Extreme Reaction To B3 Supplement

Violet

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Messages
88
Yesterday I took Niacin for the first time. I was kind of hap-hazard - I popped two tablets (2 x 500 mg) on a reasonably empty stomach (all I'd eaten was a coffee and a piece of cheese). The label warned that "This product may cause a temporary flush, itching or tingling red rash on the skin"... but a lot more happened to me.

My whole body went bright red - as though I was badly sunburned. After about 10 mins, I became freezing. I started shaking with the cold - to the point that my teeth were chattering uncontrollably. It was like having a high fever. And it didnt subside for nearly an hour!

Obviously I took too much... but does anyone know why my reaction might have been so extreme? Someone suggested to me that the more extreme a reaction is, the more likely it is that you have a deficiency. I do suffer from rosacea as well, and I seem to remember Ray Peat saying it was caused by a B vit deficiency.
 

Mittir

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
2,033
Did you mean Niacin as in Nicotinic Acid or Niacinamide.
Your reaction suggests you probably took nicotinic acid.
RP only recommends Niacinamide, which does not cause "Flush".
1,000 mg of B in one dose seems very very high. RP recommends
50-100 mg 2-3 times a day with OJ or Carbohydrate and then one can slowly
increase dose. Niacinamide lowers free fatty acids and increases carbohydrate
requirements. Glycogen storage and carb intake play big role when one lowers
free fatty acids. I am guessing you were probably trying those high dose
niacinamide sedative effects.
 
OP
Violet

Violet

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Messages
88

aguilaroja

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
850
Violet said:
Yesterday I took Niacin for the first time....

My whole body went bright red - as though I was badly sunburned...

This is a common and typical niacin flush, though more severe in degree. It happens with "plain" "regular" niacin. The amount taken 1000 mg (1 gram) is certainly large enough to cause a widespread flush in someone. While there are ways of taking adjuncts and going gradually to reduce the flushing, there is no need to take this form of niacin for Peat-style support.

Niacinamide (nicotinamide) is the form of niacin mentioned as supportive by Dr. Peat. Niacinamide form usually does NOT cause flushing.

There are other forms of niacin, include inositol hexanicotinate, which is market as "no-flush niacin. Incidentally, Dr. Peat cautions to avoid silica as a filler in capsules or tablets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin

"Pharmacological doses of niacin (1.5 - 6 g per day) lead to side effects that can include dermatological conditions such as skin flushing and itching, dry skin, and skin rashes including eczema exacerbation and acanthosis nigricans. Some of these symptoms are generally related to niacin's role as the rate limiting cofactor in the histidine decarboxylase enzyme which converts l-histidine into histamine....

"Flushing usually lasts for about 15 to 30 minutes, though it can sometimes last up to two hours. It is sometimes accompanied by a prickly or itching sensation, in particular, in areas covered by clothing. Flushing is mediated by prostaglandin E2 and D2..."
 

aguilaroja

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
850
Here are some excerpts about Niacinamide:

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/re ... tion.shtml
"Niacinamide is a nutrient that inhibits the release of fatty acids, and it also activates phagocytic activity and lowers phosphate. It protects against the development of scars in spinal cord injuries, facilitates recovery from traumatic brain injury, and accelerates healing generally. While it generally supports immunity, it’s protective against autoimmunity. It can cause tumor cells to either mature or disintegrate, but it prolongs the replicative life of cultured cells, and protects against excitotoxicity.

"The amounts needed seem large if niacinamide is thought of as “vitamin B3,” but it should be considered as a factor that compensates for our unphysiological exposure to inappropriate fats."

http://raypeat.com/articles/aging/altit ... lity.shtml
" Niacinamide can have an “antiinflammatory” function, preventing death from multiple organ failure, by interupting the reactions to nitric oxide and peroxynitrile (Cuzzocrea, et al., 1999)."


http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/ph ... ging.shtml
" Niacinamide is another nutrient that lowers serum phosphate (Cheng, et al., 2008), by inhibiting intestinal absorption (Katai, et al., 1989), and also by reducing its reabsorption by the kidneys (Campbell, et al., 1989). Niacinamide's reduction of free fatty acids by inhibiting lipolysis, protecting the use of glucose for energy, might be involved in its effect on phosphate (by analogy with the phosphate lowering action of a deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids)."


For a list of sources, you might check one forum moderator's website:

http://www.toxinless.com/niacinamide
 
Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
7,370
You simply have lots of PUFA in your cell membranes I think.

<<Niacin-induced skin flushing is mediated by prostaglandins derived from arachidonic acid (AA; Figure 1). Niacin binds to a G-protein coupled receptor (HM74a) on skin macrophages (Benyo et al., 2006) and stimulates phospholipase A2 to release AA from cell membrane phospholipids (Tang et al., 2006). Free AA is converted to vasodilatory prostaglandins (Eklund et al., 1979; Morrow et al., 1992) via the sequential action of cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin isomerase enzymes. Activation of prostanoid receptors dilates cutaneous blood vessels (Lai et al., 2007), and a visible skin flush arises from the ensuing increased blood flow. In man, the flush response to niacin can be completely abolished by cyclooxygenase inhibitors such as aspirin or indomethacin (Svedmyr et al., 1977; Wilkin et al., 1982).>>

<<In this group [Healthy controls] there was also a trend toward correlation between AA [PUFA] levels and maximal evoked blood flow response [flushing] to methylnicotinate [Niacin] (Figure 4B; Pearson r = 0.34; p = 0.07).>>
 

Nimpkin

New Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2017
Messages
2
I recently started niacin. At first I took 1/4 500 mg and it was too much. So I dropped to 1/8. Stayed there for 1 day. Slowly increased to 400 mg on day 5. First I flushed purple with a solid raised red rash from head to toe, them got nauseous then started to pass out. Although I never did go all the way out the rest of the day felt flu like, blurred vision and some numbness in face. Now 2 days later I am still not 100%, but slowly getting there. I'm just trying to figure this out. My husband is now taking 3,000 mg twice a day and doing great. I am afraid to try even a small amount again but love the health benefits niacin is suppose to bring.
 

ubiety

Member
Joined
May 19, 2017
Messages
115
Why not just use niacinamide so you don't have to deal with the side effects of high dose niacin?
 

jitsmonkey

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2015
Messages
729
  1. wrong stuff
  2. too much of the wrong stuff
  3. not enough fuel/carb/sugar
  4. too much caffeine and protein without fuel/carb/sugar

this sums up your experience in a nutshell

  1. switch to niacinamide
  2. eat more carbohydrate with your coffee and protein
  3. don't be "hap-hazard" with your supplementation

problem fixed.
 

Nimpkin

New Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2017
Messages
2
I have heard the no flush is not as effective as the pure niacin. Also I have heard 2 theories, one being if you need niacin you won't have a bad reaction and the other one being if you are toxic you will have an extream reaction.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom