Patients will ask if they should stop niacin (Niaspan, etc)

September 2014

Patients will ask if they should stop niacin (Niaspan, etc)...due to all the press about lack of benefit and possible harm.

We know that niacin ADDED to a statin doesn't improve CV outcomes more than a statin alone when LDL is around 1.8 mmol/L.

In fact, adding niacin or fenofibrate to a statin to raise HDL is falling out of favour because it doesn't seem to improve outcomes.

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Table of Contents

Influenza more opportunities for pharmacists to give flu vaccines this fall
Dyslipidemia higher doses of statins increasing the risk of diabetes
Dyslipidemia Patients will ask if they should stop niacin (Niaspan, etc)
Smoking Cessation About one in six Canadian adults still use tobacco, and your intervention can significantly improve their chances of quitting
Vaccines More of your asthma patients will be candidates for pneumococcal vaccination
Depression Strategies for augmenting antidepressants
Rheumatoid Arthritis Xeljanz (ZEL-jans, tofacitinib), a new ORAL treatment for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults
Oral Health if electric toothbrushes (Oral-B Professional Care, Sonicare, Spinbrush, etc) are worth the extra cost
Diuretics how to manage hypokalemia in patients on diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, etc)
ADHD whether ADHD stimulants increase cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents
Med Administration how to give meds via enteral tubes