Magnesium and Migraine Relief

Back in 2014, Dr. Mehmet Oz discussed inexpensive, drug-free pain remedies on the March 13 episode of the Dr. Oz Show (“Natural Pain Killers That Work”).

An effective natural pain killer for migraines is magnesium citrate. Dr. Oz said over 50% of migraine sufferers have a magnesium deficiency. He suggests taking 400 to 600 mg of magnesium a day for migraine relief.

Anyone who’s ever suffered from a migraine is probably curious about natural ways to prevent another painful episode. Migraine sufferers might be more likely to have a magnesium deficiency due to genetics, excretion during stress, or other factors. Taking a magnesium supplement might help decrease the number of migraines. In a group treated with magnesium oxide (a form of magnesium with a very low absorption rate), the participants had significantly lower headache severity than the placebo group.

Magnesium helps stabilize blood vessels and riboflavin is a B vitamin that helps brain cells use energy. Eating foods that contain both of them will help keep a migraine at bay.

Magnesium has also been shown to reverse osteoporosis, prevent heart disease, regulate high blood pressure, treat diabetes, and promote restful sleep.

Research:

A Cochrane review grades Magnesium as one of the strongly recommended treatments for migraine headaches [55]. Oral Magnesium supplementation has been shown to reduce the frequency, duration, and intensity of migraines by 41% compared to placebo at 15.8% [56]. Magnesium sulfate (1 gram IV) may be useful in migraine patients with aura (37% responded with less pain) but not in common migraine [57]. After a 3-month treatment period with oral Mg citrate at 600 mg/day for migraine without aura, a recent study showed significant improvement in attack frequency, severity, and P1 amplitude (a component related to processing of visual stimuli)[58].