Took magnesium, feel all sparkly

[WereBear]

There's very compelling evidence (thanks, Hutch!) about magnesium supplementation being vital for health, but my first attempt, with plain ol' magnesium, was very similar to eating one of those sugar alcohol candies... only one that was three stories tall.

If you know what I mean.

So I ordered some chelated magnesium, and took it last night. While I did get some, ya know, (activity,) it was no more than a bran muffin used to do, so I'm fine with that. And this reaction is supposed to moderate as I continue to take magnesium, I understand.

What amazed me was about two hours after I took it... I got this wave of calm, followed by a wave of warmth. The whole thing lasted like an hour!

And it felt good.

So, I will continue to keep up with it, and see how it goes. But I was rather impressed; it's supposed to make all your electricity work better. I'd say it does!

[Deezil]

I LOVE how magnesium makes me feel!

I take an average of 6-800mgs of glycinate a day and between that and the 5000IU of D3 I am calm, happy, feel like I'm handling stress so much better and have even had moments of what I could only describe as euphoric feelings..like when I was a kid and my parents told me we were going to Disneyworld..my tummy gets all rollercoastery and I just feel so happy, I could burst! Dancing around with the dogs and cat..if anyone witnessed me in all my glory they'd probably think I need to be committed!! :D

I have joy and calmness back in my life and it's really hard not to be completely positive these days..I will never stop supplimenting with these two nutrients! :thup:

[amandawald]

WOW!!!

I wish my order from iherb.com would get here!!!

I am out of magnesium!!! Can you believe it!!! Me!!!

And, you know what, I can feel all those old deficiency symptoms coming back...

By the way, you two Mg fans, I am compiling this magnesium file and I thought it would be good if I could also have permission to post other people's success stories in it.

I am collecting my own posts (so I don't have to keep re-writing the same thing) and it would be great if I could also quote posts like the two above.

I love the title "Took magnesium, feel all sparkly", that is just priceless!!!

amanda

[amandawald]

I LOVE how magnesium makes me feel!

I take an average of 6-800mgs of glycinate a day and between that and the 5000IU of D3 I am calm, happy, feel like I'm handling stress so much better and have even had moments of what I could only describe as euphoric feelings..like when I was a kid and my parents told me we were going to Disneyworld..my tummy gets all rollercoastery and I just feel so happy, I could burst! Dancing around with the dogs and cat..if anyone witnessed me in all my glory they'd probably think I need to be committed!! :D

I have joy and calmness back in my life and it's really hard not to be completely positive these days..I will never stop supplimenting with these two nutrients! :thup:

Hi Deezil,

It's time you opened a journal you know! Then we could continue to exchange our Mg news via our journals - I'd be curious to get to know you better and a journal is a great way to do that.

I am sooooo immensely glad to read how good you feel. It is incredible proof of how powerful these substances are!!!

I can't guarantee that this feeling of euphoria will last, but I am sure glad that you are feeling so good now.

All the best, looking forward to reading your new shiny journal!!!

amanda

[WereBear]

Quote away, amanda!

I'm at the beginning stages, obviously, but I'll try to put my progress in my journal for you.

[Ayustar]

Thank you for posting this. I really need to get some of it but there are so many different types. I don't want to get the wrong stuff. Are you taking anything else along with it?

[Deezil]

Hi Deezil,

It's time you opened a journal you know! Then we could continue to exchange our Mg news via our journals - I'd be curious to get to know you better and a journal is a great way to do that.

I am sooooo immensely glad to read how good you feel. It is incredible proof of how powerful these substances are!!!

I can't guarantee that this feeling of euphoria will last, but I am sure glad that you are feeling so good now.

All the best, looking forward to reading your new shiny journal!!!

amanda

I know, I know..I should start a journal.

I just get on this site and start reading and learning and commenting...time gets away from me...tomorrow morning..I will start a journal over coffee in the morning. ;)

The euphoric feelings come in waves. I like them. I like them a LOT!! :D

I still feel hormonal at times and a friend really pissed me off tonight, but I just feel more able to cope with things lately. The good/positive feelings are just more prevalent these days and I'm absolutely convinced it's because I'm feeding my body what it needs and supplimenting. I haven't felt these many joyous moments in a looong time..if ever.

Feel free to use whatever you like. I've been handing out bottles of mag and baggies full of D3 to whoever will take 'em! I believe we can all help each other by sharing the knowledge we acquire and paying it forward.

BTW, I can hardly even believe you ran out of mag! I'm terrified at the thought... ;)

[Deezil]

Double post :rolleyes:

[leemack]

WOW!!!

I wish my order from iherb.com would get here!!!

I am out of magnesium!!! Can you believe it!!! Me!!!



Me too! I normally take 1000mg, but have lowered the dose to 400mg to try and make what I've got last - but they run out in two days. Even on the lowered dosage I feel different, much lowered energy levels, and not sleeping as well.

Lee

[donnahill8]

I'm gonna have to get me some. I had been taking the "three story tall" one just so I could get results. Then I started metformin and seemed like it turned into 6 stories tall, if you know what I mean. But I would like to sleep better and feel this calmness you speak of. Sounds great! I'm sure I need the supplement also. What's one more bottle of stuff added to my 8 bottles already in the morning? Breakfast?

[Nancy LC]

As far as I can detect it doesn't change how I feel in the slightest. Hopefully it is doing something undetectable that is good. :)

[sondora88]

I just wanna add to the magnesium love!

When I joined this forum (nearly a year ago now) I started taking chelated magnesium (bisglycinate) after reading one of hutchinson's posts and realising that mg I took in the past most likely wasn't even absorbed... -

Anyway, I used to be a terrible victim of migraines & headaches, which I now only get very very rarely. (Maybe 2 migraines in the last year?!) And also I used to get leg cramps in my sleep, anyone who has had those will know how painful they are! I haven't had a single cramp since starting taking them.

And I totally get the calm, "at peace" feeling now. Its great!

I try to take omega3 fish oil, but not anything else. I might look into D3 as well. :D

EDIT: Oh! I should mention - I normally take about 400mg a day, sometimes 600mg but rarely.

[Sunflwr1]

Thank you for posting this. I really need to get some of it but there are so many different types. I don't want to get the wrong stuff. Are you taking anything else along with it?
I'd like to hear what you Magnesium fans have to say too. I bought some yesterday, but it was Magnesium Citrate. I thought that was the recommended form... now I'm wondering.

[WereBear]

I think if you get chelated magnesium you'll do fine.

Took my second (250 mg) dose yesterday; and felt the calm. No tummy symptoms at all; the "go slow and ramp it up" method working so far.

[amandawald]

Thank you for posting this. I really need to get some of it but there are so many different types. I don't want to get the wrong stuff. Are you taking anything else along with it?

The gals are taking D3 and magnesium. Mr Hutchinson and I both use iherb.com as their shipping costs to Europe are very low. It won't be a problem for you to order from them from Canada either. I've already heard from other Canadians on this forum that they've had no troubles. You might want to check if there are any limits on how much you can order to ensure that you don't have to pay any import duties or extra taxes. That should come up on the site when you enter in the country you want the goods shipped to.

The best D3 on offer at iherb.com is this one:

http://www.iherb.com/Healthy-Origins-Vitamin-D3-5-000-IU-360-Softgels/18335?at=0

At only $15 US for basically more than a year's supply, this is great value. I have been using them for about a year now, too, and can recommend them. I haven't had my D3 levels tested since I started using it, but will be getting them tested in about a month.

I don't know how far north you are in Canada, but most people in the same latitude as Northern Europe would need to take D3 for most of the year, apart from the months of April to October, when you can get the real thing from sunshine. If you can't get any real sun - half an hour max at mid-day would do the trick, say on your lunch-break - then take a capsule that day.

Recommendations vary on how much to take. I used to take one a day, but have gone down to just one every other day. Anything between 2K and 10K per day is recommended and can be safely taken.

To get the best synergistic effects, especially in terms of mood and happiness (see the posts by the happy ladies above!!!), then you take a good quality magnesium supplement with D3. These are the ones that Mr Hutchinson and I recommend:

I have used this one and have had good results with it:

http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-High-Absorption-Magnesium-240-Tablets/16567?at=0

Some of the good effects I have noticed were: lower back pain gone, edginess gone, leg cramps mostly gone (but I need to take the stuff regularly, as I seem to be still pretty low). New positive things: calmer, more balanced, practically no PMS any more, more energy, less moody and less prone to flying off the handle over nothing, happier, more able to take things in my stride.

This is another variety of chelated magnesium glycinate which Hutchinson recommends. I may try it just for the sake of scientific comparison :lol: but so far I have stuck to the Dr's Best brand because it is cheaper.

I was taking 400mg per day, but when my new bottle arrives, I may take more for a while to see if I get better results. I like what the ladies above are saying, but they are taking more than me, so maybe I need more to get the same effect!!! :lol:

If you want more information about dosing etc, just post again!

Hope this helps,

amanda

[amandawald]

I think if you get chelated magnesium you'll do fine.

Took my second (250 mg) dose yesterday; and felt the calm. No tummy symptoms at all; the "go slow and ramp it up" method working so far.

Hi WereBear,

I'm glad to hear that things are going well so far!!!

I am convinced that magnesium is the best anti-stress mineral of all time. There is also good evidence that it is one of the best ways to keep heart attacks at bay, too, which I am sure is connected to its anti-stress properties.

You can't go wrong if you monitor your symptoms and reduce the dose if you get any BM troubles. That means it is not being absorbed because it was too large a dose.

amanda

[amandawald]

I'd like to hear what you Magnesium fans have to say too. I bought some yesterday, but it was Magnesium Citrate. I thought that was the recommended form... now I'm wondering.

Hi Sunflwr1,

Hang on to the Mg citrate - that is a form which you can best use as a laxative, so you don't need to throw it away. It is often recommended, but from what I have read, it is not the best absorbed kind.

The one you want is the magnesium glycinate. See my post above and order yourself some!!!

amanda

[Ayustar]

The gals are taking D3 and magnesium. Mr Hutchinson and I both use iherb.com as their shipping costs to Europe are very low. It won't be a problem for you to order from them from Canada either. I've already heard from other Canadians on this forum that they've had no troubles. You might want to check if there are any limits on how much you can order to ensure that you don't have to pay any import duties or extra taxes. That should come up on the site when you enter in the country you want the goods shipped to.

The best D3 on offer at iherb.com is this one:

http://www.iherb.com/Healthy-Origins-Vitamin-D3-5-000-IU-360-Softgels/18335?at=0

At only $15 US for basically more than a year's supply, this is great value. I have been using them for about a year now, too, and can recommend them. I haven't had my D3 levels tested since I started using it, but will be getting them tested in about a month.

I don't know how far north you are in Canada, but most people in the same latitude as Northern Europe would need to take D3 for most of the year, apart from the months of April to October, when you can get the real thing from sunshine. If you can't get any real sun - half an hour max at mid-day would do the trick, say on your lunch-break - then take a capsule that day.

Recommendations vary on how much to take. I used to take one a day, but have gone down to just one every other day. Anything between 2K and 10K per day is recommended and can be safely taken.

To get the best synergistic effects, especially in terms of mood and happiness (see the posts by the happy ladies above!!!), then you take a good quality magnesium supplement with D3. These are the ones that Mr Hutchinson and I recommend:

I have used this one and have had good results with it:

http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-High-Absorption-Magnesium-240-Tablets/16567?at=0

Some of the good effects I have noticed were: lower back pain gone, edginess gone, leg cramps mostly gone (but I need to take the stuff regularly, as I seem to be still pretty low). New positive things: calmer, more balanced, practically no PMS any more, more energy, less moody and less prone to flying off the handle over nothing, happier, more able to take things in my stride.

This is another variety of chelated magnesium glycinate which Hutchinson recommends. I may try it just for the sake of scientific comparison :lol: but so far I have stuck to the Dr's Best brand because it is cheaper.

I was taking 400mg per day, but when my new bottle arrives, I may take more for a while to see if I get better results. I like what the ladies above are saying, but they are taking more than me, so maybe I need more to get the same effect!!! :lol:

If you want more information about dosing etc, just post again!

Hope this helps,

amanda


Thank you! That does help bunches! I have ordered from them before and they are pretty good! You can find promo codes and stuff like that around here fairly easily as well! Thank you for all of that info! I will probably get a hold of all of that stuff once I can afford to. Stupid money -_-

[albiorix]

gosh - I wish it did this for me! _ I take 1000mg of chelated mg from doctors best, with 3 (can't remember how much, I am so used to taking 2 of the things)

and I have noticed no mood change at all - I am still a grumpy, tired, woman. I think that is more to do with sleep deprivation than mimeral deficiencies though!

[Hutchinson]

and I have noticed no mood change at all - I am still a grumpy, tired, woman. I think that is more to do with sleep deprivation than mimeral deficiencies though!The Effect of Melatonin, Magnesium, and Zinc on Primary Insomnia (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/736096)

I supplement with both magnesium and melatonin and I think we need to improve Melatonin secretion BEFORE we go to bed (http://stereopsis.com/flux/) and get BRIGHT LIGHT (outdoor sunlight) exposure during the day to improve circadian rhythm.
I think the natural decline is both vitamin D synthesis and melatonin secretion as we age is to a large extent avoidable (we can expose more skin to sunlight, we can make sure older folk get more bright light during the day) and where this isn't possible both Time Release Melatonin and Vitamin D3 are cheap and readily available from the US discount supplement providers.
There are plenty of other ways of improving sleep hygiene. Eye Mask Ear Plugs may be the answer for some.
But magnesium deficiency leads to increased iron uptake and iron behaving badly causes oxidation which drives mitochondrial dysfunction and the ageing process. Both vitamin D and melatonin are neuro-protective and they protect mitochondrial from oxidative stress.

[amandawald]

gosh - I wish it did this for me! _ I take 1000mg of chelated mg from doctors best, with 3 (can't remember how much, I am so used to taking 2 of the things)

and I have noticed no mood change at all - I am still a grumpy, tired, woman. I think that is more to do with sleep deprivation than mimeral deficiencies though!

Hi albiorix,

I am sorry to hear that you haven't had the same effect from the magnesium...

Is the sleep deprivation caused by something that you can control? Could you tell us what is stopping you from getting a good night's sleep? If it's not too private...

Sleep deprivation is really not a good thing for anyone. Especially if it is a long-term problem. It is possible to catch up on your sleep if it is just a one-off thing, but if it is every single night... Hmmm...

Hutchinson has some good ideas, though. I use a sleep "scarf" (I drape a silk scarf over my eyes when it gets too light in our bedroom) and ear plugs to get a decent night's sleep. That helps a lot.

As for melatonin, I've never tried it. I think if the German customs opened a package from iherb.com with melatonin in it, they'd send it back!!! I think it is only allowed on prescription over here, so it would be illegal for me to order it.

The magnesium might need a bit longer to "kick in" in your case, perhaps. If you are very Mg-deficient, then it might take a bit longer for you to notice it. I had a gluten-intolerance problem that I didn't know I had until recently and that was stopping me from absorbing magnesium properly. Once I went off the gluten, after a while I noticed that the magnesium was having more of an effect than it had been. Also, if you have low stomach acid, that can also affect how well you absorb magnesium. To try and raise the acidity of my stomach acid and improve nutrient absorption, I take these:

http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-Betaine-HCI-Pepsin-Gentian-Bitters-120-Capsules/7353?at=0

Apparently, your stomach acid gets less strong as you age, so I am trying to help it out a bit. I think the acidity goes down from about 40 onwards.

I don't know what your budget is like right now, but you could try them.

Hope you can do something about the sleep problem, though.

amanda

[Hutchinson]

Influence of the consumption pattern of magnesium from magnesium-rich mineral water on magnesium bioavailability. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21473800)It is generally considered that the absorption of Mg is inversely related to the ingested dose.
The objective of the present study was to determine if the mode of administration (bolus v. consumption throughout the day) could influence Mg bioavailability from Mg-rich natural mineral water comparing the same nutritional Mg amount (126 mg).
Using a 2 d cross-over design, twelve healthy men were asked to drink 1·5 litres Mg-rich mineral water either as 2 × 750 ml or 7 × 212 ml throughout the day.
Two stable isotopes (25Mg and 26Mg) were used to label the water in order to distinguish both regimens.
Fractional apparent Mg absorption was determined by faecal monitoring and Mg retention was determined by measuring urinary excretion of Mg isotopes.
Higher Mg absorption (50·7 (sd 12·7) v. 32·4 (sd 8·1) %; P = 0·0007) and retention (47·5 (sd 12·9) v. 29·0 (sd 7·5) %; P = 0·0008) from Mg-rich mineral water were observed when it was consumed in seven servings compared with larger servings.
Thus, regular water consumption throughout the day is an effective way to increase Mg bioavailability from Mg-rich mineral water.

Recipe for Magnesium/Bicarbonate Water (http://www.afibbers.org/Wallerwater.pdf)
For those who have trouble finding Magnesium Hydroxide IHERB SELL Magnesium Oxide powder (http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Magnesium-Oxide-8-oz-227-g/695?at=0) You need 27.5g in 500ml water to = the common Magnesium Hydroxide mixture available from chemists.

[WereBear]

I've added another 250 mg at lunchtime and so far, soooo good.

[Zuleikaa]

gosh - I wish it did this for me! _ I take 1000mg of chelated mg from doctors best, with 3 (can't remember how much, I am so used to taking 2 of the things)

and I have noticed no mood change at all - I am still a grumpy, tired, woman. I think that is more to do with sleep deprivation than mimeral deficiencies though!
1000 mg of chelated magnesium from Drs Best only gives you 100 mg of elemental magnesium. You need 400-600 mg of elemental magnesium/day and more when you're starting off deficient.

Unless you're taking 10 pills/day of Drs Best, you aren't taking enough!!

[leemack]

1000 mg of chelated magnesium from Drs Best only gives you 100 mg of elemental magnesium. You need 400-600 mg of elemental magnesium/day and more when you're starting off deficient.

Unless you're taking 10 pills/day of Drs Best, you aren't taking enough!!

10 pills a day? Really? I currently take 5x 200mg. Have you got a link to somewhere where I can read more? Thanks.

Edit to add: My container of doctors best states 2000mg magnesium glycinate/lysine chelate giving 200mg elemental magnesium.

Lee

[Hutchinson]

Magnesium Absorption and Assimilation (http://www.afibbers.org/resources/magnesiumabsorption.pdf)
People with atrial fibrillation are in a good position to comment on magnesium absorption as they have symptoms whenever magnesium status drops.
I think the fact they suggest that transdermal uptake should considered if someone is not finding afib resolution with oral supplements.

[leemack]

Magnesium Absorption and Assimilation (http://www.afibbers.org/resources/magnesiumabsorption.pdf)
People with atrial fibrillation are in a good position to comment on magnesium absorption as they have symptoms whenever magnesium status drops.
I think the fact they suggest that transdermal uptake should considered if someone is not finding afib resolution with oral supplements.

That's interesting, I suffer with occasional bouts of svt, but I don't remember having any for quite a few months - I wonder if the magnesium has had an effect on that?

Lee

[greannmhar]

10 pills a day? Really? I currently take 5x 200mg. Have you got a link to somewhere where I can read more? Thanks.

Edit to add: My container of doctors best states 2000mg magnesium glycinate/lysine chelate giving 200mg elemental magnesium.

Lee

The Doctor's Best magnesium glycinate I have has only 100 mgs elemental magnesium per pill - the serving size mentioned on the label to get 200 mgs is 2 pills. Would this be your problem, or do DB also do larger size pills? I hate that 'serving size' description - why not just tell us what's in each pill and let us count how many we need/want?

[Hutchinson]

The Doctor's Best magnesium glycinate I have has only 100 mgs elemental magnesium per pill - the serving size mentioned on the label to get 200 mgs is 2 pills. Would this be your problem,Ideally your body will absorb more magnesium from taking 1 x 100mg with each meal rather than 2 x 100mg at one meal BUT if you only eat twice a day that limits consumption unless you are using other strategies (drinking water/transdermal) however if you take the recommended serving of 2 x 100mg with a meal your body will probably absorb more than if you just took one even though the absorption would be slightly less efficient.

or do DB also do larger size pills? It still wouldn't make any difference if the chelate is packed in two small or one large capsule it's still going to supply 200mg magnesium.

I hate that 'serving size' description - why not just tell us what's in each pill and let us count how many we need/want?It's so easy to get tricked into making the least cost effective purchase when trying to compare like with like.
Bluebonnet Nutrition, Chelated Magnesium, (http://www.iherb.com/Bluebonnet-Nutrition-Chelated-Magnesium-180-Veggie-Caps/21160?at=0) these are a 200mg Albion Patent chelate form.

[leemack]

The Doctor's Best magnesium glycinate I have has only 100 mgs elemental magnesium per pill - the serving size mentioned on the label to get 200 mgs is 2 pills. Would this be your problem, or do DB also do larger size pills? I hate that 'serving size' description - why not just tell us what's in each pill and let us count how many we need/want?

You're right, I hadn't noticed the serving size was 2 tablets - even so it still means I'm getting 500mg elemental magnesium a day, but I may increase the dose anyway.

Lee

[kaylakala]

Thought I'd bump this to say.......I didn't take my mag for a few days and felt likt death warmed over!!! Never again!! Even if I have to write a hot check to get it!!

[amandawald]

Thought I'd bump this to say.......I didn't take my mag for a few days and felt likt death warmed over!!! Never again!! Even if I have to write a hot check to get it!!

Hi there kaylakala,

Did the same, felt the same. Amazing stuff, isn't it???

amanda

[WereBear]

I'm enjoying magnesium; but my husband, who has a chronic illness, took it at my urging but he doesn't seem to think it's working... we'll see what happens with him.

[kaylakala]

My husband quit taking his and I could see a big difference. He was sleeping WAY too much.

[donnahill8]

Okay, I got my Bluebonnet Chelated magnesium today and took 400 mg tonight. I'm waiting to "feel all sparkly." Looking for it to help me sleep better. Seems like I'm restless often at night.

I wonder how many doses I might need before I can tell a difference?

Donna

[Za'atar]

I heart magnesium.

[Nancy LC]

Okay, I got my Bluebonnet Chelated magnesium today and took 400 mg tonight. I'm waiting to "feel all sparkly." Looking for it to help me sleep better. Seems like I'm restless often at night.

I wonder how many doses I might need before I can tell a difference?

Donna
LOL! I've been taking magnesium for years now. If it makes a difference, I haven't been able to tell.

[amandawald]

LOL! I've been taking magnesium for years now. If it makes a difference, I haven't been able to tell.

I wonder if you react differently because of not having a thyroid?

Most of us do, so maybe that is why you have such different reactions.

Just a thought.

amanda

[donnahill8]

Ok reporting back. I've been taking the mag for over 2 weeks now and I don't see much difference. I may be sleeping some better but sometimes the leg and toe cramps are very annoying. Not sure what's causing it. It is worse if I have more than 2 diet mt dews in a day. Seems like I drink enough water. Thinking dehydration, but don't know why. Will continue taking the mag bc it could be unbearable without it.

Donna

[amandawald]

Ok reporting back. I've been taking the mag for over 2 weeks now and I don't see much difference. I may be sleeping some better but sometimes the leg and toe cramps are very annoying. Not sure what's causing it. It is worse if I have more than 2 diet mt dews in a day. Seems like I drink enough water. Thinking dehydration, but don't know why. Will continue taking the mag bc it could be unbearable without it.

Donna

Hi Donna,

Sorry to hear that you haven't had such good results with the magnesium... I was always totally convinced that magnesium deficiency was THE cure for cramps because it was for me. But, as they say, Your Mileage May Vary...

About the Mountain Dew sodas: they have 85mg of sodium per can. Maybe that puts your electrolyte balance out of whack? Or perhaps it's the phosphoric acid. I just found something here:

http://www.mom-going-organic-sensibly.com/soda-pop-and-health.html

I just scanned it, but it seems like a good explanation: the phosphoric acids need to be neutralized, she writes, and this uses up various minerals - precisely the ones which you need to stop your muscles cramping up...

So it would seem like a good idea to drop the Mountain Dew, if at all possible... Too much water, though, can also be harmful to a good electrolyte balance as too much water makes you pee too much and then you lose yet more electrolytes.

From what I've read here on the forum about toe and leg cramps and the various cures people recommend or have tried, I would say the following: if magnesium doesn't help (which it does for me, which is why I recommend it :) ), then it could be some other electrolyte imbalance. I have read of people having good results with potassium and salt.

See this post:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=7608983&postcount=14

Which was in this thread:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=382772

Potassium can, of course, be obtained from food, with parsley being a rich source, apparently (make vegetable or bone broth and add a couple of bunches of chopped parsley right at the end of the cooking time, for example). Supplements would also be OK.

As for salt, if you can get hold of some good sea salt, that could do the trick. I have tried it this way: first thing in the morning (to combat the early-morning dizziness I used to have as a result of adrenal fatigue/magnesium deficiency), I would just eat some salt off a teaspoon (I like salt!!!), say about a quarter of a teaspoon and then wash it down with some water. It was amazing how often this really energized me!!!

Maybe you have not been using salt because of the salt-causes-high-blood-pressure myth? Firstly, it is just that: a myth. There have been plenty of threads on this forum about that one. Salt is absolutely essential and switching to a low-carb diet - and giving up a lot of processed foods which are over-salted - can then lead to a lack of salt in the diet.

So, get the salt shaker and shake it, baby!!!

I have seen some American posters recommend what I think is known as Morton's Salt - it is a mix of potassium and salt, I think. However, I would personally go for natural sea salt and potassium-rich foods or a supplement, if you don't have any luck with the food route.

Hope this helps! If not, you could always look here:

http://www.google.com/custom?domains=forum.lowcarber.org&q=cramps&sa=Search&sitesearch=forum.lowcarber.org&client=pub-4035311058407784&forid=1&channel=3383794707&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%23003324%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%2366CC99%3BVLC%3AFF6600%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AF5F5DC%3BLBGC%3A006666%3BALC%3A000000%3BLC%3A000000%3BT%3A330033%3BGFNT%3A333300%3BGIMP%3A333300%3BLH%3A50%3BLW%3A67%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fforum.lowcarber.org%2Fimages%2Ffriends2.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fforum.lowcarber.org%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl=en

This is a list of approximately 28,900 posts generated by the Google Advanced Search facility for the entire forum which came up when I put in the search term "cramps". There must be something in there which would help!!!

amanda

[leemack]

I use lo-salt, it has potassium in it, and this plus the mag seems to work for my restless legs - but I take a hefty dose of magnesium - 1200mg chelated (drs best) = 600mg elemental..

Lee

[donnahill8]

Wow Amanda! Great info. I realized after I read all the info that I had been having upper abdominal cramps. I thought my gut was getting twisted, but when I mentioned it to the nurse pract., she said that was too high for the colon and that it sounded like a cramp. Boy they hurt really bad-making me stand up and stretch quickly.

I realize I need to give up the diet mt dew. It's so difficult with me not being a coffee, tea, juice, or any other drink consumer. I look at it as a treat, but it, I know, is a harmful treat. I wish I could find another treat that is not harmful, and is sugar free. I was having one only on Thursdays, but then I started having one when I went out with a girlfriend to keep me from cheating. Then it became 1-2 daily again. Oh well. Time to give it up again.

The potassium thing is interesting to me. I was low in potassium 2x and hospitalized for IV potassium one of those times. This was 10 years ago. It was normal on my lab work in May, but it probably has the capability to change quickly like blood sugars, so I really wouldn't know whether to supplement. Messing with potassium supplements kinda scares me. How would you know what you need?

Thanks again for all the info. Maybe I'll mention it again to my MD, or I should just lay off the diet soda. Easier solution, I guess??

Donna

[Tobias]

I'm getting ready to start taking Magnesium for the first time. I picked up a bottle of Nature's Made Magnesium, 250 mg, tablets from the local drug store. The primary ingredient is Magnesium Oxide. Is this an acceptable product?

[amandawald]

I'm getting ready to start taking Magnesium for the first time. I picked up a bottle of Nature's Made Magnesium, 250 mg, tablets from the local drug store. The primary ingredient is Magnesium Oxide. Is this an acceptable product?

NOPE. Unless you need a laxative, then it is great.

amanda

[amandawald]

I'm getting ready to start taking Magnesium for the first time. I picked up a bottle of Nature's Made Magnesium, 250 mg, tablets from the local drug store. The primary ingredient is Magnesium Oxide. Is this an acceptable product?

Read this post:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?p=8331229#post8331229

The info you need is there.

amanda

[Tobias]

Ok, thanks Amanda.

[Silver Div]

I, too, wish to join the Mag-Love Fest.

I started taking this three months ago when I started my LC WOE. I believe the Mag Glycinate has been a big part of my ability to remain cool and focused on my goal despite the myriad frustrations and temptations my family and friends have thrown at my feet.

And yes, it does make you feel GOOD. I keep waiting for it to wear off!

[Enomarb]

hi-
I'm taking the Bluebonnet chelated mag and am on 400 mg/day. From the posts here it looks like you only absorb 200 mg at a time, so I am taking it 2xday with breakfast and dinner. I'd like to start increasing my dosage to see if I too can feel sparkly- how do you guys recommend I do so? (I also take 55,000 of D3/week and my last level was 61.4).
another question- I see that taking the mag at bedtime is a good thing, but I take my thyroid (T3 and T4) at bedtime. Can I take magnesium with the thyroid?

thanks for this great info-
E

[donnahill8]

Maybe I should increase my mag? I'm only taking 400mg/day.

Donna

[Nancy LC]

I might have a magnesium success story... we'll see. I've had heart palps which I think is a symptom of menopause for me. I had them very badly for awhile and then they went away. I didn't link them to magnesium, not sure exactly when they went.

Anyway, I discontinued my magnesium for about 10 days recently due to some intestinal issues and the heart palps came back. I'm back on it again and hoping they'll go away again. I think they're better. I need more time to see though.

I know the neurologist from The Brain Trust book recommends it for menopausal women.

I've been making magnesium water with powdered magnesium citrate and soda water. It's a bit messy to make because the carbonation makes it bubble something awful, but I do think one absorbs it better.

[amandawald]

hi-
I'm taking the Bluebonnet chelated mag and am on 400 mg/day. From the posts here it looks like you only absorb 200 mg at a time, so I am taking it 2xday with breakfast and dinner. I'd like to start increasing my dosage to see if I too can feel sparkly- how do you guys recommend I do so? (I also take 55,000 of D3/week and my last level was 61.4).
another question- I see that taking the mag at bedtime is a good thing, but I take my thyroid (T3 and T4) at bedtime. Can I take magnesium with the thyroid?

thanks for this great info-
E

Hi Enomarb,

On the bolded bit above:

I know that often you see "Take with meals" on the packaging for magnesium but, I'm afraid to say, that that doesn't seem like a good recommendation to me for the following reason: most forms of magnesium (Mg chloride seems to be the exception) will alkanize your stomach acid, which in turn will mean that you won't digest your food so well and disrupt the entire "digestive cascade", which, according to Jonathon Wright, needs strong stomach acid present at the beginning of the process for everything to move along smoothly.

Strong stomach acid is needed to ensure that protein and fats are well digested, so for low carbers it is especially important not to disturb that process as they might be eating more protein and fats than other people. I have also read - though I have not yet found a proper reference for this claim - in the Dr Carolyn Dean book on magnesium that fats impede absorption of magnesium: if there is too much fat present, then magnesium forms a kind of soapy substance and is not absorbed.

As a result, I always take my magnesium away from meals, apart from Mg chloride, which I take in the mornings - when I remember - before breakfast. This apparently breaks down and helps form hydrochloric acid, so it is OK to take it before eating.

On the thyroid meds front: sorry, I can't say anything about that, but you could try on the thyroid sub-forum or try "realthyroidhelp" and join the forum there. All I can say is that if you are not sure about any contraindications, then take them apart - it takes about half an hour for stuff to go in and out of your stomach, I believe - so if you took them, say an hour apart, then they should be dealt with separately. If you don't get any feedback elsewhere, then you'll just have to experiment for yourself and monitor how you feel.

But nobody can guarantee that you'll get that "sparkly" feeling, I'm afraid... In my own case, I like the feeling of calmness it seems to give me, that I can cope better with stress and other people being stressed over nothing!!!

As for the D3: it looks like your level is OK now, so maybe you should scale back a little on the D now??? I've read about people taking 10K per day getting their levels up as high as around 120, which is no longer good. There are some who argue that 60 is already too high, but who knows what is right, hey?

My information on magnesium and stomach acid came mostly from these sources:

http://www.amazon.com/Why-Stomach-Acid-Good-You/dp/0871319314/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308164343&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Magnesium-Miracle-Carolyn-Dean/dp/034549458X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308164384&sr=1-2

And this website, in particular this series, which begins here (it's in four parts and well worth reading: explodes a few more myths!!!)

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd

Hope this helps,

amanda

[amandawald]

Maybe I should increase my mag? I'm only taking 400mg/day.

Donna

I only take 200-400mg per day, but then I get quite a bit of Mg in water (Apollinaris) and in food as I eat brown rice, nuts and legumes.

It really depends how much you are getting in total from all sources. If you are not getting much from other sources, you could try a bit more. The laxative effect of magnesium is usually a simple way to work out when it's too much - if you start to have sloppy BMs, you took too much - probably, unless you ate something funny as well, in case you wouldn't be sure!!!

You just gotta try it for a few days - but gradually increase - and then monitor how you feel.

amanda

[amandawald]

I might have a magnesium success story... we'll see. I've had heart palps which I think is a symptom of menopause for me. I had them very badly for awhile and then they went away. I didn't link them to magnesium, not sure exactly when they went.

Anyway, I discontinued my magnesium for about 10 days recently due to some intestinal issues and the heart palps came back. I'm back on it again and hoping they'll go away again. I think they're better. I need more time to see though.

I know the neurologist from The Brain Trust book recommends it for menopausal women.

I've been making magnesium water with powdered magnesium citrate and soda water. It's a bit messy to make because the carbonation makes it bubble something awful, but I do think one absorbs it better.

Let's hope you're right: that would be great news!!!

I've been meaning to try a similar experiment with some capsules of Mg citrate and Mg oxide I got - just adding them to regular water and fizzing up with a soda maker - do you think I could risk that or will it explode???

amanda

[Enomarb]

thanks Amanda-
the D thing is that it has taken me about 2 years to get my levels above 50, so I'll test it again in a few months and see if the mag has helped.
I will take the mag without meals-
thanks!

E

[Nancy LC]

Let's hope you're right: that would be great news!!!

I've been meaning to try a similar experiment with some capsules of Mg citrate and Mg oxide I got - just adding them to regular water and fizzing up with a soda maker - do you think I could risk that or will it explode???

amanda
My understanding is it needs to be carbonated water so the magnesium will bond with the Co2. Read the link that Hutch publishes for the details. I don't know if fizzing afterwards would make it work better or not.

I let the bottle of soda water sit until it was very still (with the cap on). Then I measured out my powdered mag. and poured it into a funnel into the water, then I recapped it quickly and shook it. It didn't bubble over too much and it didn't explode. I kept it in the sink, just in case. :)

[greannmhar]

My understanding is it needs to be carbonated water so the magnesium will bond with the Co2. Read the link that Hutch publishes for the details. I don't know if fizzing afterwards would make it work better or not.

I let the bottle of soda water sit until it was very still (with the cap on). Then I measured out my powdered mag. and poured it into a funnel into the water, then I recapped it quickly and shook it. It didn't bubble over too much and it didn't explode. I kept it in the sink, just in case. :)

How much magnesium citrate did you add to the soda water, Nancy? I have been making it with milk of magnesia (as per the original recipe) but I can only get the peppermint version. It's okay but the minty taste does leak through a bit.

[Nancy LC]

I was a bit clueless how much to add so I used 2 Tablespoons. 1 tsp is 138% of the RDA. So it is pretty concentrated. Maybe I shouldn't make it so strong, it's been affecting my gut a bit. It did act pretty much like they described. The water got clear eventually, but the sides of the bottle didn't cave in. I also added some lemon juice and splenda later on because it tasted nasty!

Maybe I should be using magnesium oxide... they didn't have it at Swasonvitamins. Perhaps next time I buy magnesium I'll try the MoM.

[greannmhar]

I think Hutchinson mentioned some other type of magnesium powder - can't remember what it was now? I'll have to look back and see - I think if the sides of the bottle don't cave in, it hasn't done the 'science' thing to make the magnesium bicarbonate :lol: Apologies for the poor description but you know what I mean, I hope.

PS Just see it's magnesium oxide :o

[kaylakala]

Just thought I'd mention that I ran out of my magnesium citrate and have been taking the oxide. UUUMM yeah BIG difference.
*Jumps off computer and runs to store for good magnesium that works!!!*

[mabdab01]

I know that this is probably way TMI, but I started taking a magnesium supplement today and within 3 hours I was running to the bathroom every 20 min.

The supplement that I took is:

Doctor's Best
High Absorbtion
100% Chelated Magnesium
Magnesium (elemental)--200 mg
(from 2000 mg magnesium glycinate/lysinate chelate)

I only took 2 pills, which is 1/2 the recommended daily dose. From what I have read, this is Albion Minerals chelated and is supposed to be absorbed better and cause less diarrhea.

Why would only 200 mg have this affect on me? I have never taken magnesium before, so I don't have anything to compare this to. Should I try taking 100 mg 4 times a day instead of the 200 mg 2 times a day?

Not sure what to do... :q:

[Nancy LC]

Some people are very sensitive. Just cut back a bit until you're not going excessively.

[amandawald]

I know that this is probably way TMI, but I started taking a magnesium supplement today and within 3 hours I was running to the bathroom every 20 min.

The supplement that I took is:

Doctor's Best
High Absorbtion
100% Chelated Magnesium
Magnesium (elemental)--200 mg
(from 2000 mg magnesium glycinate/lysinate chelate)

I only took 2 pills, which is 1/2 the recommended daily dose. From what I have read, this is Albion Minerals chelated and is supposed to be absorbed better and cause less diarrhea.

Why would only 200 mg have this affect on me? I have never taken magnesium before, so I don't have anything to compare this to. Should I try taking 100 mg 4 times a day instead of the 200 mg 2 times a day?

Not sure what to do... :q:

Hi there!

That does indeed seem to be an extreme reaction!!!

I can only think of the following explanations: like Nancy says, you may be sensitive to too much supplemental magnesium in the system in one go.

My personal recommendation for taking magnesium is indeed to take only one 100mg tablet at a time. The body can only absorb a certain amount at any given point, so if you give it too much, it will just excrete the excess, so, yes, definitely go down to only 1 tablet at a time.

Without knowing anything else about you and how you are eating at the moment, it is also difficult to say what other things may have had an effect on your body's reaction to this supplement.

I know that when I started low-carbing for the very first time and was pretty gung-ho about the high-fat element of my plan (it was soooo liberating to allow myself to eat liberal amounts of the stuff!!!), I had BM problems (i.e. excessive), which was probably due to the fact that my body needed a while to adjust to my new diet.

I have also read that too much fat (whatever that means) in the diet can impede magnesium absorption. Did you take your 2 tablets with a meal or away from a meal?

Did you take the magnesium along with another supplement? A lot of people react badly to multivitamins because there is simply "too much" in them and the body can't cope - it seems - and says, "Hey, I can't manage all this at once: excrete! excrete! excrete!"

Plus, I would also recommend that you just take, say, 200mg per day for the minute and increase if necessary. Maybe you aren't even that deficienct in magnesium and don't need much extra???

What motivated you to start taking magnesium? What does your daily diet look like right now? (including what kind of beverages you are drinking)

Anyway, listen to your body: it is telling you that you took too much at once!!! (in my humblest of opinions :D )

amanda

[mabdab01]

Strange, but yesterday I took the two 100 mg tablets with my mid-day meal and had problems. This morning I took one 100 mg tablet at 5:00 am on an empty stomach, one with my breakfast at about 8:00, one in between breakfast and lunch, and then another one at lunch. Haven't had any problems today. Must have been taking the two pills at once.

Amandawald--My fat intake is pretty high--I have been keeping track of what I eat on MyPlan and have it set for everyone to be able to view, in case you want to look at what I eat. I guess the reason why I started taking the magnesium is after reading about magnesium supplementation, I discovered that I have a lot of the conditions associated with deficiency such as:

asthma
cavities--really bad I have a cavity at almost every visit despite brushing and flossing at least twice a day.
chronic constipation--basically my whole life.
depression--have been on and off with anti-depressants since 1992
high cholesterol, high triglycerides
migraines--don't get them very often, but they are very bad when I do.
muscle cramps--almost always, since I was a child--especially my legs
obesity
horrible pms for the last 28 years--wicked menstrual cramps

I may not have a deficiency, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try and see if any of these conditions are helped by supplementing. One of them already has been (constipation). :D I guess it is good to know that if I take a couple extra magnesium, I won't have any problems with the constipation thing any more.

From now on I will just take one pill 5 or 6 times a day and see if that helps with any of my symptoms.

[kaylakala]

HHMM reading those symptoms of magnesium deficiency I'm thinking I should raise my hubby's dose. I"m thrilled with the non edgines so far. Especially right now when he is out of a job. But he has been getting bad cramps in his left leg and sometimes both. He is NOT a low carber.

[mabdab01]

There are more conditions that are associated with chronic and low magnesium intake, the ones I listed above are the ones that affect me personally.

Here is a list that I found:

ADD/ADHD
Alzheimer's
Angina
Anxiety disorders
Arrhythmia
Arthritis- Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis
Asthma
Autism
Auto immune disorders- all types
Cavities
Cerebral Palsy- in children from magnesium deficient mothers
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Congestive Heart Disease
Constipation
Crooked teeth- narrow jaw- in children from magnesium deficient mothers
Depression
Diabetes- Type I and II
Eating disorders- Bulimia, Anorexia
Fibromyalgia
Gut disorders- including peptic ulcer, Crohn's disease, colitis, food allergy
Heart Disease- Arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol, high triglycerides
Heart Disease- in infants born to magnesium deficient mothers
High Blood Pressure
Hypoglycemia
Impaired athletic performance
Infantile Seizure- in children from magnesium deficient mothers
Insomnia
Kidney Stones
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Migraines- including cluster type
Mitral Valve Prolapse
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscle cramps
Muscle weakness, fatigue
Myopia- in children from magnesium deficient mothers
Obesity- especially obesity associated with high carbohydrate diets
Osteoporosis- just adding magnesium reversed bone loss
Parkinson's Disease
PMS- including menstrual pain and irregularities
PPH- Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
Raynaud's
SIDS- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Stroke
Syndrome X- insulin resistance
Thyroid disorders- low, high and auto-immune; low magnesium reduces T4

[kaylakala]

Wow wish I had know this years ago. My oldest is adhd and I believe has issues with depression.
My middle daughter isf also showing signs of depression.
Me? I was on zoloft for a few years but with the lc diet I'm fine. If I don't take the magnesium I can sure tell a difference after the second day!!

[kaylakala]

Oh anyone know how much someone with fibromyalgia should take?? My Mom has it.

[amandawald]

Hi mabdab01,

You wrote this above:

Strange, but yesterday I took the two 100 mg tablets with my mid-day meal and had problems.

I have been thinking about this and wondered if the Mg had that effect because it impeded your digestion. Magnesium is alkaline, so if you have it with a meal it weakens your stomach acid, which is maybe why you then had poor digestion. As far as I know, the only Mg tablet you can take before food is Mg chloride, because that breaks down and helps form hydrochloric acid, thus aiding digestion, rather than hindering the process.

This morning I took one 100 mg tablet at 5:00 am on an empty stomach, one with my breakfast at about 8:00, one in between breakfast and lunch, and then another one at lunch. Haven't had any problems today. Must have been taking the two pills at once.

Sounds like you could be right!!! But, for the reasons I have given above, I would get into the habit of taking the Mg glycinate away from meals. Either half an hour before, or half an hour afterwards, is one recommendation I once read somewhere. I think your stomach acid is still quite high at these points, which is helpful because Mg also needs sufficient stomach acid to be absorbed. (However, to be absolutely honest with you, I have enough trouble just remembering to take my Mg at any point between meals, never mind being so exact as to keep to the "half-hour-before-or-after-meals" rule!!! The main thing, really, is to take the dang stuff!!!)

Amandawald--My fat intake is pretty high--I have been keeping track of what I eat on MyPlan and have it set for everyone to be able to view, in case you want to look at what I eat.

Sorry, mabdab01, I didn't think to look on MyPlan. I guessed, though, that your fat intake would be high - that's how most people on a low-carb diet eat, after all!!! - which would be another reason to keep to the rule of taking magnesium away from meals. Apparently, the Mg bonds with the fats and makes some kind of soapy substance (I think Dr Carolyn Dean says this in her book) which the body then just excretes.

I guess the reason why I started taking the magnesium is after reading about magnesium supplementation, I discovered that I have a lot of the conditions associated with deficiency such as:

It does indeed sound like your magnesium supplies must be depleted - and may have been that way for some time... I think my question maybe came across wrongly: for some reason, I had the idea that you might have just started supplementing with magnesium for general health reasons, rather than having a specific complaint in mind. God knows why...

As I can see, you have very good reasons to be working on filling up your magnesium stocks and I hope you see results soon. However, it might take some time. I have read estimates varying between 6 months and 2 years as the time period it can take to reach good levels. So patience is the word, here!!!

In my own experience (as a long-time sufferer of low magnesium), it does indeed take a good while, although in my case I have to admit that I have frequently sabotaged my magnesium-replenishing project over the last two years, so I may not be typical. I had a lot of symptoms of adrenal fatigue/magnesium deficiency two years ago and, now, pretty much exactly two years later, I would say that nearly all of the worst symptoms are gone. The one thing that does recur from time to time is calf cramps at night or when stretching, but, again, that usually happens if I have done something stupid like: a) let myself run out of good magnesium glycinate (I tried a different brand to Dr's Best, without the Albion Minerals stamp and it was crap); b) drink too much alcohol. The latter is a sure-fire way to empty your magnesium supplies, that's for sure...
:o :o :o

asthma

I really hope that the magnesium helps you with your asthma. Have you also considered taking vitamin D3? Apparently, that can also help with asthma - perhaps partially by increasing uptake of magnesium, which is what vitamin D3 does (amongst other things, of course!). Read this post by a lady on this forum who is convinced that D3 has helped greatly reduce her asthma symptoms:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=8386742&postcount=1385

The original D3 thread is here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=8386742&postcount=1385

If you scroll back a few pages, you will find a few posts that mention asthma. There's also loads of studies and anecdotal accounts on the Vitamin D Council site.

cavities--really bad I have a cavity at almost every visit despite brushing and flossing at least twice a day.

Low-carbing should also help with that.

chronic constipation--basically my whole life.
depression--have been on and off with anti-depressants since 1992
high cholesterol, high triglycerides

As I don't know you, I don't know how well-read you are (and, although I have been reading intensively about low-carbing, health and nutrition since the beginning of 2007, I have only just started learning about the connection between weight gain and thyroid problems, so I'm by no means an expert), but did you know that all of these things are typical symptoms of low thyroid function? Have you had any thyroid testing done? Gaining weight and having difficulty losing weight are also typical of people with hypthyroidism.

migraines--don't get them very often, but they are very bad when I do.
muscle cramps--almost always, since I was a child--especially my legs
obesity
horrible pms for the last 28 years--wicked menstrual cramps

The above symptoms are more typical magnesium deficiency symptoms, although period problems are also a thyroid thing, too. Obesity seems to be related to both low magnesium and low thyroid function, from what I have read so far.

So, as your own research has shown you, there are plenty of reasons for you to take magnesium, and I'm glad you didn't give up after the initial D problem.

I may not have a deficiency,

It would seem very very likely that you are probably chronically deficient in magnesium, I'm afraid. The good news is that it is possible to improve your magnesium status, although it might take some time. But, from my own experience, it really is worth persevering and spending the money on some decent magnesium glycinate, such as the Dr's Best brand or any with the "Albion Chelated Minerals" stamp on them.

but I figured it couldn't hurt to try and see if any of these conditions are helped by supplementing.

Please keep us posted to see if you notice any differences!!! I hope you might be able to consider going off the anti-depressants. As far as I know, some of them actually make it more difficult to lose weight.

One of them already has been (constipation).

If you have had chronic constipation all your life, I really would look into whether there is a thyroid issue causing it.

I guess it is good to know that if I take a couple extra magnesium, I won't have any problems with the constipation thing any more.

I would buy some cheapo Mg oxide for the constipation problem, in your shoes: it seems a shame to waste the good stuff!!!

The last thing you wrote was this:

From now on I will just take one pill 5 or 6 times a day and see if that helps with any of my symptoms.

Seems like a good plan!!! Although I would really back off if you get diarrhoea. I only take 2-4 tabs per day as I also get quite a bit of magnesium in water (Apollinaris) and food (I am more of a moderate-carber than a low-carber, so I eat legumes, brown rice and a modest amount of gluten-free grain products).

Anyway, I have gone on for far longer than I meant to. I hope you haven't fallen asleep!!!

I'd love to hear from you in my journal, too, if you want to drop by. Magnesium is one of my little hobbies, so I am always interested to hear from anyone who has started taking it and what kind of results - good or bad - they get.

Take care, all the best, and good luck with the magnesium!!!

amanda

[Karhys]

I've a question about magnesium, and this seems the place :D so I hope you all don't mind! I've been doing a lot of reading about supplements in the last few months, particularly magnesium and vitamin D, since I seem to suffer a lot of the symptoms of deficiency.

I've noticed that most people here take it in capsule form, and I see the Doctor's Best recommended fairly regularly.

Does anyone use the powdered forms that are mixed with water, like the following? Is there any advantage to one over the other, or is it largely personal preference?
http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Magnesium-Serene-Tangerine-Flavor-17-6-oz-500-g/17273?at=0
http://www.iherb.com/Pure-Essence-Ionic-Fizz-Magnesium-Plus-Raspberry-Lemonade-Flavor-12-oz-342-g/3197?at=0

I started out with magnesium citrate in capsule form (sorry, I've forgotten the brand) but taking the capsules always made me feel ill to the stomach afterwards, regardless of whether it was with food or completely separate from a meal.

I recently switched to the powdered form (the 'Magnesium Serene' I linked above) and I've found it a lot better, with no ill feelings. It seems to calm my tinnitus as well when I drink it (which is usually exacerbated by sugar or sweeteners) which is something I never noticed with the capsules either.

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask as I'm still learning about all this stuff!

[mabdab01]

Amadawald-- I have been taking 1 or 2 100 mg of the Doctor's Best magnesium in between meals and am happy to say that I have not had any more bowel distress. :)

Also, I have been supplementing with D3 for about 6 mos. I live in Phoenix (Valley of the Sun), but I NEVER spend any amount of time in the sun. I don't tolerate it well and have very fair skin. So I have been taking 7500 mg daily for about 6 mos. Just taking the D3 has improved my asthma symptoms, I am hoping that the magnesium with improve it further, but I will not know until about November. For some reason that time of year is when my asthma really flares up.

As far as the thyroid thing, several people in my family have thyroid problems on my mom's side. I have been tested numerous times and my doctor always says that I am within the normal ranges. But, according to my grandmother (who had her thyroid removed in about 1950) standard testing does not always indicate when there is a problem. I haven't been tested for a couple of years for thyroid, so maybe next time I go in I will request another test.

I am not currently taking any anti-depressants. I took Paxil for awhile after I had my daughter in 1991 and then Prozac for about a year after I got off the Paxil. After I had my son in 2004, I once again had a bout with post-partum depression and went back on Prozac for about another year. I am all good now, it seems like I mostly just have problems after childbirth.

Anyway, for the time being I am going to keep taking the 500-600 mg of magnesium, and the 7500 mg of D3 daily. I will keep you posted. Thanks for offering so much feed back. :D

[witchiejen]

Mabdab, just as an aside on the hypothyroid issue. I started having symptoms (sleeping excessively, weight gain, sensitivity to cold, etc.) in 2007. Even though my range was low normal, my doc went ahead and put me on synthroid because I had symptoms. This may be true for you too! Maybe something to discuss with your doc.

[mabdab01]

Would you recommend seeing an endocrinologist, or just my regular doctor. I do not need a referral to see a specialist. Maybe would be best just to go to the endo.

[witchiejen]

Well, I just saw my regular doc. So, maybe see yours and if he isn't amenable then perhaps go see a specialist.

[Nancy LC]

Endocrinologists are often worse at treating subclinical hypothyroidism than GP's are.

Here's a good site for thyroid issues: http://stopthethyroidmadness.com

[mabdab01]

Thanks Nancy LC, a lot of interesting information. I will ask my general doctor to have some tests done next time I go in.

I just wanted to stop in and say that I took 2--100 mg magnesium pills 3 times today (600 mg total) and had no adverse effects. Also took 7500 mg of D3. Feeling pretty good today. :)

[WereBear]

I firmly believe that if MEN went to the doctor with these complaints, they would get results. Doctors seem to almost universally take men seriously, when half the time a woman's gets told it's "all in her head" if the diagnostic answer doesn't leap out immediately.

Of course, men don't help in this instance because they refuse to go to the doctor!

I've been driven to the conclusion that medical doctors are trained to "prescribe the right drug" instead of "fixing the underlying problem." When the problem involves malnutrition (We don't have that in developed countries!) and/or hormone deficiencies (Even when we test for that we don't know what it means!) we just have to do the best we can to diagnose and treat ourselves, with or without them.

[kaylakala]

Werebear you just hit the nail on the head!!
My Mom almost died of gangreene because her Doc said she was just a nervous new mother and the pain was in her head.
It was gallbladder. Me? They tried to send me home with mylanta luckily I mentioned the gallbladder and I got mine out before it got so bad.
I'm still lovin the mag!! My hubby and I are very happy. I'm going to try it with my 11 year old who is starting to show signs of depression. (runs on both sides)

[leemack]

Werebear you just hit the nail on the head!!
My Mom almost died of gangreene because her Doc said she was just a nervous new mother and the pain was in her head.
It was gallbladder. Me? They tried to send me home with mylanta luckily I mentioned the gallbladder and I got mine out before it got so bad.
I'm still lovin the mag!! My hubby and I are very happy. I'm going to try it with my 11 year old who is starting to show signs of depression. (runs on both sides)

High dose omega 3's are also really good for depression - they really helped me, and when I stop taking them, I start to get worse again.

Lee

[kaylakala]

You know I ran out of my fish oil 2 days ago and I feel horrible. I thought maybe its just all the stuff going on. but its been the same stuff for a long time. I think I need to make another trip to the store. I gotta function for family and school.

[Deezil]

Still taking my mag and D3 religiously for the last 4 or 5 months and have never felt better!

No more heart palps, normal bp, am finally 'regular' for the first time in my life, emotions are stable, virtually no cramps with TOM, more energy and positivity, no leg cramps anymore....I am so pleased with the results!

Taking these supps with a lc wol has made me a very happy woman!! :)

[amandawald]

Oh anyone know how much someone with fibromyalgia should take?? My Mom has it.

Hi there,

I'll try to find time to get back to you in more detail later (life is busy right now with end-of-term parties all over the place), but basically, someone with fibromyalgia should take the same amount as anyone else dealing with a deficiency: if you try to take more than the body can absorb at any one time, then the Mg will just get excreted, which is such a waste of the good stuff!!!

I don't know what kind of diet she has (which would make a small difference, if she already eats a lot of Mg-rich foods), but the standard recommendation is to start off easy on the Mg, take it between meals and work upwards to about 400-600mg per day.

As usual, I would recommend the Dr's Best High Absorption Magnesium from iherb.com, but the Bluebonnet also seems quite popular (you get 200mg per tablet with that, rather than just 100mg as with the Dr's Best).

If you can get hold of this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Magnesium-Miracle-Carolyn-Dean/dp/034549458X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310368698&sr=1-1

if necessary, from your local library, that would be great!!! There's a whole chapter which deals with how to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome with magnesium and other methods.

It would take me ages to quote everything and I really don't have time right now, I'm afraid... Sorry...

Hope this helps,

amanda

[amandawald]

Still taking my mag and D3 religiously for the last 4 or 5 months and have never felt better!

No more heart palps, normal bp, am finally 'regular' for the first time in my life, emotions are stable, virtually no cramps with TOM, more energy and positivity, no leg cramps anymore....I am so pleased with the results!

Taking these supps with a lc wol has made me a very happy woman!! :)

I am soooooo glad to hear this!!!

amanda

[amandawald]

I've a question about magnesium, and this seems the place :D so I hope you all don't mind! I've been doing a lot of reading about supplements in the last few months, particularly magnesium and vitamin D, since I seem to suffer a lot of the symptoms of deficiency.

I've noticed that most people here take it in capsule form, and I see the Doctor's Best recommended fairly regularly.

Does anyone use the powdered forms that are mixed with water, like the following? Is there any advantage to one over the other, or is it largely personal preference?
http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Magnesium-Serene-Tangerine-Flavor-17-6-oz-500-g/17273?at=0
http://www.iherb.com/Pure-Essence-Ionic-Fizz-Magnesium-Plus-Raspberry-Lemonade-Flavor-12-oz-342-g/3197?at=0

I started out with magnesium citrate in capsule form (sorry, I've forgotten the brand) but taking the capsules always made me feel ill to the stomach afterwards, regardless of whether it was with food or completely separate from a meal.

I recently switched to the powdered form (the 'Magnesium Serene' I linked above) and I've found it a lot better, with no ill feelings. It seems to calm my tinnitus as well when I drink it (which is usually exacerbated by sugar or sweeteners) which is something I never noticed with the capsules either.

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask as I'm still learning about all this stuff!

Hi there,

Sorry that it's taken so long to get back to you!!!

I have never tried these powdered forms as I have now finally found a brand and type of magnesium - the Dr's Best High Absorption - that works for me and doesn't cause D problems.

However, I think it is probably a question of personal preference and stomach sensitivity: if you have the feeling that your symptoms become less noticeable after taking this powdered stuff for a while, then it would seem that it works for you.

I might try it for my youngest daughter who is only 10 and can't handle swallowing capsules yet.

Thanks for the tip!

Keep us posted about whether your worst symptoms subside or not.

amanda

[kaylakala]

Awesome Amanda Thanks!! I'm sure I can get the book!!

[cakepro]

I can't WAIT to feel sparkly!! I think my husband will definitely benefit from this too. The Doctor's Best High Absorption 200mg/ 240 tabs is about $13 on Amazon using their Subscribe & Save option.

I learn so much here!! Thanks for all of the valuable information on Mg. :)

[amandawald]

I can't WAIT to feel sparkly!! I think my husband will definitely benefit from this too. The Doctor's Best High Absorption 200mg/ 240 tabs is about $13 on Amazon using their Subscribe & Save option.

I learn so much here!! Thanks for all of the valuable information on Mg. :)

I sure have, too!!!

The "sparkly" feeling can't be guaranteed, but I hope you will at least notice within a few weeks or so that you start to feel a lot calmer and less inclined to get irritable over nothing. That's what magnesium has done for me!!!

I wish I'd had it when my eldest daughter was a kindergarten kid, though, jeez, I used to get so mad with her over the stupidest things... And would scream and yell at her... Now I would be able to laugh such behaviour off - thanks to magnesium... Oh well, I can't rewrite history...

amanda

[WereBear]

Now that my system is settling in, I don't get the "sparkly" feeling in such a pronounced way.

But my system now absorbs it without a blink. I sometimes take a third one (250 mg chelated magnesium) in the afternoon, and that goes by without a problem, too.

It's my understanding that I should continue to add until I get a bit of a laxative effect, and then back off? This is the body's way of giving me feedback over how much I'm getting?

I did check this list:

Top Ten Magnesium Foods (http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-magnesium.php)

And I'm okay on the almonds, and I do get some chocolate in now and then. Since that's IT, I think I should go for 3 a day.

[cakepro]

I sure have, too!!!

The "sparkly" feeling can't be guaranteed, but I hope you will at least notice within a few weeks or so that you start to feel a lot calmer and less inclined to get irritable over nothing.
amanda

Well, I have three teenagers so feeling calmer and less inclined toward irritability will be MUCH more valuable over feeling sparkly! I thought the "sparkly" description was so funny because my husband calls me Sparklepops all the time.

I told my husband about Mg and he told me that earlier this year, he quit taking it because it caused his heart to skip beats. He probably wasn't taking chelated Mg but rather some form found at Wal-Mart. I sure hope this doesn't happen to him again!

[cakepro]

(Oops, duplicate post)

[A.Miller]

The only magnesium intake I get is in my daily multivitamin. If the effects of taking an added dose is that noticeable I think I'll try it out.

[amandawald]

The only magnesium intake I get is in my daily multivitamin. If the effects of taking an added dose is that noticeable I think I'll try it out.

Hi there Mr Miller,

Well, you will get some Mg in your food, that's for sure, but if you're LCing, it might not be that much. The Mg in your multivitamin is sure to be Mg oxide, which is the worst absorbed kind and the amount in it is sure to be tiny.

Most of us need about 400-600mg of Mg per day IN TOTAL, although some conditions require more (diabetes, being perimenopausal and oestrogen dominant, being under a lot of stress, physical and or mental, to name but a few). However, because most of us start out with a deficit situation, taking 400-600mg in supplement form doesn't seem to do most people any harm.

I suggest you start at, say, 400mg per day (i.e. of the Dr's Best stuff that would be 4 tabs per day), best taken between meals and with, say, 200mg at night (if it doesn't make you wired, you have to test for yourself), and see if you notice a difference or notice any BM problems. If you have the latter, you don't need so much, if you have no BM problems, you can try going up to 600mg and see how it goes.

amanda

[A.Miller]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll check out that site, $15 sounds like a great deal! So taking a regular vitamin with magnesium plus a one pill supplement wont be too much? Reason why I ask is the supplement is usually 100% or more daily value so I could be taking close to 200% daily value. I'm gonna try it out either way to see how I feel.

I'm also vegan so I try to make sure where I order from fits my needs. Has anyone ordered from this site, purestcolloids.com (http://www.purestcolloids.com)? They had some vitamins that were labeled 100% vegan so I might try them out but I wanted to see if anyone here has before ordering.

[WereBear]

So taking a regular vitamin with magnesium plus a one pill supplement wont be too much?

Just wanted to mention that you can input your daily foods into a nutrition counter like My P.L.A.N. and find out how closely you come to the RDAs. When I did it, back when I started low carbing, I was easily hitting the minimum for everything except D.

I still supplement with my Hardcore 5 (CLA, chelated magnesium, D3, MSM, kelp) because those are either things that don't have an RDA, or I have been persuaded that it is set too low, and I need more. Remember, the RDA's were set, some of them back in the 1920s, to ward off scurvy & beri beri. Not for optimum health.

But I don't take a multivitamin anymore. My dollars are better spent, targeted.

[cakepro]

I started taking the chelated Mg supplement about a week ago, starting at 100 mg 1x per day, then 100 mg 2x per day, then 200 mg once in the morning. Unfortunately, three times I've experienced abrupt, excruciating headaches during um, quality time with my husband. I have never had this problem before and have been married for almost 21 years. The pain is extremely focused in the middle of the right side of my head and lasts for hours. It feels like an ice pick is stabbing me in one spot. I haven't found any information connecting Mg supplements to new, unexplained headaches...only tons of information linking Mg supplementation with headache relief. UGH - go figure!

So, yesterday was my last dose of Mg and now I'll give it a few days to leave my body before seeing if my horrible new problem happens again. :( Whether it does or not, I'm going to go see my doc and hopefully she will order a CT or MRI of my noggin.

I just wonder how long it takes for the Mg to leave my body. I'm scared to try again! The pain is really focused, really intense, and really scary.

[cakepro]

For anyone who may have (or will) experience this problem (coital cephalgia), it was definitely the magnesium. As the excess Mg left my body over a period of days, so too did the stabbing brain pains. Thank God I am now back to normal. No more Mg for me! Hubby-induced sparkliness is far better than magnesium-induced sparkliness. :lol: What a weird (and worrisome) side effect!!

[WereBear]

Hubby-induced sparkliness is far better than magnesium-induced sparkliness. :lol: What a weird (and worrisome) side effect!!

So glad you are feeling better! And for warning the rest of us :)

Obviously you were not deficient?

[LAwoman75]

I have a question, I see that chelated magnesium is what's recommended in the form of mag glycinate. I was taking this in the Dr.'s Best brand. I recently also bought some Natural Calm but saw that it's mag citrate. Is one superior to the other? I had already thought the Natural Calm was a great magnesium supplement, but is it as good as taking chelated magnesium glycinate?

[amandawald]

I have a question, I see that chelated magnesium is what's recommended in the form of mag glycinate. I was taking this in the Dr.'s Best brand. I recently also bought some Natural Calm but saw that it's mag citrate. Is one superior to the other? I had already thought the Natural Calm was a great magnesium supplement, but is it as good as taking chelated magnesium glycinate?

Hi there,

Difficult to say!!! I guess you just have to try for yourself. I do believe I did see something somewhere on the net which looked fairly reliable (George Eby's site, maybe???) about the absorption rates of various kinds of magnesium and I do believe that Mg glycinate did indeed score better than Mg citrate, but YMMV.

I found that the Mg citrate just made me go potty too much. The Mg glycinate is the only one that doesn't have that effect unless I take a lot of it.

amanda

[amandawald]

I started taking the chelated Mg supplement about a week ago, starting at 100 mg 1x per day, then 100 mg 2x per day, then 200 mg once in the morning. Unfortunately, three times I've experienced abrupt, excruciating headaches during um, quality time with my husband. I have never had this problem before and have been married for almost 21 years. The pain is extremely focused in the middle of the right side of my head and lasts for hours. It feels like an ice pick is stabbing me in one spot. I haven't found any information connecting Mg supplements to new, unexplained headaches...only tons of information linking Mg supplementation with headache relief. UGH - go figure!

So, yesterday was my last dose of Mg and now I'll give it a few days to leave my body before seeing if my horrible new problem happens again. :( Whether it does or not, I'm going to go see my doc and hopefully she will order a CT or MRI of my noggin.

I just wonder how long it takes for the Mg to leave my body. I'm scared to try again! The pain is really focused, really intense, and really scary.

I read this whilst on holiday and didn't have time (just a few minutes on my sister's laptop from work) to write a reply back then.

I am soooo sorry to hear this. I guess you were one of those lucky ones who was already stocked up with magnesium and the extra amount caused some imbalance...

Yikes.

Hope you find someone you can give the Mg to as it would be a shame to let it go to waste!

amanda

[cakepro]

Hope you find someone you can give the Mg to as it would be a shame to let it go to waste! amanda

Hubby's taking it! :lol:

What a crazy reaction I had! I'm glad the problem presented itself so quickly that I was able to pinpoint the cause right away. What can I say, my body's weird. :lol:

[LAwoman75]

Hi there,

Difficult to say!!! I guess you just have to try for yourself. I do believe I did see something somewhere on the net which looked fairly reliable (George Eby's site, maybe???) about the absorption rates of various kinds of magnesium and I do believe that Mg glycinate did indeed score better than Mg citrate, but YMMV.

I found that the Mg citrate just made me go potty too much. The Mg glycinate is the only one that doesn't have that effect unless I take a lot of it.

amanda


I had taken Natural Calm several years back and remembered how relaxed it made my mood, but this time it's upsetting my stomach. I had taken some NOW mag citrate capsules a while back and had to quit taking them for the same reason. I guess because it draws water to the colon, but it makes my stomach constantly feel *full* and it makes gurgling noises all through the day. When I had quit the Now mag citrate capsules, all of those symptoms stopped. Then I tried the Dr.'s Best chelated mag (mag glycinate) and didn't have the problems but then I ordered Natural Calm and once I took it, I had the same symptoms I had when I took the mag citrate. I didn't know till I read on the Natural Calm container that it was in the mag citrate form. I'm going to stop taking it and go back to my mag glycinate.

[Gilly07]

I would really appreciate it if you people who know more about Magnesium than I do, could have a look at the stuff that I have been taking.

http://www.fourbody.com.au/herbs-of-gold-muscle-resuscitation.html

I don't buy it from there but this site has a full breakdown of what's in it!!

I take it for muscle relaxation and hopefully to help control my blood pressure, Hubby takes it for muscle relaxation.

[amandawald]

I would really appreciate it if you people who know more about Magnesium than I do, could have a look at the stuff that I have been taking.

http://www.fourbody.com.au/herbs-of-gold-muscle-resuscitation.html

I don't buy it from there but this site has a full breakdown of what's in it!!

I take it for muscle relaxation and hopefully to help control my blood pressure, Hubby takes it for muscle relaxation.

Hi GillyO7,

This is what it says in the description:

Magnesium (as citrate)...................................................................120mg
Magnesium (as amino acid chelate)...............................................200mg

In the case of the second kind of magnesium, I would guess that it is merely Mg oxide bound to an amino acid, because if it were something "better" then they would have mentioned it specifically!!! Now, that's just my evil twisted mind interpreting this, but I say so with experience of buying magnesium products.

I bought one here in Germany, which proudly proclaimed it was "chelated magnesium", but gave no more information than that. Not even an email to Spain (where the product originally came from, or the company it was distributed by in Europe) gave me more accurate information!!!

But, don't despair, this - possibly - Mg oxide chelate did in fact work better than the plain old cheapo Mg oxide I had been taking beforehand. However, I would recommend you finish that bottle and then get yourself a decent separate Mg supplement. As far as I know, it is generally recommended that you take multivitamins with meals - because they tend to be a little harsh on the stomach otherwise - but this is not the best way to take magnesium as it merely makes your stomach acid less acidic which, one, means you digest your food less efficiently. Therefore it is often recommended to take magnesium away from meals, say, a half hour after you've eaten, when your stomach acid concentration is still relatively high, but your stomach will have emptied by then.

Hope this helps!

amanda

[ferrygirl]

Rats. I got the wrong magnesium...magnesium citrate. It's the powdered kind - has to be made with boiling water. I usually mix the concoction with something. This evening's mix w/ herbal tea is pretty awful.

[WereBear]

Happy to report my hunch was correct: I am feeling warmer this winter!

Of course, it's early yet...

[LilyB]

Winter???
...It's still 90's here...

You blow South,
I'll blow North,
We can hope for 70's?

[Enomarb]

I just wanted to thank everyone who posts here- this thread changed the kind of magnesium I take. It made a difference. I still am not sparkly but I was able to double my daily dose without any negative issues.
thanks again-
E

[Zuleikaa]

pureformulas.com is having a half price sale on Drs Best products.

[WereBear]

Just wanted to add a friend of mine has a son who is concerned about his friend with Tourette's; sudden onset and the drugs don't seem to help. Did a little research and came up with two papers that pinned such on very low magnesium; forwarded them on in case it's helpful.

[TeresaTX]

Don't know how I missed this thread - I just searched last week!!

I guessed and ended up with the wrong kind - a NOW liquid gel cap blend of chelated citrix, malate and glycinate but it's actually helped quite a bit with my sleeping and I had been waking up with really painful joints in my hands and now they seem only stiff...am in line for a knee replacement so I had tried this to see if I had any relief for that and that hasn't happend but I'm not giving up! I'm trying to find a source for the chelated glycinate locally but if not I'll order the Dr's best that seems to be the popular item.

So amazing what you find out when you actually start paying attention to your body!

[ShesGG]

There's very compelling evidence (thanks, Hutch!) about magnesium supplementation being vital for health, but my first attempt, with plain ol' magnesium, was very similar to eating one of those sugar alcohol candies... only one that was three stories tall.

If you know what I mean.

So I ordered some chelated magnesium, and took it last night. While I did get some, ya know, (activity,) it was no more than a bran muffin used to do, so I'm fine with that. And this reaction is supposed to moderate as I continue to take magnesium, I understand.

What amazed me was about two hours after I took it... I got this wave of calm, followed by a wave of warmth. The whole thing lasted like an hour!

And it felt good.

So, I will continue to keep up with it, and see how it goes. But I was rather impressed; it's supposed to make all your electricity work better. I'd say it does!

Be careful how much you take, your kidneys can't process a lot of magnesium and when I take it too close to bedtime, I get these really vivid dreams. I don't like those.

[aj_cohn]

For the past 2 days, I've been drinking magnesium water (ionic magnesium), and each time, my muscles felt like they turned to jelly. I had to cut a workout short yesterday because of this. I don't usually experience this kind of muscle relaxation unless I take an epsom salts bath, and I have been attributing the reaction to the hot water as much as the magnesium. I don't react this way to magnesium supplements or magnesium in my food (about 325-350 from food each day).

I know that magnesium is a muscle relaxant, but my degree of relaxation is strong. Am I just on the far end of some bell curve? Is it possible that I just don't absorb Mg well from food or supplements? Or Is this reaction a danger sign of something else?

[WereBear]

For the past 2 days, I've been drinking magnesium water (ionic magnesium), and each time, my muscles felt like they turned to jelly. I had to cut a workout short yesterday because of this. I don't usually experience this kind of muscle relaxation unless I take an epsom salts bath, and I have been attributing the reaction to the hot water as much as the magnesium. I don't react this way to magnesium supplements or magnesium in my food (about 325-350 from food each day).

I know that magnesium is a muscle relaxant, but my degree of relaxation is strong. Am I just on the far end of some bell curve? Is it possible that I just don't absorb Mg well from food or supplements? Or Is this reaction a danger sign of something else?

If it's the same as the epsom salts bath, I wouldn't worry; except maybe cut back on the magnesium water. And it's possible your supplements just aren't working for you; the first one I tried didn't absorb at all.

[aj_cohn]

WereBear,

My reaction was far stronger with the magnesium water than with the epsom salts bath. I'll take it on faith that it's a sign that I don't assimilate magnesium easily and spread my intake out over a longer period. Thanks for the reassurance.

[ScubaGal]

JOURNAL HELP PLEASE! I'm having a difficult time finding where I can start my journal?? Thanks in advance...not sure if I'm posting this in the correct thread... :)

[WereBear]

JOURNAL HELP PLEASE! I'm having a difficult time finding where I can start my journal?? Thanks in advance...not sure if I'm posting this in the correct thread... :)

It's under the header of the page, in the upper right corner, by your name.

[ScubaGal]

In MY PLAN, thanks WereBear! Can anyone read journal?

[JustAGirl]

magnesium quit working for me. I seem to gain weight whenever I take it now. :(

[WereBear]

magnesium quit working for me. I seem to gain weight whenever I take it now. :(

How do you take it? Some people do better soaking in Epsom salts or spraying magnesium oil on their skin, like my DH.

[Zuleikaa]

magnesium quit working for me. I seem to gain weight whenever I take it now. :(
Are you taking the chelated form of magnesium? Like any other supplement the form of it is important; the body can't efficiently absorb and use the non-chelated form of magnesium. The non-chelated form will attract water leading to temporary weight gain and then be eliminated from the body. I only take the non-chelated form when I my stools are too hard or I become stopped up from too much fiber/not enough water.

Also, with magnesium it is better if you take it in smaller, divided doses throughout the day rather than in one large dose.

Also something to think about:
Absorption of magnesium depends on the amount ingested. When the dietary content of magnesium is typical, approximately 30-40% is absorbed. Under conditions of low magnesium intake (ie, 1 mmol/d), approximately 80% is absorbed, while only 25% is absorbed when the intake is high (25 mmol/d).
https://www.medscape.com/answers/2038394-35946/how-is-magnesium-absorbed#:~:text=Absorption%20of%20magnesium%20depends%20on,(25%20mmol%2Fd).