Magnesium is very important for muscle function, immune system, mood and energy production, all of which tend to be impaired in fibromyalgia. It is not surprising that many people with fibromyalgia benefit from magnesium.
Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium is found in many foods, such as meat, leafy greens and grains. Even if nutritional intake is adequate, stress, some diuretics, genetic disposition and some other factors can cause the body to secrete too much magnesium in the urine, leading to magnesium deficiency.
Normal blood testing for magnesium may turn up normal levels, but studies have found that intracellular levels of magnesium can still be low in people with fibromyalgia.
Magnesium deficiency may lead to lower levels of the sleep hormone melatonin, decreased immune function, increased inflammation and loss of glutathione (an important antioxidant and detoxificant produced by the body).
It is particularly interesting that magnesium deficiency increases the levels of substance P, an inflammatory neuropeptide which is known to be elevated in fibromyalgia. Magnesium is also an NMDA antagonist. Drugs belonging to this class are often used in the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Magnesium can help tiredness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, "fibro fog", constipation, muscle stiffness, pain (including myofascial pain and neuropathic pain), anxiety, depression (including bipolar disorder), headaches, sensory oversensitivity (such as photophobia), arrhythmias, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and Raynaud's phenomenon.
Magnesium Supplements
The most common method of magnesium supplementation is by tablets. It is important to pay attention to the type of magnesium. The most common type, magnesium oxide, is very poorly absorbed.
The type of magnesium normally recommended for fibromyalgia is magnesium malate. It combines magnesium with malic acid, which is naturally found in apples, plums and other fruit and like magnesium, may aid energy production in cells. A small study from 1995 found some benefit from magnesium malate in fibromyalgia.
If you cannot find magnesium malate, you should try to get an amino acid chelate form, such as magnesium aspartate or magnesium glycinate. Magnesium citrate also has good absorption.
Magnesium supplements usually cause no side effects, but excessive doses may lead to diarrhea. Some people get stomach upset even from moderate doses. Those with kidney problems should consult their physician before starting to supplement with magnesium.
Common dosage of magnesium is 300-750 mg daily, commonly divided into two doses. Magnesium is often recommended to be taken with calcium, but for some people calcium can cause muscle pain.
Other Forms of Magnesium Supplementation
Normally when there is a deficiency of a vitamin or mineral, the body absorbs it from food (or tablets) more efficiently. With magnesium, however, a deficit may actually reduce the body's ability to absorb it. This is why oral supplementation is not always sufficient.
Intramuscular magnesium injections have been used to treat magnesium deficiency. The only downside is that the shots tend to be painful. Adding vitamin B12 or the amino acid taurine is said to reduce the painfulness. The injections are usually given once a week and can be self-administered.
Magnesium can also be given intravenously, though usually this is not done to fix a deficiency, but in emergency medicine to treat conditions from migraines to myocardial infection (heart attack).
British doctor Sarah Myhill recommends some highly experimental forms of magnesium administration, such as via nebulizers (devices that mist the substance into the lungs) and even enemas or rectal suppositories. Nebulizers may be particularly useful for those with asthma.
Epsom salt is a form of magnesium sulphate which can be used for bathing and is available as a cream from some pharmacies. Many people with fibromyalgia find Epsom salt useful for pain.
References
Russell IJ, Michalek JE, Flechas JD, et al. Treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome with Super Malic: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover pilot study. J Rheumatol. 1995 May;22(5):953-8.
Haavisto Maija. Reviving the Broken Marionette: Treatments for CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia. 2008.
Magnesium - treating a deficiency | Dr Myhill
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