Mild yeast infections may clear up on their own, sometimes with the help of home remedies. Most yeast infections respond to antifungal medications, including both over-the-counter and prescription formulas. But some yeast infections prove resistant to standard treatment and can lead to serious, even fatal complications. Promising -- but slight -- evidence indicates that niacin may provide a remedy for resistant yeast infections. Check with your doctor before taking niacin for any reason.
Vaginal Yeast Infections
It's not unusual to get an occasional yeast infection. Your vagina normally contains some yeast -- a fungus called Candida albicans. But some conditions lead to an overgrowth of fungus and a yeast infection. If you're pregnant or obese, or have diabetes, you may prove more susceptible to yeast infections. If you've recently taken antibiotics, the medication may have upset the balance of bacteria in your vagina and caused a yeast infection. Women with autoimmune deficiencies, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients and AIDS patients, may suffer recurrent yeast infections, some difficult to treat with standard antifungal medications.
Study
Martine Raymond and other researchers at the biotechnology research institute of the National Research Council Canada tested niacin, also known as vitamin B-3, for potential antifungal properties. She and her colleagues found that a form of niacin -- nicotinamide -- prevented overgrowth of Candida albicans, according to a report published in the magazine "Nature" in July 2010. The study involved laboratory animals. More research is needed to determine whether niacin can successfully treat yeast infections among persons with autoimmune deficiencies. Yeast infections, often acquired during hospital stays, can prove fatal for persons with poorly functioning immune systems, Raymond warned in an August 2010 interview with "Science Daily."
Symptoms and Standard Treatment
Symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection include pain during urination or intercourse, burning or itching of your labia and vagina and abnormal vaginal discharge. Your vaginal discharge may appear thick and chunky or watery. If you've never had a yeast infection before, are pregnant or suspect you've been infected with a sexually transmitted disease, contact your doctor. If you're familiar with yeast infections, you may find relief using over-the-counter antifungal creams or suppositories. Probiotics, found in some types of yogurt, may treat symptoms of yeast infections. If you get frequent yeast infections or your current problem doesn't respond to home remedies, see your doctor.
Considerations
You can purchase nicotinamide, also called niacinamide, without a prescription. But the results of the Canadian study do not provide enough evidence to suggest taking it as a remedy for yeast infections. Nicotinamide may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headaches. If you take it in large quantities -- some supplements contain more than 30 times the recommended daily allowance of 14 mg to 16 mg -- you may experience serious side effects, including vision loss, gout, stomach ulcers and liver damage. Yeast infections are not confined to the vagina. Candida albicans can also cause infections in your mouth, most often in babies and in adults who wear dentures, who use inhalers that contain corticosteroids or those whose immune systems have been compromised.
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
- MayoClinic.com; Yeast Infection (Vaginal) -- Lifestyle and Home Remedies; May 18, 2010
