There has been a lot of talk in the alternative medicine space about Methylene Blue (MB) due to Mark Sloan’s book “The Ultimate Guide to Methylene Blue.” It has by far become one of my favorite new bio hacks that I am loving
There has been a lot of talk in the alternative medicine space about Methylene Blue (MB) due to Mark Sloan’s book “The Ultimate Guide to Methylene Blue.” It has by far become one of my favorite new bio hacks that I am loving because it increases mitochondrial energy, is anti-aging, and enhances mood and memory.
Methylene Blue can be used in treating conditions such as neurodegeneration, memory loss, chronic pain, depression, low energy, Alzheimer’s, anti-viral, Autism, cancer, heart disease, overdoses, increased memory, cyanide, carbon monoxide poisoning, skin aging, Lyme, urinary tract infections, and a premature aging disease, progeria. MB can help with septic shock by inhibiting nitric oxide synthase. There is some research that shows that low-dose MB when combined with certain spectrums of light (UV) may be anti-infective against viruses.
Methylene Blue has been studied for over 140 years and was the first man-made drug in the world and the first ever treatment approved for malaria. In the late 1800s, MB was initially developed as a dye for use in textile manufacturing to stain blue jeans blue. Then in the early 20th century, it was frequently used as an indicator dye, a bacteriologic and cellular stain, plus surgical and medical marking. Psychiatrists in the early 20th century were using Methylene Blue for experimental management of schizophrenia. Drugs that have been made from MB are Hydroxychloroquine and Thorazine.
How does Methylene Blue work in the body?
Methylene Blue is an electron cycler which means that it does both donating and accepting electrons. MB donates electrons to the Electron Transport Chain (ETC) and that increases ATP (energy) production. When this occurs, the effect can happen in with or without the existence of oxygen. After being absorbed MB concentrates in tissues with the most mitochondria which are the brain where it readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, the heart, the liver, and the kidneys. When getting healthier, a top priority should be to optimize your mitochondria because your mitochondria are the essential energy generation mechanism in your body (they make ATP). They make up 30% of your total body weight. That’s how important the MB can be for mitochondrial health! Another way that it works without oxygen is that it also incites glucose metabolism in conditions that increase the amount of NAD+ created by the mitochondria. When you have a greater amount of NAD+, then younger your cells develop and stay.
In lower doses, MB can change the arrangement of the iron (heme) in hemoglobin, the molecule in a red blood cell that carries oxygen which advances the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin. By increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity, there is an increase in ATP production from the ETC. Additionally, it functions as a potent antioxidant as it forages the mitochondria and cytosol for free electrons to receive and neutralize. This allows MB to be neuroprotective and causes there to be a reversal in damaged skin. MB has beneficial antidepressant effects because it functions as a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor which counteracts monoamine neurotransmitter breakdown (dopamine, melatonin, and serotonin) and helps to increase these neurotransmitters. Because MB can act as a cholinesterase inhibitor by raising the amount of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) then the brain can better handle arousal, attention, memory, and motivation.
How can you take Methylene Blue?
Methylene Blue can be taken orally and intravenously. The safest method is USP (pharmaceutical grade). It is still very important to ensure your MB is USP but that it also has testing that documents its purity and potency. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or supplement.
According to most studies, MB has a pro-oxidant effect at lower doses around 0.5 to 4mg/kg which aids in the production of singlet oxygen and peroxide radicals. It can especially be beneficial to use infrared light or get sunlight immediately after an infusion. At high doses (>10mg/kg), MB can have severe toxic effects such as high blood pressure, methemoglobinemia dizziness, GI distress, and induce hemolytic anemia in people with a genetic disorder called G6PD deficiency. Because it is known to be in fish tank cleaner, please do not drink it! MB is used to treat fish fungal infections and this version contains lots of heavy metals such as arsenic, aluminum, cadmium, lead, and more. Industrial grade used in labs or textiles has up to 11% impurities as well.
If you want to take it orally, here is the link to the CZTL Methylene Blue that we recommend because of their robust testing program. It is shipped in 1-gram containers of powder with dosage with mixing instructions and a Certificate of Analysis (CofA) verifying the purity. Most people do well taking around 10 to 60 mg a day. The half-life is about 5 hours which means you can take it twice a day. MB is water-soluble which means you don’t have to take it with food. It will turn your urine a bluish-green color. To prevent your mouth from turning blue, use a straw or you can take powdered ascorbic acid afterward to help with blue coloring. It is recommended to stop taking CoQ-10 or Idebenone when supplementing with MB because it can make MB less effective.
What are the contraindications of Methylene Blue?
People who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), and 5-HTP supplements due to the increased risk of serotonin syndrome which can be lethal. Additionally, if you should not take Methylene blue if you have G6PD deficiency, liver or kidney disease, children (especially infants), are breastfeeding, or are pregnant. It is recommended to wait 8 days before breastfeeding your child if you take MB. Medications that could have a potential reaction with MB can include fentanyl, buspirone, digoxin, Norco, Vyvanse, ergotamine, phenytoin, pimozide, quinidine, warfarin, clomipramine, clomipramine, mirtazapine, cyclosporine, sirolimus, tacrolimus
What are the side effects of taking Methylene Blue?
There can be side effects when taking any supplement or drug and when taking Methylene Blue, the adverse side effects are rare when the dose is below 2 mg/kg. Potential side effects
include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, chest pain, dizziness, high blood pressure, sweating, confusion, shortness of breath, tachycardia, tremors, skin turning blue, urine turning blue or green, pain in your arms or legs, altered taste, reduction of red blood cells, or jaundice (in infants).
Methylene Blue is conceivably one of the most significant anti-aging, antimicrobial, and prevention of neurological disease nootropics that we have today. As Mark Sloan stated in his books, “From my experience testing dozens of different drugs and nutrients over the past 15 years for their effects on my own depression, nothing has had a more positive impact on my life than methylene blue.” I can personally say that MB has helped improve my mood and help me with my Lyme symptoms.
Let us know if we can help you out with getting a Don’t Bee Blue IV by calling or requesting an appointment online!