I Believe it is the Sun-damaged parts of the body that cause the so-termed hives of Niacin. I knew this without seeing data on such I when taking my Niacin {even very small doses as I take averaging about 75 mg every other day} causes a disturbance in my eyes.
In a first-of-its-kind clinical report, retina specialists at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) have shown that severe vision loss from a self-prescribed high dose of over-the-counter niacin is linked to injury of a specific cell type in a patient’s eye. The experts report that discontinuing the vitamin led to reversal of the condition and have published their findings in the fall issue of Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases.
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is used for lowering hyperlipidemia or cholesterol and comes in prescription and over-the-counter forms; it can produce a rare toxic reaction called niacin-induced cystoid maculopathy, a form of retinal swelling.
“Just because nutritional supplements are available without prescription does not mean they are completely safe to use without supervision.” — Jessica Lee, MD
