Niacin Needs a Warning Label

I was going to title this post, DON'T TAKE NIACIN, however, I know that whenever I'm searching for information online, I feel panicked whenever I see posts that INSIST that their opposing viewpoints are correct. It has me wondering which warnings to heed. So, rather I am just going to tell the tale of my excruciating experience with Niacin.

Yesterday, I made a trip to Sprouts Farmers Market (formerly Henry's Farmers Market. Henry's and Sprouts have merged under the Sprouts name) to pick up some vitamins and supplements. I'm am very good at taking vitamins and supplements on a daily basis and I needed to replenish my supply.

I picked up a bottle of Niacin (Vitamin B3) as I had read that it helps to keep your nervous system, digestive system, skin, hair and eyes healthy. Sounded good to me. It was after the fact however, that I learned that Niacin is often used to raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol levels, and although it can be taken by itself, it can also be paired with cholesterol medications for those with high cholesterol issues.

Ultimately, Niacin is something I really didn't need as enough of it is found in various foods. For more information on Niacin click here.

Ok, so here goes. Last night I took several supplements along with a pill of Niacin. Immediately, my stomach cramped up. I was bent over and could barely move. Stooped over, I made my way to the bathroom. I really didn't know what to do with myself so I sat down to pee. As I was doing so my stomach ache relieved itself but my ears felt incredibly hot, my face felt tight, and I felt like I was being jabbed with toothpicks right above my upper lip. I got up to see that my face had turned as red as a tomato. My upper arms were flushed, my thighs were flushed and then it wasn't just my ears that felt hot. My whole body was on fire. I was amazed that all of this was happening to me so immediately after I had taken the pill.

I had left my laptop on in the other room so I ran to and entered a search about supplements and flushing. I didn't have the patience to click and scroll so I called the nearest hospital. I asked to speak to a female nurse and ran down the list of supplements I had just injested. She said it was the Niacin. She spoke with a doctor quickly and then informed me that the burning would indeed go away but she was unable to give me a time frame as to when. She advised me to drink fluids. That was it.

I hopped into the shower and stood beneath a stream of cool water. I knew I couldn't spend the entire night in there so after a while I came out, my skin burning just as much as before I entered the shower. I looked into the mirror and my skin appeared to be redder than it was before.

I dowsed four washcloths with water and squeezed them out tight. I put a sheet over a comfy chair in my living room as I had planned to sit with the cloths over me and I didn't want to get my chair wed. I watched TV as I figured the television would assist in distracting me focusing on the pain. I put one of the cloths I had squeezed out on each upper arm, one on the back of my neck and one to use on my face. I drank water and was up and out of the chair multiple times as I needed to make frequent trips to the bathroom to maintain the wet and cool of the washcloths. My burning skin absorbed the water and cool temperature of the cloths very quickly.

I kept an eye on the clock and it took an hour and 45 minutes before I began to feel somewhat comfortable again. The redness had gone down almost completely and I no longer needed the wash cloths. I was exhausted from the experience and felt oh so grateful that it was all over. I went to bed.

I am incredibly shocked that there was no warning label on the bottle of Niacin I had purchased. I did an online search today and discovered that some brands do advertise "No Flush Niacin".The "Niacin Flush" sounds relatively harmless. It sounds like a symptom that would simply cause one's cheeks to turn red as if they were blushing. If there are those who experience minimal redness, itch or pain then that is truly wonderful. But what about those of us who find ourselves in the utmost pain?

I learned that Niacin causes the capillaries to enlarge, and the end result is the “flush”. The flush along with the itching and/or burning is supposedly a sign that the Niacin has allowed more blood to reach the cells and remove toxins from them. The body responds by sending what is called a histamine to the cell. Histamines cause you to itch, as well as allow your body to send more water, blood, and nutrients to the area that called them.

Blah blah blah, it sucked.

In the end I really didn't have anyone to blame but myself. Sure, I didn't know that Niacin was going to give me the side effects that it did, but I had purchased the bottle on a whim.