Niacin for HPA-axis related CFS?

[drob31]

I know this will go against most logic on here about supporting methylation, however I wanted to share my thoughts anyways...


In trying to explain why Niacin seems to help my hypoglycemia, I think I've put some things together. A niacin deficiency will cause your body to convert tryptophan (the precursor to serotonin) to Niacin in a 60:1 ratio. Niacin increases insulin sensitivity, and an absence of it can be correlated with insulin resistance, causing more insulin to be released and resulting potentially in hypoglycemia (high then low blood sugar). When focusing on methylation (and overmethylating) there may be a NAD deficiency, which could be interpreted as something else.

At the same time, low serotonin (caused by niacin insufficiency) levels alters cortisol secretion. This pattern can be low or high or both. High levels of cortisol can damage insulin cells in the pancreas, which may cause low insulin (this would explain causes of high SHBG, when estrogen is low). However there may be a delayed response, with an initial high blood sugar symptoms caused by low insulin, and then an over response by the remaining cells, releasing too much causing borderline low blood sugar.

I'm speculating that some peoples HPA-axis related crashes are caused by blood sugar fluctuations, and they feel worse sometimes when they eat as their blood sugar goes too high (and it's not related to a true food sensitivity).


So what if you get enough Niacin (RDA) but your body needs much more, for detox, blood sugar stabilization, carbohydrate metabolism, circadian rhythm, normal cortisol secretion, protection of pancreas, serotonin levels, NAD+ for mitochondria function, immune system support (1000x increase in by some measures), and detoxification of toxins and heavy metals.

Could methylation be making it worse?

An early sign of vitamin B3 deficiency is a lack of appetite. Vitamin B3 deficiency may be mild or severe. A mild deficiency of vitamin B3 causes symptoms such as a coated tongue, mouth sores, low blood sugar, dizziness, and chronic headaches.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/329838-overview#showall

Serotonin
The most widely acknowledged biochemical abnormality associated with fibromyalgia is abnormally low serotonin levels. Many studies have linked serotonin, a neurotransmitter, to sleep, pain perception, headaches, and mood disorders. Lower-than-normal levels of serotonin have been observed in patients with fibromyalgia. A low platelet serotonin value is believed to be the cause of the low serum levels, which have been correlated with painful symptoms.
Low serotonin levels in the CNS are thought to result from low levels of tryptophan (the amino acid precursor to serotonin) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (a metabolic by-product) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Investigators have proposed a link between low serotonin levels and symptoms of fibromyalgia[34] ; indeed, many propose that low serotonin levels may cause fibromyalgia in whole or in part.

 

[M494MC]

@drob31
What type of hypoglycemia do you have?

Is it the type where your blood sugar is low and you can verify this with a blood glucose meter?

Or, is it the type where you just generally feel tired and bad after eating?

 

[drob31]

@drob31
What type of hypoglycemia do you have?

Is it the type where your blood sugar is low and you can verify this with a blood glucose meter?

Or, is it the type where you just generally feel tired and bad after eating?

It doesn't always happen when I eat, and it doesn't seem to matter what I eat. I know it's more complex than niacin, but niacin seems to help. I haven't been able to prove my hypoglycemia, but my symptoms mirror blood sugar up's and downs. They seem to happen to quickly for it to be other hormones, and it may be actually going high. This isn't the only symptom, but my symptoms could easily fit in the diabetes umbrella.

 

[M494MC]

Niacin speeds up phase 1 liver detoxification. If you have a slow phase 1 that could be giving you problems breaking down foods and giving you hypoglycemic like reactions. So possibly niacin could be correctly that problem.

Out of curiosity have you ever tried niacinimide which slows down phase 1 liver detoxification?

 

[drob31]

Niacin speeds up phase 1 liver detoxification. If you have a slow phase 1 that could be giving you problems breaking down foods and giving you hypoglycemic like reactions. So possibly niacin could be correctly that problem.

Out of curiosity have you ever tried niacinimide which slows down phase 1 liver detoxification?

Do you think that's the most likely reason why it helps?

My guess is that it makes my blood sugar rock solid stable... but I could be wrong because it could be doing some many thing, like increasing serotonin.

 

[M494MC]

@drob31

I have no idea.

How much are you taking and how many times per day?

 

[drob31]

@drob31

I have no idea.

How much are you taking and how many times per day?

500 mg nicotinic acid 2x/day, 500 mg of inisitol 2x/day.

 

[M494MC]

Does the inositol help as well?

 

[whodathunkit]

Niacin induces a cortisol spike after a largish dose ("largish" probably being an amount relative to the physiology of the person ingesting it), which probably increases blood sugar in some people.

At one point my adrenals were completely crashed (low, flatline cortisol throughout the day), and I have been battling various other levels of adrenal fatigue as I healed or set myself back, for years and years. Although I've made a lot of progress in the last couple years, adrenals may always be a delicate area for me.

Mentioining all this because I'm just now coming off a terrible experiment with niacin. I got up to 3000mg/day...experimenting with "detox". It didn't increase my blood sugar (it used to in the past, but not this time), but didn't do anything to help it, either (I'm hyperglycemic, also slow Phase I).

Worst was it totally messed up my thyroid, sex hormones, and cortisol. I gained 5lbs in a week, probably due to increased cortisol, plus thyroid and sex hormone derangement. Overall it set me back a bit on my course of healing, although oddly enough it didn't send me into the folate donut hole like it used to in the early days of methylation. I think I'm going to be okay as I'm increasing adrenal support and thyroid support, and I didn't let the bad effects go on very long, but it's been a rough couple of weeks. I'm already feeling better after just a couple days of increased support. However, I'm sure it will take some time to get over it completely

Point being, please tread carefully with this powerful vitamin if you have adrenal or thyroid problems. It's effects on hormones and physiology aren't really well understood, and some of the sides can be hellacious.