Niacin (Vitamin B3) for Pyschosis/Schizophrenia

So I only just read about Dr Hoffer and how he would treat his schizophrenic patients with Niacin which is Vitamin B3. I asked my doctor about this and she said that yes there is some research to back up that it is good for patients, but she said it was as an add on treatment to your medication.
I was wondering if anyone has tried it or knows of someone who has? Does it help? Were you able to reduce your medication?
I'd like to try it in the future and see how it works. Supposedly you are meant to take Vitamin C and other supplements as well which are beneficial.

I have done some extensive research on Dr Hoffer's efforts and found that it works well for the first year of treatmentt. However after that time it takes longer to take effect as the body needs to heal and recover from the long term illness.

I am on a healthy regiment of vitamins and supplements as well as three herbs and I have just come off my meds. Its been two weeks and I am healthy and feeling great. I have had chronic sz for 7 years now and so niacin will take awhile to kick in. I am taking 3000mg per day. I read some articles about some other chronic patients and they said the effects started being seen right away but the full recovery took anywhere from 3-5 years.

If you wouldn't mind I'd love to hear more about your experience and what you are taking. I'm also curious as to taking niacin for a year and then takes longer to take effect, have others had the same issue? Do you just up the dose or what exactly happens at that stage?
It sounds a little frightening in a way that it takes that long to fully recover. Wondering in what way for full recovery? As in full ability to work including postive, negative and cognitive symptoms? I'm assuming you have to regain abilities again which is why it takes so long. Do you mean you started taking niacin and other supplements two weeks ago and dropped the medication as well? I have tapered slowly to half way off my medication however it took me about a year or more to do that.
Would you recommend buying the book to know how to follow the treatment?
It's amazing that you are slowly coming off of your medication and I hope that you are able to sustain without them. Dr Hoffer has given me hope that I might be able to go medication free as well but as with most of these things there are some people who state they have not come off their medication completely but since you say it can take years of treatment before it happens then maybe they spoke too soon.
I've also wondered about if you can use the niacin non flush type as where I live I haven't been able to find the normal one.
Sorry for so many questions!

Yeah sure I can answer questions. I have read all the studies on niacin by Dr. Hoffer, inculding the trails he went thru. I assume it takes so long for chronic patients because indeed the body needs to rebuild itself and heal from the damage and habituation the condition has caused.

I am taking vitamin B complex 50 (1 tablet), 1500mg of vitamin C, 3000mg of niacin, 1200mg of D3, and 800mg of E. All of these vitamins have shown reduction in symptoms, both positive and negative. I also take fish oil supplementation with a total of 800 EPA and 400 DHA a day. Fish oil has proven also effective as treatment for schiz and is highly recommended.

The 3 herbs I am taking are Ginkgo, Bacopa and Ginseng. The studies have shown me that they are also affective. One study on Bacopa, which is a brain booster, showed a decline on the symptom scale as sharp as Olanzapine.

I dropped my medication after doing thorough research on it. I found that studies show that full recovery occurs much more often on patients not taking medications and damage to the brain occurs in patience on second generation anti-psychotics (which is most of the new age AP's). I stopped taking my meds about 2-3 weeks ago and started on the vitamins. I am already feeling even better then I was on my meds. My mind is sharper, my symptoms are less, and my energy is better as well as my mood is happy.

I found in research done in third world countries where they have no meds that the recovery rate is much higher. The brain develops a dependence on the medications to regulate the brain and dopamine levels. However when the patient is not on meds the brain, and thru coping methods, the patient, learns and adapts naturally to overcome the illness.

It wouldnt hurt to buy the book, but you do not need it. I dont recommend the no flush niacin as there is another chemical within it that at high doses, the doses we take, may cause side-effects. The flush isnt so bad and only lasts a few days before gradually wearing off. 3000 mg is the standard treatments of niacin for patients with schiz. 1000mg at every meal. The cool thing is that niacin also breaks down foods into energy and so it's effective in weight loss regimes.

Yes, from what I have read, negative symptoms recovery quite quickly as well as delusions. A report from Dr Hoffer stated that within 6 months his patients recovered in this way. However damage from the illness, and the medications took much longer to recover from. He stated that hallucinations and voices often took 2-5 years and in some cases even 7 years to fully recover. Many of his patients, at first, dropped the study because they thought it didnt work but Dr Hoffer advised that they continue treatment. After the years had passed he discovered a huge difference in the number of episodes, those who continued treatment were much much better of. This finding led to more studies and Hoffer found that chronic patients can take anywhere from 2 to maximum of 7 years to fully recover, however 5 years being the norm. The longer the condition the more time it took to recover.

I hope this information helps you. I think more people need to know about this. Problem is there is no money involved and so doctors dont push the treatment. I recommend buying niacin from ebay or amazon, or some health store, and make sure its pure niacin.

I talked to my roommate about niacin because she took it for something and she experienced her skin feeling like it was boiling while on it, she told her doctor and he said that it was called a flush, and that she should take an aspirin with it and it stopped the flushing from happening. I think it was when she was getting hives. My memory sucks :P

It feels like a mild sunburn. And it only lasts for a few minutes. (about 15-20) When I started i just took 1 pill at 500mg for two days and I was relieved to find the flush was not such a big deal. The worst time was the first time and each time after that was milder. After the two days I upped the dosage to 1000mg at each meal. Taking a tall glass of water and full meal helps with the flush.

Niacin has helped me so much I can't even describe what it feels like to level out after months of psychotic episodes. The episodes were exacerbated greatly by smoking cigs which I've also stopped. I plan on supplementing with CBD and other b vitamins hopefully in the next few days. I'm happy to be on these for the next weekend or year or 5, it does not matter.
I just came across Dr. Lams blog and according to him it's best to rid the body of the toxins that are excreted when flushed and he gives advice on how to do that. I wish I'd come across that earlier but wcyd?
On flushing, it was uncomfortable but went away after a couple of days.

Also, I have OSDD and switching between alters has been much smoother and I've been more present and less dissociated. My memory hasn't improved but hopefully that side effect will kick in over time. Anyways. Enough editing.

I am surpsied that I have not heard about its effectiveness so I will definitely have to talk to my psychiatrist about if it might help me. I have Psychotic Depression so maybe it would help my psychotic symptoms out. Thank you!

Hey Dowdy, from what I have heard it effects bipolar and depression as well and schizophrenia and psychosis.

Just to add in a couple of things, I've found that 1000mg at a time is too much for me, I get an adrenaline rush thats really uncomfortable. I'm pretty petite though. I've found I feel best when I take 700mg 2 to 3x day.
Also, Niacin is super cheap but make sure you do NOT take timed-release capsules. As with any medication or supplement, do your homework, etc

Thank you. I've been looking for a medication free treatment for a couple of years and only just recently come across Dr Hoffer. Guess I wasn't looking up the right stuff!
Thanks so much for answering all of that. Now I'm just trying to look up where to buy it from. I'm not sure the one at the chemist is the right stuff.
NowFoods has a vegan capsule (I'm vegan so would much prefer a non gelatin one) but it says it is sustained release so not sure if that is okay or not. Anyways thanks again for all of that!

Thanks, I will look into the aspirin if it's needed

Glad to hear it works for you, gives me hope
I read that the more you need the niacin the less you are likely to flush so bad, not sure if that is what happened to you but I was worried about the flush

Thanks. What brand do you take? I was looking at a sustained release one just because it was vegan. Not sure what the difference would be as I have never taken it.
It's a bit confusing all of the different kinds

I have heard that it works for depression and anxiety also so I assume it would be helpful for you.
My doctor said that it definitely is helpful, she just didn't say that it would mean I'd be able to go medication free.

Okay so now I'm on the lookout to buy some.
I'm guessing that it's important to have Niacin and not Niacinamide which is the one that is available at the chemist to me. So I have to look online. What brand does everyone else take?

I would ask a chiropractor or go to a local supplement store. The chiropractors here (US) can usually recommend decent brands. There seem to be three types of niacin sold here- niacinimide, nicotinic acid and inositol hexanicotinate. There may be others as well but those are the ones I've come across. I have not taken niacinimide because I believed that was the one that causes liver damage in large doses (though now can't seem to find the source so that assumption may not be accurate). I have taken nicotinic acid, which causes flushing and which I have found effective, and have just started the inositol hexanicotinate which does not cause flushing though so far otherwise feels the same.

Hey, so I thought I’d ask about the flush since I’ve been taking the niacin for a few days now. Did you find eventually that the flush went away or are you still getting a flush every time you take it?
I started taking 250mg three times a day. I had a flush in the morning, which wasn’t so bad, and then lunch and dinner would not be so bad. One day I got a pretty bad flush, quite uncomfortable. I upped the dose to 500mg yesterday and found the flush was too much. I’ve ended up with mild headaches from taking it. Hoping that this will subside but taking 500mg is too much so I might stick to 250mg for a bit but I’m not sure how long I should keep trying before i give up. I don’t want to be a tomato with a feeling of sunburn and headache three times a day. How are you going along with your treatment?

I hope you don't mind me checking up and asking how you are going with your medication free journey?
Are you still med free and on niacin? Has anything changed?
I've got down to 200mg and about 3000mg of niacinamide as well as other supplements and honestly feeling it's not right for me.

How is everyone that started taking niacin doing? Have any of you stopped your meds? Are you doing okay? Please let me know so we can see how this supplement helps people!

Hi, thought I’d check in, hope it’s okay to ask for an update? How are you doing with the niacin, still working? Are you off meds or still taking some?