Written by Jessica Patella, ND. In a test with 55 headaches patients, those given 400 mg per day of riboflavin had fewer headaches and those were less severe.
Migraines are seriously debilitating and affect nearly 10% of the United States population (1). Women are affected more than men, at a ratio of about 3:1 (18% vs. 6%) (1,2). There is an economic impact as well. It is estimated employers lose about $13 billion annually from lost workdays due to migraines (1).
Not only are migraines extremely painful for those that experience them, but persons who have migraines are more likely to suffer from other chronic conditions, such as allergies, asthma, arthritis, hypertension and depression (1). Also, those that have a major depressive episode are almost three times as likely to have a migraine than those that do not have an episode (20.4% vs. 7.3%) (2).
Riboflavin, or vitamin B2, shows promise in helping those that suffer from migraines (2). A research study compared high-dose riboflavin (400mg/day) with placebo in preventing migraines (2). Eighty participants were enrolled in the double-blinded* study. The study began with a 1-month placebo used for all participants. Based on this trial, 25 participants were excluded due to experiencing no headaches during the 1-month period (2). The remaining 55 participants randomly received either riboflavin (400 mg/day; 28 participants) or placebo (27 participants) over a 3-month period (2). The average age was 36 years and most participants experienced migraines without an aura (78%) and had migraines lasting 32-36 hours.
During the 3-month period participants kept diaries of their migraine attacks. They recorded their headache severity on a 4-point scale (0=no pain, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe), nausea and vomiting, duration of headache in hours, and the treatment used (2).
After 3-months, participants in the riboflavin group had an average of 3 fewer migraines per month (P=0.0001), decreased severity of headaches on the 4-point scale (P=-.031), decreased migraine duration (P=0.018), and fewer days with nausea or vomiting (P=0.016) (2). Interestingly, there was no difference in medication usage in the riboflavin group.
In conclusion, high-dose riboflavin (400 mg/day) is safe and effective in preventing migraines (2). This study recommended family practitioners use riboflavin clinically (2). A future study over a longer period of time would be beneficial in learning long-term efficacy.
Source: Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. Effectiveness of high-dose ribofl avin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial. Neurology 1998;50: 466-70.
© 1998 by the American Academy of Neurology
Posted January 26, 2012.
* Double-blinded means neither the participant nor the research knew if the participant was receiving the placebo or the riboflavin.
References:
- Mirgraine. Migraine Research Foundation. http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine.html
- Breen, C et al. High-dose riboflavin for prophylaxis of migraine. Canadian Fam Physician. 2003: 49: 1291-93.
