Too much niacin can cause liver damage, I think.
Mark we
“Too much niacin can cause liver damage, I think.”
That’s why I don’t take it. I tried it but it kept making me sick so I quit.
“Too much niacin can cause liver damage, I think.”
There are 2 forms of niacin. Only one is implicated in liver damage, and that is the “no flush” Niacinamide. Vitamin B3, Niacin, causes a flush reaction and has not been shown to cause liver damage.
Bigg Red is correct. Patients prescribed niacin should, by label, have their liver function monitored.
https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=5fceeb58-e54d-43c1-8abb-33feea69d663
WARNINGS
Liver Dysfunction
Cases of severe hepatic toxicity, including fulminant hepatic necrosis have occurred in patients who have substituted sustained-release (modified-release, timed-release) nicotinic acid products for immediate-release (crystalline) nicotinic acid at equivalent doses.
Liver function tests should be performed on all patients during therapy with nicotinic acid. Serum transaminase levels, including ALT (SGPT), should be monitored before treatment begins, every six weeks to twelve weeks for the first year, and periodically thereafter (e.g., at approximately 6 month intervals). Special attention should be paid to patients who develop elevated serum transaminase levels, and in these patients, measurements should be repeated promptly and then performed more frequently. If the transaminase levels show evidence of progression, particularly if they rise to three times the upper limit of normal and are persistent, the drug should be discontinued. Liver biopsy should be considered if elevations persist beyond discontinuation of the drug.
Nicotinic acid should be used with caution in patients who consume substantial quantities of alcohol and/or have a past history of liver disease. Active liver diseases or unexplained transaminase elevations are contraindications to the use of nicotinic acid.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548176/
Hepatotoxicity
Niacin in doses above 500 mg daily causes transient, asymptomatic elevations in serum aminotransferase levels in up to 20% of people. The elevations are rarely greater than 3 times the upper limit of the normal range and usually resolve spontaneously even with continuation of the drug. The effect is partially dose related and is more common with doses above 3 g/day. In some patients, there is an overall decrease in serum proteins synthesized by the liver and, in some instances, coagulopathy with an increase in prothrombin time and decline in serum albumin, coagulation factors and apolipoproteins. These changes resolve rapidly upon stopping therapy and may not recur with lower doses.