So, with these concerns in mind, researchers wanted to find a safer therapy that was just as good as the nebulized bronchilator. They tested an infusion of magnesium sulfate (40 mg per kg of body weight) against a saline placebo over a 20-minute period. At the end of the infusion, the magnesium group had a significantly greater percentage improvement, an improvement that got better by 110 minutes after infusion.

The study supports earlier ones that also found that intravenous magnesium was an effective therapy against asthma, and particularly during an acute attack. (Source: Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 2000; 154: 979-983).