Mostly on topic:
I've never used niacin, but anecdotally, statins made me feel weird, even though they did lower my cholesterol. My doctor didn't believe me, but once I stopped taking them, I stopped getting cramps in my arms, and I stopped getting odd periods of lightheadedness. My high cholesterol is genetic - my parents and aunts and uncles all have super high cholesterol - mine was high even when I was running 4 days a week, eating no dairy or eggs, eating a ton of fish and oatmeal, all the usual recommendations.
Currently, my cholesterol is high, but my HDL is awesome, my triglicerides are within the acceptable range, and my HDL : total cholesterol ratio is great.
Off the original topic: So, everyone is advocating either completely eliminating meat or going full on paleo, lol. I lean toward the paleo side, just from how I feel when I eat either way, BUT -
The biggest real change with either type of diet is adding significantly more plant matter (both fruits and veggies) than the traditional American diet, which tends to additionally reduce the amount of processed food/cheap carbs/extra sugar you're eating.
If you're not already eating like that, try it before you completely eliminate meat or gluten or dairy or any single food from your diet. My favorite recommendation is from Michael Pollan: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Make your plants the main event at your meal, and accessorize with sides of meat, sides of pasta or bread or rice, etc. Eggs are good for you! Fat is necessary for hormone production! Meat is tasty :)
There is so much up in the air about how much dietary cholesterol actually affects blood serum cholesterol, and how much lowering total cholesterol actually helps to prevent heart attacks and plaque buildup. I can't find any studies right this minute, but I've heard summaries of a few on the Freakonomics podcast about how the guidelines were started and the studies that were picked to back them up, and none of them are really as definitive or comprehensive as they are made out to be.
How you react to food depends on your body. Everyone is different.