Niacin can be toxic when used to "beat" drug test

Mon Apr 9, 2007 11:22AM EDT
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who take niacin pills to help them pass a urine drug test may not only fail the test, but also land themselves in the emergency room, according to doctors.
Writing in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, doctors at the University of Pennsylvania describe four individuals who used high doses of niacin to try to beat their impending drug screening tests. Urban legend holds that the B vitamin helps quickly flush drugs from the body.
However, the tactic not only doesn't work, but can also cause life-threatening side effects, according to Dr. Manoj K. Mittal, the lead author of the case reports.
Of the four patients who arrived at his emergency room after a self-prescribed niacin regimen, two developed severe reactions, including liver toxicity, heart palpitations and metabolic acidosis -- a potentially deadly buildup of acid in the blood.

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