Vitamin B3 Flush

What? Have you ever had a B3 Flush. This is CRAZY! It is happening to me right now!! Started at 2:55 p.m. I took 500 MG of Niacin about 1 hour ago. Then 45 minutes ago I started to eat some vegetables. I stood up from eating and I felt a pain in between my chest and stomach. Then I felt a little light headed and a little dizzy and then a little hot and THEN from the top on my head working down, my body was like it was on FIRE. This is seriously nuts. I also feel tightness and dryness around my face and all over my skin. Right now it almost feels like the top of the flush is moving from the top of my head to the middle of my face, and I can feel a combination between a pulling and a numbness on my face. It is unlike anything I have ever felt. The palms of my hands are a little pink, and I can feel the flush leaving my face and moving into my arms and legs. There is SO much heat coming from my body, and as it leaves my faces I can feel some sweat on my head.

On my arms now, I can feel some itching. The ski on any joints feels so tight, and if I move the joints to relieve the tightness, the itching is more noticeable. This is crazy.

So, this all started because I bought Niacin supplements at the grocery store today because I wanted to experiment with high dosages of a few vitamins that I have been reading about in my orthomoleculer medicine book. I was going to get B12, but then I did not because I am worried that my body does not absorb B12 very well. My plan for B12 is to try B12 shots sometimes. So I bought Niacin B3 instead because it does have an impact on digestion and there are a lot of cool studies about Niacin in orthomolecular research.

Luckily -- seriously thank goodness -- I reread the chapter about Niacin before I took my supplement once I got home. The book talked about taking 1000 MG 3 times a day if you have something specific you want to cure. I decided to just take 500 MG one time since I don't have a major element to cure right now. The book about the "Flush," and at first I thought it was talking about going to the bathroom. Then I read about the hot flash and the flush of heat throughout the body from head to toe. Seemed like a long shot, and it didn't sounds like anything I had ever heard of so how popular or common could it be, right? And I couldn't really figure out why the body would have that reaction. And I didn't really think about it happening to me since I was taking a small dose. Seems like the info about the flush would be written all over the bottle if it happens after only taking one or two.

Anyway, flush update: it has calmed down now after 15 minutes. The heat is in my legs now. My skin is still tight, dry, and itchy. The heat is headed to the bottom of my feet, and really now my whole body is so itchy. Wow, this had been a trip. Let me tell you, If I had not read about this possible side effect, I would seriously have called 911. It is so crazy and a little scary. I read that some people actually take Niacin just specially so they can feel this flush. I am not sure I would do that.

I am going to read more. Here are my questions:
What causes the flush? What is the body's reaction to the B3?
What is actually happening during the flush, and why doesn't anything else cause this?
Is the flush helpful for your body?
Is the flush dangerous?
Is the flush a sign that your body, in fact, needed the vitamin?
Is the flush a sign that your body, in fact, DID NOT need the vitamin?
Do high doses of any other vitamin causes reactions this extreme?

It is now 3:19 p.m. and my skin is still warm, but I can feel a little chill on my face. Still really itchy, and moving my arms and legs still makes the itching worse. I feel a tightness in my chest and a little shortness of breath. This has been so interesting. It came on so fast! I am prone to say this was way cool, except it is not gone yet AND I am not done with my research.

3:28 p.m. My face is starting to feel hot off and on again. The back of my legs are super itchy. My hands and torso feeling kind of cold from the wave of heat coming back and worth. Chest still feels heavy, but I can tell the whole thing is calming down.

UPDATE: Well, it has been over an hour, and my skin is still really itchy. Yikes.

I did some research, and basically this is what I learned:
Because I eat mostly veggies and meat, I probably get enough Niacin.
The flushes stop after after weeks on the same doze or on a super high doze of 1 to 2 grams a day, which can cause liver and kidney damage.
Still have very little idea what is going on during the flush, but some studies think that serotonin is involved in the process, and that is really interesting for me.