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Comment by narrator | Hacker News Reader

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Methylene blue is actually used to treat acquired cases of a similar condition called methemeglobinemia which is when the iron in heme is oxide from Fe2+ to Fe3+ [1]. This is different from carbon monoxide poisoning which is caused by carbon monoxide binding more tightly to hemoglobin than oxygen preventing oxygen from effectively getting into your blood.

[1] https://www.uptodate.com/contents/methemoglobinemia?search=m...

Ahh I bet that is where the confusion is. I am a physician and I have used methylene blue in severe shock and methemoglobinemia but I was a bit worried the parent comment believed it’s a valid CO treatment.

Initially suspecting that since CO poisoning and methemeglobinemia are not the same, methylene blue might not work in CO cases, I did about three seconds of web searching and found a 1933 paper about an experiment (on animals) showing methylene blue to be effective in CO poisoning.

Hello, I would be interested if you could give evidence that methylene blue "works great" for carbon monoxide poisoning in humans.

It is not the standard of care in any guidelines I can find from any country. There is a paper from 2018 out of china showing some benefit in a rat model: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcpt.12940

IANAMD I made a quick search and the evidence of methylene blue as a carbon monoxide antidote looks controversial.

IIUC part of the effect is oxidizing/reducing the iron atom in the hemoglobin, and that changes how strong is the bound with the O2, CO, NO. But my chemistry is not enough to give a good guess of the results.

Methylene blue has a fun/shocking side-effect.

It can be beautiful.

https://www.reddit.com/r/medlabprofessionals/comments/16lep3...

It's an easy way to blue yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GYtgFdXCGE

Turns your pee blue

Is that the one that turns your organs blue?

it turns you red?

It turns you into a meth head.

God forbid we have alternatives that work in minutes

Given that MB is commonly supported by those with right leaning politics, if the above is true, it won't be reported on for risk of appearing to support the "wrong" party.

Why would a treatment be not made available if it’s effective? What’s the conspiracy in letting people suffer and die?

Well, money would be the most obvious one, but the parent comment is talking about the anti-science regime currently in power in the USA. I can't remember which, but I thought I read they banned some effective treatments because RFK Jr (famous conspiracy theorist now in charge of the country's health) didn't believe in them. They shut down research into mRNA medicines. at least, because they think it's population control to keep you docile, or something like that. There was also a mass shooting at a CDC office on similar grounds.

It's been around for a century but it's a political conspiracy to keep it unknown??

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