Niacin Er Coupons & Prices

Looking for a niacin ER coupon? Rx.com gives you a free niacin extended-release (nicotinic acid ER) discount coupon you can use at the pharmacy counter, with no insurance and no membership required. Niacin ER is a prescription cholesterol and triglyceride medicine that is available as a generic, so it is usually one of the lower-cost lipid drugs to fill with cash. Even so, the cash price for the same tablet strength can vary a lot from one pharmacy to the next, which is exactly why comparing is worth the two minutes. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's niacin ER price at pharmacies near you, compared across more than 60,000 U.S. pharmacies, then show the coupon on your phone or print it.

What is niacin ER and how does it work?

Niacin extended-release (nicotinic acid ER) is a prescription antihyperlipidemic (antilipemic) medicine. Niacin is a B vitamin, but at the much higher, pharmacologic doses used in this prescription product it acts as a lipid-lowering drug: it lowers total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglycerides, and it raises HDL ("good") cholesterol. The extended-release tablet is designed to release the niacin slowly over several hours, which is why it must be swallowed whole and never broken, crushed, or chewed.

The FDA-approved uses, always as an add-on to diet, are: lowering elevated total cholesterol, LDL-C, Apo B and triglycerides and raising HDL-C in adults with primary hyperlipidemia and mixed dyslipidemia; reducing the risk of a repeat nonfatal heart attack in people with a prior heart attack and high cholesterol; slowing or reversing the progression of atherosclerosis, in combination with a bile acid binding resin, in people with a history of coronary artery disease and high cholesterol; and treating adults with very high triglycerides (Type IV and V hyperlipidemia) who are at risk of pancreatitis and have not responded well enough to diet alone. Note that the brand Niaspan is no longer marketed in the U.S., and the old niacin ER combination products Advicor and Simcor have been withdrawn. Prescription niacin ER is a different product from the over-the-counter niacin and "no-flush niacin" supplements sold on store shelves, which are dietary supplements and are not FDA-approved cholesterol drugs.

Niacin ER cost without insurance, and how the coupon helps

Niacin ER is available as an FDA-approved generic, and the brand-name version is gone from the U.S. market, so you are almost always filling the generic. Generics of an older drug like this are typically inexpensive compared with newer lipid medicines. What surprises people is the spread: cash prices for the exact same strength and quantity can differ substantially between a big chain, a grocery pharmacy, and an independent down the street, because each pharmacy sets its own cash price. That is the single biggest reason to compare before you fill rather than defaulting to the pharmacy you have always used.

Rx.com's niacin ER coupon is free to use, works whether or not you have insurance, and is not insurance itself. If you are uninsured or your plan has a high deductible, the coupon price is often the price you would simply pay out of pocket. If you do have coverage, it is still worth checking the coupon price against your copay and using whichever is lower (you cannot combine the two on the same fill). There is no manufacturer savings card for niacin ER, since the brand is discontinued. Enter your ZIP above to see today's price at pharmacies near you, and ask your pharmacist for the coupon price by name before they run it through your insurance.

Niacin ER vs. other cholesterol and triglyceride medicines

Niacin ER is not a statin and does not work like one. For lowering LDL cholesterol and reducing cardiovascular risk, statins such as atorvastatin, simvastatin and rosuvastatin are the mainstay of treatment, and ezetimibe is often added to a statin. For very high triglycerides, prescribers commonly consider fibrates such as fenofibrate or gemfibrozil, or omega-3-acid ethyl esters. All of these are available as generics, and all of them have their own cash-price spread across pharmacies, so it is worth comparing whichever one you are prescribed.

One important piece of context: two large randomized trials, AIM-HIGH and HPS2-THRIVE, found no additional reduction in cardiovascular events when niacin ER was added on top of statin therapy, along with more serious side effects. Because of those results, the FDA withdrew approval of the indications for niacin ER taken together with simvastatin or lovastatin (Federal Register, April 18, 2016), and guidelines no longer recommend routinely adding niacin to a statin. Your prescriber is the right person to decide whether niacin ER still has a role in your particular case. This page is information, not medical advice, and is not a recommendation to start, stop, or switch any medicine.

Niacin ER safety, side effects, and flushing

Niacin ER does not carry a boxed warning. It should not be used if you have active liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations in liver enzymes, active peptic ulcer disease, arterial bleeding, or a known allergy to niacin. Serious, occasionally severe liver injury has occurred, most often when someone substituted a sustained- or extended-release niacin for immediate-release niacin at the same milligram dose. These products are not interchangeable milligram-for-milligram, so never swap one for the other on your own. Your prescriber should check liver enzymes before you start, roughly every 6 to 12 weeks during the first year, and periodically after that. Niacin ER can also raise blood sugar (important if you have diabetes or prediabetes) and uric acid, which can bring on gout, and it raises the risk of muscle problems including myopathy and rhabdomyolysis when taken with a statin, especially in older adults and in people with diabetes, kidney impairment, or untreated hypothyroidism. Use caution if you have a history of peptic ulcer or take an anticoagulant. It has not been established as safe at lipid-lowering doses in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Flushing is by far the most common side effect: warmth, redness, itching, or tingling, usually of the face and upper body. It is uncomfortable but generally not dangerous, and it tends to ease over time. Common ways to reduce it include taking the dose at bedtime after a low-fat snack, starting at a low dose and increasing slowly as directed, avoiding alcohol, hot drinks, and spicy food around the time of your dose, and, if your prescriber agrees, taking aspirin (up to 325 mg) about 30 minutes beforehand. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about any side effect that worries you, and get medical attention promptly for unexplained muscle pain or weakness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or persistent stomach pain.