Abstract
Magnesium deficiency may occur for several reasons, such as inadequate intake or increased gastrointestinal or renal loss. A large body of literature suggests a relationship between magnesium deficiency and mild and moderate tension-type headaches and migraines. A number of double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trials have shown that magnesium is efficacious in relieving headaches and have led to the recommendation of oral magnesium for headache relief in several national and international guidelines. Among several magnesium salts available to treat magnesium deficiency, magnesium pidolate may have high bioavailability and good penetration at the intracellular level. Here, we discuss the cellular and molecular effects of magnesium deficiency in the brain and the clinical evidence supporting the use of magnesium for the treatment of headaches and migraines.
Highlights
A large body of literature suggests a relationship between magnesium deficiency and mild and moderate tension-type headaches and migraines [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
Studies carried out by Mauskop and colleagues [3,39] estimated the frequency of magnesium deficiency among migraine sufferers by evaluating the efficacy of the intravenous infusion of 1 g of magnesium sulfate for the treatment of patients with headaches. They investigated the correlation of clinical responses and basal serum ionized magnesium level and reported that a 50% reduction in pain was noted after infusion [3,39]. These results suggest a correlation between magnesium deficiency and headaches, and of note, they suggest that magnesium deficiency represents an independent risk factor for migraine occurrence
The analysis showed that a treatment lasting 20 days was sufficient to normalize serum magnesium levels in 90% of treated patients [68]
Summary
A large body of literature suggests a relationship between magnesium deficiency and mild and moderate tension-type headaches and migraines [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Challenges exist for measuring magnesium concentration [23], and standardized laboratory tests that accurately evaluate magnesium levels are lacking [24]. Magnesium deficiency may be masked as the large proportion of magnesium residing in bone provides a large exchangeable pool to buffer changes in serum magnesium concentration [16]. Magnesium pidolate is able to reverse magnesium deficiency responsible for headaches, even after a short administration period [31], and to prevent pediatric tension-type headaches [38]. Taking this into consideration, the unique mechanism of action of magnesium pidolate and the efficacy and safety of magnesium salts for the treatment of headaches is considered
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