Overview

Niacin is a B vitamin that's made and used past your torso to plough nutrient into energy. It helps keep your nervous system, digestive system and pare healthy.

Niacin (vitamin B-3) is frequently part of a daily multivitamin, only most people become enough niacin from the nutrient they eat. Foods rich in niacin include yeast, milk, meat, tortillas and cereal grains.

People use prescription niacin (Niacor, Niaspan) to help control their cholesterol.

The recommended daily amount of niacin for developed males is 16 milligrams (mg) a day and for adult women who aren't pregnant, 14 mg a twenty-four hour period.

Evidence

Inquiry on the apply of oral niacin to treat specific conditions shows:

  • High cholesterol. Prescription niacin is used to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol that helps remove low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol, from your bloodstream. Despite niacin's ability to raise HDL, enquiry suggests that niacin therapy isn't linked to lower rates of death, heart assail or stroke.
  • Niacin deficiency (pellagra). Niacin and a related food called niacinamide are used to treat or foreclose niacin deficiency. This condition isn't common in the United States.

Niacin deficiency has been linked to birth defects. A report in mice suggested that niacin supplementation during gestation prevented birth defects. Research is needed to bear witness a similar do good in humans.

Our accept

Green light: Generally safe

Generally prophylactic

Prescription niacin might benefit people with high cholesterol who aren't able to take statins or haven't been able to command their cholesterol levels through use of a statin, diet and exercise. Don't take prescription niacin for high cholesterol if you're pregnant.

Rubber and side effects

When taken orally in advisable amounts, niacin appears to be safe.

High doses of niacin bachelor via prescription can cause:

  • Astringent skin flushing combined with dizziness
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Itching
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Gout
  • Liver harm
  • Diabetes

Serious side furnishings are about likely if you take between 2,000 to 6,000 mg of niacin a twenty-four hour period. If you think yous might have overdosed on niacin, seek medical attending immediately.

If you have liver affliction, peptic ulcer disease or severe low blood pressure (hypotension), don't take big amounts of niacin. The supplement has been linked with liver damage, tin crusade hypotension and might activate a peptic ulcer.

Taking niacin also might worsen allergies, gallbladder disease and symptoms of certain thyroid disorders. If yous have diabetes, niacin can interfere with blood glucose control. Use niacin with caution if you lot have the circuitous grade of arthritis gout. Niacin tin can cause an excess of uric acid in the claret (hyperuricemia), putting you at risk of gout.

If you're meaning, don't have prescription niacin for high cholesterol. However, if needed to forbid or treat niacin deficiency, niacin is likely safe to take during pregnancy and in breast-feeding women when used in recommended amounts.

Interactions

Possible interactions include:

  • Alcohol. Taking niacin with alcohol might increment the run a risk of liver damage and worsen niacin side effects, such as flushing and itching.
  • Allopurinol (Zyloprim). If you're taking niacin and have gout, you might need to have more of this gout medicine to control your gout.
  • Anticoagulant and anti-platelet drugs, herbs and supplements. These types of drugs, herbs and supplements reduce claret clotting. Taking niacin with them might increase your hazard of bleeding.
  • Blood pressure drugs, herbs and supplements. Niacin might take an additive consequence when you lot accept blood force per unit area drugs, herbs or supplements. This could increment your risk of depression claret pressure (hypotension).
  • Chromium. Taking niacin with chromium might lower your blood sugar. If y'all have diabetes and take niacin and chromium, closely monitor your blood carbohydrate levels.
  • Diabetes drugs. If yous have diabetes, niacin tin interfere with claret glucose control. You might need to suit the dose of your diabetes drugs.
  • Hepatotoxic drugs, herbs and supplements. These drugs, herbs and supplements, like niacin, cause liver damage.
  • Statins. Inquiry indicates that taking niacin with these cholesterol medications offers picayune additional benefit when compared with statins alone, and might increase the chance of side effects.
  • Zinc. Taking zinc with niacin might worsen niacin side effects, such equally flushing and itching.

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Nov. 12, 2020