by admin | Sep 16, 2015 | Complementary & Alternative Medicine
What is the Role of Magnesium in Migraine?
Two double-blind studies have shown that magnesium supplementation may reduce the frequency of migraine.1,2 Research studies reveal that magnesium levels affect serotonin receptors, and also have an effect on nitric oxide synthesis and release, as well as on NMDA receptors—all brain structures and chemicals suspected to be important in migraine. In small studies, both migraine and cluster headache patients have responded during headache attacks to intravenous magnesium. In a larger double-blind controlled study looking at prevention, the treatment group receiving 600 mg of magnesium for a 12 week period experienced a 41.6% reduction in headaches as compared to only 15.8% reduction in migraine headaches in the placebo group.2 Another controlled trial at a dose of 485 mg did not show benefit.3
What magnesium does in your body
It is responsible for over 300 essential metabolic reactions in the body. It is required for synthesizing proteins in the mitochondria, the metabolic powerhouses of your cells, and for generating energy in most of the body’s basic cellular reactions. It is necessary for several steps in the synthesis of DNA and RNA. Magnesium is also present in a number of other important enzymes. As important as it is intracellularly, 60% of the body’s magnesium is present in bone, and 27% in muscle.
Magnesium supplements
If you decide to take supplemental magnesium, the recommended starting dose is 400-500 mg/day in divided doses. The limiting factor for most people is diarrhea. If you are on a migraine preventative medication that is constipating, like amitriptyline or verapamil, this might be a plus. It’s always wise to check with your doctor before starting on magnesium, especially if you are on medication. Warning: If you have heart disease or kidney disease, or are prone to kidney stones, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting on magnesium or a calcium magnesium supplement.
To be metabolized effectively, magnesium must be taken with calcium, or with adequate calcium in the diet. The amount of calcium should be no more than double the amount of magnesium— this is the ratio commonly recommended for women. Men may require less calcium, and sometimes take a ratio of calcium/magnesium that is equivalent mg/mg. Many people take in only 60-70% of the recommended daily allowance in the first place, and then things like stress and caffeine can deplete that further throughout the day. There is emerging evidence to suggest that dietary intake of calcium may be preferable to calcium supplements in women and men who are middle-aged or elderly.
Migraine sufferers have been found to have a relative magnesium deficiency in their bloodstream between migraine attacks, and intracellular magnesium levels drop even further during a migraine attack. Magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, and magnesium sulfate, are bioavailable—look for mixed salts of these forms, or magnesium gluconate or magnesium glycinate, which are ionized, and biologically active; if you develop diarrhea from those forms of magnesium, look for chelated magnesium. Magnesium carbonate dissolved in CO2- rich water is 30% more bioavailable than magnesium found in foods or in pill-format.
Magnesium–drug interactions
Some medications may not be completely absorbed if taken at the same time as magnesium. Digoxin absorption, for example, may be decreased due to magnesium. Nitrofurantoin and anti-malarials may also be decreased in absorption due to magnesium. Magnesium may interfere with quinolone or tetracycline antibiotics, and can interfere with anticoagulants. Diuretics such as furosemide (Lasix®) or hydrochlorothiazide can result in magnesium depletion. Iron supplements may interfere with magnesium supplement absorption. It is best not to take magnesium at the same time as medications. If you have concerns about whether or not you should be taking magnesium, or about the timing of magnesium and your medications, your pharmacist may be of help in advising you.
Foods rich in magnesium:
Potential headache triggers: Not usually headache triggers:
| peanuts |
brown rice |
| almonds |
blackstrap molasses |
| hazel nuts |
kiwi fruit |
| bananas |
broccoli |
| tofu |
spinach |
| soy beans |
swiss chard |
| avocado |
tomato paste |
| peanut butter |
sweet potato |
| chocolate |
pumpkin seeds |
| cocoa powder |
succotash |
| black-eyed peas |
cooked artichoke |
| whole grain cereals |
cooked okra |
| chick peas |
beet greens |
| split peas |
acorn squash |
| lentils |
baked potato |
| beans |
fresh apricots |
| dried apricots |
raisins |
| yogurt |
milk |
Note: not all suspect trigger foods are triggers in all headache sufferers.
References:
1. Mauskop A, Altura BM. Role of magnesium in the pathogenesis and treatment of migraines. Clin Neurosci. 1998;5(1):24-27
2. Peikert A, Wilimzig C, Kohne-Volland R. Prophylaxis of migraine with oral magnesium: results from a prospective, multi-center, placebo-controlled and double-blind randomized study. Cephalalgia. 1996;16(4):257-263
3. Pfaffenrath V, Wessely P, Meyer C, et al. Magnesium in the prophylaxis of migraine–a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Cephalalgia. 1996;16(6):436-440
by Christina Peterson, M.D.
by admin | Aug 8, 2015 | Migraine Survival
Anne MacGregor, MB BS, MD, MFSRH, MICR, DIPM
Dr. Anne MacGregor, Harley Street Consultant, is the former Clinical Research Director at the City of London Migraine Clinic, an independent medical charity, and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Research Centre for Neuroscience within the Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London. She is also an Instructing Doctor and examiner for the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She has served on the board of the International Headache Society, serving as General Secretary from 1999 to 2005. She is a Trustee of the Migraine Trust, and member of the Medical Advisory Board of Migraine Action Association, both lay organizations. Through her interest in pain management, she is an Executive Committee member of the Academic Pain Group at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is a co-author of BASH Headache Management Guidelines, which are now in their third edition. In the past, she was a Trustee and member for the Board of Directors of the British Association for the Study of Headache (BASH) and the Anglo-Dutch Migraine Association (ADMA). She was a member of the IHS Classification Subcommittees for Menstrual Migraine, and Tension-Type headache and the IHS Task Force on oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy use in migraine sufferers.
Dr. MacGregor received her miedical degree from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, University of London. She become interested in the association between migraine and female hormones at an early stage of her career, crossing between neurology and reproductive health, in order to pursue this interest. She has now published extensively on migraine in women and continues to research in this field. She has also been involved in numerous clinical therapeutic trials for migraine.
Dr. MacGregor is an ad hoc reviewer for many publications including the British Medical Journal, The Lancet, The Lancet Neurology, Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin, Headache, Cephalalgia, Climacteric, and Maturitas.
Dr. MacGregor has over 150 publications and 5 single-author books to her credit. She lectures extensively.
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by admin | Aug 8, 2015 | Migraine Survival
Christian Spies, M.D.
Dr. Spies is presently an interventional cardiologist at Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, and Co-Director Structural Heart at Sutter Health, Bay Area.
He has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, and attending cardiologist at The Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu, HI. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology, the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and the Society for Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Spies serves as a reviewer for Heart, Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, American Journal of Cardiology, Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine, and Cardiology.
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by admin | Aug 8, 2015 | Migraine Survival
Mario Peres, M.D.
Director of the São Paulo Headache Center, and Professor of Neurology at ABC Medical School. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, Brazilian Headache Society, International Headache Society, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Peres currently serves as a reviewer for the journals Headache, Cephalalgia, Arquivos de Neuropsiquiatrica, and Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Dr. Peres is a Senior Research Associate at the Brain Research Institute – Albert Einstein Hospital and has research interests in sleep disorders and psychiatric comorbidities in headache.
Dr. Peres’ websites are www.cefeleas.com and dordecabeca.net
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by admin | Aug 8, 2015 | Migraine Survival
Christina Peterson, M.D.
Dr. Peterson is a physician specializing in neurology who over thirty years has treated thousands of patients with headache pain. She has also been asked to consult on the topic of headache and migraine in a variety of business and clinical settings.
Dr. Peterson has served as Medical Director of the Oregon Headache Clinic, President of HEADquarters Migraine Management, Inc., and is the owner of MigraineSurvival, focusing on a wellness-based approach to headache. Dr. Peterson is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, The American Headache Society, the National Headache Foundation, the International Headache Society, and the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific.
Dr. Peterson has been a frequent speaker on the topic, and has also written about headache for the lay public. She is the author of The Women’s Migraine Survival Guide, published by HarperPerennial. She has also contributed to the “Differential Diagnosis of Headache” in two editions of Chiropractic Management of Spine-Related Disorders, and a chapter on whiplash and headache in Whiplash: A Patient-Centered Approach to Management.
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