Researchers at USC’s Keck Medicine presented a poster with their findings at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society in Minneapolis, which concluded yesterday. They described the effect of intravenous magnesium on the post-concussion syndrome. In 2019, the same group published an article on the beneficial effect of intravenous magnesium on status migraine.
In the current report, USC researchers reviewed charts of 65 post-concussion patients who received monthly 2-gram IV magnesium infusions. Of these, 17 patients had sufficient follow-up data to include in the analysis.
These 17 patients had seven fewer headache days per month and had a 15-point reduction in Post-Concussion Symptom Scale scores. Patients over 55 showed the greatest improvement (21-point reduction vs. 7 points in younger patients).
Our research at SUNY, Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, has shown that magnesium plays an essential role in migraine pathophysiology. There is also evidence for its role in traumatic brain injury.
The poster’s word cloud reveals that while “Headaches” dominates post-concussion symptoms, patients also suffer from memory loss, neck pain, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. When asked what treatment helped most, IV magnesium topped the list.
In a post last month, I described a Dutch study showing that post-concussion headaches usually fit the description of migraines. The treatment given for migraines is usually effective for post-concussion headaches. So it is no surprise that an infusion of magnesium helps both conditions.
Just like in this report, we have many migraine patients who receive monthly infusions of magnesium. We typically administer one gram rather than two, but we give it as a push over five minutes, not as a drip. There is some evidence that intravenous push is more beneficial, possibly because it results in a higher peak level of magnesium, which may lead to better penetration into the brain cells.
Besides its efficacy, magnesium’s safety profile and low cost make it attractive for treating migraines and post-concussion syndrome.
