Niacinamide Great For Sleep. Niacin Terrible. Why?

ddjd

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I've recently found niacinamide to be an absolute saviour against my chronic poor sleep. But there's a big difference between the two forms.

Regular flushing niacin makes me initially very sleepy but I will wake up feeling like I've barely slept at all, and feel terrible for the rest of the day. I will also only be able to sleep 4-5 hours.

500mg Niacinamide after my evening meal takes an hour or two to kick in, but I can sleep a lot longer, 7-9 hours and when I wake up I feel really refreshed and well slept. Is it helping the liver to store glycogen maybe, whereas flushing niacin doesn't do that??

so just another anecdotal experience backing up rays advice to choose niacinamide over regular niacin.

the one positive from regular niacin is that it seems to make my normally bloated gut completely shrink and flatten, whereas niacinamide if anything makes my gut stick out even further!!

I think it's something to do with fat digestion. go figure!
 

retroactive

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Interesting! I found it disrupted sleep by taking niacinamide in the evening, so I typically take it in the morning. Perhaps I took too much though. I may try it again.
 

ljihkugft7

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Interesting! I found it disrupted sleep by taking niacinamide in the evening, so I typically take it in the morning. Perhaps I took too much though. I may try it agai

whenever I take niacinamide towards the end of the day, I have trouble sleeping.
I wonder why
 

Perry Staltic

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I take 25 mg niacinamide (because it's in a B-complex) and 100 mg nicotinic acid (because it's supposedly not as hard on the liver long term; plus I like the flush in cold weather) and have no trouble sleeping. Have also lost weight, but don't know if that has anything to do with it.
 

haidut

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I've recently found niacinamide to be an absolute saviour against my chronic poor sleep. But there's a big difference between the two forms.

Regular flushing niacin makes me initially very sleepy but I will wake up feeling like I've barely slept at all, and feel terrible for the rest of the day. I will also only be able to sleep 4-5 hours.

500mg Niacinamide after my evening meal takes an hour or two to kick in, but I can sleep a lot longer, 7-9 hours and when I wake up I feel really refreshed and well slept. Is it helping the liver to store glycogen maybe, whereas flushing niacin doesn't do that??

so just another anecdotal experience backing up rays advice to choose niacinamide over regular niacin.

the one positive from regular niacin is that it seems to make my normally bloated gut completely shrink and flatten, whereas niacinamide if anything makes my gut stick out even further!!

I think it's something to do with fat digestion. go figure!

Regular niacin is a powerful histamine release agent, hence the flush. It also increases serotonin release but does not have the anti-serotonin effects that niacinamide has in higher doses. Antihistamine/antiserotonin drugs make people relaxed/sleepy, so it makes sense that niacin is having these anti-sleep effects while niacinamide mostly does not. Since histamine and adrenaline have mutually suppressive/antagonistic effects, the histamine boost from niacin may temporarily reduce adrenergic signalling, which could explain the belly shrinking. However, I don't think niacin is safe for chronic use. I'd stick with the niacinamide instead.
Just my 2c.
 

haidut

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100 mg nicotinic acid (because it's supposedly not as hard on the liver long term

Can you provide some evidence for this please? AFAIK, it is niacin that has reports of causing elevated liver enzymes in lower doses (and even deaths from acute liver failure) while niacinamide has been shown to not affect the liver in doses up to 3g daily. The decrease in protein synthesis by liver (e.g. albumin, globulin, etc). as a result of niacin is especially troubling.
"...Niacin in doses above 500 mg daily causes transient, asymptomatic elevations in serum aminotransferase levels in up to 20% of people. The elevations are rarely greater than 3 times the upper limit of the normal range and usually resolve spontaneously even with continuation of the drug. The effect is partially dose related and is more common with doses above 3 g/day. In some patients, there is an overall decrease in serum proteins synthesized by the liver and, in some instances, coagulopathy with an increase in prothrombin time and decline in serum albumin, coagulation factors and apolipoproteins. These changes resolve rapidly upon stopping therapy and may not recur with lower doses."

"...Nicotinamide does not reduce cholesterol or cause flushing, although it may be toxic to the liver at doses exceeding 3g/day in adults."
 

Perry Staltic

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Can you provide some evidence for this please? AFAIK, it is niacin that has reports of causing elevated liver enzymes in lower doses (and even deaths from acute liver failure) while niacinamide has been shown to not affect the liver in doses up to 3g daily. The decrease in protein synthesis by liver (e.g. albumin, globulin, etc). as a result of niacin is especially troubling.

I'll try to find it. I said "supposedly" because 1) that's what that source said, and 2) I'm not sure where I read said source.
 

haidut

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I'll try to find it. I said "supposedly" because 1) that's what that source said, and 2) I'm not sure where I read said source.

OK, no worries, not criticizing what you said. If you can find the source that would be great, and if not, then no biggie.
 

Perry Staltic

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I'm pretty sure it was this guy, but his online presence is so scattered I am not easily finding what I read. I thought I bookmarked it, but I can't find it.

@haidut

Perhaps it wasn't that guy. Maybe I linked off of him to this:

What is the down side of using Niacin besides the flush vasodilation? Very little! As I
and others have seen, mild liver function elevations which are transient. I myself had to
go through the program (using up to 3000 mg in a 30 day period) to understand and
checked my liver functions without any changes. It is the non flush longer acting niacin
which can cause more liver problems, which I never recommend.

http://www.thefinleycenter.com/uploads/3/7/7/4/37741423/niacin_detox.pdf (pdf)
 
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the one positive from regular niacin is that it seems to make my normally bloated gut completely shrink and flatten, whereas niacinamide if anything makes my gut stick out even further!!
That's really interesting
 
OP
ddjd

ddjd

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Interesting! I found it disrupted sleep by taking niacinamide in the evening, so I typically take it in the morning. Perhaps I took too much though. I may try it again.
yes the sleepiness from niacinamide can take 1-1.5 hours to kick in and you need a lot of fuel alongside it. sometimes it can actually increase energy immediately, but without a doubt 1 hour later i will be ready to sleep.
 

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