Does riboflavin (vitamin B2) prevent migraines?

Riboflavin may reduce how often adults get migraines, based on small trials. Results in children and combination supplements were mixed.

Published October 2026

Short answer

In adults, 400 mg a day of riboflavin cut migraine attacks in a small placebo-controlled trial. The evidence is limited, and children's results were mixed. Evidence grade C (Limited). One small placebo-controlled adult trial plus meta-analyses of trials with high heterogeneity; downgraded for inconsistency and small trials.

Key takeaways

In a 3-month trial of 55 adults, 400 mg of riboflavin a day gave at least a 50% drop in headache days for 59% of people, against 15% on placebo [1].
A 2022 meta-analysis of randomised trials found vitamin B2 reduced migraine days, duration, frequency and pain, though results varied a lot between trials [2].
Two small placebo-controlled trials in children found no clear reduction in migraine attacks from riboflavin [3][4].
When riboflavin was combined with magnesium, feverfew or CoQ10, it did not clearly reduce migraine days more than placebo [5][6].

The short version

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) may reduce how often adults get migraines. The best adult evidence is one placebo-controlled trial of 55 people that found fewer headache days on 400 mg a day [1]. A 2022 meta-analysis of randomised trials found a similar overall benefit, but the trials were few and varied widely [2]. The evidence is limited, and it does not show riboflavin is a reliable migraine preventive.

What the studies show

The adult trial ran for three months. Riboflavin lowered attack frequency and headache days compared with placebo, and 59% of people on riboflavin had at least half as many headache days, against 15% on placebo [1].

The 2022 meta-analysis pooled eight randomised trials and one controlled trial with 673 participants. It found reductions in migraine days, attack duration, attack frequency and pain score, but the heterogeneity between trials was high [2]. A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis of 22 trials of several supplements also found that riboflavin reduced attack frequency, with a mean difference of −1.34 [7].

A 2025 systematic review of 17 studies in children used vote counting rather than pooling. It found that riboflavin, alone or in combination, reduced attack frequency in 7 of 10 comparisons [8].

The nuances

The child results are weaker than the review above suggests. In a trial of 48 children taking 200 mg a day, riboflavin did not beat placebo, and a high number of children improved on placebo [3]. A crossover trial of 42 children taking 50 mg a day also found no significant difference in attacks, though it found a small effect on tension-type headaches [4].

Combination products were tested separately. A 2004 trial of a riboflavin, magnesium and feverfew combination found no difference from a placebo that contained 25 mg of riboflavin [5]. A 2015 trial of riboflavin, magnesium and CoQ10 found no significant drop in migraine days compared with placebo, though pain and disability scores improved more on the supplement [6]. Because the riboflavin dose and the other ingredients differ between these products, their results do not settle the question for riboflavin alone.

What this means for you

In these trials, riboflavin was inexpensive and few side effects were reported, so it is a reasonable question to raise with a doctor if you have frequent migraines. It is not a replacement for a treatment your doctor has prescribed. Ask a doctor before starting high-dose supplements, especially if you are pregnant, have kidney or liver disease, or take other medicines. For the full safety picture, see the riboflavin topic page.

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Riboflavin (vitamin B2) — Riboflavin (vitamin B2) may reduce how often adults get migraines: 400 mg a day cut attacks in a small placebo-controlled trial.