Taking magnesium for migraines..?

Rose:

I take anywhere from 800 to 1200 mg of magnesium a day. I've found that it might help a little in terms of controlling headaches due to the fact that it's a weak NMDA receptor agonist, which partially blocks glutamate binding -- a major factor in the headache process. Aside from that it helps manage constipation that can be caused by a lot of medications, especially opiate pain killers.

Hope this information was helpful. Generally speaking, with these sort of things my neurologist and I will end up saying, "Well, it can't hurt." I'd talk to your doctor about increasing the dosage and giving it a couple of more months.

Best regards,

Ben

Yes, magnesium glycinate yields a greater amount of absorbed magnesium. However, before going through the trouble of finding and using a compounding pharmacy and considering IV treatments you might just want to try an increased does of the magnesium oxide.

Ben

@ Rose is magnesium oxide ok as in free from and side affects thanks very interested in this ? THANKS

Meshell, where do you purchase the spray on magnesium? What do you think about the magnesium oil? I have daily chronic migraines, I take magnesium but have never tried the spray or oil magnesium. I have way too many migraine medications and other medications that are suppose to treat migraines to even type them here. I am desperate to find something that would help at least give me a couple of days a week free of some of the pain.

I deal with neck pain with my migraines too. I pray that you all find relief from your migraines.

Many Blessings ~ :)

I tried it once expecting it can help relax my muscle and nerves (given that it’s a magnesium source) but instead of relief I experienced the other way around. An hour after I take it I begun feeling dizziness, itching and cramping, though it is studied by professionals to be a nerve relaxing agent.

I started getting migraines about 10 years ago and have had them 2-3x/month (which I realize isn't much compared to a lot of people). Miserable darn things. about a year ago, in desperation, I thought "hey, magnesium relaxes muscles, think I'll try it for this migraine that's creeping up." Yada yada, now, as soon as I feel one coming one, I take at least 3 caps (300-400mg ea) along with the couple of aspirin or ocassionally ibuprofen. I've taken up to 8 caps of magnesium over the course of a few hours when it's really bad. (The only 'side effect' I've ever had is some diarrhea the next day. A price I'm more than willing to pay!) I also take 1-2 caps daily, then the extra ones as needed.

The upshot is I now feel like I have much more control over what the outcome is going to be, and I'm suffering a whole lot less. In fact, it's fair to say those 48-hour+ whole-body misery sessions have diminished to an evening of relatively mild discomfort.

This result has been the same with various forms of magnesium, including oxide, though I do agree other forms are better given bioavailability. Capsules are always the better choice over tablets for pretty much anything. The binding agents in tablets can make the supplement practically unaccessible to your body. (Magnesium Ultra by Vitacost.com works great for me, as has their oxide form but it seems like I need to take more of that.)

Key tactics for me, aside from the critically-important magnesium, are A) catch it as early as possible, B) stay well hydrated always; I usually drink extra water (filtered!) when symptoms are starting, C) don't skip meals; getting overly hungry can be 'deadly, D) avoid getting overly exhausted, E) get to bed asap... oh! and F) peppermint essential oil on the temples, base of the skull, and center of forehead is also really helpful for me.
Acupuncture can also help a lot, but it can be hard to get a treatment just as you need it; it's mostly better for long-term management.

At a recent visit to a neurologist (for something else), I mentioned how magnesium has been helping with my migraines, and I was gratified when he replied something like "Oh yeh, naturopaths often recommend magnesium to their patients with migraines." Hmm, so how come I never heard about this from the various ND's I've seen over the years...? Thanks guys. : l

Good luck to you!

Post Edited (All's Well) : 6/5/2015 2:55:33 AM (GMT-6)