Why magnesium comes up in headache conversations
Magnesium is a mineral your body uses for nerve signalling, muscle function and energy production. Those roles are the reason it appears in articles about headaches, muscle tension and sleep.
Not every headache is a migraine. A migraine is usually a moderate to severe, throbbing headache that often affects one side of the head and may come with nausea or sensitivity to light and noise. Tension-type headaches feel different, usually as a dull pressure around the head or neck. Most research on magnesium and headaches focuses on migraine, so this article does too.
One practical point matters before you read any study. Most of the body's magnesium sits inside cells and in bone, and a standard blood test measures only a small share of it. A normal blood result does not rule out low stores, and a low result is hard to interpret without a doctor reviewing it alongside your symptoms and diet.
How magnesium could be involved
Researchers have proposed a few links, and none of them is proven. Migraine is thought to start with cortical spreading depression, a slow wave of altered electrical activity that moves across the surface of the brain. Magnesium normally blocks NMDA receptors, which glutamate, a messenger that excites nerve cells, switches on. Lower magnesium could leave those receptors easier to activate, which may make nerves more excitable. Magnesium may also influence serotonin, a chemical involved in narrowing and widening blood vessels, and some attacks involve changes in those vessels.
These ideas explain why researchers test magnesium. They do not show that low magnesium causes migraine in a given person.
What the migraine trials show
The strongest evidence comes from randomised trials, where some people take magnesium and others take a placebo, and attacks are tracked in a diary. The sources below range from positive to negative.
A positive 12-week trial
A 1996 study published in Cephalalgia by Peikert and colleagues randomised 81 adults with migraine to daily oral magnesium or placebo for 12 weeks.1 In the final four weeks, attack frequency fell by 41.6% in the magnesium group and by 15.8% in the placebo group, both compared with the starting period. The number of days with migraine also dropped significantly in the magnesium group. Diarrhoea was the most common side effect, reported by 18.6% of people on magnesium. The magnesium used in this trial was trimagnesium dicitrate, not glycinate.
A trial that found no benefit
A second double-blind trial, published in 1996 in Cephalalgia by Pfaffenrath and colleagues, gave magnesium or placebo to people with two to six attacks a month.2 The trial was stopped at an interim analysis, when 28.6% of people on magnesium and 29.4% on placebo had responded. There was no benefit from magnesium for the number of migraine days or attacks. Soft stools or diarrhoea were more common in the magnesium group, at 45.7% compared with 23.5% on placebo.
A pooled review of randomised trials
In 2016, Chiu and colleagues published a meta-analysis in Pain Physician that combined randomised trials of magnesium for migraine.3 Ten trials with 789 participants tested oral magnesium for prevention, and the pooled result showed fewer and less intense migraine attacks than in control groups. The authors noted that some included studies did not use adequate randomisation methods, so the results should be read with caution.
Acute attacks and guideline advice
The same 2016 review looked at intravenous magnesium for acute attacks. Given in a clinic or hospital, it relieved attacks within 15 to 45 minutes and up to 24 hours after the infusion.3 That is a treatment setting, not a home supplement. For prevention, the 2012 American Headache Society and American Academy of Neurology guideline rates magnesium as probably effective (Level B), based on a small number of trials with mixed results.5
A newer meta-analysis of supplements
In 2025, Talandashti and colleagues published a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis in Neurological Sciences.4 Across 22 trials of dietary supplements, magnesium reduced migraine attacks, attack severity and monthly migraine days compared with control groups. The authors describe the wider supplement evidence as conflicting and call for more high-quality trials.
Can low magnesium cause migraines?
It is possible for some people, but it has not been shown to be a common or proven cause. The evidence so far is observational, and observational studies show an association, not a cause.
A 2016 matched case-control study compared 40 adults with migraine with 40 healthy people. Serum magnesium was lower during attacks (1.09 mg/dl) than in the control group (1.3 mg/dl).6 The sample was small, and the same paper reports a between-attack figure (1.95 mg/dl) that is higher than the control value, which contradicts its own conclusion. Treat it as a lead, not a finding.
A national survey of US adults, NHANES 2001–2004, found that people whose diet plus supplements met the recommended daily intake of magnesium had lower adjusted odds of migraine (OR 0.83). It was a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show that magnesium prevents migraine.7
Migraine has many possible triggers, including changes in sleep, skipped meals, stress, hormonal shifts and changes in caffeine intake. Magnesium may be one factor for some people, alongside those others.
Magnesium products in The Stack range
These products use magnesium or glycine for evening wind-down and sleep routines. None is presented here as a migraine treatment.
Where magnesium glycinate fits
Magnesium glycinate, also called magnesium bisglycinate, is magnesium bound to glycine, an amino acid. The form on the label tells you what the magnesium is paired with, not whether it will help headaches.
Some people choose glycinate because they want a form that is easier on the stomach. The trials above did not compare forms directly, and diarrhoea was the most common side effect in them, so tolerance is a practical concern. The Deep Rest magnesium bisglycinate capsule is a single-ingredient product, so the label shows only magnesium bisglycinate and the capsule shell. The product data describes it as gentle on the stomach, but how your own digestion responds is individual.
The product page lists the ingredients as magnesium bisglycinate and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose capsule. It is processed on equipment that also handles soy, dairy, wheat and other nuts, so check the allergen note if you have a sensitivity. The bottle contains 30 capsules.
Who might consider magnesium, and who should not start without advice
Magnesium supplements are most often considered by adults who have had migraine for a long time, who want a non-drug option to discuss with their doctor, or who already take magnesium through their diet and want to know whether a supplement adds anything. They are a poor first move for anyone whose headaches are new, changing, or getting worse.
Speak to a doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have kidney disease, take prescribed migraine or heart medicines, or take antibiotics or osteoporosis medicines. Magnesium can reduce how well some medicines are absorbed, and it is cleared by the kidneys, so people with reduced kidney function need medical guidance before taking it. Children should only take magnesium under a doctor's direction.
Headaches that need prompt medical care
Do not rely on a supplement for any of the following. Seek urgent medical care for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst of your life, a headache with weakness, numbness, confusion, trouble speaking or vision changes, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or a headache after a head injury. A new headache pattern after age 50 also needs a doctor's review.
How to test whether magnesium helps you
The trials that found benefit ran for about 12 weeks, so that is a reasonable window to judge a supplement. Before you start, record your headache days, attack duration, severity, any medicine you took for an attack, your sleep pattern and any likely triggers. Continue the same diary during the trial period.
Use the diary to compare the two periods. If you see no clear change after 12 weeks, the supplement is unlikely to be doing much for you, and it is worth discussing other options with your doctor. Do not stop a prescribed migraine medicine without medical advice, because stopping suddenly can cause problems of its own.
Food sources of magnesium
Food is the first place to look. Nuts, seeds, leafy greens, legumes and whole grains all contain magnesium. A varied diet with these foods on most days gives a steady intake without a supplement, though it does not confirm whether magnesium is connected to your headaches.
The magnesium trials did not test food changes, so treat diet as a separate, practical step. Keeping meals regular and drinking enough water are simple habits that cost nothing and are worth tracking in your diary alongside any supplement.
Frequently asked questions
Can magnesium cause side effects?
Yes. Diarrhoea and soft stools were the most common side effects in the trials. If they continue, speak to a doctor before going on.
Can I take magnesium with migraine medicine?
Check with a doctor or pharmacist first, because magnesium can affect how some medicines are absorbed.
Disclaimer: This article is for general education and is not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine or any other condition. Speak to a qualified healthcare professional before starting a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, have a medical condition or take medicines.
References
- Peikert A, Wilimzig C, Köhne-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. PubMed 8792038
- Pfaffenrath V, Wessely P, Meyer C, Isler HR, Evers S, et al. Magnesium in the prophylaxis of migraine: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Cephalalgia. 1996;16(6):436-440. PubMed 8902254
- Chiu HY, Yeh TH, Huang YC, Chen PY. Effects of intravenous and oral magnesium on reducing migraine: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pain Physician. 2016;19(1):E97-E112. PubMed 26752497
- Talandashti MK, Shahinfar H, Delgarm P, Jazayeri S. Effects of selected dietary supplements on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Neurological Sciences. 2025;46:651-670. DOI 10.1007/s10072-024-07794-0
- Holland S, Silberstein SD, Freitag F, et al. Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Neurology. 2012;78:1346-1353. American Headache Society and American Academy of Neurology.
- Serum concentration of magnesium as an independent risk factor in migraine attacks: a matched case-control study and review of the literature. International Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2016;31(5):287-292. PubMed 27140442
- Slavin M, Li H, Khatri M, Frankenfeld C. Dietary magnesium and migraine in adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2004. Headache. 2021. PubMed 33503279; DOI 10.1111/head.14065
