NeuroTalk Support Groups - View Single Post - Dead horse for most here but look at my vit. list

mrsD · 07-10-2009, 06:33 AM

Here is some information on Niacin safety:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...cin/index.html

Quote:

Common side effects of nicotinic acid include flushing, itching, and gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea and vomiting. Hepatotoxicity (liver cell damage), including elevated liver enzymes and jaundice, has been observed at intakes as low as 750 mg of nicotinic acid/day for less than three months (34, 35). Hepatitis has been observed with timed-release nicotinic acid at dosages as little as 500 mg/day for two months, although almost all reports of severe hepatitis have been associated with the timed-release form of nicotinic acid at doses of 3 to 9 grams per day used to treat high cholesterol for months or years (8). Immediate-release (crystalline) nicotinic acid appears to be less toxic to the liver than extended release forms. Immediate-release nicotinic acid is often used at higher doses than timed-release forms, and severe liver toxicity has occurred in individuals who substituted timed-release niacin for immediate-release niacin at equivalent doses (33)......
Nicotinamide is generally better tolerated than nicotinic acid. It does not generally cause flushing. However, nausea, vomiting, and signs of liver toxicity (elevated liver enzymes, jaundice) have been observed at doses of 3 grams/day (33). Nicotinamide has resulted in decreased insulin sensitivity at doses of 2 grams/day in adults at high risk for insulin-dependent diabetes (20).

Niacin has been studied for quite a while now, because in really high doses, it is used to lower cholesterol in some patients.

Most commercial B-complexes have nicotinamide as the niacin form.

Anyone getting liver toxicity at the lower doses, may have a reason for that...pre-existing liver damage from viruses or other situations.