Niacin is a B-complex vitamin that can be prescribed at higher doses to act as a cholesterol-lowering medication. It can be used alone or in combination with other statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) or diets to treat both high cholesterol and fatty substance levels in the blood while increasing high-density lipoproteins (“good cholesterol”). Niacin is also thought to reduce the risk of heart attack caused by high cholesterol.
Niacin is currently sold under the brand names Niacor, Niaspan, and Slo-Niacin, and is also available in the form of tablets and extended-release tablets.