290 replies to this topic

[Swits]

i actually bought the flushing kind on purpose. technically you want the flush, because it means that theres more blood flow to your skin. its just a natural sign that your body is detoxing.

edit/update

ok its been 3 days since taking my first dose of niacin. right now i upped the dose to 250mg today and since the day i took niacin i have not had a new breakout. my back looks amazing and hasnt looked this good in a while, ive been treating it with head and shoulders for months but now im starting to see results. i stopped using all my products and just letting my skin detox and so far it's been great i'm just waiting for two cysts to go away, but i got those before using niacin.

i also stopped snacking in between meals meaning i havent had chips, chocolate, etc. for a good 3 days, so this might also be contributing to the results.

[mikito]

Any news?

[Naruto]

I hope this works. Ordered today from naturesremedy.co.uk
I am 39 and still mildly plagued.
Still can't confidently plan a social gathering.
Worst thing is having my Daughter suffer and I feel kinda like it's my fault.
I am very pleased for you man but there is no excuse for a diet of junk food!

[SMT12483]

Can you take this in conjunction with other vitamins? Currently I take Vitamin A, D, C, E and Calicum. I was taking Zinc a few weeks ago but recently stopped.

Thanks!

[Swits]

ok right now im taking 250mg of niacin daily in conjunction with fish oil, vitamin d, and zinc. and so far the results are VERY GOOD. my back has never looked this good ever, everything is fading away. i have no active acne just red marks that are slowly fading away on my face. it seems like niacin tightens your pores because it really does make your face feel a little different.

i would be careful with taking tooo many supplements with niacin because it'll take a toll on your liver. and to start at a low dose like 100 mg, and dont buy the nonflushing kind (niacinimide). i started at 100mg and every 3 days ive been working my way up. last night i did 400mg and i had a pretty intense flush. its a very werid feeling its like your having a sunburn and you can feel so much blood rushing to your head its not too enjoyable. if you have a flush just take a cold shower or do something to keep your mind off of things, it only lasts for 30-60 minutes.

we definately need more people on niacin and i think the mods should move this topic to the nutrition/holistic health forum

[dan52]

**UPDATE JULY**

It has been just over a month since I made this discovery. I have stopped taking all other medication and only take a daily dose of 500mg no-flush niacin that I bought at the grocery store. I have realized that the multivitamin that I have been taking for the last 10 years has 50mg of niacin, so that was obviously never enough. My face now continues to heal wonderfully, including what I thought was permanent scarring. I have been eating lots of pizza and french fries lately. I guess I am making up for all the years when I could not touch that stuff without dire consequences. I even have a lovely girlfriend now who is considerably younger than I am. Two months ago I would not have had the confidence or the inclination to even talk to girls because I felt like a monster. I am glad to see that a few people have also had positive results from taking niacin.

Interesting that you are using the no-flush variety. Could you tell us what brand of niacin you are using and what the actual ingredient is on the side since Niacin seems to come in several forms?

By the way, has the niacin affected the oiliness of your skin at all?

[konichiwa5]

I am taking 500mg of "Spring Valley Flush Free Niacin" which says 'inositol hexanicotinate' underneath. I got that at Wal-Mart for $8 bucks. Research on the internet says that 2000mg/day is the max to take without the danger of liver damage, so I am staying well below that. I do not claim to have any idea how it works, but my acne always became more cystic in proportion to how much vegetable oil I consumed, and niacin is used by the body to help remove triglycerides. So that sort of makes sense.
I am not having any problems with oiliness, but my skin is far less dry than it has always been because instead of washing my face twice a day like I have for decades, I now wash it once every other day just for kicks. I should not gloat, but I have finally become a normal member of the human race. I no longer have to worry about irritating my skin if I touch it, or about what I am eating, or even waste a single moment of my day concerned about my complexion. Except that the Number One Priority of my life is to take niacin every day. This has been nothing short of a miracle, and means more to me than would all the lotteries on Earth. I went from zero to hero in two weeks. I have been a military pilot for 15 years, but now that I look the part I can finally enjoy it.
If your skin is excessively oily, you may want to look into Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5). I took that for the past year. It is supposed to reduce your oil secretion, but you have to take 2 or 3 grams a day (about 20-25 pills). The stuff is relatively cheap and not harmful, but you have to go to a health food store or online to find it. I think that helped my skin somewhat, but excess oil was never my problem. For the past month I have stopped taking Vitamin E, Zinc, B5, fish oil, and all that other stuff just to see if it was really only the niacin that I needed. Sure enough, that alone does the trick in my case.

[stephenpaul6557]

I've never heard of Niacin, but I am going to try it out. I have had acne so long I would try anything to make it go away. Congrats on your results, I'm crossing my fingers that my acne will clear up too!

[dirty d]

I wanted to add my experience so far with Niacin, and acne in general...

I'm a male, 23 now, and have had constant acne since I was a teenager. The only time I've had a prolonged period of consistently clear skin was two years ago when a derm put me on retin-A and a strong antibiotic. Unfortunately, after about 6 months of perfect skin I my prescription ran out and I lost my insurance. Since then, I've had constant breakouts on my face, usually 5-15 active cysts/nodules/whiteheads at a time and my acne occasionally spread to my back.

Anyway, for the past 3 weeks I've had some rough breakouts along my jawline, the corners of my mouth and the sides of my nose. The majority of these pimples have been deep and stubborn, I was starting to really lose hope (for the billionth time) of ever leading a normal, clear-skinned life.

A few days ago, in a desperate late night attempt to find something that would help, I stumbled upon this post and decided to give Niacin a try. I went to Walgreen's and got an 8 dollar bottle of 250mg Niacin. Today is only my second day taking the supplement, and while I don't want to speak too soon, all of those stubborn cysts along my jawline and mouth area have all but disappeared, and my skin texture is the best it has been in two years.

I've been taking two 250mg pills a day, one when I wake up and one before I go to sleep.

When my skin cleared up two years ago on the derm's regimen, I could tell within the first 2 days that it was working. Since then, Niacin is the only other treatment that has had this effect on me. I have a lot of confidence that it will continue to improve my complexion, just as the retin-A did, except that its a lot easier and cheaper.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I really wanted to provide detailed info about me and my acne, in hopes that anyone others who are searching for an answer would be able to relate and be convinced to try the Niacin treatment for themselves. I'll try to update later on to let people know if it continues to keep me clear, but for now I would highly recommend it.

edit: To the OP:
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Assuming I stay clear, your info may have changed my life. I'm incredibly grateful

[JayQ]

I wanted to add my experience so far with Niacin, and acne in general...

I'm a male, 23 now, and have had constant acne since I was a teenager. The only time I've had a prolonged period of consistently clear skin was two years ago when a derm put me on retin-A and a strong antibiotic. Unfortunately, after about 6 months of perfect skin I my prescription ran out and I lost my insurance. Since then, I've had constant breakouts on my face, usually 5-15 active cysts/nodules/whiteheads at a time and my acne occasionally spread to my back.

Anyway, for the past 3 weeks I've had some rough breakouts along my jawline, the corners of my mouth and the sides of my nose. The majority of these pimples have been deep and stubborn, I was starting to really lose hope (for the billionth time) of ever leading a normal, clear-skinned life.

A few days ago, in a desperate late night attempt to find something that would help, I stumbled upon this post and decided to give Niacin a try. I went to Walgreen's and got an 8 dollar bottle of 250mg Niacin. Today is only my second day taking the supplement, and while I don't want to speak too soon, all of those stubborn cysts along my jawline and mouth area have all but disappeared, and my skin texture is the best it has been in two years.

I've been taking two 250mg pills a day, one when I wake up and one before I go to sleep.

When my skin cleared up two years ago on the derm's regimen, I could tell within the first 2 days that it was working. Since then, Niacin is the only other treatment that has had this effect on me. I have a lot of confidence that it will continue to improve my complexion, just as the retin-A did, except that its a lot easier and cheaper.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I really wanted to provide detailed info about me and my acne, in hopes that anyone others who are searching for an answer would be able to relate and be convinced to try the Niacin treatment for themselves. I'll try to update later on to let people know if it continues to keep me clear, but for now I would highly recommend it.

edit: To the OP:
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Assuming I stay clear, your info may have changed my life. I'm incredibly grateful

I have been suffering with persistent acne for the last year now and i have tried all kind topicals and pills. It is just now on my cheeks toward nose/under eye area. I can not get it to go away and i am wondering if this niacin will do wonders for me too. Only thing is after reading all the flushing effects i really want to avoid that and was wondering if i go with the non-flush (niacinamide) will it be just as effective for my persistant red, itchy, acne? Please help!!! Also while on niacin or niaciamide, would i still use my regular 10% BP was i am currently using or is it something you take while not using any topicals?

[StriderHien]

i plan to try this stuff out too. I'll look for the no-flush niacin containing "Inositol hexanicotinate" just like konichiwa. I'll give you guys an update in a week

[JayQ]

Well i also just picked up the Spring Valley Flush Free Niacin 500mg today. Will be taken my first dose shortly with my meal. I really hope and pray this will do wonders for me, since i have tried everything as well. I will def keep everyone posted daily. Wish me luck

[imaninja]

A note about flushing. I Started taking niacin for the first time last night. I took 100 mg last night ( about 4 hours after eating) and had a mild flush - it started almost immediately and lasted about 15 minutes. Itchy, but not intolerable. This morning, BEFORE eating anything, I took 100 mg again and had a pretty severe flush. It was not pleasant at all BUT if this stuff works, I think I could handle a flush of that severity for a 1/2 hour every day to get clean skin.

Tonight I took 200 mg AFTER eating and had NO flush at all.

As for results . . . well, it hasn't even been 24 hours since my first dose so I won't start jumping up and down just yet but I can say with complete certainty that my skin looks better tonight than it did last night. I will certainly keep you all updated (especially a month or so from now when I am stuck with another mega-monthly breakout).

[RockstarNailbomb]

Well i also just picked up the Spring Valley Flush Free Niacin 500mg today. Will be taken my first dose shortly with my meal. I really hope and pray this will do wonders for me, since i have tried everything as well. I will def keep everyone posted daily. Wish me luck

Cool bro, i plan on buying the exact same kind tomorrow morning first thing. I am really hoping this is the answer to my problems, however most of my acne stems from my overproduction of oil so maybe this might not work. Either way, if its helping most of the people out i will continue and hope for results.

[Swits]

i really dont mind the flush. i dont know whats a severe flush but ive had my whole body covered in rashes and my head felt like it had its own pulse. its not that bad since you know its going to be gone in a couple minutes. you just gotta wait it out.

[TimNiceButDim]

Sounds interesting, thanks for the info.

I was in the mood for a silver bullet so I ordered some 500mg Solgar No-Flush Niacin capsules.

I'll let ya know things go.

[blueboys]

Sounds interesting, thanks for the info.

I was in the mood for a silver bullet so I ordered some 500mg Solgar No-Flush Niacin capsules.

I'll let ya know things go.

Yeah let us know mate, I was looking at those same ones yesterday! Heres hoping!!!

[someday]

I was looking into the Solgar no-flush ones aswell. They're 20 Euro for 60 caps here in Ireland which is a rip - tho I'd definitely consider it if more people report success here. Let us know how it goes Tim

[Yero]

Im 20 y/o male with persistently mild acne since puberty. 3 Days ago I stopped using BP and now just take 500mg Niacin (the flush kind) I've had 1 new pimple that was tiny and went away as soon as it came. Ive noticed a big difference already. This is definitely something to investigate. The flush is not that bad, my ears get alittle hot and itchy for 20 mins.

Something I came across. "Nicotinamide has demonstrated anti-inflammatory actions which may be of benefit in patients with inflammatory skin conditions.[4] These conditions include acne vulgaris, and the compound can suppress antigen induced-lymphocytic transformation and inhibit of 3'-5' cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. Nicotinamide has demonstrated the ability to block the inflammatory actions of iodides known to precipitate or exacerbate inflammatory acne"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotinamide

[elfgirl]

I just started with the no flush last nite, 500mg with a meal and will continue with it. At my age I can do with out the hot flashes that come with being older. I am hoping that this is what my body is missing. Oh and for the one poster who said junk food is a no no or something like that, it just would be nice to eat something once in a while and not have to worry about if it will break me out and how bad it will be, no offence. Elf