An Introduction to Advicor Side Effects
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with
Advicor® (
niacin extended-release/lovastatin). However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. If side effects of Advicor do occur, in most cases, they are minor, meaning they require no treatment or are easily treated by you or your healthcare provider. In research studies, up to 19 percent of people stopped taking Advicor because of side effects. The main reason for stopping the medicine was flushing, which is sudden reddening and warmth of the face, neck, and/or upper chest.
When taking Advicor, if you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness (especially if accompanied by a fever or feeling of illness), it is important to contact your healthcare provider immediately.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Advicor. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Advicor side effects with you.)
Common Side Effects of Advicor
Advicor has been studied in clinical trials, with hundreds of people having been evaluated.
In these studies, side effects were documented and compared to side effects that occurred in a similar group of people taking either
lovastatin or extended-release
niacin alone (rather than the combination of the two).
Based on these studies, the most common Advicor side effects included:
- Flushing -- in up to 71 percent of people
- Infection -- up to 20 percent
- Headaches -- up to 9 percent
- Pain -- up to 8 percent
- Nausea -- up to 7 percent.
Other commonly reported side effects (occurring in 3 to 6 percent of people) included:
- Vomiting
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
- General feeling of weakness (asthenia)
- Flu
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
- Diarrhea
