Riboflavin Uses

• Riboflavin indications
• Uses of Riboflavin in details
• Riboflavin description
• Riboflavin dosage
• Riboflavin interactions
• Riboflavin side effects
• Riboflavin contraindications

What is Riboflavin?

Vitamins are compounds that you must have for growth and health. They are needed in small amounts only and are usually available in the foods that you eat. Riboflavin (vitamin B 2) is needed to help break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It also makes it possible for oxygen to be used by your body.

Lack of Riboflavin may lead to itching and burning eyes, sensitivity of eyes to light, sore tongue, itching and peeling skin on the nose and scrotum, and sores in the mouth. Your doctor may treat this condition by prescribing Riboflavin for you.

Some conditions may increase your need for Riboflavin. These include:

• Alcoholism
• Burns
• Cancer
• Diarrhea (continuing)
• Fever (continuing)
• Illness (continuing)
• Infection
• Intestinal diseases
• Liver disease
• Overactive thyroid
• Serious injury
• Stress (continuing)
• Surgical removal of stomach

In addition, Riboflavin may be given to infants with high blood levels of bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia).

Increased need for Riboflavin should be determined by your health care professional.

Claims that Riboflavin is effective for treatment of acne, some kinds of anemia (weak blood), migraine headaches, and muscle cramps have not been proven.

Oral forms of Riboflavin are available without a prescription.

Riboflavin indications

Oral

Prophylaxis of Riboflavin deficiency

Adult: 1-2 mg daily.

Incompatibility: Incompatible with alkaline solutions and with tetracycline, erythromycin and streptomycin.

Oral

Riboflavin deficiency

Adult: Up to 30 mg daily in divided doses.

Child: 3-10 mg daily.

Incompatibility: Incompatible with alkaline solutions and with tetracycline, erythromycin and streptomycin.

Oral

Microcytic anaemia

Adult: Associated with splenomegaly and glutathione reductase deficiency: 10 mg daily for 10 days.

Incompatibility: Incompatible with alkaline solutions and with tetracycline, erythromycin and streptomycin.

Uses of Riboflavin in details

Riboflavin (Riboflavin) supplementation is used to prevent and treat Riboflavin deficiency. Riboflavin may prevent migraine headaches at high doses and be useful for prevention of eye conditions such as cataract, glaucoma and tired eyes (fatigue). Riboflavin is also used for boosting of immune system, and maintenance of healthy hair, skin, nails and mucous membranes.

Riboflavin description

Nutritional factor found in milk, eggs, malted barley, liver, kidney, heart, and leafy vegetables. The richest natural source is yeast. It occurs in the free form only in the retina of the eye, in whey, and in urine; its principal forms in tissues and cells are as flavin mononucleotide and flavin-adenine dinucleotide. [PubChem]

Riboflavin dosage

Dosage Forms

Excipient information presented when available (limited, particularly for generics); consult specific product labeling.

Capsule,

Oral:

B-2-400: 400 mg

Generic: 50 mg

Tablet,

Oral:

Generic: 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg

Dosing: Adult

Dietary supplement:

Oral: 100 mg once or twice daily

Prevention of migraine headache (off-label use):

Oral: 400 mg once daily (Rahimdel 2015; Schoenen 1998)

Dosing: Geriatric

Refer to adult dosing.

Dosing: Pediatric

Dietary supplement: Infants, Children, and Adolescents: A multivitamin preparation is most commonly used for the provision of Riboflavin supplementation in pediatric patients; the use of a single-ingredient Riboflavin product as a daily supplement for the prevention of deficiency in pediatric patients is very rare. If single-ingredient Riboflavin supplement is necessary, consult product labeling for appropriateness of product in infants and young children in particular.

Migraine headache, prevention: Limited data available, efficacy results variable: Children ≥ 8 years and Adolescents:

Oral: 200 to 400 mg once daily; dosing based on a retrospective study of 41 patients (ages 8 to 18 years) who received 200 mg/day (n=21) or 400 mg/day (n=20) as prophylaxis for migraine and migraine-type headaches; results showed significant reduction in primary endpoint of frequency of headache attack; 68.4% of patients had a ≥50% decrease in headache frequency during treatment (Condò 2009). However, in a prospective, placebo-controlled study of 48 patients (ages 5 to 15 years), patients received 200 mg/day (n=27) or placebo (n=21) and in the treatment group (Riboflavin) no benefit compared to placebo for migraine frequency or intensity was observed; a high placebo responder rate was also reported (MacLennan 2008).

Riboflavin interactions

See also:
What other drugs will affect Riboflavin?

Interactions for Riboflavin (Riboflavin)

Alcohol - impairs the intestinal absorption of riboflavi

Antidepressants (tricyclics or phenothiazines) - requirements for Riboflavin may be increased in patients receiving these medications

Probenecid - concurrent use decreases gastrointestinal absorption of Riboflavin; requirements for Riboflavin may be increased in patients receiving probenecid.

Riboflavin side effects

See also:
What are the possible side effects of Riboflavin?

Adverse Reactions

Frequency not defined: Genitourinary: Urine discoloration (yellow-orange)

Riboflavin contraindications

See also:
What is the most important information I should know about Riboflavin?

None well documented.

Active ingredient matches for Riboflavin:

Riboflavin

References

1. DailyMed. "ASCORBIC ACID; BIOTIN; CYANOCOBALAMIN; DEXPANTHENOL; ERGOCALCIFEROL; FOLIC ACID; NIACINAMIDE; PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE; RIBOFLAVIN; THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE; VITAMIN A; VITAMIN E: DailyMed provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States. DailyMed is the official provider of FDA label information (package inserts).". https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailyme... (accessed September 17, 2018).
2. PubChem. "riboflavin". https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/com... (accessed September 17, 2018).
3. DrugBank. "riboflavin". http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00140 (accessed September 17, 2018).

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Information checked by Dr. Sachin Kumar, MD Pharmacology