Nicotinamide = Vitamin PP = Vitamin B3

Generic Name: Nicotinamide

Brand Names:

Availability: Over-the-Counter (OTC)

Drug Class: Vitamin Supplementation

Therapeutic action

  • Vitamin

Indications

  • Treatment of pellagra

Forms and strengths

  • 100 mg tablet

Dosage and duration

Child and adult: 100 mg 3 times daily, with a diet rich in protein,until the patient is fully cured

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

  • Pregnancy and breast-feeding: avoid, except if clearly needed (safety is not established)

Remarks

  • Nicotinamide is also called niacinamide.
  • Vitamin PP deficiency is common when diet is almost entirely based on sorghum, millet or maize. 
  • Vitamin PP deficiencyoften occurs in association with other vitamin B-complex deficiency (thiamine, pyridoxine), especially in alcoholic patients.
  • Vitamin PP is usually one of the components of multivitamin preparations and B-complex (7.5 mg to 15 mg per tablet).
  • Nicotinic acid has a similar action to nicotinamide, but is no longer used because of its adverse effects, especially its vasodilator action.

Storage

– Below 25 °C