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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lao Tzu on March 24, 2010, at 11:45:18
I really think my problem all along was taking Niacin with my medication, which includes an antipsychotic and antidepressant. I think Niacin probably works fine if you're not taking medication, but there might be an interaction if you're on meds. Now that I stopped taking Niacin, I have more energy in the morning and I'm less foggy. I think it was the best thing I have done to my regimen in a long time.
Posted by Lao Tzu on March 25, 2010, at 12:13:46
In reply to Niacin not good with medication, posted by Lao Tzu on March 24, 2010, at 11:45:18
Niacin does affect the amount of tryptophan synthesis, and I've read it can affect the catecholamines like dopamine. That's why I say if you are taking medication that affects these neurotransmitters, it may not be a good idea to take very high dosages of Niacin. A little Niacin probably does not hurt at all, but I was taking up to 1,000mg of Niacin a day, and I think that complicated things with my medication. I seemed to be more sluggish during the day. That being said, high dose Niacin has produced wonderful results in schizophrenics not on medication. So all I say is just use caution with high dose Niacin if you're taking psychotropic drugs. There may be interactions between the two.
Posted by Lao Tzu on March 31, 2010, at 9:49:21
In reply to Niacin not good with medication, posted by Lao Tzu on March 24, 2010, at 11:45:18
I've been feeling better since I withdrew high dose Niacin from my nutritional regimen. I think it interacted with my medicine or I just couldn't tolerate it well. I tend to get worse on some of the B vitamins. However, I have heard that some people with schizophrenia get better on high dose Niacin if they aren't taking meds. I don't know how valid that statement is. Also, I've heard that high dose Niacin over a prolonged period of time has the potential to cause liver damage. Some say it could, others say that is hogwash. I don't know who to believe.
Posted by Hombre on April 6, 2010, at 21:42:12
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Lao Tzu on March 31, 2010, at 9:49:21
Is it possible that while taking niacin you might be able to decrease certain meds?
BTW what type and dosage of niacin were you taking?
Posted by 49er on April 10, 2010, at 6:34:14
In reply to Niacin not good with medication, posted by Lao Tzu on March 24, 2010, at 11:45:18
> I really think my problem all along was taking Niacin with my medication, which includes an antipsychotic and antidepressant. I think Niacin probably works fine if you're not taking medication, but there might be an interaction if you're on meds. Now that I stopped taking Niacin, I have more energy in the morning and I'm less foggy. I think it was the best thing I have done to my regimen in a long time.
I don't have schizophrenia but am still on a low dose of Doxepin as I am tapering off of my meds.
I accidentally ordered a multivitamin that had a high dose of Niacin (750mg). Even taking 3/5 of the recommended dose, I still felt tired and foggy.
So I definitely relate to what you say.
Back to searching for a multivitamin which is another post.
49er
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 13, 2010, at 10:31:41
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Hombre on April 6, 2010, at 21:42:12
The dosage of Niacin I was taking was anywhere from 500mg to over 1,000mg per day. I feel that this might have caused an interaction with either my antidepressant or the antipsychotic. I actually feel better without any Niacin, but I'll admit that a small dosage of Niacin, say 250mg, which is relatively safe, can help somewhat with anxiety. I remember one situation where I took 2,000mg of Niacin and my anxiety was greatly decreased and I felt rather good. It only happened one time, however. If I take more than 750mg all at once, I tend to feel brain foggy and slightly irritable. In my opinion, Niacin is no good when you're on a lot of psychotropic medication. It seems to complicate things too much.
Posted by Hombre on April 14, 2010, at 4:35:25
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Lao Tzu on April 13, 2010, at 10:31:41
Will definitely take note. I'm going to try niacin for my high cholesterol, but I will watch out to see if it is affecting mood or energy.
I found this link interesting:
Posted by Hombre on April 14, 2010, at 21:19:45
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Hombre on April 14, 2010, at 4:35:25
Wow, niacin is some powerful stuff!
I took 500mg with 1000mg vitamin C after lunch. I did not get a flush. Within an hour or so I started to feel more relaxed. The relaxation increased for several hours. I normally experience some anxiety in the late afternoon/early evening. I did not. However, I almost felt too relaxed. I did feel a bit sluggish. And when I took my Seroquel and Remeron at night I felt overly sedated, almost nauseous at one point. I had good sleep, but it was hard to get up in the morning. I am in the process of adjusting to an increased dose of Seroquel.
Now I am starting to wonder if niacin would work as an anti-manic (for someone who only gets hypomanic without antidepressants), but I don't think there is any way the doctor would go for it. I am not interested in straying from guided treatment, but this leaves so many unanswered questions.
Posted by Hombre on April 15, 2010, at 23:02:24
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Hombre on April 14, 2010, at 21:19:45
I tried Niacin 500mg one more time after lunch. This time I got the flush, which manifested as redness and slight burning that slowly spread from top down. Not something I'd want to experience in public, but otherwise harmless.
But the one thing I noticed is that I feel like I'm getting too much serotonin from either the Effexor or the Seroquel or the Remeron or the combination. It feels like the unpleasant feelings I got from Prozac and Luvox: tired, unmotovated, hard to breathe, no desire to interact with people. I also think that the increase of Seroquel to 100mg is also causing too much flatness. I don't have any anxiety, however, and I am sleeping better, but it just ain't worth it if I don't feel like doing ANYTHING.
Today I was able to reverse some of the over-sedated feeling with 3 cups of Oolong tea. I am going to invest in a pill-slitter and go back down to 50mg Seroquel to try and get the energy back.
Posted by morganator on April 15, 2010, at 23:14:49
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Hombre on April 15, 2010, at 23:02:24
I think lowering the Seroquel dose is a good idea. Why did you go up? Were you having trouble sleeping? If so, have you ever tried:
Magnesium Glycinate
Taurine
Melatonin
GABA
Posted by Hombre on April 16, 2010, at 1:35:31
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by morganator on April 15, 2010, at 23:14:49
> I think lowering the Seroquel dose is a good idea. Why did you go up? Were you having trouble sleeping? If so, have you ever tried:
>
> Magnesium Glycinate
> Taurine
> Melatonin
> GABA
>Yes, mainly trouble sleeping and some anxiety. I can't seem to handle the antidepressants alone. Magnesium Citrate is next up. I haven't considered the others yet. I am still interested in Niacin's potential for anxiety, sleep and cholesterol. I'm not sure how I'll go about testing it, though. I value calm energy more than anything these days.
Thank you for the suggestions.
Posted by morganator on April 16, 2010, at 14:45:57
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication, posted by Hombre on April 16, 2010, at 1:35:31
Gabapentin and Pregabalin may be better alternatives to seroquel, especially if you are only taking seroquel at night. I don't know why docotors are so quick to prescribe such a potentially invasive drug as seroquel for sleep and anxiety. You would think drugs like Gabapentin(Neurontin) and Pregabalin(Lyrica) would be the first line of treatment. I hate the current state of psychiatry.
Anyway, those 2 medications may actually improve sleep architecture. I don't think Seroquel does this.
Posted by Hombre on April 16, 2010, at 20:31:56
In reply to Re: Niacin not good with medication » Hombre, posted by morganator on April 16, 2010, at 14:45:57
We are going with the theory that the insomnia and anxiety are manifestations of bipolar. I should say that I get racing thoughts combined with the anxiety, it can definitely become some sort of mixed state if I'm not on antidepressants. The doctors here are pretty conservative from what I can tell, doing things by the book for the most part. When lithium and lamictal didn't work, it came down to valproate and Seroquel. My doc went on vacation, I saw a colleague of my doctor's that was more specialized in bipolar...he went straight to Seroquel because he said Depakote would do nothing for my depression.
I did not take Niacin yesterday and by the evening was feeling quite good. I decided to try 100mg Seroquel at least one more night. I dreamt a lot and woke up after every dream session. I don't know why my sleep is like this...it only started about a year ago. Before that I would have trouble falling asleep and trouble waking up in the morning.
I will check up on those meds you mentioned. I don't even know if they are available here or not.
Thanks again for the suggestions.
This is the end of the thread.
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