Nursing Pharmacology  / Medications: Cardiovascular  /

Pharmacology, part 22.5: Cardiovascular Medications - Niacin (B3)

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 00:33 Niacin (B3)
  • 00:45 Mode of Action
  • 1:14 Side effects
  • 2:016Quiz
Cool Chicken Hint:

When you see this Cool Chicken, that indicates one of Cathy's silly mnemonics to help you remember. The Cool Chicken hints in these articles are just a taste of what's available across our Level Up RN Flashcards for nursing students!

In this article, we cover Niacin (B3) used as an antilipemic, including a background on cholesterol; and the indication, mode of action, side effects, nursing care and patient teaching for niacin.

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Niacin (vitamin B3) is water-soluble and one of the eight B vitamins. Niacin helps turn the food you eat into the energy you need and is important for the development and function of the cells in your body. When taken in high doses (e.g. higher than you would get from a multivitamin), it can be used to treat hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol).

Mode of action

Niacin works to lower cholesterol by decreasing LDL and triglyceride synthesis, and increasing HDL levels.

Cool Chicken Hint:

L for Lethal/Lousy (i.e., bad). H for Happy (i.e., good).

Side effects

The key side effect of niacin is flushing of the face, GI upset, pruritus (itchiness), hepatotoxicity and hyperglycemia.

Cool Chicken Hint:

My face doesn’t look very nice because it’s flushed after taking niacin!

What to monitor

When caring for a patient taking niacin, it’s important to monitor their liver function, including AST and ALT, due to the side effect of hepatotoxicity.

Contraindications

Niacin should be used cautiously in patients with diabetes due to the side effect of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).

The Nursing Pharmacology video series follows along with our Pharmacology Flashcards, which are intended to help RN and PN nursing students study for nursing school exams, including the ATI, HESI, and NCLEX.

Quiz Questions

How does niacin affect LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels?
It decreases LDL and triglyceride levels, and increases HDL levels

Why should ALT and AST levels be monitored during niacin therapy?
Due to the risk for hepatotoxicity

Hypoglycemia is a known side effect of niacin. True or false?
False, niacin actually causes hyperglycemia, or an increase in blood glucose levels

Full Transcript: Pharmacology, part 22.5: Cardiovascular Medications - Niacin (B3)

Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN. In this video, I will be discussing niacin, and specifically how niacin is used to treat high cholesterol. And then at the end of the video, I'm going to give you guys a little quiz to test your understanding of some of the key facts I'll be covering, so be sure to stay for that. Niacin, which is vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin. In high doses, niacin is used to treat hypercholesteremia or high cholesterol. It works by decreasing synthesis of triglycerides, and it also decreases synthesis of LDL, which is our bad cholesterol. So L for LDL and L for lousy. Niacin also increases levels of HDL, which is our good cholesterol, so H for HDL and H for happy. It does this by reducing the rate at which HDL is catabolized or broken down. A key side effect of niacin is flushing of the face. Our cool chicken hint to help you remember this side effect is my face doesn't look very nice because it's flushed after taking niacin. Other potential side effects include gastrointestinal upset, pruritus, which is a fancy name for itching, and hyperglycemia or elevated blood glucose levels. And like other cholesterol lowering medications, niacin also carries a risk for hepatotoxicity or liver damage.

In terms of nursing care, you'll want to monitor your patient's liver function, including their ALT and AST levels throughout therapy due to the risk for hepatotoxicity.

It's also important to note that niacin should be used with caution in patients with diabetes because it can cause an increase in blood glucose levels.

All right.

It's quiz time, and I have three questions for you.

Question number one. How does niacin affect LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels?

The answer is...it decreases LDL and triglyceride levels and increases HDL levels.

Question number two. Why should ALT and AST levels be monitored during niacin therapy?

The answer is...due to the risk for hepatotoxicity.

And question number three. Hypoglycemia is a known side effect of niacin.

True or false?

The answer is...false.

Niacin actually causes hyperglycemia or an increase in blood glucose levels.

All right. That's it for this video. I hope it was helpful. Take care and good luck with studying.

[BLOOPERS]

You'll want to monitor throughout therapy due to the do do do.

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