How important is niacin when taking cholesterol medications?

Certain cholesterol medications have niacin added to them.  What is the purpose of the niacin and should a niacin supplement be administered if the medication does not contain niacin?

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hello and welcome to MedHelp's forums. Thanks for the question.  Yes, niacin has been added to certain medications particularly in the statin class.  This article explains it nicely https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/niacin/art-20046208.  The thought behind adding niacin was that it would help raise HDL levels even more than the statin drug alone. However, just recently, studies indicate that this potential benefit really isn't being seen in patient populations.   Good question, thank you for asking it.  And remember to follow up with your doctor.