B Vitamins Help

Ok, I'm really having problems taking Vitalady's B 50. I'm really, really, sensitive to the niacin - should have known, right? I get occasional niacin flushes from her multi, which only contain 20 mgs of niacin...and her B 50 contains 75 mgs!

It's not just an inconvenience, it knocks me on my ass for over an hour. First, I get extreme stomach cramps that last about 5 minutes...I could live with that if that was all. Then, I get red ALL OVER. EVERY INCH of my body. I look like I was dipped in boiling water. I'm ON FIRE. I ITCH. This lasts over 20 minutes, but that's not all. Since all my body heat just escaped through my skin, I spend the next hour or more FREEZING. There isn't enough blankets or heaters in the world.

I kept thinking I would get used to it, that the symptoms will diminish, but frankly it's making me dread taking my B 50 every day and causing me to be non-compliant on days I just don't have the fortitude to deal with the side effects.

So...I'm looking into taking my B vitamins individually.

Which ones specifically do we have to watch for? Because I plan on upping my multi to 3 times a day, which should give me a really good basis of B vitamins on it's own.

I already currently take an extra B12 (1000 mgs) and Folic Acid (800 mgs) sublingual combo every day.

Keep in mind, I don't have my duodenum anymore so I kind of have to watch both the DS type of malabsorbtion and the RNY type.

Help me OH Vitamin Gurus©, you are my only hope.

My husband--Heart Attack Dude--has to take Niacin.  The only way he has been able to handle it is:

#1--He slowly titrated the dosage up from 100 to 1500 mg.  SLOWLY.
#2--Because he has to take baby aspirin, he was told to take a baby apsirin before a meal, eat, and then take the niacin after.  The asprin tend to open up the blood vessles so that the flushing is not as bad.
#3--He still has to deal with SOME flushing, but it isn't daily (more like once a week) and it isn't as bad as before.

I take my B's separately, also....for the same reason.  Could not tolerate the fluxhing from the Niacin.  Gotta do what you gotta do.

 I haven't tried this so I can't say it works but check out Puritan.  They have flush-free b-complex.  I love their vites in general and they are a good value as well.

Look for a formulation with niacinAMIDE. They are available. That is what is in the "no flush" formulations. With the B's the ratios of the constituents is what's important. For that reason a good multi B is better.

My friend eats a coupla slices of deli ham first. I know, odd? The fat seems to counteract the flush most of the time.

If you are done vomiting and such, you may not need a b-plex AT ALL. If your multi is complete, no vomiting, no alcohol, you may be able to just pad your B1 for awhile and then after testing normal, just go with the pair of multis.

It won't touch B12, of course,

But really, I think we only need the b plex during launch or if we've been off vites, using alcohol.

We don't use them now and the B1 and B6 still run high.

It's one of those, start with all, tweak to fit.

To finish the bottle you've got (never toss a vite is my way of thinking), try them once/week, but only after some fat. One pill only.

When they're gone, you can go down to Superior Source, which is only 20mg or none. Labs will dictate.

Thanks, Michelle!

Since I take your multis, I feel good about getting the base amount needed for B vites. I'll take your advice about taking the B 50s once a week and with fat. Then, I can take them on the weekends where I can suffer in the comfort of my own home if it gets bad. I'll also get me some B1 until I know my labs are perfect.

Back in the 90's, I was given niacin for Raynaud's. The concept was to cause the flush, to try to encourage the blood to go to fingers and toes.

Sometimes my knees would catch fire or my forearms, once/wk maybe my face. I never knew but I can tell you it never made it to toes or fingers. LOL I did 100mg (which is too low to flush for most ppl) twice/day until the bottle was gone.

I know how it feels and if it had turned on the blood to the extremities, I'd have done it. But no reward? No flush.

And I've not seen B3 shortage among us.

Again, no reward, no flush.

I have standards, yanno.

It might not work, but you could try to take it right before bed.  I started getting really bad niacin flush when I was taking it in the morning, and the part I hated about it was just having everyone see me going through it.

Seemed like when I switched it to nighttime, I musta slept through it.

I time my niacin with exercise, then I'm red, hot, and sweaty anyway and don't notice any difference.  I also take baby aspirin with it.  I take 1000mg daily in divided doses with no problems.  I've been on this dose since surgery.  Prior to surgery I took 2000mg daily in divided doses.  We have titration regimens that start some patients as low as 10mg daily and work up from there very slowly.