Side Effects Of Niacin In Diabetics

Side Effects of Niacin in Diabetics

Dec 6, 2010 | By Diana Kaniecki

A study recently published in "Circulation," demonstrated that even early diabetes or prediabetes increases the risk of death from heart attack more than twofold. Healthy lifestyle habits and medications, such as niacin, are prescribed to manage diabetes and its complications, says the National Institutes of Health, or NIH; however, medications need to be carefully monitored in diabetics as they can cause side effects that considerably complicate diabetes management.

Common Effects

The NIH reports that niacin may cause an increase in blood glucose. Diabetics taking this medication need to monitor their blood sugar levels closely and watch for other side effects, including hot flashes, stomach and intestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Peptic ulcers may also develop.

Medication Effects

The increase in blood sugar caused by niacin in diabetics may alter the effectiveness of other diabetes drugs, says the NIH. NIH recommends checking blood sugar levels carefully when taking niacin and working closely with the provider as the doses of other diabetes medications may need to be changed to help control blood sugar levels. Examples of diabetes medications are insulin, glyburide, pioglitazone, metformin, glipizide, glimepiride, chlorpropamide, and tolbutamide, among others.

Warnings

As niacin is available without a prescription, diabetics should be careful not take niacin unless prescribed by their provider to avoid complications. In addition to increased blood sugar levels, other serious side effects of niacin include liver damage and gout, reports the NIH. Niacin increases the potency of blood pressure medicines so diabetics taking these drugs need to check blood pressure closely.