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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
        
(Message started by: floridian on Feb 16^th, 2004, 2:30pm)

Title: Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
Post by floridian on Feb 16^th, 2004, 2:30pm

Yeah, it isn't cluster headache. But lots of migraine meds help us. And if something as mild as B-vitamins can improve migraine headache symptoms by 68%, then its worth considering. Some people here have reported that they think B vitamins help them.

Improving serotonin metabolism is one way that the Bs seem to work. But lots of other possibilities, as these vitamins are used all over the body. Niacin also improves acetylcholine function. In the body, niacin and niacinamide have different properties - not sure which would be best for CH.

The 68% improvement was with 1.2 mg riboflavin and 15 mg niacin per day (average of dose for men and women). Effects were measured at 3 months - a few days or weeks may not be enough to get it working. Half a B-50 each day would definitely do it. Some forms of niacin can cause flushing - the skin gets warm and red. Not a problem, but can be a nuisance. Hi dose niacin for cholesterol can affect the liver, but that is at much higher doses (500 to 1500 mg/day).

Quote:

Headache. 2004 Feb;44(2):194-195.

MIGRAINE: TREATMENT.

Velling DA, Dodick DW, Muir JJ.

Sustained-release niacin for prevention of migraine headache. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003; 78:770-771. Considerable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of migraine headache have occurred during the past decade, but treatment options for acute migraine attacks have expanded at a faster rate than those for prophylaxis. We describe a patient whose migraine headaches responded dramatically to sustained-release niacin as preventive treatment. Niacin is not generally considered to be effective for migraine prevention. However, low plasma levels of serotonin have been implicated in migraine pathogenesis, and niacin may act as a negative feedback regulator on the kynurenine pathway to shunt tryptophan into the serotonin pathway, thus increasing plasma serotonin levels. Sustained-release niacin merits further study as a potentially useful preventive therapy for migraine headache. Comments: Both riboflavin and niacin would appear to display promise as potential preventive treatments for migraine. Migraineurs given high doses of riboflavin for 3 months showed a mean global improvement in headache scores of 68.2% in the open-label study by Schoenen et al subsequently confirmed in a randomized controlled trial published in Neurology. There are obviously many complex biochemical interactions possible between these 2 vitamins; eg, both act on mitochondrial complex I to catalyze mitochondrial electron transport. Since both clinical studies use doses in excess of the daily recommended intake (DRI), it is also possible that they modify other metabolic pathways than proposed by Velling et al. A head-to-head placebo-controlled comparison of these 2 high-dose vitamin treatments would seem to be worthy of consideration. The DRI for riboflavin (vitamin B2) is 1.3 mg per day for men and 1.1 mg per day for women. Riboflavin kinase synthesizes flavin mononucleotide (FMN) from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and riboflavin. Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is synthesized by the subsequent adenylation of FMN by FAD synthetase. A flavin-containing cofactor, FAD or FMN, is utilized by 151 (4%) of the 3870 enzymes catalogued in the ENZYME database. Riboflavin is also essential for normal release of energy from carbohydrate, protein, and fat in food and has the potential to increase mitochondrial energy efficiency. For example, a reduction of phosphorylation potential in brain and muscle mitochondria has been reported in attacks of migraine. The DRI for niacin (vitamin B3) is 16-mg niacin equivalents per day for men and 14-mg equivalents per day for women, where 1 niacin equivalent is 1-mg niacin obtained through the diet or the metabolism of tryptophan. The term niacin is often used synonymously with nicotinic acid. Nicotinamide, the amide form of nicotinic acid, is a building block for both nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). References: Schoenen J, Lenaerts M, Bastings E. High-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic treatment of migraine: results of an open pilot study. Cephalalgia. 1994;14:328-329; Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial. Neurology. 1998;50:466-470; and Ames BN, Elson-Schwab I, Silver EA. High-dose vitamin therapy stimulates variant enzymes with decreased coenzyme binding affinity (increased Km): relevance to genetic disease and polymorphisms. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;75:616-658. DSM

Title: Re: Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
Post by floridian on Feb 16^th, 2004, 2:49pm

Cross checking the new report with older research, and it looks like the 68.2% improvement was from an older study that administered 400 mg riboflavin per day - slightly more than the recommended daily intake of 1.1 - 1.3 mg. No side effects reported.

Quote:

If the brain of migraineurs is characterized between attacks by a reduction of mitochondrial phosphorylation potential, riboflavin, which has the potential of increasing mitochondrial energy efficiency, might have prophylactic effects in migraine. In this preliminary open pilot study, 49 patients suffering from migraine (45 without aura, 4 with aura) were treated with 400 mg of riboflavin as a single oral dose for at least 3 months. Twenty-three patients received in addition 75 mg of aspirin. Mean global improvement after therapy was 68.2% and there was no difference between the two groups of patients. With the exception of one patient in the riboflavin plus aspirin group who withdrew because of gastric intolerance, no drug-related side effects were reported. High-dose riboflavin could thus be an effective, low-cost prophylactic treatment of migraine devoid of short-term side effects. A placebo-controlled trial of its efficacy seems worthwhile.

(A placebo-controlled follow up was carried out, and confirmed the results.)

Title: Re: Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
Post by Lizzie2 on Feb 16^th, 2004, 5:08pm

My neuro had me taking 400mg of riboflavin (B2) for mIgraines. Many people take 200mg. There must be people out there whom it helps...I'm not one of them and neither are many of my friends on this same dose. 68% and you'd think at least one of my friends would have gotten some relief with the stuff! Darn!

~Lizz

Title: Re: Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
Post by Giovanni on Feb 17^th, 2004, 8:46am

I agree Floridian. Vitamin Complex 50 seems to help me along with an additional B-2.

John

Title: Re: Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
Post by henzey on Feb 18^th, 2004, 11:38am

on 02/16/04 at 14:30:42, floridian wrote:

Some forms of niacin can cause flushing - the skin gets warm and red. (500 to 1500 mg/day).

Well, since I am pale as a ghost anyway....this might be an advantage to me!! Might not need the blush anymore! ;;D I plan to pick up some B50 and lavender oil today. Will let you all know if it helps.

Title: Re: Fresh Research - B Vitamins and Meegrain
Post by Lizzie2 on Feb 18^th, 2004, 4:28pm

High doses of riboflavin also cause neon green pee! :o

LOL
Lizzie