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I'm doing Niacin Therapy

Please see my earlier reply in this thread for previous updates (the system will no longer allow me to add to this).

Update 3: I have now been taking 100mg of Niacin (Vitamin B3) daily for a week and I'm afraid I still haven't noticed any change or improvement in any way what-so-ever, E.g. my anxiety which I've learned to live with is still exactly the same. If you think that 100mg a day isn't enough please advise, although that's the dose recommended on the bottle, or perhaps I haven't been taking it for long enough to notice any change yet? I will continue taking it for a bit longer at least and will report back if there is any change, but so far from a person who has had no great expectations (without a possible placebo effect) it hasn't worked for me and I am giving it a fair test.
 
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pjcnet said:
Please see my earlier reply in this thread for previous updates (the system will no longer allow me to add to this).

Update 3: I have now been taking 100mg of Niacin (Vitamin B3) daily for a week and I'm afraid I still haven't noticed any change or improvement in any way what-so-ever, E.g. my anxiety which I've learned to live with is still exactly the same. If you think that 100mg a day isn't enough please advise, or perhaps I haven't been taking it for long enough to notice any change yet? I will continue taking it for a bit longer at least and will report back if there is any change, but so far from a person who has had no great expectations (without a possible placebo effect) it hasn't worked for me and I am giving it a fair test.
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It is recommended go up in 25 mg increments,it says if you didn't get flushing from 50 milligrams then 25 mg then 25 mg ,you use up more niacin than people who get flushing from the latter doses
 
For me to get results, I take 3k a day: with vitamin c & a B complex with each dose, with meals.

Like with breakfast:

2 500 mg capsules
2 500 mg Vitamin C
100mg B Complex
 
pjcnet said:
Please see my earlier reply in this thread for previous updates (the system will no longer allow me to add to this).

Update 3: I have now been taking 100mg of Niacin (Vitamin B3) daily for a week and I'm afraid I still haven't noticed any change or improvement in any way what-so-ever, E.g. my anxiety which I've learned to live with is still exactly the same. If you think that 100mg a day isn't enough please advise, although that's the dose recommended on the bottle, or perhaps I haven't been taking it for long enough to notice any change yet? I will continue taking it for a bit longer at least and will report back if there is any change, but so far from a person who has had no great expectations (without a possible placebo effect) it hasn't worked for me and I am giving it a fair test.
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May I ask how severe is your anxiety for instance if your thyroid isn't working as well that adds to your anxiety as to the lack of magnesium and potassium when I first took vitamin b complex it worked very quickly so maybe I was very very low in vitamin b
It may depend on what is causing your anxiety
 
Streetwise said:
May I ask how severe is your anxiety for instance if your thyroid isn't working as well that adds to your anxiety as to the lack of magnesium and potassium when I first took vitamin b complex it worked very quickly so maybe I was very very low in vitamin b
It may depend on what is causing your anxiety
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Interesting you talk about my thyroid as it is underactive and my dose of levothyroxine to compensate for what my thyroid should be producing has recently just been increased to 200mg, it was not diagnosed for a long time because even though it's in my family not many men have this issue. I also have sleep apnea which really knocks me for six, pitting edema in both legs where I have to constantly compress them with special stockings to avoids wounds opening which they say is caused by issue with my lymph nodes (they say my heart is actually okay), breathing issues which is suspected COPD which is being investigated (if not Asthma which is actually a lot better as COPD just keeps getting worse), I'm overweight even though I don't eat much and am vegetarian, weight issues only started since I had thyroid issues, in fact I feel like my body is a wreck and I think it's way beyond taking just vitamins.

Anxiety is caused by usual worries which are always on my mind, if one big worry is sorted another always takes it's place, also there's also short term anxiety when I have to do certain things that are commonly hated by aspies.
 
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pjcnet said:
Interesting you talk about my thyroid as it is underactive and my dose of levothyroxine to compensate for what my thyroid should be producing has recently just been increased to 200mg, it was not diagnosed for a long time because even though it's in my family not many men have this issue. I also have sleep apnea which really knocks me for six, pitting edema in both legs where I have to constantly compress them with special stockings to avoids wounds opening which they say is caused by issue with my lymph nodes (they say my heart is actually okay), breathing issues which is suspected COPD which is being investigated (if not Asthma which is actually a lot better as COPD just keeps getting worse), I'm overweight even though I don't eat much and am vegetarian, weight issues only started since I had thyroid issues, in fact I feel like my body is a wreck and I think it's way beyond taking just vitamins.

Anxiety is caused by usual worries which are always on my mind, if one big worry is sorted another always takes it's place, also there's also short term anxiety when I have to do certain things that are commonly hated by aspies.
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I will say I was in much better health when I was a vegan
If you can afford it and it doesn't interact with your thyroid medicine buy seaweed tablets ,if they are still manufactured ,my thyroid function was much better when I took them ,from what I know DOCTORs usually prescribe vit b 6 For anxiety not niacin .
Have you tried mindfulness, I tried it and it does help ,I use adult colouring books but there are different ways to do ,it look it up on google .
You will probably know your mind is very powerful, that's why mindfulness is good.
Hope this helps
 
Streetwise said:
I will say I was in much better health when I was a vegan
If you can afford it and it doesn't interact with your thyroid medicine buy seaweed tablets ,if they are still manufactured ,my thyroid function was much better when I took them ,from what I know DOCTORs usually prescribe vit b 6 For anxiety not niacin .
Have you tried mindfulness, I tried it and it does help ,I use adult colouring books but there are different ways to do ,it look it up on google .
You will probably know your mind is very powerful, that's why mindfulness is good.
Hope this helps
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Update b6 deficiency includes confusion, depression ,scaly lips ,Cognitive deficiency including memory problems, more prone to getting cancer ,heart problems,immune deficiency
 
Streetwise said:
Update b6 deficiency includes confusion, depression ,scaly lips ,Cognitive deficiency including memory problems, more prone to getting cancer ,heart problems,immune deficiency
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Okay thanks, perhaps I should give some vitamin B complex a go.
 
pjcnet said:
Okay thanks, perhaps I should give some vitamin B complex a go.
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You should go to the doctor and get your levels tested ,vitamin b complex is designed for the general public ,you may need more of 1 B vitamin than is given in vitamin b complex same for potassium and magnesium
When I was prescribed by my doctor they give me b6 B3 and Another B didn't fill my requirements but it does mean you get them for free.
 
WereBear said:
@pjcnet , I also find your edema a troubling sign; it can often be part of a protein problem.
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It's amazing when I've had edema for about 8 years that no doctor or even specialist has never mentioned this as a possible cause, especially when I've been vegetarian since 1996 and it's on my medical records (protein is something vegetarians obviously have to watch), but you are right, I've checked Google and it is officially a possible cause and the "experts" never did give me a proper reason, they just said it was my lymph nodes when they couldn't find anything wrong with my heart. It is also odd that someone at 40 years old started having the problem (I'm now 48), virtually everyone else who sees the specialist are of pension age. There's also nothing like this in my family, but I am overweight which doesn't help and this all started after I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, before that I had no issues with weight and could eat what I liked, it's like my entire metabolism has totally unbalanced as it doesn't seem to matter what I do I can't lose it and I honestly don't even eat that much (I used to eat a lot more and a lot more junk when I was thin). I am also nearly always fatigued and tired to the extent that I can often literally fall asleep on my keyboard (sometimes hitting my head on it, and I have to stay standing when cooking or have someone with me as I can fall asleep otherwise, I've even fell asleep and burnt myself on a radiator a few times), but that's also caused by sleep apnea that again isn't helped by my weight and I have struggled to use a CPAP machine to help (that's another story, but my breathing isn't great either and the doctors now suspects COPD which is another serious incurable condition which on it's own makes my life expectancy short, I'm hoping it's just asthma and am waiting for tests).

There is absolutely NO way I will ever not be a vegetarian even if it is a protein issue, to me animals have exactly the same right to live as myself and I will never ever put my life over the life of an animal. There is ways vegetarians can eat plenty of protein however, but if necessary I will try protein supplements for a while to see if there's any change. I was told I would have edema for life that is controlled by compression, it is sometimes painful and occasionally I still have ulcers break out due to the skin splitting that have to be treated, it has already also caused permanent vein damage so the whole thing obviously isn't good. It has gradually got worse too making it harder to compress and has got higher on my legs to my knees now. If it even reduces a little it will be pretty incredible, I don't hold too much hope, but this suggestion is a lot better than any doctor or specialist has given so far. I have an appointment with my specialist soon on the 9th December (next Saturday) so I'll wait until then when I'll specifically mention it to her to see what she says, maybe she will run some tests (I never remember any protein test ever being done before), but even if she doesn't take this seriously there's no harm in trying extra protein.

Thanks for the excellent advice. :)
 
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A list of vegetables highest in protein :Lima beans,soya bean sprouts, Green peas , cooked spinach , sweetcorn , asparagus, artichoke , Brussels sprouts ,mushrooms:button then in descending order portabella, Shittake , oyster, Morel,crimini,Enoki.
Broccoli cooked,dried seaweed ,bamboo shoots, Bok Choy( Chinese cabbage ), pumpkin leaves ,rapini (broccoli raab)
 
Checking here for updates, still on my 3K a day, even though I hit a snag with a serious case of hives which turned into eczema. STRESS, my doctor says. (He also said WOW which you never want your doctor to say...) You have to lower your STRESS.

I am trying. I'm doing better than before. But this crazy venture where I borrowed money to expand our living quarters so I can finish my book... is working. At least, the book is finally drafted, and now I polish. Which I like :) And my brother has come to live with us and take care of me, all of which is working. But still; I don't know how much longer I can do a full time job AND the cat business. The cat business needs to take off and start producing income.

We are getting close, at least.

So, I am still on the niacin and the Vitamin D3 and the magnesium and the pregnenolone, so much the pregnenolone. And the niacin stills seems to be keeping my anxiety at bay, which is essential.

Also, @Progster , when my health was really low my stomach didn't produce enough stomach acid to digest my food. If that might be an issue with you, I "retrained" my stomach with Betaine HCL.
 
WereBear said:
Also, @Progster , when my health was really low my stomach didn't produce enough stomach acid to digest my food. If that might be an issue with you, I "retrained" my stomach with Betaine HCL.
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Are you refering to something I mentioned elsewhere on the forum? If so, what?
 
Am I still taking niacin therapy? Yes. And... loving it!

I have never before had such a stretch without anxiety. And these days... that's really saying something.
 
WereBear said:
Am I still taking niacin therapy? Yes. And... loving it!

I have never before had such a stretch without anxiety. And these days... that's really saying something.
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Good for you if it's working even if it's a placebo. I'm very sceptical because I can honestly say that taking it had absolutely no effect what-so-ever on myself, I was open minded, but I was careful not to let it become a placebo. My doctor did find I was extremely deficient in vitamin D however after I was suffering with muscular issues with a lot of pain and now I'm having to take supplements which made a difference to this issue, well the supplements are vitamin D3.
 
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