If dietary changes are unable to improve cholesterol levels and you are at a higher risk of developing heart disease, doctors often prescribe medications to treat high cholesterol. One of these cholesterol-lowering medications is niacin. But like any prescription drug, there is always the potential for side effects. While flushing, itching, dry skin and upset stomach can occur, explains MedlinePlus, heart palpitations are not usually caused by this B vitamin alone, especially when administered orally.
Heart Palpitations
Heart palpitations are characterized by MayoClinic.com as sensations of rapid, fluttering or pounding heartbeats. Although unsettling, this uncomfortable feeling is not usually a cause for alarm. It is basically a reaction to stimuli, like taking medication. But niacin should not cause this type of response from your heart when taken by mouth.
Niacin-Lovastatin
According to MayoClinic.com, it is not until niacin is used in combination with lovastatin, another cholesterol-lowering drug, that heart palpitations become a potential side effect. This rapid or pounding heart rate is often accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating, chills and flushing along the neck and face.
Intravenous Niacin
Another potential link between niacin and heart palpitations is the intravenous delivery of this B vitamin. In this situation, niacin is used to correct nutritional deficiencies of vitamin B3. When administered into a vein, MedlinePlus warns that you may begin to experience heart palpitations as well as abnormal heart rhythms and circulatory collapse. Since this administration method is performed by a medical professional, your condition is monitored throughout the course of treatment, so changes can be made if you experience this side effect.
Treatment
To prevent heart palpitations, your doctor may recommend changing your prescription of cholesterol medications to another drug or combination of drugs. Fibrates, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, bile acid-binding resins and statins alone or in combination with another drug can all be used to help lower your blood cholesterol.
Warning
If you do experience heart palpitations as a result of using niacin and lovastatin, do not stop taking your prescription. Contact your primary health care provider to determine your next step in the treatment of high blood cholesterol.
