So you heard magnesium is good for migraine prevention…but there are so many kinds of magnesium! From oxide to chloride to glycinate to citrate, it can be confusing. How do you know which one to use?

The most important thing to know for migraine sufferers is absorption. Some forms of magnesium, such as magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate, are poorly absorbed and therefore have low bioavailability. That means the magnesium is not getting to where it needs to go to prevent your migraines.

Organic forms of magnesium, such as citrate and glycinate, among others, tend to have higher bioavailability.

Magnesium citrate is the most extensively studied form of magnesium for migraine prevention. Most studies demonstrating the effectiveness of magnesium on migraine used magnesium citrate. 

Some critics argue that magnesium citrate is a laxative and is poorly absorbed, leading to its laxative effect. While it is true magnesium citrate is also used as a laxative, usual laxative preparations are dosed at ~17 g (or 17,000 mg) of magnesium citrate. The dose you'll find in 2 capsules of MigraineMD is 600 mg, which is clearly a much smaller dose. While some people are extra sensitive to magnesium and can still have loose bowel movements at 600 mg, it is uncommon. 

There is a common myth that having diarrhea means it is poorly absorbed. As already discussed, magnesium citrate actually is well absorbed into the body. Whenever you ingest magnesium of any type, a proportion gets absorbed and the rest does not. The higher the dose of magnesium you ingest, the more that gets absorbed, but at the same time there is also more that does not get absorbed. The portion that is not absorbed draws water into the intestine resulting in diarrhea. So simply put, at higher doses diarrhea may be a side effect, but it is not an indication of its lack of absorption or efficacy. 

Finally, for those who struggle with constipation, magnesium citrate may provide some welcome relief.

The American and Canadian Headache Societies (AHS and CHS) both recommend magnesium citrate for migraine prevention.

The AHS and CHS have in the past also suggested considering magnesium glycinate due to a lower risk of diarrhea and possible benefits for mood disorders, though there are no specific studies demonstrating its effectiveness for migraine.

Magnesium L-threonate has made headlines recently because a research study showed that it enters the brain more readily than other forms of magnesium. On the surface, it would seem that this would be important for migraine prevention. However, migraine treatments don’t need to enter the brain itself to be effective. A good example is the triptan class of medications. Triptans are commonly used migraine abortives and are usually very effective at relieving migraine attacks. Triptans do not cross the blood-brain barrier, but rather act on nerves outside the brain and prevent the pain signals from traveling along the nerves into the brain. It should be noted that no study has proven magnesium L-threonate is effective for migraine, and it is among the most expensive forms of magnesium on the market.

MigraineMD uses magnesium citrate because it is the most evidence-based form of magnesium.

- Neurologist and Co-Founder of NeuroNaturals