Taking excessive doses of a common vitamin in an attempt to defeat drug screening tests may send the user to the hospital -- or worse.
Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania reported on two adults and two adolescents who suffered serious side effects from taking large amounts of niacin, also known as vitamin B3, in mistaken attempts to foil urine drug tests.
Both adult patients suffered skin irritation, while both adolescents had potentially life-threatening reactions, including liver toxicity and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), as well as nausea, vomiting and dizziness. One of the teens also experienced heart palpitations.
All four patients recovered after treatment for the adverse effects. The report appeared online today in the "Annals of Emergency Medicine."
"Testing urine for drugs is becoming increasingly common among employers, government agencies and schools," said study leader Manoj K. Mittal, M.D., a fellow in Emergency Medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Because niacin is known to affect metabolic processes, there is a completely unfounded notion that it can rapidly clear the body of drugs such as cannabis and cocaine. However, not only is niacin ineffective for this purpose, it is also dangerous when taken in large amounts."