Methylene Blue

[BadassBlues]

After researching Methylene Blue, I have decided to give this a try. I ordered a pharmaceutical grade, premixed in a dropper bottle. Each drop is .5 mg. I’m going to start slow and see how it goes.

Any thoughts or advice?

 

[sammmy]

If it's too good to be true, probably it isn't ...

Anecdotal reports indicate MB acts like a stimulant but there are much safer herbal stimulants tested for thousands of years.

The whole hype revolves about MB acting as an anti-oxidant and somewhat comically improving the oxidation in mitochondria ... The whole hype of anti-oxidants somehow forgets that oxidation is the engine of life. They also never mention studies that show high doses of anti-oxidants lead to cancer in mice.

MB is also hyped up as an anti-aging topical at the microscopic concentration of 2.5 microMolar, however they found that at concentration 5 microMolar or higher it reduces epidermal cell viability i.e. is cytotoxic to skin cells. The cytotoxic concentration to mucosal cells is probably even lower so ingesting it probably kills cells in the intestines.

For reference, 1 microMolar of Methylene Blue is about 0.3mg dissolved in 1 Liter of water (1 Liter is about 1 quart = 4 cups).

Here is the study about the promoted "fountain of youth" that is cytotoxic at slightly higher concentration:

Anti-Aging Potentials of Methylene Blue for Human Skin Longevity - Scientific Reports

Oxidative stress is the major cause of skin aging that includes wrinkles, pigmentation, and weakened wound healing ability. Application of antioxidants in skin care is well accepted as an effective approach to delay the skin aging process. Methylene blue (MB), a traditional...

www.nature.com

 

[BadassBlues]

If it's too good to be true, probably it isn't ...

Anecdotal reports indicate MB acts like a stimulant but there are much safer herbal stimulants tested for thousands of years.

The whole hype revolves about MB acting as an anti-oxidant and somewhat comically improving the oxidation in mitochondria ... The whole hype of anti-oxidants somehow forgets that oxidation is the engine of life. They also never mention studies that show high doses of anti-oxidants lead to cancer in mice.

MB is also hyped up as an anti-aging topical at the microscopic concentration of 2.5 microMolar, however they found that at concentration 5 microMolar or higher it reduces epidermal cell viability i.e. is cytotoxic to skin cells. The cytotoxic concentration to mucosal cells is probably even lower so ingesting it probably kills cells in the intestines.

For reference, 1 microMolar of Methylene Blue is about 0.3mg dissolved in 1 Liter of water (1 Liter is about 1 quart = 4 cups).

Here is the study about the promoted "fountain of youth" that is cytotoxic at slightly higher concentration:

Anti-Aging Potentials of Methylene Blue for Human Skin Longevity - Scientific Reports

Oxidative stress is the major cause of skin aging that includes wrinkles, pigmentation, and weakened wound healing ability. Application of antioxidants in skin care is well accepted as an effective approach to delay the skin aging process. Methylene blue (MB), a traditional...

www.nature.com

Most of the studies I researched found credible evidence of the efficacy of MB for the purposes I am interested in. Yes, I did see a lot of hype, but that is common with most everything.

It appears that MB is a potent MAO-A inhibitor, mood enhancement is a common effect that is mentioned a lot. Also, the antioxidant properties have been studied and documented. Energy level increase is also commonly referenced.

Doubtful this is any kind of miracle drug, but it may serve a purpose.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

After researching Methylene Blue, I have decided to give this a try. I ordered a pharmaceutical grade, premixed in a dropper bottle. Each drop is .5 mg. I’m going to start slow and see how it goes.

Any thoughts or advice?

I assume you've watched the interviews with Fransisco Gonzalez-Lima who seems to be one of the most well-know gurus on MB, although I think Bruce Ames is also a fan. I have used the low doses he recommends as it seems like a good risk/reward. I will be interested in how your cardio goes. You might also look into Molecular Hydrogen which apparently also has the ability to help the body self-regulate. Everything can be harmful in excessive dosages (e.g. water) but intermittent small doses seem reasonable. I take it before my most cardio-intensive workouts.

 

[t_spacemonkey]

i used to take it. forgot brand, something like CZ/amazon. 5g for 70usd. dosing is around 10-20mg. i even went up to 100mg at some point. 0.5mg is too low.
i noticed slightly improved mood in the AM, prob due to AD effects, but not much beyond and that did not last either. no benefits for me really after 2-3 months intake. stopped

 

[BadassBlues]

i used to take it. forgot brand, something like CZ/amazon. 5g for 70usd. dosing is around 10-20mg. i even went up to 100mg at some point. 0.5mg is too low.
i noticed slightly improved mood in the AM, prob due to AD effects, but not much beyond and that did not last either. no benefits for me really after 2-3 months intake. stopped

The bottle has a dropper. Each drop is .05 mg so you can adjust the dosage as needed. As stated, I am going to go slow. I tried 10 drops (5mg) in my pre workout drink this morning. MB has a short half life, so that is a good thing for my purposes.

 

[BadassBlues]

I assume you've watched the interviews with Fransisco Gonzalez-Lima who seems to be one of the most well-know gurus on MB, although I think Bruce Ames is also a fan. I have used the low doses he recommends as it seems like a good risk/reward. I will be interested in how your cardio goes. You might also look into Molecular Hydrogen which apparently also has the ability to help the body self-regulate. Everything can be harmful in excessive dosages (e.g. water) but intermittent small doses seem reasonable. I take it before my most cardio-intensive workouts.

Thank you for the reference, I had not listened to those podcasts before. I just read the transcripts with him and Doctor Mercola, very interesting.

I started this morning, so I don't have any feedback as yet. I took a very small dose, 10 drops (5mg). What dosage are you using?

I also take selegeline, 5mg, which is a selective MAO-B inhibitor. That is why I am using caution as to dosage. There shouldn't be any problems at low doses as the Selegeline has no effect on serotonin at 5mg. I monitor my BP regularly as well.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Thank you for the reference, I had not listened to those podcasts before. I just read the transcripts with him and Doctor Mercola, very interesting.

I started this morning, so I don't have any feedback as yet. I took a very small dose, 10 drops (5mg). What dosage are you using?

I also take selegeline, 5mg, which is a selective MAO-B inhibitor. That is why I am using caution as to dosage. There shouldn't be any problems at low doses as the Selegeline has no effect on serotonin at 5mg. I monitor my BP regularly as well.

I'm using a similar dose

 

[BadassBlues]

Dosing information is a bit confusing. The most common reference for cognitive and AI purposes states 1-4 mg/kg.

So at my weight of 225, that is 102 kilograms. That equates to a dose of 102 - 408 mg's.

That seems extremely excessive... Am I doing the math wrong?

 

[t_spacemonkey]

Dosing information is a bit confusing. The most common reference for cognitive and AI purposes states 1-4 mg/kg.

So at my weight of 225, that is 102 kilograms. That equates to a dose of 102 - 408 mg's.

That seems extremely excessive... Am I doing the math wrong?

feels extremely excessive. I can't recall the studies, but I recall that 15-20mg was used in several studies related to cognition/dementia etc and that dose was mentioned in a book I did read. I recall listening to a podcast with Joe Cohen, and he mentioned that 8mg is even high. I had no ill effects of 20mg taken for weeks/months at a time

 

[sammmy]

A dose of 138mg/day caused much more side effects in Alzheimer patients than placebo - about 1/3 of the study participants dropped the drug due to Adverse Events.

The adverse events were diarrhea (as I said it is cytotoxic to intestines at even the smallest doses), it is "poorly tolerated without food" (damages intestines), discomfort urinating, frequent urination, falls, decrease in red cell counts and hemoglobin, decrease in white blood cell counts.

These effects do not pass as "beneficial" in my book. It may be an acceptable tradeoff to an Alzheimer patient if the drug really slows their cognition decline but to someone without Alzheimer, such side effects indicate unacceptable toxicity.

The higher dose 228mg/day failed to give improvement on the Alzheimer scales, probably because of higher toxicity. The authors start in the Discussion section some medical mambo-jumbo to "explain" that rather unwanted "result".

Read the Safety section and look at the graphs for the improvement:

Tau aggregation inhibitor therapy: an exploratory phase 2 study in mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease - PubMed

The minimum safe and effective daily MT dose is 138 mg and suggests that further study of MT is warranted in AD.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[BadassBlues]

There is a definite and positive effect on mood. I sat outside listening to music during a thunderstorm last night, most mellow and relaxing evening I have had in a long time.

I had vivid dreams, but sleep was not so great because of that.

Energy levels are definitely increased. Cardio was a breeze.

This was on 5 mg.

 

[BadassBlues]

This is an interesting substance. After much experimentation, I have landed on 4 drops (2mg) in my pre workout drink. Yes... 2mg. Any more than that and I am overstimulated. The effects on mood and memory are dramatic. I have tested this by going days without, and then days using it. Marked difference, very noticeable.

As with Deprenyl, I believe part of this is age related. A younger person may not feel any effects at all. The loss of MAOI's as a person ages makes a big difference on how certain things work.

 

[electrify]

I am trying it recently for anhedonia issues that began in September after a hangover that was a month after covid and it is helpful but not enough.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Chris Masterjohn (one of the genuine big brains of health and someone I recommend that everyone follow) just released a free report, podcast and video with his thoughts on methylene blue. You can go to chrismasterjohnphd.com and subscribe and you will have access to them. He describes a lot of nuances I have not seen elsewhere.

 

[bixt]

I bought a bottle from the pet shop last week of 1% solution. So 10mg/ml.

Used a ml a week with my morning coffee. Nothing to report.

It's supposed to be a strong MAOI A inhibitor.

Similar experience in the past too