Which type of magnesium do you take?

Hi Emily,

The thing about magnesium, is that it must be absorbed in a very small portion of our intestinal tract. When our Migraines are bad, sometimes this isn't very efficient. Sometimes the best way to take magnesium is actually through our skin!

The type of oral mag I have found easiest for me to absorb, is dissolvable in water and easy to take by drinking. It's called Calm and is a combination of citrate and Mag carbonate. When hot water is added, mag citrate is produced, and that is what ends up in my stomach and hopefully my whole body. I didn't personally do well on Mag oxide. Perhaps because they were in pill form?

~Ellen

Thanks, Emily. I've never heard of that, but it most certainly makes sense. I've noticed zero benefit on magnesium oxide and thought I'd see at least some improvement. My mag oxide and tablet form of administration could very well be the reason why. Also, my mag oxide tablets almost choke me each time I take them. Thanks so much for the info. I'm going to look for Calm and mag citrate.

I have a related question I always forget to ask my neuro: If people with chronic migraines are often found to be deficient in (or do not absorb well) certain vitamins and minerals, could a blood test check for vitamin deficiencies?

emicrania

Yes, I encourage patients to rule out vitamin deficiencies by having them checked. Vitamin imbalances quite often interact with our Migraines and other medical conditions. Not all vitamins nor their tests are created equally however. Each vitamin must be separately tested. Thanks to bariatric surgery, labs are getting better about testing vitamins and how carefully it must be done for accurate measures, however there are still a lot of people out there getting inacurate results. This is one place where being a knowledgeable patient is really important.

For example, B12 is actually tested with 3 different tests, and the results of the B12 test itself in the US won't be flagged until well after the point at which neurological damage (often permanent) has occurred. Here is some important info on B12 testing:

What Can I Expect From B12 Testing? Part 1 https://migraine.com/blog/what-can-i-expect-from-b12-testing-part-1/

What Can I Expect From B12 Testing? Part 2 https://migraine.com/blog/what-can-i-expect-from-b12-testing-part-2/

Magnesium blood levels are not equal to tissue levels, and often the best test for deficiency is to do weekly, then monthly mag infusions (IV) for 6 months or so. This gets the levels higher in your body than you can orally.

Folic acid levels can be messed up by a single meal. The levels in your blood are reflective of the last meal or two you have eaten and do not reflect tissue levels. Because taking folic acid can do some bad things (including cover up B12 deficiency as well as cause "headache"😉 it's not recommended to just go ahead and take it.

Calcium levels reflect what your parathyroid glands are doing, not what you're eating. Correct calcium levels will also require a parathyroid hormone (PTH) test to be accurate.

Many vitamins are toxic when taken in excess, which is why I always tell patients to be tested before just arbitrarily taking them. Many of them in excess, can cause/trigger "headache" which can include Migraine and intracranial hypertension (often caused by large doses of vitamin D).

Obviously it's always the best to get your vitamins from the food you eat. Ideally we would all be able to absorb what we need that way. However, when our guts aren't working properly, as they tend to do when we've had Migraine for a while, take medication for reflux, as well as the results of some other diseases, this just doesn't work. So, testing and supplementing accordingly can be an important part of Migraine management for many of us.

I now do something called IV Micronutrient Therapy (IVMT) and have written about it here:

Migraine Treatment: Intravenous Micronutrient Therapy (IVMT)https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-treatment-intravenous-micronutrient-therapy-ivmt/

I am also a person who did the "impossible" by becoming low in biotin levels. Eating raw eggs can cause this, however I am not a raw egg person. We found the deficiency, but I had to put up my dukes to get it done as the doc didn't think there was any way I could be deficient in anything because I "Look too good." It took about two years of supplementation to get me back up, but in the meantime we learned the important part of HOW the tests are drawn in the lab. This particular test needs to be protected from light, and my first results had notes attached stating the results weren't reliable because they didn't properly protect them from light. The doc missed these notes, so it was a good thing I was getting copies of all my own lab results - the originals straight from the lab. Phone calls were made and protocols adjusted, and from that point we were good. Until that is, we switched labs. I informed them of the procedure to protect the sample from light, to no avail. An argument ensued, and they were very embarrassed when they had to call me in 3 additional times that same day to re-draw the specimen because they'd done it wrong. Had they just listened to me, we'd have been fine. Come to find out, they told me Quest labs had it wrong in their instructions, so we got the main Quest lab to make those changes as well. What an ordeal! But, it shows the importance of getting your own copies of results, and being educated about how things are supposed to be done. I'm just one little person, but because I pushed, people sending samples for Biotin tests to that lab are now getting them done properly.

A great site for information on vitamins is the top research facility in the US and arguably the world. You can find it here:

Linus Pauling Institute at OHSU in Oregon http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins.html

Another great place for information is Consumer Labs which tests supplements to be sure they're as potent as promised, and don't contain unhealthy things that could hurt you. They have lots of good information and will tell you which brands didn't have what they promised. You can find them here: http://www.consumerlab.com/

Hope this has been helpful 😀

~Ellen

I appreciate your observation regarding naturopathic medicine's limited role in this highly advanced and specific field of migraine disease. I have never visited a naturopath in my life and none of my medical team have ever recommended I see a naturopath.

On my upcoming visit with my neuro/headache specialist, I'm going to voice my specific concerns. This large clinic and hospital is very highly esteemed, and I'm fortunate to be seen at our headache clinic by one of the best headache specialists in the nation. The headache clinic has always been very agreeable at working with me on a very personal level and works in tandem with my GP at the same hospital whenever warranted (and vice versa).

As for the labs, I'll educate myself to the best of my ability in advance.

Thank you!