Methylene Blue
Monograph · AMethylene Blue
Phenothiazine dye + electron-cycling agent. FDA-approved IV antidote for methemoglobinemia. Off-label uses span mitochondrial-energy + cognitive-enhancement protocols at controversial sub-therapeutic doses.
How it clearsHalf cleared in ~5h. Most (~96%) gone by ~1d.
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Mechanism, evidence, legal path, cost — all side-by-side.
MB acts as electron donor + acceptor in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (donates to complex IV / cytochrome c oxidase). Approved IV indication is severe methemoglobinemia at 1-2 mg/kg. Off-label cognitive-enhancement cohort uses sub-therapeutic oral doses (0.5-4 mg/day) based on rodent neuroprotection literature + Bryan Johnson protocol popularization. The leap from rodent model to oral microdose efficacy in healthy humans is inadequately validated. Stack catalogs MB for SAFETY interaction surface — serotonin syndrome with SSRIs is the real risk users encounter.
Promising cognitive signal that holds up in early trials — but cognitive effects resist self-assessment at low deltas. The brain adjusts to its own baseline quickly, meaning real improvements can feel like nothing from the inside. Task performance tracks better than sensation here.
HARD CONTRAINDICATION — concurrent SSRIs / SNRIs / MAOIs / TCAs (serotonin syndrome can be fatal; FDA boxed warning 2011). G6PD deficiency = hard contraindication (hemolysis). Stains everything blue — urine, sweat, contact lenses. Pharmaceutical-grade USP MB only — industrial / aquarium-grade contains heavy metals. Bryan Johnson popularization has driven dosing-creep + casual self-experimentation; the cognitive-enhancement evidence base does NOT support this.
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- CLimited evidence
Phenothiazine dye + electron-cycling agent
1 supporting referencesVerified 23d ago - AStrong evidence
Methylene Blue is an FDA-approved drug active ingredient
1 supporting referencesVerified 23d ago
External links to PubMed searches, ClinicalTrials.gov, and FDA materials. We do not host papers — we point at canonical sources.
- RegulatoryENREGULATORYNIH-fundedVerified 48d agoFDA — Methylene Blue serotonin-syndrome boxed warning (2011)
- PubMedENREVIEWAcademic-fundedVerified 48d agoRojas JC et al. — Methylene blue neuroprotection rodent literature (Prog Neurobiol 2012)
- PubMedENRCTAcademic-fundedVerified 48d agoTelch MJ et al. — Methylene blue + extinction memory consolidation human RCT (J Psychiatr Res 2014)
FDA-approved IV (methemoglobinemia, cyanide poisoning adjunct). Oral form sold as compounded prep or USP-grade powder; off-label cognitive use lacks FDA endorsement.
Distilled themes from named communities — Reddit threads, forums, creator commentary. Not direct quotes; not clinical evidence. Useful for calibrating expectations against what real self-experimenters report.
Cohort splits sharply: Bryan Johnson DD followers report subjective cognitive lift at 2-4 mg oral; mainstream-medicine cohort points to inadequate human evidence + serotonin syndrome risk. Stack documents both honestly + flags the SSRI interaction explicitly.
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