Statins are proven workhorses. They have been shown to reduce risks of heart attack, stroke, and to prevent recurrences of both.
Niacin has been show to prevent heart attack as well, but in this combination study, the addition of Niacin to a statin did not appear to provide additional benefits.
This was an unexpected finding and is a ‘negative’ study, but by no means the last word on treating with combination medications. The importance of this study is that it is an ‘endpoint’ study, focusing on clinical events (heart attacks), as opposed to cholesterol numbers.
Of course, more medication yields more cholesterol reduction, but in this study, more medication did not yield fewer heart attacks.
If you are taking the combination of medications, do not stop what you are doing, but we can review this information the next time you are in. If you are monitored and doing well, you should remain with your current regimen.
Remember, one study does not ‘deny’ an entire history of previous studies, but it does give us new information to consider.