Magnesium has become an irreplaceable supplement in everyone’s diet. It is effective in eliminating migraines, for your neurocognitive health, and your muscles.
However, it’s sometimes hard to choose the best magnesium for migraine prevention, due to a plethora of Mg-related products that are now available on the market. In this review article we explore which is the best magnesium supplement for migraines.
Mg deficiency is linked with numerous detrimental brain changes, like, for instance:
- Hyperaggregation of a certain substance called platelets. Aberrant neurotransmitter release that affects nociceptive (pain) processes.
- Profuse spreading of cortical depression.
All these processes are involved in the development of migraines, cluster headaches, and tension-type headaches, according to Yablon and Mauskop who have published their work under the supervision of the University of Adelaide. Magnesium can be thus one of the best options for both prevention (prophylaxis) and treatment of various types of migraines and headaches.
Needless to say, if you have headaches you should contact your doctor who will try to find the cause. While magnesium might prove to be helpful, it must not be your only way to fight migraines.
Best Types of Magnesium Supplements for Migraines
Let’s start evaluating the most popular and the best magnesium supplements for migraines (listed in no particular order, see our conclusion for the Editor’s verdict).
1. Pure Magnesium Citrate by Superb Supplements
This magnesium citrate for migraine prevention is available in a big bag that contains 250g (8.8 ounces) of Mg powder. It comes in a foil zip pouch, which will keep your migraine remedy nice and safe.
According to the Superb Supplements, their product will also help you calm down, relieve anxiety, and treat insomnia. This is one of the most versatile magnesium powders for migraines.
It has been scientifically proven that Mg citrate supplementation helps with migraine without aura- in a study undertaken by Koseogly and colleagues in 2008, researchers found that Mg therapy (600 mg dose per day) decreased both frequency and intensity of headache attacks.
2. ASUTRA Mg chloride bath flakes
We rarely see magnesium chloride you can bathe in! Besides offering a relaxing, soothing bath, this product will also attenuate any migraines you might happen to have, also easing muscle, and joint pain in the process.
One bad thing about this product is that you cannot dose it- your body will absorb Mg, but you simply don’t know how much. This is why you might look not to bathe for too long when using ASUTRA bath flakes.
3. Magnesium oil spray by Magnum Solace
Coming from the bottom of the Dead Sea, this is a unique Mg product! Oil spray by Magnum Solace is rather potent- an 8 oz bottle should last more than 6 months! Needless to say, this magnesium oil spray isn’t only meant to help with headaches and migraines. It will also soothe anxiety, leg cramps, sore muscles, restless legs, and other body aches.
The oil spray is experimentally tested and completely pure- the product passed through 6 phases of purification, using the so-called reverse osmosis technology. The laboratory that makes it is government-certified, made by highly professional technicians and experts.
One spraying will get you 18 mg of pure magnesium- which means that you’d need a bit more than one little spraying.
Note that Mg oil has to be used consistently for the beneficial effects to appear. Simply put, this might as well be the best magnesium supplement for migraines.
4. Research Verified Migraine Relief
It may be unfair to put this product along with all the ones we’ve already mentioned because, Research Verified’s powder capsules contain elements like feverfew, niacin, and riboflavin, besides Mg.
These capsules have a multi-action formula with all-natural ingredients, which are designed to reduce the frequency and duration of your migraines. It is made in the USA and FDA-approved. All ingredients are third-party tested.
One of the best things about this product is the 365-day money-back guarantee! Simply put, if you’re unhappy with this dietary supplement, you’ll be able to get your money back even after one year!
Research Verified makes some of the best magnesium supplements for migraine prevention. Using Research Verified is likely to postpone or alleviate the next headache attack you might face.
5. Epsom Salty by Sky Organics
One of the most important ingredients in this bath salt is magnesium sulfate for migraine headaches. While the sulfate form of Mg might not be as efficient as chloride variant, we have to say that Epsom’s offers are less expensive than, say, magnesium chloride made by Ancient Minerals.
All Epsom products are made in the USA, have no genetically modified organisms, and are packed in the USA. Thanks to special grain size, this bath salt will dissolve rather quickly, which means that your migraine headache won’t have to wait!
One interesting thing is that you can also use it to promote plant growth!
6. Natural Calm powdered magnesium
Natural Calm plain powdered magnesium by Natural Vitality comes in a twin pack of 16 oz bottles (approximately 473 ml each). High grade magnesium in a powdered form is very difficult to get by as many brands prefer to produce capsules or tabs. Though, powdered form is much better absorbed by your body and provides much more benefits quicker. Also, this brand is being recommended by many health and fitness experts including Tim Ferriss as one of the highest quality magnesium supplement that actually works.
How to Use Magnesium for Migraines?
First of all, you’d want to follow the instructions that come with the product you’ve purchased. If you opt for some of magnesium migraine remedies from the above list, you’d probably absorb Mg while bathing, or simply spray it onto your skin.
For those who don’t like this, there are good old capsules filled with Mg powder.
In other words, when it comes to the type of ingestion- you don’t want to experiment. Moreover, you don’t want to take too much magnesium, as various side-effects, most frequent of which is by far diarrhea, may appear. This is why you should keep an eye on this list of recommended daily intake of Mg:
|
Infants, Younger Kids (0 to 8 years of age) |
30 mg to 120 mg |
|
Schoolchildren and teens (8 to 13) |
120 mg to 210 mg |
|
Adolescents |
400 mg |
|
Individuals 30+ years |
420 mg |
As a general rule, males shouldn’t take more than 400 mg of magnesium, while females won’t need more than, say, 320. However, during extremely exhausting activities like running, swimming, etc., our bodies sweat a lot which is the reason we might lose a lot of Mg. This is why the daily intake during days when you have a lot of physical activity might double or even triple!
Foods That Contain Magnesium
You don’t necessarily have to buy dietary supplements to replenish your Mg levels. Having a healthy diet might just be enough to meet your magnesium needs and soothe that inconvenient headache.
These are the foods that might help with your headaches and migraines thanks to high concentrations of Mg:
- Non-processed cacao
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits like avocado, banana, and raspberries
- Vegetables – spinach, broccoli, kale, cabbage (think dark green leafy or cruciferous)
- Salmon, tuna, mackerel
- Dark chocolate
- Beans
Magnesium for Migraines: risks and advantages
As mentioned, you have to be careful about the exact amount of Mg you’re taking. Though, if you overdo with the dose, you will feel a very laxative effect, but nothing much more than that as a side effect. Furthermore, magnesium preparations for migraines and headaches often contain other elements – riboflavin, feverfew, and niacin, for instance. Be careful about these additional ingredients, as they also have a recommended daily intake – and some people may even be allergic to them!
Finally, keep in mind that magnesium is not a wonder-cure for migraine and headaches. It’s also hard to make a product that will be some kind of specific magnesium for ocular migraines.
It’s also important to realize that migraines are a medical condition that can only be treated appropriately by a medical professional, who might add some specific medications to your therapy. Although you might supplement your diet with Mg and other elements, this is by no means the only type of treatment. Our go-to magnesium supplement for migraines is Natural Calm, it comes in a powdered form (as opposed to the usual magnesium in capsules) and it works very well to treat minor migraines triggered by excessive stress and burnout.