Niacin Overdose
So I've still be having issues eating. My doc is seeing me on Wednesday morning. But today, I had a really bizare experience. I went to GNC for my usual New Whey protein bullets. They were all out so I picked up this other protein bullet called Liquid Morph Plus. I talked to the nutristionist today and she said to just concentrate on getting my water in and as much protein as I could. I took the bullet straight without diluting it. I've been having trouble even getting liquids down so I thought this would be better.
About 3 minutes after the bullet, my entire body from head to toe turned the most bizarre color red - almost purple. My skin felt like it was on fire. My heart was racing. I was sweating and short of breath. I was nauseous and really scared. I couldn't get to the ER fast enough. Lucky for me, there is an urgent care center next door to my office.
The bullet contained 400% of the recommended dose of Niacin (B-3). The doc said that was more than enough to cause a Niacin overdose for a person with my anatomy who doesn't normally take Niacin supplements. They gave me a steroid shot and some meds for the nausea. In about an hour I was feeling 90% better.
It was really scary and I'm glad it's over, but here's the bright side - since the steroid shot, I've been able to keep food down! My mom (an RN) thinks that maybe I had some internal swelling in my pouch keeping food from settling properly or maybe I had an allergic reaction to the "stuff" they use to make the pouch. I'll find out on Wednesday I guess, but in the meantime I'm eating real food and I see that as a plus.
Sorry for the long post, but it was a bizare day.
__________________
- Andrea
About 3 minutes after the bullet, my entire body from head to toe turned the most bizarre color red - almost purple. My skin felt like it was on fire. My heart was racing. I was sweating and short of breath. I was nauseous and really scared. I couldn't get to the ER fast enough. Lucky for me, there is an urgent care center next door to my office.
The bullet contained 400% of the recommended dose of Niacin (B-3). The doc said that was more than enough to cause a Niacin overdose for a person with my anatomy who doesn't normally take Niacin supplements. They gave me a steroid shot and some meds for the nausea. In about an hour I was feeling 90% better.
It was really scary and I'm glad it's over, but here's the bright side - since the steroid shot, I've been able to keep food down! My mom (an RN) thinks that maybe I had some internal swelling in my pouch keeping food from settling properly or maybe I had an allergic reaction to the "stuff" they use to make the pouch. I'll find out on Wednesday I guess, but in the meantime I'm eating real food and I see that as a plus.
Sorry for the long post, but it was a bizare day.
__________________
- Andrea
g1rl 0n f1re
on 4/13/09 11:22 pm - City of Angels, CA
on 4/13/09 11:22 pm - City of Angels, CA
Becca,
Actually some people do it on purpose, but there is a difference between a niacin flush and a niacin overdose. You could take the same amount I had and have no issues. We all just have different tolerances. A niacin flush can have positive benefits like clearing out toxins, decreasing depression, and lowering cholesterol. In moderation Niacin is good for you and a little bit of a flush is ok. When you start getting heart palpitations or nausea or trouble breathing - clearly you've overdosed. The amount that causes an overdose vs. a healthy flush is different for everyone.
You can also build up a tolerance to Niacin so if you start small and work your way up that's better. There is also a theory that if you take it by itself it's absorbed differently then if you take it with all the other B vitamins in the same proportion. The 5 hour energy is more balanced in that the dose of the other B vitamins is higher than the Niacin. The stuff I took was just the opposite - more Niacin than the others.
Also there are different sources of Niacin. It could be from Avacados or Nuts or Dairy or a bunch of other foods. So the source of Niacin can also cause different effects. Don't know where the Niacin in the Liquid Morph was from though...
As for long term effects - if you repeatedly overdose you can cause permanent liver damage, but repeated flushing is not considered dangerous.
Never thought I'd know this much about a vitamin.... LOL I'm an expert now.
Actually some people do it on purpose, but there is a difference between a niacin flush and a niacin overdose. You could take the same amount I had and have no issues. We all just have different tolerances. A niacin flush can have positive benefits like clearing out toxins, decreasing depression, and lowering cholesterol. In moderation Niacin is good for you and a little bit of a flush is ok. When you start getting heart palpitations or nausea or trouble breathing - clearly you've overdosed. The amount that causes an overdose vs. a healthy flush is different for everyone.
You can also build up a tolerance to Niacin so if you start small and work your way up that's better. There is also a theory that if you take it by itself it's absorbed differently then if you take it with all the other B vitamins in the same proportion. The 5 hour energy is more balanced in that the dose of the other B vitamins is higher than the Niacin. The stuff I took was just the opposite - more Niacin than the others.
Also there are different sources of Niacin. It could be from Avacados or Nuts or Dairy or a bunch of other foods. So the source of Niacin can also cause different effects. Don't know where the Niacin in the Liquid Morph was from though...
As for long term effects - if you repeatedly overdose you can cause permanent liver damage, but repeated flushing is not considered dangerous.
Never thought I'd know this much about a vitamin.... LOL I'm an expert now.
g1rl 0n f1re
on 4/15/09 11:11 pm - City of Angels, CA
on 4/15/09 11:11 pm - City of Angels, CA
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