Does Niacin Work for Passing a Drug Test?

Recently rumors have swirled around the internet that Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3, can help you pass a home drug testing kit. The exact origin of this concept is unknown, none the less it is gaining popularity among teens and adults as a “fail-safe way to pass”. While many people claim success after the use of this “drug detox trick” it is more often ineffective and extremely dangerous.

First, what is Niacin? Niacin, or B3, is an organic compound that is considered to be one of the 40-80 “essential” human nutrients known today. It is found in many common foods (like chicken and vegetables) and is used by the body to support the skin and convert foods into energy. Like most vitamins we are encouraged to consume it as much as necessary, which is usually about 12-16mg of it per day.

So if it’s a vitamin it can’t be all bad, right? Wrong. Niacin consumption can be very dangerous, in large doses it raises the blood sugar, damages the liver, and flushes the skin. While a drug detox using a vitamin might sound like a good idea the amount of Niacin most people recommend is not. Most people claim to use this trick you need to take between 1000-3000 mg of Niacin in just a few hours. That doesn’t sound like much until you consider that is nearly 15x the amount you should be consuming in a day. One method even suggests planning on hanging out by an AC vent during this process, why? Simple, when you consume extreme amounts of Niacin the skin will flush, your body heat will rise, and you’ll be living in a virtual sauna for several hours. But is it all worth it? Well, no actually it isn’t. In most people this trick does nothing, Niacin only speeds up the body and provides energy it has almost no effect on the results of drug tests taken by most people.