Compound or practice · Supplement
Riboflavin (B2)
A B-vitamin with one standout use: high-dose riboflavin genuinely prevents migraines.
- Overall grade
- Grade B
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
1 at grade A · 2 at grade B — 3 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- DeficiencyEvidence grade A
Definitional
Largehigh
- Migraine frequencyEvidence grade B
400 mg/day
Moderatemixed
Conditions
How the entry reads its effect on diagnosed conditions: the direction first, then the grade. Never a substitute for the person who treats you.
- Migraine ImprovesEvidence grade BProphylactic, high-doseGrade B
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Studies disagree: Migraine frequency (mixed agreement).
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
MagnesiumWorks together
Common evidence-based migraine-prevention stack.
The evidence in words
What it is
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a water-soluble vitamin and precursor to the FAD/FMN coenzymes of energy metabolism.
How it works
As FAD/FMN it supports mitochondrial energy production; the migraine benefit is thought to reflect improved brain mitochondrial function.
What the evidence shows
Beyond preventing deficiency, 400 mg/day riboflavin has reasonable trial support for reducing migraine frequency and is recommended by several headache guidelines. Otherwise it is a quiet essential.
How to use it
400 mg/day for migraine prophylaxis (give it 2–3 months); requirement is milligrams from food.
Safety & interactions
Very safe; harmless bright-yellow urine at high doses. Magnesium — Common evidence-based migraine-prevention stack.
Bottom line
A cheap, safe, guideline-backed migraine preventive at 400 mg/day. Give it a couple of months.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Migraine
- 400 mg/day, 2–3 months.
Goes with
- MagnesiumCommon evidence-based migraine-prevention stack.Evidence grade B
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Riboflavin (B2) for MigraineEvidence grade B — Prophylactic, high-doseEvidence grade B
- Magnesium for MigraineEvidence grade B — Prophylactic; 400–600 mgEvidence grade B
- Pantothenic Acid (B5)A ubiquitous B-vitamin (deficiency is nearly nonexistent) with niche pantethine-for-cholesterol data.Evidence grade C
- Riboflavin (B2) for DeficiencyEvidence grade A — DefinitionalEvidence grade A
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.