Drug users about to undergo a drug test have been searching endlessly for a way to beat the system, and a niacin drug test mask is supposed to be one of these ways. Other things that have been suggested are vinegar, vitamin C, aspirin in large doses, activated charcoal, lecithin, herbal teas and powders, detergent, bleach, salts and niacin as a way of screening or masking the drug test results. There has been no scientific evidence that any of these work.

Niacin is a vitamin, also known as Vitamin B3, Nicotinic Acid or Vitamin PP. It has an important role in the body’s metabolic process in the repair of DNA and the production of steroid hormones. Niacin helps promote healthy skin, a strong nervous system and regulates the body’s hormone levels. It also increases the level of HDL or “good cholesterol” and is prescribed for people who are high risk candidates for a heart attack. The recommended daily allowance for niacin is 14 mg/day for women and 16 mg/day for men. It can be gotten from foods like liver, chicken, beef, fish, cereal, peanuts and legumes.

Lately, using niacin to get around drug tests has been gaining a lot of attention. The basis for this is the belief that niacin helps flush toxins from the body, and this includes those left by repeated drug use. There have been reports that taking niacin can alter the negative result of a urine drug test. However, this seems to work only if the person has not used any drugs in the past 48 hours prior to the test.

A strong negative to using niacin for this purpose is the risk of serious side effects from niacin. Taking high doses of niacin can cause the skin to redden, become very flushed and develop an irritating rash. It can also lead to problems of the digestive system resulting in vomiting, and in extreme cases liver damage.

A niacin drug test mask is primarily directed at a urine blood test because of niacin’s ability to flush out toxins. Where a hair follicle drug test or a saliva drug test is used, the flushing action of niacin may not come into play at all. This applies to a drug test administered in clinics or testing centers as well as to a home drug test.

A home drug test follows essentially the same protocols as drug tests conducted in a medical environment. The limitations of a niacin drug test mask with respect to a narrow window of usage are also applicable to a home drug test. This, plus the possible side effects of niacin do not make experimenting with a niacin drug test mask a good idea.