General Information
Nicotinic acid
Consumer Medicine
Information
This leaflet answers some
common questions about Nicotinic acid.
It
does not contain all the available information. It
does not take the place of talking to your doctor
or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and
benefits. Your doctor or pharmacist has weighed
the risks of you taking this medicine against the
benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this
medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may
need to read it again.
What Nicotinic acid
is used for
Nicotinic acid is used to treat:
high levels of cholesterol and
triglycerides which are fat-like substances in the
blood
pellagra, a Nicotinic acid deficiency
which is very rare in Australia. Symptoms of
pellagra include loss of appetite, lethargy,
weakness, diarrhoea, dermatitis and mental
changes.
Cholesterol and
triglycerides
Everyone has cholesterol in their
blood. It is a type of blood fat needed by the
body for many things, such as making bile acids
(which help to digest food) and some hormones.
Some people have a family history of high
cholesterol.
However, having too much
cholesterol in the blood can contribute to the
development of heart disease.
Cholesterol
is present in many foods and is also made in your
body by the liver. If your body does not balance
the amount of cholesterol it needs with the amount
of cholesterol eaten, then your cholesterol
becomes too high.
There are different types
of cholesterol, called LDL (low-density
lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
LDL cholesterol is the 'bad' cholesterol that can
block your blood vessels. HDL cholesterol is the
'good' cholesterol that is thought to remove the
'bad' cholesterol from the blood vessels.
There is another type of fat called
triglyceride, which is a source of energy. High
levels of triglyceride can be associated with a
low level of 'good' cholesterol and may increase
your risk of heart disease.
Having high
levels of 'bad' cholesterol and triglycerides can
be a problem. Over time, this can form hard areas,
called plaque, on the walls of your blood vessels,
making it more difficult for the blood to flow.
This blocking of your blood vessels can lead to
heart disease (such as heart attack or angina),
and stroke.
Treating high cholesterol and
triglycerides
High cholesterol and triglyceride
levels can be treated in two main ways:
Lifestyle changes -
this includes a
low-fat diet, increasing physical exercise, and
weight management
Medicines -
such
as cholesterol-lowering agents.
Nicotinic
acid (also known as niacin) is vitamin B3, which
occurs naturally in food. Used as a medicine, it
can improve levels of blood fats (lipids) such as
cholesterol and triglycerides.
Nicotinic
acid works by reducing the amount of 'bad'
cholesterol and triglycerides made by the liver.
In most people, there are no symptoms of
high cholesterol or triglycerides. Your doctor can
measure your cholesterol and triglycerides with a
simple blood test.
Ask your doctor if you
have any questions about why this medicine has
been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have
prescribed it for another reason.
Do not
give Nicotinic acid to a child. The safety and
effectiveness of this medicine have not been
established in this age group.
Nicotinic
acid is not addictive.
It is available from
your pharmacist without a doctor's prescription.
Before you take Nicotinic acid
When you
must not take it
Do not take Nicotinic acid if
you have an allergy to:
any medicine
containing Nicotinic acid
any of the
ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction
include:
shortness of breath
wheezing or
difficulty breathing
swelling of the face,
lips, tongue or other parts of the body
rash,
itching or hives on the skin.
Do not take this
medicine if you have or have had:
significant liver problems
bleeding of any
artery (a blood vessel)
recent heart attack.
Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant.
It may affect your developing baby if you take it
during pregnancy.
Do not take this medicine
if you are breast-feeding. This medicine passes
into breast milk and may affect your baby.
Do not take this medicine after the expiry
date printed on the pack or if the packaging is
torn or shows signs of tampering. If it has
expired or is damaged, return it to your
pharmacist for disposal.
If you are not
sure whether you should start taking this medicine
talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Before
you start to take it
Tell your doctor or
pharmacist if you have allergies to any other
medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have or
have had liver disease. Your doctor will do a
blood test to make sure you have no problems with
your liver.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist
if you have or have had any of the following
medical conditions:
heart attack
heart,
gallbladder, kidney or liver problems
bleeding
problems
glaucoma (increased pressure in the
eye)
stomach ulcer
diabetes
gout.
If
you have not told your doctor or pharmacist about
any of the above, tell them before you start
taking this medicine.
Taking other
medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you
are taking any other medicines, including any that
you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy,
supermarket or health food shop.
Some
medicines and Nicotinic acid may interfere with
each other. These include:
certain
medicines used to lower high blood
pressure
insulin or other medicines used to
treat diabetes
aspirin
'statins', medicines
used to lower cholesterol, e.g. pravastatin,
simvastatin
colestipol, a medicine used to
lower cholesterol
nicotine
patches
isoniazid, a medicine used for
tuberculosis
clonidine, a medicine used for
high blood pressure and migraine.
These
medicines may be affected by Nicotinic acid, or
may affect how well it works. You may need
different amounts of your medicine, or you may
need to take different medicines.
Your
doctor and pharmacist have more information on
medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking
Nicotinic acid.
How to take Nicotinic
acid
Carefully follow all directions given to
you by your doctor or pharmacist. They may differ
from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions,
ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
How
much to take
In adults:
Pellagra:
One tablet twice a day.
High
cholesterol and triglyceride levels:
Initially one tablet three times a day;
increased by one tablet every four days to a
maximum daily dose of 12-18 tablets or as directed
by your doctor.
Your doctor or pharmacist
will tell you how many tablets you will need to
take each day. This depends on your condition and
whether or not you are taking any other medicines.
How to take it
Swallow the tablets
whole with a glass of water. Do not chew the
tablets.
Avoid alcohol and hot drinks when
you take Nicotinic acid. Alcohol and hot drinks
can increase side effects such as flushing and
itching.
When to take it
Take Nicotinic
acid after meals.
How long to take it
for
Continue taking your medicine for as long
as your doctor or pharmacist tells you. Nicotinic
acid helps lower your cholesterol and
triglyceride. It does not cure your condition.
Therefore, you must continue to take it as
directed by your doctor or pharmacist to keep your
cholesterol and triglyceride levels controlled. If
you stop taking it, your cholesterol and
triglyceride levels may become out of control.
If you forget to take it
Take the dose as
soon as you remember, and then go back to taking
your medicine as directed.
Do not take a
double dose to make up for the dose that you
missed. This may increase the chance of you
getting an unwanted side effect.
If you are
not sure what to do, ask your doctor or
pharmacist.
If you have trouble remembering
to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for
some hints.
If you take too much (overdose)
Immediately telephone your doctor or
pharmacist or the Poisons Information Centre
(telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Accident
and Emergency at your nearest hospital, if you
think that you or anyone else may have taken too
much Nicotinic acid. Do this even if there are no
signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need
urgent medical attention.
Too much
Nicotinic acid may cause red or itchy skin,
vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach discomfort or cramps,
or fainting.
While you are using Nicotinic
acid
Things you must do
If you are about to
be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor
or pharmacist that you are taking Nicotinic acid.
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and
pharmacists who are treating you that you are
taking this medicine.
If you become
pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your
doctor or pharmacist immediately.
If you
are about to have any blood or urine tests, tell
your doctor that you are taking this medicine.
Nicotinic acid may affect the results of some
tests.
Keep all of your doctor's
appointments so that your progress can be checked.
Your doctor may recommend that you have regular
blood tests while taking Nicotinic acid to monitor
the effect on your blood cholesterol and
triglyceride levels.
If you are taking this
medicine to lower your blood cholesterol and
triglyceride levels, maintain a low fat diet and
exercise program to control your weight. When you
are taking this medicine, it will be easier to
control your cholesterol and triglyceride levels
if you also exercise and follow a low fat diet,
including plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Things you must not do
Do not give this
medicine to anyone else, even if they have the
same condition as you.
Do not take the
medicine to treat any other complaints unless your
doctor or pharmacist tells you to.
Do not
stop taking the medicine, or lower the dosage,
without checking with your doctor or pharmacist.
Things to be careful of
Avoid alcohol
and hot drinks when you take Nicotinic acid.
Alcohol and hot drinks can increase side effects
such as flushing and itching.
Side
effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon
as possible if you do not feel well while you are
taking Nicotinic acid. All medicines can have side
effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the
time they are not. You may need medical attention
if you get some of the side effects.
Do not
be alarmed by the following lists of side effects.
You may not experience any of them.
Ask
your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions
you may have.
Tell your doctor or
pharmacist if you notice any of the following and
they worry you:
skin flushing, which is a
warmth, redness, itching or tingling that
typically occurs on the face, neck, chest and
back.
Flushing is the most common side effect
of Nicotinic acid products. For most patients, the
flushing episodes will become less frequent and
milder within a few weeks after starting therapy,
or may stop altogether.
irregular or rapid
heart beat
headache
dizziness
itch,
rash
dry or scaly skin, boils
darkening or
thickening of the skin
nausea (feeling sick),
vomiting
diarrhoea
heartburn or
flatulence
nervousness.
The above list
includes the more common side effects of your
medicine.
Tell your doctor as soon as
possible if you notice any of the following:
yellowing of the skin and/or eyes
shortness
of breath
signs of gout, eg. Painful swollen
joints
difficulty seeing
fainting, dizziness
when getting up from a sitting or lying position.
The above list includes serious side effects,
which may require medical attention. Serious side
effects are rare.
Tell your doctor
immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at the
nearest hospital if you notice any of the
following:
signs of an allergic reaction
include swelling of the face, lips, mouth, throat
or neck which may cause difficulty swallowing or
breathing.
The above list includes very serious
side effects. You may need urgent medical
attention or hospitalisation. These side effects
are very rare.
Tell your doctor or
pharmacist if you notice anything that is making
you feel unwell.
Other side effects not
listed above may also occur in some people.
Some side effects can only be found when your
doctor does blood, urine or other tests from time
to time to check your progress.
After using
Nicotinic Acid
Storage
Keep your tablets in
the bottle until it is time to take them. If you
take the tablets out of the bottle they may not
keep as well.
Keep your tablets in a cool
dry place where the temperature stays below 30
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Do not
store this medicine or any other medicine in the
bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it in the
car or on windowsills. Heat and dampness can
destroy some medicines.
Keep it where
children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at
least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a
good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor or pharmacist tells
you to stop taking this medicine or the tablets
have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist
what to do with any that are left over.
Product description
What it looks
like
NICOTINIC ACID tablets are white, flat
tablets with a break bar on one side.
The
tablets are available in bottles of 200's.
Ingredients
The tablets contain 250mg of
Nicotinic acid as the active ingredient. They also
contain:
lactose
wheat
starch
povidone
talc
magnesium stearate.
The medicine does not contain tartrazine or
any other azo dyes.
Supplier
Alphapharm
Pty Limited
(ABN 93 002 359 739)
Chase Building 2
Wentworth Park
Road
Glebe NSW 2037
Phone: (02) 9298
3999
www.alphapharm.com.au
Medical
Information
Phone: 1800 028 365
Australian registration number:
AUST R
27193
This leaflet was prepared on 12 July
2007.