Niacin and alcochol - Not a good combination

[Swole_2112]

Last night, after I got home from work, a had a small glass of wine. Not enough to give me a buzz (though, it should be kept in mind that I have a very low alcohol tolerance). About 20 minutes after that, I took a 250mg niacin tablet. Now, when I've taken niacin in the past, I've always experienced redness and burning of the skin, especially on my face and scalp. I know this is due to the thinning of the blood, so I wasn't concerned about it. This time, I was concerned. My pulse shot up, my eyes were very blood shot, I was very bloated in my face, my throat closed a little, and I felt a little nauseous. This lasted for about 10-15 minutes before it began to subside. I just hope I didn't suffer any residual effect, though I doubt I did. Any thoughts on that? Anyway, alcohol and niacin, not a good combination.

 

[plifter]

Try taking an aspirin tablet about half an hour before the niacin. The flushing redness should not occur. I'm taking 2000 mg of niacin a day for cholesterol.

 

[jeepboi]

Take inositol hexaniacinate AKA Flush Free Niacin works wonders.

 

[guest username]

The flushing isn't from thinning your blood. As plifter suggested, aspirin before niacin will help with the flushing. Alcohol intensifies the flushing, and it can really damage your liver when combined with niacin. Niacin can cause liver failure so severe that you require transplantation (fulminant hepatic failure). If you don't get a transplant within a few days, you'll die.

Why do I mention that? Because alcohol increases your chances of niacin doing this. Also, plifter mentioned he is taking 2,000 mg (2 g) of niacin daily. This is most likely an extended/sustained release formula (e.g., NiaSpan). Immediate-release niacin at this dose has a 1000-fold increased risk of fulminant hepatic failure. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend anyone go above 250-400 mg daily without a physician's supervision (including lab tests for your liver).