Dr John Kruse
@drjohnkruse·16.8K subscribers·484 videos
Methylene Blue and ADHD
Posted
June 29, 2025
Views
10,185
Likes
268
Comments
47
Engagement
3.09%
June 29, 2025
10,185
268
47
3.09%
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Methylene blue was first synthesized in the 1870's and has been used continuously since then as a dye in the textile and paper industries. 19th century biologists realized it was a useful stain for microscope slides, which led to investigations as an antibiotic. For decades the dye served a major role in combating malaria and tuberculosis, and is still used in fish tanks to counter the bacterial infection "ick".
Because of how well it shuttles electrons between molecules, methylene blue is the standard treatment for methemoglobinemia, converting an inactive form of the molecule back into active hemoglobin so it can shuttle oxygen throughout the body. When the FDA formed in 1938, it grandfathered methylene blue into its approved drugs list, despite it never having the extensive safety reviews that modern drugs require.
In addition to shuttling electrons around, methylene blue has anti-inflammatory properties, protects against oxidative damage, boosts mitochondrial function, and acts as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). The MAOI action means that methylene blue has the potential for causing serotonin syndrome, and tyramine-based hypertension, particularly in combination with other drugs and foods.
While there are plausible reasons that methylene blue might help with ADHD and other mental health conditions, no formal research has looked at its role in treating ADHD. A few twenty-year old studies indicate the dye can provide some benefit in bipolar disorder, and at least one dosage (but not a higher or lower dose) seemed to help individuals with Alzheimer's.
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References:
The effects of acute Methylene Blue administration on cerebral blood flow and metabolism in humans and rats (2023)
Methylene blue modulates functional connectivity in the human brain (2017)
Review on Methylene Blue: Its Properties, Uses, Toxicity and Photodegradation (2022)
Methylene Blue in the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Disorders (2019)
Tau Aggregation Inhibitor Therapy: An Exploratory Phase 2 Study in Mild or Moderate Alzheimer's Disease (2015)
Full Chapter list:
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Psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author John Kruse, MD, PhD presents practical, actionable, well-researched information about treatment options that scientists and clinicians recommend for adult ADHD and other mental health conditions.
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