mention statins in the sentences following the negative Zetia info.
The study indicated that a timed release Niacin-much cheaper- worked MUCH better
It didn't EXACTLY show that Zetia didn't work at all-
To do that it would need to be paired with a placebo-but it did seem to show it "wasn't great" and maybe was worthless.
My suspicion is Zetia got a foothold because of so many folks having side effects from statins-
doc will say "well take a lower dose of the statin-and I'll add ZETIA"
You I would be willing to bet that it was originally pushed-by drug reps-as a lower side effect anti cholesterol medication.
Niacin works-and should be dirt cheap-even time released it should be dirt cheap-does have some problems of course
itching+ the liver problems-significant-but you can certainly lower the dose-should be able to find a safe dose of niacin.
I started on lipitor after my wife's MI-trying to figure which drug causing fatigue-she takes 10 or so-it certainly makes me feel "odd" in the morning after taking a small-10mg-dose in the evening-but the studies on it-are convincing-and I'm old 62-HBP-35 lbs overweight-certainly no free lunch-
might give immediate release niacin a try-lowish dose-
My memory is that the timed release niacin caused liver damage
Niacin and statins can both be effective, but they work very differently:
Niacin raises HDL -- which cleans LDL from the arteries
Statins lower LDL -- which reduces LDL in the arteries
It has been long known in the medical field that niacins CAN save lives -- but their unpleasant side affects make them a difficult medicine to take.
But, a recent trial demonstrated that niacins combined with statins do not save lives any more than a statin by itself. My theory is that cleaning an already clean house doesn't make it any cleaner.
An alternative to taking niacin is to cycle more: both will elevate your HDL.