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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by karl on April 10, 2009, at 0:54:14
Hey Larry,
If one feels Niacin to be effective, can one expect tolerance to develop as it does with benzodiazepines? And if so, is there a withdrawal form it?
Posted by Larry Hoover on April 11, 2009, at 16:51:35
In reply to Larry Hoover - Niacin and Tolerance, posted by karl on April 10, 2009, at 0:54:14
> Hey Larry,
>
> If one feels Niacin to be effective, can one expect tolerance to develop as it does with benzodiazepines? And if so, is there a withdrawal form it?I'm going to presume that you're really referring to niacinamide. It's the anxiolytic form of vitamin B3.
I don't know the answer to your questions. However, understanding the way the GABA-A receptor works, how it is regulated, and so on, I would have to assume that the answer is yes to both questions.
Frequent use of niacinamide will lead to adaptation to it (tolerance). After adaptation has occurred, ceasing exposure is going to lead to reversal of that adaptation (withdrawal).
That's my considered opinion, anyway.
Lar
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 15, 2009, at 6:35:47
In reply to Larry Hoover - Niacin and Tolerance, posted by karl on April 10, 2009, at 0:54:14
Niacin is nothing at all like benzodiazepines. I was on Ativan for six years. Tolerance to this benzo took about 1.5 years for me only because I was on a high dose. Not a good idea to take it everyday, take it from me. I was an Ativan junkie. After continued use for 1.5 years, it didn't work well at all. I had one bad withdrawal from Ativan where I was severely depressed for an entire day. After that, the withdrawal was mild, but if you've been on a high dose of a benzo for a long time, expect the withdrawal to be unpleasant, so really think about taking this drug everyday for months or years. It is only good to take once in a while for situational anxiety, not as a maintenance drug.
Niacin, on the other hand, feels nothing like benzos, but it can help with depression and anxiety. It is actually a very good vitamin to take, and it will not harm you or cause you to have withdrawal. As far as tolerance, I never really noticed this from Niacin, and I have been taking it for about two years. The only other thing I can say is that if you are used to taking it everyday, and you decide to skip out one day, you might feel as if you're missing something, but there is no withdrawal from it. In my own personal experience, benzos made me feel absolutely awesome, but it is absolutely not worth taking them everyday for extended periods of time. That is not what they were meant for. Today, psychiatrists usually prescribe benzos for a short period of time while the person is getting used to a maintenance drug, say a ssri antidepressant. I believe Klonopin is the one benzo that doctors prescribe as a maintenance drug. However, Klonopin never worked well for me, and I've heard people say that they developed tolerance to Klonopin eventually. That being said, benzos are very effective in the short term and only once in a while. When I first started taking Ativan, I was also supposed to take Prozac at the same time and then get off the Ativan once the Prozac had really kicked in. However, I became so enamored with Ativan due to its effect of relaxing you and a mild euphoric effect, that after being on it three weeks straight at 1mg per day, I decided to go off of it and that's when I had one day of severe depression. So be really careful with benzos. They can be helpful, but if you have an addictive personality and/or a past of illicit drug or alcohol abuse, believe me, benzos are not where you should be. Use caution and get an honest opinion from a good psychiatrist, not your family doctor. I must also note that years ago, I was seeing a different psychiatrist from my current one, and he did write prescriptions of Ativan for me each month, only because I kept telling him it was the only drug that really helped me. I know better now. Don't take it everyday if you are going to use benzos. Exhaust all other possibilities first, whether pharmaceutical or natural. Definitely try Niacin first and see if this helps you. It is worth a try at least, and you may not feel great on Niacin, but it does help when taken with other vitamins. I still miss my Ativan to this day, but take it from me, you can get through your days without benzodiazepines. And I have schizophrenia.
Posted by PeterJ on April 17, 2009, at 20:19:05
In reply to Larry Hoover - Niacin and Tolerance, posted by karl on April 10, 2009, at 0:54:14
I took niacinamide many years ago in high doses. I found it to have an effect very similar to long-acting benzodiazepines. It was quite beneficial to my circadian sleep disorder (N24) and also had a pronounced anxiolytic effect.However, tolerance did develop to all the beneficial effects within about six months. I don't recall withdrawal symptoms; but that may be because I tapered it off over many months rather than stopping abruptly. A repeated trial of niacinamide again produced tolerance.
If tolerance had not developed I would still be using it today.
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 20, 2009, at 6:06:42
In reply to Re: Larry Hoover - Niacin and Tolerance, posted by PeterJ on April 17, 2009, at 20:19:05
Yes, I agree. I did develop tolerance to niacinamide as well, but not with Niacin (nicotinic acid). They are, in part, pharmacologically different. I must also note that I can't tolerate high doses of niacinamide, but I can tolerate 1,000mg of NIacin or more per day. I personally feel that Niacin is more beneficial than niacinamide, but some people will also benefit from niacinamide. It all depends on the dosage you can tolerate. For me, using Niacin everyday and adding niacinamide occasionally works best for me.
This is the end of the thread.
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