What are slo-niacin dietary supplements used for??

Answers: Large doses of niacin are sometimes prescribed to combat high blood pressure, and also to lower blood cholesterol levels. Pharmacologic doses of niacin (1.5 to 6 grams/day) typically reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 10 to 25 percent and triglyceride levels by 20 to 50 percent. HDL cholesterol levels are also typically increased by 15 to 35 percent.1 Brand-name medications include Niaspan®, Niacor® and Nicolor®. Treatment doses cause flushing in individuals not previously exposed to large doses of niacin, so titration and acclimation to increasing doses is preferred upon starting the medication. The niacin treatment discoverer, Abram Hoffer, and other orthomolecular proponents generally add a full spectrum vitamin B formulation, such as B-50, and 1 to 4 times as much vitamin C as niacin to reduce liver stress. Liver cell activation and stress is easily monitored in the liver enzyme panel along with blood cholesterol measurements. Because of the liver stress associated with heavy alcohol consumption, regular drinkers and alcoholics may experience antabuse-like reactions with pharmacologic levels of niacin.

Vitamin B3 has also been used in nutritional treatments of alcoholism, cancer, schizophrenia, senility and other mental illnesses by orthomolecular practitioners[1]. These treatments are largely based on improved circulation, NAD related energetics and cellular repairs, and the correction of abnormal indole metabolites. Often the nicotinamide form is used, as its lack of a flush is easier to self administer with new patients. Unfortunately orthomolecular psychiatric treatments remain adversarially disputed over disagreements about measurement, diagnosis, efficacy, protocols and specific populations.

Because niacin promotes metabolism, some believe that taking large doses will speed up the elimination of THC from the body and produce a negative result for marijuana on a drug test. There is no evidence that this is effective, and niacin is toxic to the skin and liver in overdose, especially as it releases the extra toxins. This is known as the Michalek effect due to the toxic skin conditions as well as behavioral changes when Niacin is in one's system. There is also anecdotal evidence that doses of 500-1000mg can terminate a bad trip on LSD, a synthetic indole, or enhance the MDMA experience.

Reducing cholesterol.

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