Can Vitamin B Help With Migraines?

A viewer is asking if taking vitamin B can help prevent migraines. Doctor Lacy Anderson has the answer.

B vitamins can help reduce migraine frequency and severity, according to several studies. Magnesium has also been helpful to decrease migraines.  

There have been studies looking at different B vitamins as well as a B complex vitamin supplement vs placebo and all the vitamin B groups reported improvement in migraines when compared to placebo. 

In most cases, B vitamins are very safe but there have been reported cases of B6 toxicity causing nerve pain and peripheral neuropathy symptoms. For this reason, I usually don’t recommend a B complex vitamin. Vitamin B1 seems to be very safe as well as B2. B12 also seems to be very safe as well. 

If you have terrible migraines, it may be worth trying a vitamin B supplement, but avoid B6 due to the risk of nerve damage if levels get too high. 

You might also check the side effects of any supplement you might be taking so you can be on the lookout for those.

I always recommend checking with your doctor to make sure that a supplement is safe for you to take.