Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate Reduces Tremor Severity: A Case Series

Tremors involve involuntary muscle contractions that can occur at rest or during movement. Parkinson's disease (PD), the most common form of resting tremor, is conventionally treated with dopamine agonists, a therapy with a limited window of efficacy as the disease progresses due to levodopa tachyphylaxis. Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) interventions represent low-cost options for a disease which is expected to double in prevalence in the next decade. Based on its use in many conditions, magnesium sulfate may have therapeutic potential for patients with tremors. This case series presents findings on the use of intravenous magnesium sulfate for the management of four patients with tremors.

All four patients were seen at the National University of Natural Medicine clinic and screened for contraindications and safety considerations prior to each treatment using the acronym, ATHUMB: allergies, treatment response, health history, urinalysis, medications, and breakfast/meal timing. Magnesium sulfate is given in an initial dose of 2000 mg increasing in increments of 500 mg over the next one-to-two office visits up to a 3500 mg maximum.

Reductions in tremor severity were noticed for each patient during and following treatment. All patients reported a 24-48-hour window of relief and improvement in activities of daily living after each IV; 3 of 4 patients reported that window extended to 5-7 days.

IV magnesium sulfate was effective in decreasing tremor severity. Future research should explore the impact of IV magnesium sulfate on tremors using objective and self-reported measures to quantify the size and duration of its effect.