• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

B2 I love you!

Messages
22
Are those of you taking large doses of B2 at all nervous for your eyes? Some research has linked large amounts of B2 to developing eye problems if you don't take precautions like wearing sunglasses.

For example: "A potentially dangerous combination would be the consumption of high-dose vitamin B2 (riboflavin) which increases the sensitivity of the retina and sclera to blue light damage. [Experimental Eye Research Oct 2015]

Exposure to blue light and riboflavin has been experimentally shown to break down the vitreous gel that fills the center of the eyes and can possibly induce floaters, clumps of protein that interfere with the passage of light to the retina. [Experimental Eye Research June 1987]"

I'm terrified of making my eye floaters worse. Right now, I'm taking 10mg of Riboflavin-5-Phosphate, once per day. I had reached out to the B12 oils website, and they said they think I might have a functional vitamin B2 deficiency due to the problems I discussed with them.

I was having shortness of breath from my B12 and folinic acid that potassium suddenly wasn't helping. Adding in the B2 does seem to have helped matters. So I'm giving it another shot! I have no clue how long I may have had a functional B2 deficiency. I mean, I was supplementing with B12 only (and then B12 with folinic only) for quite some time...eek.

I did try taking a few different B-Complexes over the years, but I was never SUPER consistent with them, y'know?

I'm not taking any iodine/selenium/molybdenum at the moment. Should I add that in? I'm wondering if instead of buying them separately, a kelp supplement could suffice?

@LynnJ - the first link is broken(it points to some marijuana study), the second one doesn't seem very reliable. There is in vitro part, which is always suspicious as it usually doesn't reproduce in a whole living organism, and in vivo - it involves direct injection of B2 into rabbits eyes - yikes, doesn't seem too realistic either.
 
Last edited:

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
I notice when I ingest ice cream, my eyes become more prone to dryness and irritation. any idea as to the specific reason this occurs. Does milk cause depletion of some nutrients from body or what. It has to. Just wondering if someone has researched it and found anything. It's one of the reasons why I minimize dairy. There is the A1 milk protein issue also. I can eat a little cheese now and then. It just has to be depleting something in the body for the eye problems to arise.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,094
I notice when I ingest ice cream, my eyes become more prone to dryness and irritation. any idea as to the specific reason this occurs. Does milk cause depletion of some nutrients from body or what. It has to. Just wondering if someone has researched it and found anything. It's one of the reasons why I minimize dairy. There is the A1 milk protein issue also. I can eat a little cheese now and then. It just has to be depleting something in the body for the eye problems to arise.
The only thing that totally relieves my corneal pain from epithelial dystrophy is A2 milk. However it causes me insulin resistance + allergy problems.
High arginine foods tend to greatly worsen my issues. I was firstly diagnosed with corneal herpes, but a 2nd dr thinks it is epithelial dystrophy. I think it might be both.
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
The only thing that totally relieves my corneal pain from epithelial dystrophy is A2 milk. However it causes me insulin resistance + allergy problems.
High arginine foods tend to greatly worsen my issues. I was firstly diagnosed with corneal herpes, but a 2nd dr thinks it is epithelial dystrophy. I think it might be both.

one idea on why people get type 1 diabetes is that milk protein causes the destruction of the pancreas.
 

Kathevans

Senior Member
Messages
689
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
Oh, gee, I've been letting myself have milk with granola, and sneaking that ice cream from time to time... I thought B1 (newly replenished with both Allithiamin and Benfotiamin) was supposed to guard against Diabetes...
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
Oh, gee, I've been letting myself have milk with granola, and sneaking that ice cream from time to time... I thought B1 (newly replenished with both Allithiamin and Benfotiamin) was supposed to guard against Diabetes...

I think diabetes may be a fatty acid metabolism dysfunction problem. Saturated fats may not get processed properly thereby gumming up something in the body that prevents proper glucose metabolism. From there is likely different stages of it.
 

renski

Senior Member
Messages
338
Location
Honolulu
Any ideas on why taking B2 + B6 (regular forms) together would cause depression? I'm also taking B12, B3, Folate at the same time. I haven't just tried B2+B6 on their own (will do that though). If I take either on their own I don't notice the side effects. I am low on B2 and B6 (confirmed through organic acids and pyrroles etc). I'm also low on a lot of other stuff, manganese, zinc, selenium, lithium, B12, Folate, Biotin, B1, B3
 

Kathevans

Senior Member
Messages
689
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
@renski If you are low in so many things, it would be difficult to say what's causing what. I would begin to titrate up slowly on one thing, then another, going slowly and keeping track of your reactions.

Because you are low in so many Bs, you might start with a good multi that is low dose in all. If you want to control Folate, you might try something like Seeking Health's B-Minus, though there are other options.


Good luck!
 

Kathevans

Senior Member
Messages
689
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
@gettinbetter I had the a B-Complex in place for a long time (and a low dose of about 100mcg of iodine, too) when I started to experiment with quarter tabs of the B2 sublingual. I started and stopped several times and never got the great feeling that some got, in fact it felt uncomfortable in some way.

After working with Greg, I added selenium first in the Brazil nuts and eventually in about 100mcg/ day of BodyBio drops. Later I titrated up on Molybdenum which I take in halves of a 150mcg tab daily. As to the B2, I currently take 35-45 mcg/day, but have never experienced that lowering of my folate need that many say occurs for them.

I also ran into a B1 deficiency which I've had to address. Greg's advice seems to be that if you get the levels up there, a month ought to enable you to become replete. For many his may be the case.
 

renski

Senior Member
Messages
338
Location
Honolulu
@Kathevans, according to my Nutreval I was low in B1, very low in B2, B3, B6 and low in the others.. what I don't understand is should I work on bringing up B1 levels first? I can't tolerate b complex's so I have been using the B's separately but taking a few of them together. I'm hitting a mineral complex daily now with decent amounts of all the essentials.

* Should mention I've been taking B2 and R5P for about 4-5 months with B3, P5P, Benfotamine, Hydroxy/Adensyl B12, zinc, Glutathione and a mineral complex but only once or twice a week. My manganese levels have dropped very low since being on that protocol. I'm taking mineral complex daily now to get manganese back up, but not sure which B's to start back on. B2 seems to be out for now, so I'm taking B6 (P5P wasn't agreeing with me) and trying a few of the others to see how things go.
 
Last edited:

Kathevans

Senior Member
Messages
689
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
@renski Sorry, but I have no idea what to recommend to you. I have always tolerated a B-complex, so that hasn't been one of my issues. I will say, as above, that I couldn't tolerate B2 until I got the the iodine, molybdenum and selenium levels up; and adding regular B1, when I was deficient, didn't help. In fact, it exacerbated symptoms, whereas both Allithiamine and Benfotiamin I tolerated well--though I titrated up by opening capsules and breaking them down into fourths/eighths/sixteenths etc. The Allithiamin did upset my digestive tract after a while and switching to the Benfo has helped. The problem of course, is that all the Bs work in concert. Fiddling with one tends to shift others... I'm still working with this.
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
@Kathevans, according to my Nutreval I was low in B1, very low in B2, B3, B6 and low in the others.. what I don't understand is should I work on bringing up B1 levels first? I can't tolerate b complex's so I have been using the B's separately but taking a few of them together. I'm hitting a mineral complex daily now with decent amounts of all the essentials.


i couldn't tolerate b complex ... folate and b12 part but after supplementing with lithium orotate i could
 

renski

Senior Member
Messages
338
Location
Honolulu
@renski Sorry, but I have no idea what to recommend to you. I have always tolerated a B-complex, so that hasn't been one of my issues. I will say, as above, that I couldn't tolerate B2 until I got the the iodine, molybdenum and selenium levels up; and adding regular B1, when I was deficient, didn't help. In fact, it exacerbated symptoms, whereas both Allithiamine and Benfotiamin I tolerated well--though I titrated up by opening capsules and breaking them down into fourths/eighths/sixteenths etc. The Allithiamin did upset my digestive tract after a while and switching to the Benfo has helped. The problem of course, is that all the Bs work in concert. Fiddling with one tends to shift others... I'm still working with this.

Interesting..
I'm low in iodine too, possibly molybdenum as well. Not sure which B complex has no folate/b12, I think seeking health has one?
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
I see.. am taking lithium drops but can only tolerate small amount

are the drops lithium orotate. orotate is best transporter for minerals into cells

i see drops for lithium citrate ... they may absorb from intestine but not well into cells membrane. i don't know how to compare the two
 

Kathevans

Senior Member
Messages
689
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
@renski Seeking Health B-Minus has no Folate or B-12, so is helpful whe titrating up on those two. But it's also missing some of the lesser stuff that a B-Complex usually has like choline or inositol, which I know nothing about!