I came across the benefits of magnesium supplements sometime in 2017 during a particularly bad migraine attack. I was tired of what painkillers were doing to my body and was in desperate need for an alternative to help me cope with my pain and maybe even alleviate some it.

What I discovered was truly surprising. According to the American Migraine Foundation:

“In 2012, the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology reviewed the studies on medications used for migraine prevention and gave magnesium a Level B rating, that is, it is probably effective and should be considered for patients requiring migraine preventive therapy.”

This means that magnesium has the potential to deter migraines from occurring as often as they do in migraine sufferers.

The science behind this is that magnesium is found to block pain transmitting chemicals in the brain, which means that the brain does not receive a pain signal. Also, the supplement is thought to prevent the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain caused by the neurotransmitter serotonin which triggers migraine headaches.

After reading all this information, which seemed too good to be true, I had to try it for myself.

These are the types of magnesium supplements that I have tried so far:

• NOW Magnesium Citrate 200 mg Tablets ($14.99)

This supplement has 400mg of Magnesium per serving size, which is two tablets. It is recommended to take the tablets with food, as it could potentially irritate your stomach if taken without a prior meal. I chose to only take one tablet daily as I started this particular supplement during the Holy Month of Ramadan, which means that I was taking 200mg of magnesium daily. The tablets are quite big, which made it a bit uncomfortable to take but overall my experience with this supplement was positive.

• NOW Magnesium Citrate Pure Powder (2175KES, approximately $21)

I only bought this type because the aforementioned type was sold out. This is a powder, which differs tremendously from a tablet when it comes to ease of taking. One of the reasons is that pure Magnesium Citrate powder reacts with liquids upon contact, so you have to mix this powder with cold water in order to neutralize this reaction before ingesting it. The process of mixing the powder becomes a bit of a tedious task since stirring the powder can take a good minute as opposed to just taking a tablet. Also, since I have incredibly odd eating patterns (I often forget to eat my meals and resort to having fruits or other snacks as a meal replacement instead), I would find myself foregoing my own advice and taking the magnesium drink on a near-empty stomach, which would lead to stomach discomfort. A teaspoon of this powder contained 435mg of magnesium, which is more than double the amount that I was taking previously.

• Megavit effervescent raspberry flavoured tablets (300KES, approximately $3)

This is the supplement that I am currently taking and I bought it out of pure curiosity because 1) it’s raspberry flavoured, 2) it’s easy to ingest and 3) it’s super cheap compared to the other supplements. The only downside about this particular supplement is that one tablet contains only 150mg of magnesium, making it the lowest amount of magnesium that I’ve taken so far.

Since starting taking these supplements, I have noticed significant changes in my overall health. My migraines noticeably decreased in frequency since I started taking these supplements on a daily basis. I don’t think this is solely because of the introduction of magnesium supplements in my life, as I have made a lot of lifestyle changes but it certainly aided the process significantly.

Overall, my experiences with magnesium supplements have been positive. If you are someone who suffers from migraine headaches, I would highly suggest that you give them a try and see how it affects your body and overall health.