Trait anxiety is a scientific word for feeling anxious around other people. And now this new study shows that a common safe vitamin may actually help reduce anxiety in social situations, as well or better than drugs such as benzodiazepines including Xanax, Valium, Ativan and Klonopin.
Social anxiety or trait anxiety makes people feel inferior to others in social situations.
It is crippling, keeping people from leaving their house, and making them feel embarrassed to get involved in work situations that would otherwise further their career.
Men and women who are trying to date will find that social anxiety is keeping them from meeting a potential mate.
So that’s why the study is important because it shows that a common vitamin may actually help social anxiety. And the vitamin is safe and prescribed all the time for various other issues.
You can get it anywhere, any drug store or online.
The study has a very technical name, but it’s a very interesting study if you have social anxiety.
[niacinamide], an amide form of vitamin B3 known to enhance brain energy metabolism, prevented the development of a subordinate status in high-anxious individuals.
Vitamin B3 or niacinamide is a common B vitamin that is regarded as extremely safe and is easily obtainable as a supplement.
In this experiment, they did the study with high-anxiety rats.
And they did a lot of very clever work on their brains.
Rats, of course, aren’t people.
But the centers in their brain, the nucleus accumbens, where social anxiety is thought to originate, is the same in rats as it is in people.
I think that this experiment is a clear indicator that extra niacinamide can actually help social anxiety.
You may already be familiar with niacin and you know that it causes a flushing reaction when you take it
It’s also called nicotinic acid. And the amide form does not cause a flushing reaction. So you can take larger amounts without turning red and feeling warm.
It’s called niacinamide or nicotinic-amide.
What dose of niacinamide might work?
The US National Institutes of Health recommends 1000 to 3000 mg per day for various issues and says it is likely safe.
It is often used to lower cholesterol levels in dosages of 2000 or 3000 mg per day.
You might try much lower amounts than this. For example, I often take 100 to 300 mg per day, three times per day.
One thing that you may want to consider is taking it with meals. Especially meals with carbohydrates.
Because niacinamide will lower blood sugar, and may cause you to feel hypoglycemic unless you take it with food, especially a carbohydrate meal.
Always talk to your doctor before taking a supplement. There are possible interactions with any supplement, even a natural vitamin-like niacin amide.
But if you are able to try it, you may find that it helps your social anxiety a great deal. And most people argue it’s very safe compared to taking benzodiazepines such as Valium or Xanax.
Citations
Mitochondrial function in the brain links anxiety with social subordination
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/50/15486.full
Niacin and niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/924.html
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