Does No-flush Niacin Skew Urine Test Results or Help People Pass Drug Tests?

Does No-flush Niacin Skew Urine Test Results or Help People Pass Drug Tests?
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No-flush niacin is also known as flush-free niacin and inositol hexaniacinate. No-flush niacin is a niacinamide, which means it is chemically related to niacin, but is not niacin. It is available in health food stores and any at other supplement seller.

When taking tests for medical diagnosis, it is important to be aware of how the foods eaten, medications taken and supplements that are consumed can affect those test results. When it comes to no-flush niacin and urine tests, what are the possible affects?

Taking No-Flush Niacin to Pass Drug Tests

There is a myth that taking no-flush niacin will help a person pass a drug test by flushing the remnants of recently used drugs out of his or her system. Because no-flush niacin is a niacinamide, it will not flush toxins (i.e. drugs) out of the system.

People taking high doses of no-flush niacin are at risk for problems such as abdominal bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, flatulence and a decrease in blood-pressure levels.

No-flush niacin is sometimes confused with niacin (also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinic acid), which is rumored to help flush drugs out of the system for drug testing. There is no conclusive evidence that niacin will mask drug usage in drug testing, and taking high doses of niacin is dangerous.

Those attempting to pass a drug test with the use of no-flush niacin or niacin may be disappointed. They also could be caught due to the side effects that can be caused such as red skin, itching, sweating and skin that is hot to the touch or from the unusually high levels of niacin or other rumored drug-flushers/maskers in the test results.

No-Flush Niacin and Other Urine Tests

According to Vibrant Life, some of the known affects no-flush niacin can have on urine test results include false positives in urine glucose testing that uses Benedict’s reagent and false elevated results of urinary catecholamine concentration. It should be noted that blood tests can also be affected.

Summary

No-flush niacin and urine tests do not always mix. The use of no-flush niacin to pass drug tests will not work and some important urine tests can have false positives because of no-flush niacin consumption.

If taking no-flush niacin to help reduce cholesterol levels, aid in the treatment of diabetes or for any other reason, it is important to inform your treating physician, your pharmacist and the lab technician administering tests so you can avoid drug and food interactions as well as skewed test results.

References

Niacinamide — Vitamin B3. Vibrant Life. https://www.oralchelation.com/ingred/niacinamide.htm

Some Possible Niacin Side Effects. Nutritional Supplements Health Guide. https://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/niacin-side-effects.html

Use of Niacin in Attempts to Defeat Urine Drug Testing – Five States, January—September 2006. MMWR Weekly. April 20, 2007/56(15);354-366. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5615a2.htm