I agree with Nancy here. I took niacin originally for cholesterol (without even knowing my cholesterol numbers, lol). I read about it on Dr. Davis's site. But I wouldn't bother taking it for that reason now.

I kept taking it for years because it had an unexpected therapeutic effect on an old shoulder injury.

I don't really know any downsides... but unless you get some obvious benefit from the stuff, it's probably better to be careful. If you do continue taking the stuff, if you let your Dr. know, they'll probably want to check for liver enzymes etc.

I'm not taking Niacin right now. After years of trouble, the shoulder problem finally resolved itself, so I stopped taking it. I worked up to three grams a day. I seem to work up a resistance to the stuff pretty quickly.