RUGBY LABORATORIES Niacin 500 mg 1000 Tabs

Update: February 19, 2024 Well, here we are almost nine years after my original review and I am still taking this Rugby niacin, and then today, once again, the clueless news media just blew up with these breathless reports that a new study had shown that "too much niacin can cause increased cardiovascular disease"! I looked up the article that generated all this ruckus, it's from the Cleveland Clinic, published in Nature Medicine: "A terminal metabolite of niacin promotes vascular inflammation and contributes to cardiovascular disease risk" What's really just so utterly POS amateurish about this study is that the study NEVER distinguishes between niacin, which is this Rugby product, and nicotinamide and other long acting versions of niacin; it NEVER distinguishes between the different metabolic pathways that make niacin distinctly DIFFERENT from nicotinamide; and it NEVER shows that the therapeutic use of niacin actually causes undesirably high levels of the 2-PY and 4-PY "terminal metabolites". In fact, in the later appendix of the paper, they stated that they specifically EXCLUDED patients who were being prescribed with "niacin" (which in this paper seems to be their mashed together term for immediate release niacin, long acting nicotinamide, and other long acting "niacins"). And so, the ONLY true conclusion of this paper - that elevated levels of 2-PY and 4-PY in these patients resulted in increased rates of Major Cardiovascular Events (MACE) up to three years later, was actually NOT due to the therapeutic use of niacin to treat high cholesterol levels. I'm not a tenured Professor and Chairman of a Department at Cleveland Clinic, but it wasn't hard at all to find lots of papers that ALSO said: 1. The Nicotinamide metabolic pathway is the one that generates the undesirable 2-PY and 4-PY metabolites. 2. Immediate release Niacin taken in the amounts needed to lower cholesterol is largely metabolized in a different conjugation pathway, which is what leads to the flushing sensation. Most of the immediate release niacin does not get metabolized in the nicotinamide pathway 3. Other ingested stuff can end up metabolized into 2-PY and 4-PY, like trigonelline, which is found in abundance in fenugreek (an herb) and in some coffees. So, the moral of this update: Ignore these new breathless and stupidly ignorant reports that niacin has been found to cause increased cardiovascular disease. The terminal metabolites 2-PY and 4-PY were already known to be bad actors, with a possible relationship to kidney disease - so that isn't really news that they should be avoided. High dose nicotinamide and other long acting versions of niacin were also already known to be potentially hepatotoxic. What this study FAILED to establish, once again, was any direct connection between therapeutic levels of niacin needed to lower cholesterol and unacceptable levels of 2-PY and 4-PY. So, ignore this POS paper out of the Cleveland Clinic. Original review: February 13, 2015 I am a physician, I take this Rugby niacin 1500mg a day, and have for over 15 years. Niacin does work to lower your cholesterol, I've proven it to myself by adjusting the dosage and watching my cholesterol levels go up and down depending on the dosage. Recently, there's been a lot of flack coming from alleged experts who are in fact nothing more than the usual Big Pharma shills, saying that niacin DOES NOT WORK. And unfortunately, they all point to this one recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM): "Effects of Extended-Release Niacin with Laropiprant in High-Risk Patients", in the July 17, 2014 issue. I will post a direct link to this article in the comments so you can read it for yourself. I have written articles for refereed journals, I read lots of medical articles, I used to subscribe to the NEJM. And I am appalled that the NEJM published such an awful article like this one and then allowed the Big Pharma shills to twist the results around and say that this article showed that niacin did not work. So let's look at this article carefully. The first key line that ALL of you need to read in this article is the fine print buried at the end of the article, page 211, where it states: ---------------------------- Dr. Landray, Dr. Haynes, Dr. Hopewell, Dr. Parish, Dr. Aung, Dr. Tomson, Mr. Wallendszus, Dr. Craig, Dr. Jiang, Dr. Collins, and Dr. Armitage report receiving grant support from Merck. ---------------------------- Right, so these esteemed physicians were on Merck's PAYROLL. What exactly did the researchers study? What did they prove? Here's what they did: The first thing they did was to take their study population and put them on standard statins and make sure that their total cholesterol levels were well controlled (p. 204-205): ----------------------------- In a prerandomization run-in phase, each participant received simvastatin at a dose of 40 mg daily; if this dose was not as effective as their prior treatment or if their total cholesterol level was 135 mg per deciliter (3.50 mmol per liter) or higher after 4 weeks, ezetimibe at a dose of 10 mg daily was added. ----------------------------- And then they added Merck's own concoction of niacin on top of that: ----------------------------- After LDL cholesterol-lowering therapy had been standardized, participants received a combination tablet containing 1g of extended-release niacin and 20 mg of laropiprant daily for 4 weeks, followed by two tablets daily providing a total of 2 g of niacin and 40 mg of laropiprant for 3 to 6 weeks. ----------------------------- Laropripant has NO cholesterol lowering effects but does work as a prostaglandin D2 receptor antagonist, and was designed to lower the flushing effects even more than the extended release feature of the type of niacin used. Nobody has ever studied explicitly whether Laropripant totally makes niacin ineffective as a cholesterol lowering agent, but the results of this study would seem to point much more in that direction than proving that niacin does not work for lowering cholesterol. The study basically attempted to see whether a group of patients already on statins and with well controlled total cholesterol levels would receive any ADDITIONAL BENEFIT from a drug concoction that used an ineffective form of niacin (the extended release type) mixed with another drug designed to NEUTRALIZE one of niacin's side effects, without any clue as to whether this other drug would also neutralize niacin's cholesterol lowering effects. The only thing this study proved was that Merck's product Laropripant combined with extended release niacin (a mix trademarked as Cordaptive in the US, Tredaptive in Europe) had NO ADDED BENEFITS IF THE PATIENTS WERE ALREADY WELL CONTROLLED ON A STATIN MEDICATION. Merck did two things with this article. They immediately withdrew Cordaptive/Tredaptive from the market following the publication of the article. And then a whole slew of doctors and other wizened heads were recruited to trumpet the fact that research had now shown that niacin DID NOT WORK! But niacin works to lower cholesterol. There is a lot of research that proves that it works. And there are a lot of side effects to statins. Muscle aches, fatigue, and memory loss being the biggies. My father was put on statins and got the muscle aches. He didn't like the flushing sensation of niacin either, so I told him to take Guar gum capsules. That plus changes in diet has worked well for him. We've known for decades that taking stuff that will bind cholesterol from the bile in your gut and prevent it from being reabsorbed into your body will lower your cholesterol levels. Cholestyramine, a resin used in biochemistry exchange columns was one of the earliest cholesterol reducing agents used based on this principle. This is how oatmeal and psyllium seed husks (metamucil) work to reduce cholesterol levels. The water soluble fiber in guar gum is the most concentrated form you can take to take advantage of this effect to lower your cholesterol. There are lots of other such water soluble fibers, like xanthan gum, but guar gum can be found readily in capsules, making this easier to take (there are many other water soluble fibers now available in capsules, pectin, glucomannan, psyllium seed husks, etc). As for me, I not only have gotten used to the niacin flush, I actually like it. I take the niacin every day before I go to work, on an empty stomach, and believe me, it wakes you up with a real buzz, better than coffee in the morning. I also take the guar gum capsules, since I got tired of the whole mess of mixing and gulping down metamucil every morning. I would point out also that the extended release versions of niacin, besides being less effective at lowering cholesterol, are the MAIN CULPRITS in all the reported cases of liver failure caused by niacin. Basically, your liver was NOT designed to be exposed to high doses of niacin 24 hours a day, that will kill it. But, if you take smaller doses of the extended release niacin to prevent liver failure, niacin doesn't work nearly as well. It's really simple. That's why I don't take extended release niacin, would never recommend anybody to take it, and I've gotten used to the niacin flush. It's better than losing your memory or getting muscle aches and fatigue.

I've bee taking niacin for years. My ENT recommended it to help relieve my tinnitus. Seemed to help initially, but after a few months, there doesn't seem to be any additional improvement. However, on the advice of my primary physician, I continued to take it. Settled on the Rugby brand due to lowest price, and have been using it ever since. By far the cheapest I've found (and I'm VERY cheap). I take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening (2000mg per day). When I first started taking it, there was a noticeable flushing from just one tablet. Within a couple of weeks, I often didn't notice much flushing at all. Slowly increasing the dose seemed to make it a non-issue. As others have pointed out, there seems to be doubt if the "non-flush" niacin has the same benefits. After gradually increasing the dosage, and after enough time, the flushing is insignificant. Sometimes I can't even remember if I took my dose, as the flushing was so minimal. I have always had pretty good cholesterol numbers, and especially a very low triglyceride level (mid 40s). Since taking the niacin, my triglyceride levels have dropped substantially (low 30s). No other side effects have been observed (after the initial reduction in ringing in the ears), and I get a full blood test every year. All my purchases of this product have had expiration dates at least a year from date of purchase. If taking one tablet a day, then there is a chance that you will hit the expiration date before you run out. But even if that is the case, it's still less expensive to waste some, than to purchase other brands. Also, there are some studies (ask Google) that indicate the expiration date is somewhat arbitrary, so there is a possibility that they are still good past the exp date. And, in my opinion, after a while, you will increase the dosage as you get used to the flushing. Bottom line: with all the supplements on the market, niacin is the only one I recommend, and this is the brand to get.

What I Loved: This Niacin supplement hits exactly how a proper flush niacin should. I take one capsule in the morning and one at night, and every dose comes with that unmistakable warm, tingling flush across my skin. It feels like a short sunburn meets a spicy blanket, and weirdly, I enjoy it. It’s a clear sign the dose is active and circulating. The clinical benefits are what really seal the deal. Niacin helps support healthy cholesterol levels by raising HDL and lowering LDL, which is a major reason I take it. I have also noticed more stable energy throughout the day, likely due to its role in mitochondrial function and NAD+ production. Mental clarity has improved, my skin looks healthier, and overall circulation feels better. There is a real sense of invigoration that kicks in after each flush. The capsules are easy to swallow, and there are no fillers or weird additives. Just pure niacin doing its job. This is how niacin is supposed to feel and work. What Could Be Better: If you are not used to flush niacin, start slow. The first few doses can surprise you with redness, itching, or heat that lasts 10 to 20 minutes. It is harmless, but definitely intense if you are not expecting it. Would be great if the label had more tips on timing and pairing with food to help ease beginners into it. Final Verdict: If you want real niacin with real effects, this is it. The flush is strong, the benefits are stronger, and the capsules are clean and reliable. I look forward to the sensation every day because I know it means the supplement is working. Five stars from a happy burner. ⸻

Bought this for my cholesterol. 11/2020: total cholesterol of 215, non-HDL of 170 and HDL of 45. My PCP did not want me to start on cholesterol pills cus she believes I could probably bring it down with diet and all. So I did just that- lots of nuts, oatmeal, flaxseed, chia seeds and just an overall healthy diet during the weekdays with cheat days on the weekends. Mind you, i tried Cholestoff before I did my 11/2020 labs for about a year with an overall healthy diet - but it went up even more so I did not know what I was doing wrong (must be the genes). So after that 11/2020 labs, I upped my game and started taking 500 mg Niacin before bed every night and slowly went up to 1000 mg a night (currently taking 1000 mg still). 2/1/2021 labs: Total cholesterol of 202, Non-HDL of 138 and HDL of 65! You guys I’m still a little bit on the higher end but I am so happy something finally worked! I highly recommend this one! I used to get the 365 Whole Foods brand, but this one’s just as good and price is amazing! Of course, consult you MD before you take anything because it has that flushing side effects that you just can’t avoid. However it gets better over time. I rarely feel the flushing now and usually doesn’t bother me so much.

Rugby niacin is an excellent value for those using high dose niacin to lower their LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and raise their HDL ("good" cholesterol). A typical therapeutic dose is 1500 mg per day, that is, 3 tablets of this product. Thus, one gets 333 days of medicine for $25.99. Not bad! Tablets are disc-shaped like 325 mg aspirin tablets but thicker. They are not packaged as gelatin capsules as many other niacin products are. My bottle, purchased in March 2013, came with an expiration of November 2014, ample time to go through the 1000 tablets. Now the caveat. I find niacin flushing [*] more noticeable with this product than with the other niacin I have taken, Solgar's 500 mg rapid release niacin capsules. Solgar, however, is about four times more expensive (about $11.00 for 100 capsules). For people starting high dose niacin therapy, I would *not* recommend this product. You might try Solgar instead. With time, flushing diminishes, moreover, you just get used to it. That's the time, then, to consider using Rugby. Incidentally, if your aim is reducing cholesterol levels, then stay away from "no flush" or "flush free" niacin formulations. (Look for inositol or inositol niacinate in the ingredient list.) Clinical research casts doubt on whether no flush niacin is effective in cholesterol reduction. [*] In case you are wondering what niacin "flush" is, for me, it is experienced as an itchy, tingling feeling on my neck and lower face. It begins about 15 to 45 min. after taking niacin, feels at worst like a mild sunburn, and lasts for 15 or 20 minutes. In some people, there is brief reddening of the skin. Once you know about the flush, it becomes a minor inconvenience. Often I don't experience it all. But for people not expecting it, niacin flush can be most disconcerting and even frightening.