EFFECT OF 2 ASPIRIN PRETREATMENT REGIMENS ON NIACIN-INDUCED CUTANEOUSREACTIONS

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of pretreatment with two aspirin reg imens and placebo on niacin-induced cutaneous reactions. DESIGN: Rando mized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. SETTING:Inte rnal medicine clinic in an academic health center. PARTICIPANTS: Forty -two healthy subjects (22 males and 20 females) between the ages of 35 and 65 (mean age 44.2 years) were recruited and completed the study. Subjects received aspirin 325 mg, aspirin 650 mg, and placebo for 4 co nsecutive days, and on the fourth day also ingested 500 mg of immediat e-release niacin 30 minutes after taking aspirin or placebo. They repo rted the intensity of flushing, headache, pruritus, tingling, and warm th on a 10-cm visual analogue scale, Reactions were evaluated at time 0 (before the niacin dose), and at 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes followi ng the niacin dose. Cutaneous reactions mere compared at each evaluati on time and scored by two other methods. The peak intensity was the hi ghest score recorded at any of the four evaluation times after niacin administration. An intensity-time factor was calculated by totaling th e scores of each of the four evaluation times. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RE SULTS: The symptom scores for flushing, itching, tingling, and warmth were all significantly reduced by both aspirin regimens (p < .05 in al l cases), although there were no significant differences between the 3 25-mg and 650-mg doses. The results were similar for each scoring meth od. CONCLUSIONS: An aspirin regimen of 325 mg is effective in suppress ing niacin-induced cutaneous reactions. Increasing the dose to 650 mg does not provide additional benefit.