B2, drowsiness, oxidative phosphorylation, energy production

[ChroncStresChris]

I've been using riboflavin recently and it makes me noticeably drowsy.

For context, my health background is very very poor. I come from chronic stress, low thyroid, high estrogen, high endotoxin, leaky gut, SIBO, lactate. It's just been an absolute mess.

Anyway, I've made huge improvements and things do seem to be getting better.

But it's curious, every time I use a big dose of riboflavin, like maybe 140mg or 210mg or even 280mg, I get extremely drowsy, and this intervention seems to 'correct' my chronically disturbed sleep for a few days.

I guess my question is, is this drowsiness from B2 normal? I tried to answer this question, but there's not much of a link between ribo and fatigue or sleepiness.

My working theory is that the B2 could be impacting the complexes of the ETC and restoring ATP synthesis / energy production, causing me to not need adaptive/stress hormones and allowing my rest to come back to normal.

I haven't noticed much else besides the sleepiness though. So I'm unsure. I also was apprehensive to take this much in the past, because of Ray's quote about the sensitization to light from B2. But I can't help myself, I love the sleep, so now I just try to do my light in the morning and riboflavin in the evenings.

Any ideas?

[LucH]

@ChroncStresChris said:

Any ideas?

Hi,
HD riboflavin is a good choice but drowsiness is a side effect.
I cite:
High-dose riboflavin (vitamin B2) may improve sleep quality by reducing perceived stress, fighting cellular oxidative stress in the brain, and supporting the nervous system and energy metabolism. [1, 2, 3]
Symptom Check: Drowsiness is not a standard toxicity symptom of B2, but clinically reflects a sudden parasympathetic shift or "rebound fatigue" when a chronically exhausted nervous system finally drops its stress drive. [1, 2]
What I would manage and how I see the problem:

• Every other day 200 mg B2.
• 3 times a week a B50 complex (co-enzymed) (the 3 other days). Not every day.
• Mg bisglycinate powder 2 x 1.3 g at the beginning. Then 3x when accustomed. You’ll probably need beginning with half the dose when suffering from SIBO (tolerance). Don’t force the speed or your brain will register it as a toxin.
• L-theanine 200 mg 1 hour before bed. To help relax and improve deep sleep. One week later, we'll see for dysbiosis and energy.

Explanation:

• The Reason: Magnesium acts as a natural brake for the nervous system. It works hand-in-hand with B2 to stabilize the mitochondria and prevent the "emergency brake" feeling that causes daytime fatigue. Smaller, frequent doses maximize intestinal absorption and prevent bowel tolerance issues (diarrhea), while the glycine bound to the magnesium acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter to calm her fried nervous system.
• The L-Theanine (200 mg) Knockout: L-theanine increases alpha brain waves and blocks glutamate receptors. This directly dampens the neurological "noise" and hyper-arousal caused by her high estrogen and chronic stress, allowing her to transition into deep sleep
• Splitting the dose B2 (in 2 takes 100 mg, the same day).
  The B2 / B-Complex Alternate Balance: High-dose B2 pushes the mitochondrial and liver pathways hard. Giving it every other day prevents her system from getting overwhelmed (+ rate-limited assimilation). The B50 co-enzymed complex on the off-days ensures her body has the necessary cofactors (like active B6, B9, and B12) to actually utilize that energy without hitting a metabolic bottleneck.

When the sleep gets better, we’ll manage dysbiosis. You’ll probably have to calm over-reaction from the stomach linen with plant extract from melissa and curcumin (both are here required but only in the liquid form, otherwise curcumin is irritable).
We call it: EPS (Extrait de plantes standardisées) (Plant extract liquid). Very soft approach for irritable bowels. They are generally available as an alcohol-free oral solution and can be prescribed as a custom blend tailored to individual needs.

PS: You need a plan. If you try one molecule after the other, it won't match. Let me see how you see it / how you perceive the pieces of advice.