What is a good dose for Niacin?

What is your experience with niacin? I want to start on a low dose and then build up - until I can tolerate a mild flush whiel asleep. What dose should I start at? How long does the typical flush last? I do not want to use extended release tablets. Thanks.

The recommended daily allowance of niacin is 2-12 mg a day for children, 14 mg a day for women, 16 mg a day for men, and 18 mg a day for pregnant or breast-feeding women.

Typically the flush lasts 5-15 minutes. If you use the slow niacin (niacinamide) instead of nicotinic acid, you may avoid the flush altogether. A word of warning, Do not take niacin supplements if you have an ulcer.

Dosage: For lowering cholesterol, or treating Raynaud's disease or intermittent claudication: Take 500 mg of inositol hexaniacinate three times a day. When trying to reduce cholesterol, use the vitamin for two months; if your cholesterol levels are unchanged, stop taking the supplement.

For anxiety and depression: Take 50 mg of niacin a day; this dosage can usually be found as part of a B-complex vitamin.

For insomnia: Have 500 mg niacinamide one hour before bedtime.

For arthritis: Use 1,000 mg niacinamide three times a day, but only under a doctor's supervision.

Guidelines for use: Take any form of niacin with meals or milk to decrease the likelihood of stomach upset. Do not take therapeutic doses of any form of niacin if you take cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs.

Other sources: Niacin is found in foods high in protein, such as chicken, beef, fish, and nuts. Breads, cereals, and pasta are also enriched with niacin. (But you'd have to chow down 7 cups of cooked pasta to meet the RDA for this vitamin.) Though they're low in niacin, milk and other dairy products, as well as eggs, are good sources of the vitamin because they're high in tryptophan.

Warnings -
Consult your doctor before using any form of niacin if you have any of the following conditions: diabetes, low blood pressure, bleeding problems, glaucoma, gout, liver disease, or ulcers. All can be aggravated by niacin.
If you take a daily therapeutic dose of 1,000 mg or more of any form of niacin, see a doctor every three months to have your liver enzymes measured.
May cause muscle pain and inflammation, or in severe cases, kidney failure, if taken with cholestrol drugs such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin.