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?	Regarded as safe
Verdict: Efficacy. Does this treatment work?	No evidence of effect

[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

Information currently under review April 2022