Strong reaction to Niacin supplement

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KaJaa58
KaJaa58 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
Has any one else had a strong reaction to taking a Niacin supplement? I heard it was good for circulation and since I've lost some of my extra weight I'm always cold. I thought this would help. I got a 250 mg time release and the first two time I was a little flush which I understand is normal. But the third time I took it I broke out in hives, was a little foggy and light headed. The nurse made me take Benadryl and drink lots of water cause she said she thought I was having an allergic reaction. Now I'm scared to take any. can I safely take a smaller dose and/or would the no flush kind work?
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Replies

  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Do you smoke? Or drink? I think both can make you react with a strong flush to niacin. Has to do with being B vitamin depleted, I believe.
  • LeonCX
    LeonCX Posts: 862 Member
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    You can not be allergic to niacin. It is necessary for many biological functions and you would be dead without niacin. Reactions to niacin supplement are common. Ask your Dr. for a form that will not cause you to react.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I've had the flush but not hives. It does sound like you are allergic to something in that supplement. I like the advice to ask your doctor what you can take. Maybe you could get niacin from another source like foods or a less concentrated type of vitamin?
  • LeonCX
    LeonCX Posts: 862 Member
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    OK, I took out the "absurd" because I didn't want to sound mean. When I said you can't be allergic to niacin I was referring to dietary niacin. It is an essential nutrient. If you were truly allergic to it, you could not be living. With the niacin pills - hives and itchy skin are part of the "flush" reaction some people get to it. Especially if the niacin pills are in the form of nicotinamide.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    If your doctor doesn't tell you that you need them, don't take supplements.

    If the doctor did tell you to take it, call them up and tell them about the reaction, then follow their advice.

    Good luck. :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Do not take it again. You could end up in the ER
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    Yes. Completely break out in rashes and feel awful. I don't smoke or drink, but seem to have a terrible Allergic reaction to it.
  • VitalStrong
    VitalStrong Posts: 16 Member
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    I think you might have had an extreme case of niacin flush. Something like this happened to me once when I took the Metabolic Maintenance brand first thing in the am on an empty stomach. I turned very red and got very hot. It lasted about 1/2 hour. I switched to Metagenics with no problems. Maybe look for slow release and make sure you've eaten first.
  • KaJaa58
    KaJaa58 Posts: 17
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    Thank you everyone for ur response. I definitely wont take the supplement again. I did see on the internet were a person could be allergic in high does. I'll check out the alternative that has been suggested. Again thanks for all the response. :-)
  • KaJaa58
    KaJaa58 Posts: 17
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    Do you smoke? Or drink? I think both can make you react with a strong flush to niacin. Has to do with being B vitamin depleted, I believe.

    No I do not smoke or drink.
  • KaJaa58
    KaJaa58 Posts: 17
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    Has any one else had a strong reaction to taking a Niacin supplement? I heard it was good for circulation and since I've lost some of my extra weight I'm always cold. I thought this would help. I got a 250 mg time release and the first two time I was a little flush which I understand is normal. But the third time I took it I broke out in hives, was a little foggy and light headed. The nurse made me take Benadryl and drink lots of water cause she said she thought I was having an allergic reaction. Now I'm scared to take any. can I safely take a smaller dose and/or would the no flush kind work?

    That means you are ALLERGIC to it. I am, too, as well as my daughter. I break out into hives. I suggest you STOP taking it all together as you get it in your food.

    You need to be taking IRON if you're cold...you're probably anemic!

    Interesting that both you and ur daughter are allergic. I have stopped taking the niacin.
    I will ask my doc about my iron next time I see her.
    I guess a lot of ppl get cold when we lose a lot of weight. Rather be cold than have the extra weight.
  • 1234terri
    1234terri Posts: 217 Member
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    I innocently took Niacin some Whole Foods vitamin guy recommended, and it was a nightmare. It turns your skin red and you 'flush.'. That is what is supposed to happen, but it was so uncomfortable, I'd never do again. I laid in a cold bath tub of water trying to calm the red swelling..and finally, finally it ended. Good luck and now you know.
  • bluntlysally
    bluntlysally Posts: 150 Member
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    first, you shouldn't take supplements without talking to your dr.

    second, if you did, you would know that this was a bad flushing reaction and that the response to a reaction is to take baby aspirin.

    if you really need to be on it , PER YOUR DOCTOR, he might put you on the prescription version. it is extended release and more predictable on the flushing. you also get instructions on when to take it, what to do in case of flushing, how to build up to a full dose, etc...

    the prescription version *just* got a generic this summer, which is great news for my pocketbook.
  • bluntlysally
    bluntlysally Posts: 150 Member
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    writing this separately so some folks read - THERE IS A BUILD UP PERIOD/PROCESS - YOU CANNOT JUMP INTO A FULL DOSE.
  • Ainevethe
    Ainevethe Posts: 209 Member
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    It is a very alarming reaction, and yes, as was mentioned it is called a Niacin Flush. I don't like the sensation, so I take the "flush free" niacin now when I take it (not often) but the doctor saw me and my bright red face with itchy hives - it was like having an itchy itchy sunburn and she assured me I was just a heavy flusher :D

    What I was told is that when taken proper dosage, you will only get a mild flush, sort of like pinkish ears and redder cheeks. If you flush WAY too much (like I did, and sounds like you did) then the dosage was too high for you. You may in fact not need it and that is what the extreme flush is telling you. Also, if you take it on an empty stomach, the flush will be even more pronounced.

    And for what its worth, I was told to start with only 25mg, 3x a day, increasing as my body adjusted to the flush. I, like you, took WAY more than that. It is an awful feeling when you don't expect it, scared the &^%* out of me lol
  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
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    Just FYI

    The latest and largest study of niacin, which included more than 25,000 people with heart disease, was published today (July 16) in The New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers found that using long-acting niacin to raise the HDL cholesterol level did not result in reducing heart attacks, strokes or deaths. The results were presented prior to publication last year, after which the manufacturer of the niacin medication used in the study, Merck & Co., said it would stop selling the drug.

    The study also found some unexpected and serious side effects. People who took niacin were more likely than people taking a placebo to experience liver problems, infections and bleeding in various body areas including the stomach, intestines and brain.

    Niacin was also linked with more hospitalizations among diabetic patients and the development of diabetes in people who didn't have it at the beginning of the study.

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