Save Niacin for Special Situations

September 2014

Patients will ask if they should stop niacin (Niaspan, etc)...due to all the press about lack of benefit and possible harm.

We know that niacin ADDED to a statin doesn't improve CV outcomes more than a statin alone when LDL is around 70 mg/dL.

In fact, adding niacin or fenofibrate to a statin to raise HDL is falling out of favor because it doesn't seem to improve outcomes.

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Table of Contents

Cardiology Save Niacin for Special Situations
Statins Point Out Statins' CV Benefits STILL Outweigh Diabetes Risk
Vaccines Give Intranasal FluMist to Young, Healthy Children
Depression Use Low Antipsychotic Doses When Adding to an Antidepressant
Smoking Cessation Save Combos with Chantix for When Other Options Don't Work
E-Prescriptions Send E-Rxs at the End of Each Patient Visit
Diuretics Don't Rely on Potassium from Foods to Treat Hypokalemia
Infectious Diseases Warn About the High Cost of Some Cold Sore Treatments
Oral Health Explain Electric Toothbrushes Can Reduce Plaque More Than Manual Brushes
Antithrombotics Don't Use the New Oral Antiplatelet Drug Zontivity Alone
ADHD Don't Do an ECG Before Beginning Stimulant in Most Kids
Med Administration Dilute Liquid Meds Before Enteral Tube Administration
Opioids DEA's switch of all hydrocodone COMBOS (Vicodin, Tussionex, etc) from Schedule III to Schedule II on October 6 will cause confusion