If you get an occasional yeast infection, antifungal medications offer the most proven form of treatment. But immune deficient persons such as AIDS patients, organ transplant recipients and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy may develop recurrent yeast infections that don't respond to typical treatment. Some research suggests that niacin, also known as vitamin B-3, offers hope as a new treatment option. Research remains preliminary, however, and niacin poses serious side effects so don't begin niacin therapy for any reason without first discussing it with your doctor.
Symptoms and Risk Factors
Your vagina normally contains small amounts of candida albicans, a common fungus. But under some conditions, the amount of candida albicans grows and a yeast infection develops. If you use antibiotics, they upset the normal balance of vaginal bacteria and may cause an increase in candida albicans. Women who are pregnant, obese or who have diabetes also prove more susceptible to yeast infections. Symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection include pain while urinating or during intercourse, itching or burning of your vagina and labia, swelling of your labia and abnormal vaginal discharge -- either watery or thick and chunky.
Treatment
Vaginal yeast infections do not always require a visit to the doctor' office. You can safely treat a vaginal yeast infection with an over-the-counter antifungal cream if you'd had at least one, but not many, yeast infections, do not have pelvic pain, are not running a fever, do not have reason to believe you've contracted a sexually transmitted disease and know you're not pregnant. If unsure, about any of these possibilities, see a doctor. If you purchase a cream or suppository or cream to treat your yeast infection, follow directions and take it for as long as indicated even if your symptoms improve.
Niacin and Yeast Infection Study
Vaginal yeast infections among persons with auto-immune deficiencies can prove serious, even fatal. Researchers from the Biotechnology Research Institute of the National Research Council Canada found that nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide, prevented overgrowth of candida albicans in laboratory animals, making it a potential antifungal treatment, according to a report in the July 2010 issue of "Nature Medicine." Martine Raymond, one of the authors of the study, told "Science Daily" in August 2010 that, although more research is needed, results of the study provide an important first step in developing new therapies to treat "one of the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections ... associated with high mortality rates."
Considerations
Niacin and niacinamide, two forms of vitamin B-3, provide different health benefits. The Canadian study shows potential for using niacinamide to treat vaginal infections, but did not test for the possible effectiveness of niacin. Both niacin and niacinamide, when taken in high doses for extended periods, cause similar side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, vision loss, gout, stomach ulcers and liver damage. Until further research supports the use of niacinamide in treating resistant yeast infections, you may face more risks than benefits by taking niacinamide supplements.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B3 (Niacin); June 18, 2009
- MedlinePlus: Niacin and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
- "Nature Magazine"; Modulation of Histone H3 lysine 56 Acetylation as an Antifungal Therapeutic Strategy;Hugo Wurtele; et al.; July 2010
- "Science Daily";Vitamin B3 as a Novel Approach to Treat Fungal Infections; Aug. 10, 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vaginal Yeast Infections
