When my doctor said to take magnesium for my migraines I headed straight to the drugstore as soon as I left his office. I was quite pleased to pick up a bottle of 100 magnesium citrate caplets for only about $7. I popped my first one when I got home and then started my own research about taking magnesium for migraines. It turns out that taking magnesium for migraines is a simple $7 weapon for managing your migraines.
What the Research Says about Taking Magnesium for Migraines
Researchers began looking into the magnesium-migraine connection over 75 years ago. Quite a few studies have shown that taking magnesium for migraines may reduce the frequency of your migraines. Magnesium levels affect serotonin receptors in your brain and a few other brain chemicals and structures. Doctors believe these chemicals and structures are important in the formation of migraine headaches. In a large double-blind study, a test group received 600 mg of magnesium for 12 weeks while another group received a placebo sugar pill. The test group had over a 40% reduction in migraine headaches. The placebo group only had about a 16% reduction in headaches.
Why Magnesium For Migraines
Not surprisingly, a lot of the things that cause you to deplete your magnesium stores also can trigger migraines.
Drinking alcohol, stress, and insomnia all deplete magnesium and can trigger migraines. Magnesium injections are sometimes given to migraine sufferers when they do not respond to other treatments. There’s definitely a magnesium migraine connection. About half of the people who get migraines are also low on magnesium.
Do you need Magnesium for Your Migraines?
“About 15 to 20 percent of the American population is deficient in magnesium, and patients who have migraines have lower blood levels of magnesium than patients who don’t have migraines.” Dr. Sarah DeRossett, neurologist
Most researchers believe that magnesium plays a role in preventing migraines. Increasing your body’s magnesium levels may reduce your migraines.
Symptoms of Low Magnesium
The U.S. RDA for magnesium is about 320 mg per day for women and more than 400 mg per day for men. But studies show that most people only get about half the amount they need. Magnesium is important to your body. It is involved in over 300 processes in the body. Being a bit short can set you up for all types of problems. When you’re deficient in magnesium it can lead to:
- irregular heartbeats
- loss of appetite
- insomnia
- weakness
- shortness of breath
- PMS
- anxiety
- dizziness
- nausea
- poor coordination
Suggested Dosage For Magnesium for Migraines
The recommended dose for supplemental magnesium is 400-500 mg per day. I take my dose only once a day because I’m horrible at remembering to take supplements. You could take it once a day or divide your dose throughout the day. You may have to experiment to see what works best for you. If you develop diarrhea either cut back on your dose of magnesium and work your way up to 400-500 mg a day, switch to a chelated form or unfortunately taking magnesium for migraines may not be right for you.
WARNING: If you have heart disease or kidney disease, or are prone to kidney stones, talk to your doctor before starting on a calcium and/or magnesium regime.
To get into your body properly, magnesium must be taken with calcium. For women the amount of calcium should be about double the amount of magnesium. So if you are taking 500 mgs of magnesium for migraines make sure that you include at least 1000 mgs of calcium also. Men can take about a one to one supplement.
The best forms of magnesium for migraines are magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, and magnesium sulfate. And like I said if you develop diarrhea from other forms of magnesium, look for chelated magnesium.
Magnesium for Migraines Works for Me
I’ve been taking magnesium for my migraines for a little over a month. I’ve been headache and migraine free for the last 3 weeks. I can’t say whether taking magnesium for migraines will work for you or not. It’s worth a talk with your doctor to see if it’s an effective way for you to prevent migraines. If magnesium for migraines is not for you another natural remedy for migraines is feverfew for migraines.
What Else to Read?
Think you may be having migraines without a headache?
Migraine Definition and types of Migraine