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: Efficacy. Does this treatment work?

No evidence of effect
Verdict: Safety. Is this treatment harmful?

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

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Tinnitus_and_magnesium_Feb_2019.pdf

Updated 5 February 2019