Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is often used as a prophylactic treatment for migraine. In a study conducted at the University of Liege (Belgium), Department of Neurology, it was postulated that since the brains of people with migraines were characterized by reduced mitochondrial energy production, riboflavin could be useful because of its potential to increase mitochondrial energy efficiency, and that a prophylactic effect may be realized. A group of 49 patients who have migraines were studied: 45 had common migraine and 4 had classic or “aura” migraine history. Patients were given 400 mg of riboflavin as a single oral dose for at least 3 months. Mean improvement between the groups was 68.2%. It was concluded that high-dose riboflavin could be an effective, low-cost prophylactic treatment for migraine devoid of short-term side effects (Schoenen et al. 1994).
