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Nicotinic acid is used with diet changes (restriction of cholesterol and fat intake) to reduce the amount of cholesterol and certain fatty substances in your blood. Nicotinic acid is also used to prevent and treat pellagra (Nicotinic acid deficiency), a disease caused by inadequate diet and other medical problems. Nicotinic acid is a B-complex vitamin.
Nicotinic acid comes as a tablet and an extended-release (long-acting) tablet to take by mouth. The regular tablet usually is taken two to three times a a day with meals, and the extended-release tablet is taken once a day, at bedtime, with food. Follow the directions on your prescription label or package label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take Nicotinic acid exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Swallow the extended-release tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them. Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of Nicotinic acid and gradually increase your dose. Continue to take Nicotinic acid even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Nicotinic acid without talking to your doctor. |