It turned out in 2007 it was a good thing a local cardiologist kept up with his medical journals. Mayo Clinic published a study that said if a patient was on BP meds, they shouldn't be advised to take the supplement Niacin to lower cholesterol because it also lowered blood pressure, thus risking it dropping dangerously low.
My primary care apparently wasn't aware and advised me to take it. I ended up passing out on a restaurant sidewalk, and according to a paramedic who was just going into get some dinner, and rushed over to help, he couldn't get a pulse at first and I had stopped breathing. Luckily just as he was about to start CPR I came to. They rushed me to the ER, and they thought I had a heart attack, but one of the doctors called the cardiologist and when he heard my medication list, he knew right away what had happened. According to the nurses I coded 3 times during the night.
The cardiologist came in to see me and told me he had recently read the article from the Mayo Clinic. That's why he knew what happened. I remember the next morning one of the nurses telling me to bury the Niacin in kitty litter, & throw it in the garbage as soon I got home and never take it again in my life. I followed that advice. Luckily once the effects of the combination wore off I was fine.
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