High Dose Niacin (Nicotinic Acid) and Hashimoto's?

[Bolt_Upright]

Update 01/22/2023: I just learned there is an increased risk of diabetes on niacin therapy: heart.bmj.com/content/102/3...

This study was based on people taking Niacin for cardiovascular reasons, which I think would be dosed at 500 to 6000 mg a day: mayoclinic.org/drugs-supple...

According to this video you should be able to eliminate the diabetes risk by not having carbs 3 to 6 hours after your niacin, therefore I will start taking my 1000 mg of niacin after my last meal of the day: How to Take Niacin Without Getting Diabetes youtu.be/76mrnovnGQ4(Not working as expected?)

Is anybody taking high dose niacin with Hashimoto's?

I have Hashimoto's and early signs of Parkinson's and after a year of taking 250 mg of Nicotinic Acid a day have upped it to 1000 mg.

Doing some research, it looks like Niacin will either make my HT worse or make it better. Seems like that is always how it is. Here are the contradictory reports I found:

Nicotinic Acid Decreases Serum Thyroid Hormone Levels While Maintaining a Euthyroid State 1995 sci-hub.se/10.4065/70.6.556 Patients were taking about 2600 mg of Nicotinic Acid and their Serum Thyroid Hormone Levels dropped. They did not, however, become hypothyroid.

On the other hand, this current hypothyroidism booklet, thyroid.org/wp-content/uplo..., says "If you take testosterone or niacin, you may need a lower dose of thyroxine". Needing less thyroxine seems to indicate the niacin is doing something for you.

Any thoughts please?

[RedApple Administrator]

Bolt_Upright "If you take testosterone or niacin, you may need a lower dose of thyroxine". Needing less thyroxine seems to indicate the niacin is doing something for you.

An interesting statement. If you need to take levothyroxine, then presumably your thyroid (if you even have one) cannot produce what you need. Niacin isn't a substitute for thyroid hormone of course. So if taking niacin reduces the dose you need, then perhaps it does something that improves your absorption (into the cells) of the levothyroxine?

[humanbean]

This man, Chris Masterjohn, has posted quite a lot of videos about Niacin. I haven't watched any of them, but they may be helpful to you :

youtube.com/@chrismasterjoh...

[Bolt_Upright in reply to humanbean]

Thanks! Good stuff!

[radd]

Bolt_Upright

‘On the other hand, this current hypothyroidism booklet, thyroid.org/wp-content/uplo..., says "If you take testosterone or niacin, you may need a lower dose of thyroxine". Needing less thyroxine seems to indicate the niacin is doing something for you’.

The effects of nicotinic acid on thyroid hormones are complex, and one significant find has been a reduction in TBG (thyroxine binding globulin) so leaving too much free, ie FT4. That is why the suggestion of a med reduction is required, where as people with a functioning thyroid gland will remain euthyroid as can make the adjustment themselves.