Substrate ·evidence-based
interventions / Magnesium / migraine frequency

Does Magnesium help migraine frequency? (Grade C evidence)

For migraine frequency, Magnesium sits at Grade C — a hint of benefit in limited trials, especially in adults with migraine, oral prophylaxis, low certainty, at doses not standardized across the 10 oral trials.

Exact question reviewed

Population
adults with migraine, oral prophylaxis
Intervention
Magnesium · not standardized across the 10 oral trials
Comparator
not reported
Outcome
migraine frequency
Time horizon
not reported

Bottom line. For migraine frequency, Magnesium sits at Grade C — a hint of benefit in limited trials, especially in adults with migraine, oral prophylaxis, low certainty, at doses not standardized across the 10 oral trials. [1 RCT]

Direction
benefit
Magnitude
10 oral-magnesium RCTs (n=789): reduced migraine frequency and intensity vs. placebo (odds ratios 0.20 and 0.27, no CIs given); some trials had inadequate randomization per the review authors. A separate IV arm covered acute attacks, not prevention.
Grade
C
Certainty
low
Clinical meaning
small but potentially useful
Who it applies to
adults with migraine, oral prophylaxis
Dose / form studied
not standardized across the 10 oral trials
Safety
minor_with_ssri
The one limitation
Claim-specific limitation details are not available in this public record.

Reviewed · Evidence last changed · Claim clm_ec_b3-mg-migraine v0

⚠ Safety in context

Grade
C
what does the grade mean?
Certainty
low
what does certainty mean?

Grade C / low: hints of benefit in small trials; a well-run RCT could easily push this to B or to null.

Who it works for

Best-studied in adults with migraine, oral prophylaxis. Recorded studied dose: not standardized across the 10 oral trials.

Evidence

StudyDesignRoleCite
Effects of Intravenous and Oral Magnesium on Reducing Migraine: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.peer-reviewedsupportsPMID:26752497

Why this grade

Reasoning trace

The current record stores Grade C at low certainty and links 1 publishable source. A claim-specific domain-by-domain grading rationale is not available in this public record, so no reason for upgrading or downgrading is inferred here.

Audit and version

Claim ID
ec_b3-mg-migraine
Claim version
not reported
Governance
legacy, not verified
Last evidence search
not reported
Last editorial review
2026-07-16T07:10:09.457Z

Public receipt · Machine-readable claim · Methodology

Dose & form

Studied intake: not standardized across the 10 oral trials.

Full dose & form comparison for Magnesium →

How it stacks up for migraine frequency

Grade history

No grade changes yet. Initial grade assigned; re-reviewed on every 6 months (Grade C+) — next review by . Methodology v1.

Re-review cadence: every 6 months (Grade C+) · next scheduled by · methodology v1.

Frequently asked

How long does Magnesium take to work for migraine frequency?

Trials of Magnesium for migraine frequency typically report effects within 2–4 weeks, though individual response varies. Studies rarely find benefit inside 1 week for chronic outcomes.

What dose was used in studies of Magnesium for migraine frequency?

Studied doses for Magnesium in migraine frequency trials cluster around not standardized across the 10 oral trials. See the dose block for the specific range and how it varies by form.

Does Magnesium work for migraine frequency if I'm not deficient?

The effect concentrates in adults with migraine, oral prophylaxis. If your baseline is normal, expect a smaller effect than the trial averages.

Magnesium or the next-best alternative for migraine frequency?

See the compare block above for the head-to-head with the most-cited alternative. Grade + certainty differences matter more than any single trial.

Related

What this is — and is not

Evidence description
10 oral-magnesium RCTs (n=789): reduced migraine frequency and intensity vs. placebo (odds ratios 0.20 and 0.27, no CIs given); some trials had inadequate randomization per the review authors. A separate IV arm covered acute attacks, not prevention.
Substrate's interpretation
The current reviewed record assigns Grade C at low certainty. A domain-by-domain rationale is shown only when recorded.
Discuss with a clinician
If you're on medication or have a condition that changes the calculus, bring the interaction & population blocks above to your pharmacist or prescriber before deciding.
Individualized medical advice
Not provided here or on any Substrate surface (API, agent tool, embed) — see YMYL policy.

Cite this page

Citation is encouraged. The proposed reuse license is CC-BY-4.0; status: pending-governance-ratification.

Plain-text citation
Substrate. Does Magnesium help migraine frequency? (Grade C). https://evidencebased.info/interventions/magnesium/migraine. Updated 2026-07-16.
BibTeX
@misc{substrate_onsmagnesiummigraine,
  author = {Substrate editorial},
  title  = {Does Magnesium help migraine frequency?},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://evidencebased.info/interventions/magnesium/migraine},
  note   = {Grade C, evidencebased.info}
}

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