While flipping through "LSD" by Otto snow I came across the following excerpt:
Quote:Niacin (NADH-dependent enzyme) "One of the metabolites of LSD in the human body is 2-oxy-lsd. It is formed by liver microsomes by an NADH-dependent enzyme," Nicholas J. Giarman (1967). ref. (Axelrod 1957; Hoffer 1955) Use of nicotinic acid (niacin, B3) to abort psychosis - "We have given the subject 100 ug. of LSD; at the height of the experience we injected intravenously 200 mg. of nicotinic acid. Our experience has been that, within a matter of two to five minutes, almost all of the LSD phenomena disappeared, and the subject claimed that he was entirely normal," Abraham Hoffer (1956)
-Otto snow ; LSD
Below hoffer makes some concerning statements regarding schizophrenia as well as endogenous catecholamines which definantly makes it difficult to believe that he is very credible, however I'll admit that my research regarding nicotinic acid is minimal, and perhaps I'm missing something...
Quote:Niacin is an antidote against d-lysergic acid diethylamide20 (LSD) and against adrenochrome. It reverses the effect of adrenochrome on the electroencephalogram in human subjects,21 and reverses the psychotomimetic effects of adrenochrome when injected intravenously into human subjects.6 It is also a safe and effective therapeutic agent in the treatment of the schizophrenias and several other psychiatric diseases. It is one of the main elements of Orthomolecular psychiatric treatment.
Every physician who has duplicated the niacin schizophrenic studies has corroborated our earlier findings. However the treatment is not accepted because it was introduced during the wrong paradigm, the paradigm of vitamins as prevention only. For a full discussion see the reports.22
- "Schizophrenia: An Evolutionary Defence Against Severe Stress" ; A. Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.
http://orthomolecular.or...s/1994-v09n04-p205.shtml Can anybody find these corroborating studies conducted by other physicians mentioned in the underlined section?
Quote:MILLER A I,WILLIAMS H L, MURPHREE H B
Niacin, niacinamide, or atropine versus LSD-25 model psychoses in human volunteers.
J.Pharmacol.& Exper.Therap., 119:169 (1957)
Studies in 16 volunteers using the double blind method showed that atropine (1 mg orally),
niacin (up to 600 mg orally), and niacinamide (up to 600 mg orally) did not alter the pattern of response to LSD when they were given in combination with LSD (75 mcg orally). Niacin seemed to produce a release from the anxiety associated with the LSD-induced illusions without lessening or eliminating the illusions.
http://www.lycaeum.org/mv/mu/LSD_niacin.html Above it states that nicotinic acid reduced anxiety, but ultimately did not reduce the action of the LSD, however only 600mgs of oral niacin was given n an attempt to disrupt a rather small 75ugs of LSD, perhaps the ratios of the ingested compounds were wrong? Or perhaps nicotinic acid is not as effective as hoffer claims...
This anecdote from erowid seems to confirm the effectiveness of nicotinic acid:
Quote:Contrary to what one report on here read (a female who took 200 mg), Niacin does work effectively IN THE CORRECT AMOUNT.
The flushing effect is not a side-effect, that's exactly how it does what it needs to do.. which is to move the toxins out of the cells and excrete them through the sweat function.. the redness of the skin and burning feeling is the success of the Niacin moving the acid out of your system.. The problem experienced by the female was that she did FAR too much Niacin for her body weight and amount of LSD.. Logic here.
(Don't ask a doctor to describe the function of an OTC drug as to relating to a prohibited substance... they just aren't gonna know.)
Let's compare my experience to hers..
Me:
7 hits acid in 170 lb body = 40ng / pound.
60 mg Niacin effectively treated .40ng / lb.
Her:
1 hit acid in 120 lb body = 8ng/lb.
200 mG Niacin was total overkill for 8ng/lb...
Being that I had 5x the amount of acid taken, and she took 333% more Niacin than I did, that means she actually took 16x the appropriate level of Niacin to have an experience more closely matching mine (the redness was there, and itching, but it wasn't swelling, or doctor visits, and it subsided within 1 hours time..)
https://www.erowid.org/e...riences/exp.php?ID=22682 Yet I have heard many other anecdotes claiming just the opposite, claiming nicotinic acid was completely ineffective at reducing any of the effects from LSD
Quote:AGNEW N, HOFFER A
Nicotinic acid modified lysergic acid diethylamide psychosis.
J.Ment.Sc. London 101:12 (1955)
200 mg nicotinic acid given i.v. to 5 normal subjects at the height of the LSD experience (100 mg orally) strikingly reduced the LSD-induced disturbances in all subjects except one. 3 Gm. nicotinic acid given by mouth daily for 3 days prior to 100 mcg. LSD orally in 5 normal cases reduced the LSD-induced disturbances in concentration and vision, but in some instances produced a psychosis more closely resembling schizophrenia than that observed after LSD alone.
Above hoffer claims the effectiveness of nicotinic acid to diminish the effects of LSD, yet he admits this failed in one patient, and later states that in "some instances" a schizophrenia like psychosis was produced....
Quote:HOFFER A
Studies with niacin and LSD.
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and Mescaline in Experimental Psychiatry, Grune & Stratton Inc. 1956, p 44
200 mg nicotinic acid given i.v. at the height of the effects of LSD (100 mcg) caused almost all the LSD phenomena to disappear with 2-5 minutes. 3 Gm. nicotinic acid given daily for 3 days prior to 100 mcg LSD caused the LSD phenomena to appear after about 1 hour instead of after 15-30 minutes and seemed to prevent most of the perceptual phenomena, the main changes noted being feelings of unreality and depersonalization
http://www.lycaeum.org/mv/mu/LSD_niacin.html Again, hoffers claims effectiveness above.
So what is the deal here?
Can nicotinic acid diminish the effects of LSD?
Finding a good source of credible research on the topic is not as easy as one would think, I compiled most of what is out there in the above post, but still find little satisfaction on the issue...
-eg