Like swelling of the face/throat/tongue or trouble breathing
Has anyone had any serious side effects while taking Niaspan ER 500 mg. tablet?
- Posted:
- 6 Sep 2009 by mellon2009
- Topics:
- niaspan, niaspan er, side effect
Responses (1)
9 Sep 2009
The symptoms you have described could be the signs of an allergic reaction and you should get medical assistance immediately.
from http://www.drugs.com/mtm/niaspan-er.html
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking nicotinic acid and seek emergency medical attention:
*an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
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Thank you for your answer to my question but I am afraid to take the medicine. If you have this reaction how long do you have to get to the ER before you actully stop breathing. This is what I am afraid of.
I just had an horrible allergic reaction to Niaspan last night that sent me to the ER in an ambulance and I have been taking this for 8 months already. I've had 3 nights of flushing at the beginning of taking the drug. Twice it was annoying, the third time was pretty bad, but it went away in about 20 minutes. But this time was awful! The flushing began in my head which surprised me since it had been about 6 months since I had this happen. Then it quickly hit my lips and arms. Next went my legs and I felt like I was on fire. I started to turn very red and then made the horrible discovery of what my face looked like. I flipped out when I saw that I was both swollen and dehydrated in my face. I looked like an 80 year old in need of a serious face lift(I'm 35). There were layers of skin under my eyes just sagging, my lover face was swollen and droopy and creased deeply. You couldn't have done a better job if you were an FX makeup artist. My husband just freaked out.
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Then my legs turned purple and blotchy and looked like I was beaten and bruised. My chest started to hurt a bit and I felt a bit nauseated. My husband called 911 and they came with in 5 minutes. I was given some Benadryl in an IV in the ambulance right away. Then my throat started to close up. I was on oxygen and give a second dose of Benadryl. We got to the ER by then and I was given a few more IV meds and monitored for 3 hours. By then the swelling went down and I was super wiped out and groggy since I was there until 3 am. I am now on Prednisone, Pepcid and Benadryl for a few days to keep me from having anymore reactions. Oh, and I'm not taking Niaspan anymore. This totally scared the hell out of me. I can't figure out why this happened after being on this med for so long.
I recently had similar conditions, excessive sagging skin on knees, arms and face. My knee caps were severely wrinkled. My face was scary looking.
I have spoken with doctor, and will be asking another soon.
I have been on niaspan 500 mg for 5 weeks, it helps me sleep soundly but i do not feel well through out day it is not for me. I am a very energetic 50 female and i will find other ways to deal with my bad genetics. I do not appreciate a 10 lb weight gain, a lethargic body a depression that is now lifted since I stopped this medication. Yuk!
have been taking Niaspan for apx. 2 mos. noticed couple days ago that I started having this terrible burning on my hands, face, neck, arms legs, feet. this shortly after taking reg dose in pm. went to drugs.com - looked up and found others with lots worse - my symptoms were worse the second time - also discoved in my research that this drug has adverse interactions with my HPB med - Hyzzar = and aspirin - doctors give us these meds without even checking side effects that could kill us - this drug also interacts with zocor, and other statins - also greatly increases heart problems if you have or have not had them - I have had bypass surgery - I know I will not take this anymore. I too took 6 benedryl in 30 mins. and used cortisone cream and cold rags . the discomfort finally went away after about 2 hrs. Also, I has a red rash on my arms, legs, etc. If I had not gotten relief almost immediately, I too would have been in emergency room.
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My lessom - it pays to be your own best med checker and it;s a fact that we pay more attention than the doctors do to meds. Why do they have a chart for us with all our meds listed if they are not going to look out for meds interactions?
I went to the ER yesterday due to an allergic reaction to Niaspan. I have been taking Niaspan for over 1 year and I have never experienced "flushing" or what is referred to as. My body was literally on fire. My arms turned beet red and face and chest and legs. It was a very scary experience. After an hr the symptoms started to subside, and was given benadryl and pepcid ac via IV and sent home. Was told to discontinue medication. Has anyone experienced this out of the blue reaction?
I took this medication for 1 month and I felt like crap! I gained 15 pounds and my bp bottomed out . This medication is for the birds. Never again.
I used this medication only twice and before i took it my doctor told me that
I would get flushed, well let me tell you I was red as a tomato and i was burning up. That evening I talked with my son whom is a RN he said thats just a side effect.
Well the next day when I took it I got redder, hotter, real ichy, and i got hives on my stomack and legs also I was so hot that i got broken red veins all over my face.
when i called the doctor he told me to stop taking it right away, but guess what it cost me $88.00 and they wouldn't give me my money back.