Which niacin is best for depression

His early work also went onto show that Niacin also lowered bad cholesterol and some people use it in place of statins. There is also evidence for use in arthritis and cancer treatment. And yet with all this endorsement, why would we now be taking strong drugs, with many side effects and unknown interactions for these conditions.

Who would not benefit from a cheap, easily produced natural substance being given to the growing number of the population who need it? Another advocate of Niacin was Bill W. Bill W. The key to orthomolecur medicine is finding the dose that is right for you, some people need smaller doses, some larger and some very much larger, but an average dose for severe depression, for instance, would be between mg a day taken in intervals throughout the day.

Our RDA is commonly between mg a day! It is also worth noting that there are actually 3 types of niacin - nicotinic acid, niacinamide and inositol hexiniacinate. The more your body gets used to the niacin the less it will flush.

Advocates of niacin often sate that nicotinic acid is the best form of niacin as it aids both psychiatric and blood lipid issues at smaller doses.

Proper treatment can save you from depression-related diseases. The recommended dietary intake of niacin varies among different age groups. Want help with depression? You can experience severe side effects when you ingest mgmg of niacin per day. The following underlying conditions can cause fatalities on the administration of niacin:.

Niacin can have serious side effects when mixed with some drugs. Some of these include:. This is undoubtedly the most common but harmless side effect of niacin. The niacin flush is uncomfortable but harmless. It appears as a flush of red skin followed by itching and burning sensations.

The niacin flush is a side effect of taking the immediate release of nicotinic acid , mostly experienced among people who take high doses of immediate-release niacin supplements. Talk to an expert physician at Mango Clinic for mental health issues or click the banner below to book your appointment. Once taken, the niacin expands the capillaries and increases blood flow to the skin. Some of the common symptoms of the niacin flush include:. However, there are measures you can take to reverse them.

These include:. According to a study published by the national institute of health , NIH, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs such as mg of aspirin minutes before the niacin dose can reduce the itching and flushing.

However, it would help if you got a prescription from your health care provider for the aspirin. Keep a good gap between when you take your niacin dose and drink your hot beverage. Alcohol and hot beverages such as hot cocoa, tea, and coffee speed up the process of flushing. One large dose of niacin can cause flushing. So, to avoid this, you can subdivide your immediate-release niacin into small doses until your body can adapt.

For instance, instead of taking 50mg of niacin at once, you can take 25mg in the morning, and 25mg at noon. Niacin is part of the metabolizing process of forming serotonin from tryptophan. Therefore, niacin deficiency can directly impact mood by affecting your production of serotonin. Niacin supplements are available as over-the-counter pills.

You can also boost your vitamin B-3 intake by eating different foods. The cure for vitamin B-3 deficiency might hover around the 20 mg mark, but when it comes to treatments for serious depression, a much higher dose is sometimes needed.

According to online testimonials , people with severe depression who respond to niacin therapy tend to benefit from a much higher dose, from anywhere between 1, to 3, mg. According to the nutrition documentary, Food Matters , one woman saw her depression symptoms reversed with a daily dose of 11, mg. Talk with your doctor before you begin experimenting, as everyone reacts differently to niacin.

There are side effects and dangers if you use too much of this vitamin. Always consult your doctor before experimenting with niacin or other supplements, especially with large doses.

Niacin has the potential to lower blood pressure , which can be dangerous to some people. People who use niacin should also be aware that high doses of sustained release tablets can result in serious liver damage. Signs of liver damage include:. One common reaction to too much vitamin B-3 is called the niacin flush.

This reaction typically happens at doses higher than 1, mg , but can also occur after taking only 50 mg. Some personal stories, however, do support the idea that the vitamin can eliminate symptoms of depression.

If you and your doctors choose to experiment with niacin, be careful and watch for signs of liver damage or low blood pressure. You can break the halves in half, too, to get the exact amount you want. If a niacin tablet is taken on an empty stomach, a flush will occur if it is going to occur at all within about 20 minutes. If niacin is taken right after a meal, a flush may be delayed.

In fact, the flush may occur long enough afterwards that you forgot that you took the niacin! Remember that niacin does that, and you can monitor it easily. If you want a flush right away, you can powder the niacin tablet. This is easily done by crushing it between two spoons. Powdered niacin on an empty stomach can result in a flush within minutes. Sustained release niacin is often advertised as not causing a flush at all.

This claim may not be completely true; sometimes the flush is just postponed. It would probably be difficult to determine your saturation level with a sustained- or time-released product. They are also more costly. That form of vitamin B-3 is frequently found in multiple vitamins and B-complex preparations.

Niacinamide does not cause a flush at all. In my opinion, it is less effective in inducing relaxation and calming effects. Niacinamide also does not significantly lower serum cholesterol. This is an important distinction to make when purchasing. It is a good idea to take all the other B-complex vitamins in a separate supplement in addition to the niacin. The B-vitamins, like professional baseball players, work best as a team.

Still, the body seems to need proportionally more niacin than the other B vitamins. Even the U. Many physicians consider the current RDA for niacin of only 20 mg to be way too low for optimum health. While the government continues to discuss this, it is possible to decide for yourself based on the success of doctors that use niacin for their patients every day.

We have also incorporated some of your suggestions in our lifestyle. My question for you is an attempt to clarify what seems to be a difference of opinion about the niacin flush between you and Dr. He had written that the niacin flush is normal with many people and will diminish or go away as the patient continues to use niacin at his recommended level of 3, milligrams per day. You, however, state that the flush is an indication of no niacin deficiency. Who is correct or am I misinterpreting one of you?

If they do increase the dose slowly, what I describe is pretty accurate.