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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by vitality851 on December 8, 2007, at 16:25:32
I have been taking niacin for 3 months as part of a programme to reduce cholesterol. I also took some herbs (liquid given by the naturopath) and glutathione.
I take no other medicine or prescriptions whatsoever.
I have had an extreme reaction to niacin. After the initial tingling, redness and itching, over a 3 month period (it took me ages to work out what it was) I have skin eruptions on my chin and pimples as well. My chin is sore, red, very angry looking. I have now stopped taking the niacin and wait for the eruptions to disappear. I know it is the niacin because I stopped taking it for 2 weeks and the eruptions began to disappear and when I started again it reoccurred with a vengeance. I am interested if other people have similar reactions.
Posted by Maria3667 on December 8, 2007, at 16:25:33
In reply to Niacin-extreme reactions, posted by vitality851 on December 6, 2007, at 16:59:13
Hi Vital,
I had the usual reaction - redness, itchyness, warm tingling feeling, for about 30-60 mins after ingestion.
Just a hunch - I noticed a profound difference when eating more carbs. No redness and such.
You wouldn't coincidently be on the Atkins diet?
Posted by bleauberry on December 8, 2007, at 16:25:33
In reply to Niacin-extreme reactions, posted by vitality851 on December 6, 2007, at 16:59:13
There are others at mercury chelation forums that understand this stuff a lot better than I do. But I do know some rough basics.
Niacin influences liver metabolism, either speeding it up or slowing it down...I'm not sure which. Niacinamide does just the opposite. There are two phases of liver metabolism. Phase I breaks stuff down. Phase II gets rid of it. If phase I is faster than phase II, then phase II is overwhelmed and then you get an overload of stuff dumped back into the blood system overwhelming and confusing the immune system, resulting in all kinds of adverse things including the things you are experiencing. Toxic overload basically, due to the liver phases being out of sync with each other. Niacin and niacinamide are used with opposite effects to change the speed of liver metabolism.
The other thought I had was glutathione. If you have any toxicity at all...either mercury or lead...glutathione spells trouble. It will serve to stir up the stored metals and spread them around your body. It will help to excrete some of them, but the rate it stirs them up is much faster than the excretion rate, resulting in poisoning yourself with toxins that have been stored away in fat and tissue cells.
Many more people than are aware have metal toxicities, either from amalgam fillings, childhood vaccinations, heavy fish comsumption, industrial exposure, or weird things like being exposed to a broken thermometer, or being exposed to the air of a broken flourescent light.
Niacin normally does not do much more to a normal person than cause a temporary flushing of the face effect. Because it is doing a whole lot more than that to you, that is a pretty good clue that something else is going on. Glutathione doesn't do much more for a normal person than help the body rid of minor exposures of daily toxins. But if already toxic it will make matters much worse. I am very suspect of the glutathione. Actually, I am suspect of any substance a naturopath is giving you. I do like them better than regular doctors, but finding a really good one is so hard.
Ask the guy why you react to niacin so badly and see what he says. Ask him how it affects the liver. Ask him what glutathione does to hidden mercury or lead. If his answers deviate from the information I have given you here, then you know the guy is grasping at straws.
In the meantime, I would suggest two things. If it is the niacin vitamin you want, then switch to niacinamide. Until you have done a complete hair analaysis from Doctor's Data Labs and had it interpreted via the Amalgam Illness counting rules, stop the glutathione. Strictly avoid chlorella, cilantro and any form of cysteine.
Posted by nellie7 on December 8, 2007, at 16:25:33
In reply to Re: Niacin-extreme reactions, posted by bleauberry on December 7, 2007, at 19:18:43
I tried taking niacin years ago and suffered from strange side effects- I could hardly feel my arms and legs and also felt like I had taken an overdose of sleeping pills. No flushing or skin problems.
Never heard of anyone suffering from neurological side effects from niacin. Any possible explanation?Nellie.
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