Many of us take vitamins and minerals on an ongoing basis both in injectable and tablet form. When the body is saturated with these elements, a person feels cheerful and energetic. However, rarely does anyone think about the consequences of drinking alcohol while taking vitamins. What is the compatibility of nicotinic acid and alcohol? The article describes in detail the consequences of combining nicotinamide and ethyl alcohol, and also gives tips on how to refrain from drinking on the background of a course of treatment.
Niacin: release form, conditions of dispensing and storage
Niacin (or, as it is also called, niacin, vitamin PP) belongs to the pharmacological class of B vitamins, the role of which is very great for the human body. Digestion, brain activity, blood circulation and the speed of cognitive processes - everything in our body is affected by the presence or deficiency of B vitamins.
Why does the body need nicotinic acid? Without a sufficient amount of nicotinic acid, the normal functioning of the body and nervous system cannot be achieved. After all, niacin is actively involved in tissue and cellular metabolism, promotes the breakdown of adipose tissue and the removal of its decay products, and affects the rate of redox reactions, forming the body's energy balance.
The drug in the form of ampoules with a solution for intramuscular administration should be stored in a cool dark place. After the ampoule has been opened, its contents should be introduced into the muscle as soon as possible. If you leave the opened ampoule in the light, then the contents as a result of contact with air will significantly lose their therapeutic properties. The drug in tablet form should be stored in a dry place, avoid contact with moisture.
Nicotinic acid preparations, both in tablet form and in injection, can be purchased at any pharmacy. A prescription from a doctor is not required.
Nicotinic acid for injection
As a rule, doctors recommend using niacin in injectable form. The use of nicotinic acid in ampoules is painless - the patient feels mild discomfort only at the moment the needle is inserted into the muscle.
You can visit a medical office so that a nurse makes an injection, you can do intramuscular injections yourself. The drug in the form of ampoules with liquid for injection is produced by the following manufacturers: ZAO PFC Renewal (China), Organika OJSC, VIAL LLC, Health LLC (Russia).
Nicotinic acid in tablet form
There is also nicotinic acid in tablets, but it is absorbed a little worse and causes more obvious side effects. Also, niacin is often part of various multivitamin complexes. The tablet form of the drug can be purchased both domestic and foreign production, for example:
- Niacinamide 500 mg 21st Century Health Care.
- "Niacin" Source Naturals (nicotinic acid without flushing of the face and hands).
- "Niacin" Solgar 100 mg.
- Real Niacin 500 mg Doctor's Best.
Foreign-made nicotinic acid preparations, as a rule, are much more expensive than similar domestic ones. Pharmacists confirm that it makes sense to overpay only if a particular drug with niacin is better tolerated. Some patients, for example, only tolerate nicotinamide from Source Naturals.
Indications for the use of nicotinic acid
Why are nicotinic acid injections prescribed? Unlike tablets, niacin, when injected intramuscularly, enters directly into the bloodstream. When using tablets, nicotinamide goes a long way through the digestive tract and only after that enters the bloodstream. As a result of such a long journey, the drug can be absorbed only partially.
Indications for use of nicotinic acid tablets are the same as indications for injection. The instruction for use reports that the following diseases and conditions appear in the list of appointments:
- malabsorption syndrome (including the kind that is provoked by a malfunction of the pancreas);
- Hartnup disease;
- gastroectomy;
- weight loss due to mental pathologies (bulimia, anorexia);
- osteocondritis of the spine;
- celiac enteropathy;
- vitamin deficiency due to problems with absorption or malnutrition;
- hyperthyroidism;
- chronic stress, anxiety and depressive disorders (as part of complex therapy);
- spasm of the urinary and biliary tract, vessels of the limbs;
- diabetic polyneuropathy;
- facial neuropathy;
- trophic ulcers and non-healing wounds.
Why are nicotinic acid injections prescribed if a person does not have the above diagnoses? Doctors often prescribe injections as a prophylaxis for a particular illness. Nicotinic acid is, in fact, a common vitamin, which from time to time must enter the human body in therapeutic dosages.
Possible side effects when using nicotinamide
Against the background of the use of high doses of the drug or even simply in the presence of nicotinamide intolerance, the following side effects may develop:
- redness of the skin (hyperemia) of the upper body, face and hands;
- a feeling of heat in the upper body and on the head;
- dizziness;
- urticaria and skin itching;
- mild nausea.
Do not ignore contraindications and side effects of nicotinic acid. If the above symptoms are observed after the administration of an ampoule or taking a pill, then it is optimal to refuse to take the drug altogether or halve the dosage.
Contraindications to the use of nicotinic acid
Instructions for use report that the following contraindications for taking the drug:
- tendency to allergic reactions;
- nicotinamide intolerance;
- exacerbation of peptic ulcer (relevant when taking the tablet form);
- arterial hypertension;
- atherosclerosis;
- gout;
- childhood.
Niacin is not toxic to the liver and kidneys. However, if there are serious chronic diseases of these organs, then before you start taking it, it is better to consult a specialized doctor - you may need to reduce the standard dosage.
How does alcohol affect the human body?
The compatibility of nicotinic acid and alcohol in each case will be different. If the patient during the course of treatment with drugs with niacin in the composition risked taking alcohol, it is important to understand the principle of action on the body and nervous system of ethyl alcohol. This is a substance that is part of any alcoholic beverage. It is due to ethyl alcohol that intoxication occurs. Symptoms and consequences differ depending on the amount of drink you drink. Niacin and alcohol are compatible, but only if the person has taken the minimum amount of alcohol (not more than 50 ml in terms of the vodka equivalent).
Ethyl alcohol first leads to vasodilation. The person feels relaxed, the first stage of intoxication begins. If at this stage you do not stop and continue the "libation", then the vessels, on the contrary, will be subject to narrowing. As a result, the cardiovascular system, the central nervous system suffers, and virtually none of the body systems is left without the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol.
The effect of alcohol on the nervous system and psyche
The toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on the nervous system (both central and peripheral) and the psyche cannot be overlooked. For those people who regularly abuse alcohol, unpleasant consequences such as depression, anxiety, tremor of the extremities, headaches, increased irritability and fatigue, and insomnia are familiar. Only here drinkers rarely associate such symptoms with their bad habit. Moreover, most people are sure that taking alcoholic beverages helps to relax and get rid of depression.
Narcologists unanimously say over the years that alcohol is the strongest depressant. It is necessary to adhere to complete sobriety for at least one year, and the consequences caused by regular toxic effects on the nervous system will come to naught. In this case, it is not necessary to take any psychotropic drugs in parallel. One has only to give up alcohol and not mix it with any medications - and after a while, sleep will improve, your mood will normalize.
Nicotinic acid and alcohol compatibility
Narcologists report that moderate use of nicotinic acid after alcohol abuse helps the body cope with intoxication faster. Therefore, often in people with alcohol dependence the question arises: is it possible to drink alcohol with nicotinic acid at the same time? What will happen if, against the background of nicotinamide treatment, alcohol is abused?
Alcoholic beverages wash away all beneficial substances (minerals, amino acids) from the body. Nicotinamide is no exception. Alcohol has a destructive effect on the structure of this vitamin, therefore, their simultaneous administration neutralizes the therapeutic effect of the drug and nullifies all the benefits that it has already brought. Thus, the situation can be further aggravated and the level of vitamin PP in the body can be further reduced.
The interaction of nicotinic acid with alcohol often leads to severe drowsiness, a strong gag reflex may occur. If nausea catches up at the moment when the person is in a good sleep (in narcology this condition is called an alcoholic coma), then death may result from mechanical asphyxiation. Roughly speaking, a person suffocates due to the closure of the air path to the lungs as a result of the passage of vomit.
Liver condition and alcohol consumption
Of course, the compatibility of nicotinic acid and alcohol is a relatively lesser evil. If you take alcohol during treatment with Paracetamol and some painkillers, as well as antidepressants, then a strong toxic effect on the liver appears. As a result, toxic hepatitis develops, liver cells begin to degenerate into fatty.
If, after making a diagnosis, a person does not take up the mind and does not give up drinking alcohol once and for all, then cirrhosis will develop over time. This is a fatal disease that inevitably leads to death.
What drives people to drink alcohol during treatment
Why do people take alcoholic beverages during treatment with nicotinamide or other drugs, vitamins or dietary supplements? The question is quite logical, because the easiest way is not to endanger the body, but simply refuse to drink.
If a person is unable to deny himself the use of alcohol, then most likely he suffers from alcoholism. Only a narcologist can accurately diagnose, but the very fact of the impossibility of refusing to drink alcohol eloquently indicates the presence of the first stage of alcoholism.
Methods for getting rid of alcohol addiction
The sooner a person realizes a problem and turns to a narcologist, the better. Ethyl alcohol in modern medicine is equivalent in action to narcotic substances. It also causes both psychological and physical dependence. To date, there are the following effective ways to get rid of alcohol dependence:
- coding by suggestion and hypnosis;
- coding by stitching Esperal ampoules into muscle;
- visiting groups of anonymous alcoholics;
- attending consultations with a psychotherapist (there is both group and individual psychotherapy).