Name of treatment |
Magnesium(magnesium citrate) |
| Type of treatment | Dietary supplement |
| Claims for treatment |
Reduces/eliminates the tinnitus percept. |
| How treatment is delivered | Orally |
| Potential negative consequences |
Side effects and possible interactions with other medications [1]; Cost |
Evidence offered |
|
| Papers available | < 10 in PubMed. |
| Conclusions drawn | Serum magnesium levels are lower in people with tinnitus than the general population [2]. Small open-label study showed positive results [3]. |
| Quality of evidence [4] |
D |
| Does the BTA recommend this treatment? | No |
| BTA opinion on this treatment | “Dietary supplements should not be recommended to treat tinnitus but could have a positive outcome on tinnitus reactions in some people”[5] |
| Would the BTA support further studies into this treatment? | Yes, if high-quality study |
| Verdict: Safety. Is this treatment harmful? |
|
| Verdict: Efficacy. Does this treatment work? |
|
Regarded as safe[1] http://www.webmd.boots.com/vitamins-and-minerals/magnesium (accessed 17 July 2017)
[2] Uluyol S, Kılıçaslan S, Yağız Ö. Relationship between serum magnesium levels and subjective tinnitus. Kulak Burun Bogaz Ihtis Derg, 2016: 26(4), 225-7
[3] Patel, A. Phase Two Study Examining Magnesium Dependent Tinnitus, 2012. Thesis, The University of Arizona. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/221385 (accessed 17 July 2017)
[4] A = Systematic review/meta analysis. B = Randomised control studies. C = Cohort studies. D = Case control studies. E = case studies/reports. +/- to be used to indicate quality within bands
[5] Coelho C, Tyler R, Ji H, Rojas-Roncancio E, Witt S, Tao P, Jun HJ, Wang TC, Hansen MR, Gantz BJ. Survey on the Effectiveness of Dietary Supplements to Treat Tinnitus. American Journal of Audiology, 2016: 25(3): 184-205
Download this information:
Tinnitus_and_magnesium_April_2019.pdf
Updated 15 April 2019
