Niacin makes me feel better, niacinamide gives me terrible liver symptoms
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I know that Ray Peat had consistently recommended niacinamide over niacin, warning about the latter increasing serotonin and causing prostaglandin release. Niacin has also became somewhat "toxic" recently due to its embrace as cure-all by a certain lion and his followers. However, my own experience has been a polar opposite of this advice.
I have first taken niacin long before I've heard of Peat. It was included in an anti-covid protocol by Twitter user "Dr. Benjamin Braddock", so I bought a bottle of 500 mg pills and gave it a try. For some reason I've found the flush a very pleasant experience; and niacin indeed was very useful in resolving covid/flu/cold type infections (I would take a 500 mg capsule 3-4 times a day). It also reduced my nasal congestion every time I used it. I have never taken it regularly, just used it for a couple days whenever I've felt particularly bad or sick.
Later on when I've became familiar with Ray's writing I decided to try niacinamide instead. It didn't go well - even a 100 mg dose has caused nausea, sharp liver pain and bitter reflux. I tried taking it with food, reducing the dose - nothing helped, same reaction every time.
Interestingly, I experienced the same, although much less intense reaction when taking cyproheptadine and Benadryl. So for some reason I enjoy the niacin flush (which involves histamine release) while anti-histamine drugs make me sick. Maybe also relevantly, I used to smoke for several years and I still consider the smell of cigarette smoke extremely pleasant. Also, I have some schizo-type mental symptoms (such as delusions and paranoia), which would fit with Abram Hoffer's use of niacin in schizophrenic patients.
Two months ago I've started thyroid therapy, and I've been under significant amount of stress from sleep deprivation and social factors, and I feel something is missing. Right now I've also contracted some flu-like illness and I got these intense niacin cravings; I have been fantasising about the flush reaction and I had to stop myself from taking expired Swanson capsules I still have.
Is it possible niacin is beneficial for me and I would benefit from taking it again? Is there some insidious health problem that might develop after chronic use? I generally trust Ray's recommendations, but what I perceive in case of B3 supplementation seems contradictory.
