As an ex-smoker and almost-ex caffeine hound, I would say that it is one of those chicken-and-egg things. Once you are majorly addicted to both smoking and caffeine, then these things will also affect your magnesium absorption and raise your adrenaline levels, which in turn depletes your magnesium supplies yet further.

So, even if you weren't stressed when you started up with these habits, with time, if you become a true addict, you most certainly will be!!!

What then happens with a lot of people is that they end up being so wired and stressed all day long that they then become hooked on alcohol, too!!! The only way they can chill in the evening after being on an adrenaline high all day long is to imbibe alcohol. This in turn uses up yet more magnesium and places yet more stress on the adrenals, which means that you end up needing a coffee in the morning to get you going...

Since reducing my caffeine intake, I have been very surprised at how much calmer I am!!! Forget all the rubbish about coffee having all these anti-oxidants and other pro-caffeine propaganda: coffee increases your stress levels, end of story.

amanda

Or Chocolate

Chocolate contains caffeine!!! And magnesium. I have never worked out how the body deals with that.

amanda

http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fp47.htm
Does cocoa contain caffeine?
Yes, in very small quantities.
A 28 gram piece of bittersweet (dark) chocolate contains from 5 to 35 milligrams of caffeine, still well under the approximately 75 milligrams of caffeine found in a 227 gram cup of instant coffee or the 140 milligrams found in the same amount of brewed coffee.


Dark chocolate is supposedly the best source of Mg but not that much in the big picture. Still it's very good to eat dark chocolate every day.

The thing about chocolate is it contains theobromine, which has a similar effect to caffeine.

There's something fishy about that page: They only list the quantity of theobromine in cocoa butter, not in cocoa powder. I would expect there to be quite a bit more in the cocoa powder.

Don't get sucked in - chocolate is not a health food! Certainly in my case it wasn't worth the headaches, diarrhea and addiction.

I get terrible panic attacks from chocolate but not always from caffeine (coffee). There have to be some crazy chemicals in chocolate that stimulate your body. I also crave chocolate big time. As I child I had a severe allergy to cocoa solids that I "grew out of" by the time I was 12. I wonder if I never really did grow out of it but instead of hives and throat closing now I get panic attacks instead. Overall I am sure chocolate is not good for me and is not the best source of magnesium since it comes with a bunch of other stuff that is harmful.

dark chocolate is healthy but processed is not. Theobromine is not nearly as bad as caffeine. Dark chocolate is calming mostly because of magnesium

the best magnesium supplement is magnesium glycinate and taurate. It cured my problems with anxiety and depression.

I don't think cavemen had problems with magnesium or any other mineral.

Hi motif,

That is great news about anxiety and depression!!! Could you tell us a little more? My sister has both these problems and has finally started taking Mg citrate. I don't know if she has noticed any great difference yet.

How much did you take in supplement form?

How long did it take for you to feel that the anxiety and depression had actually lifted?

Could you provide a link to the actual products you bought?

Many thanks in advance,

amanda

the thing and essential quality of magnesium is that you need to supply if every day as it is easily evacuated by the body to remove the bad and unneeded stuff from your body as well as it takes at least 6 months from what I read to good restore levels if you have been deficient for some time. Anyone is deficient in it that doesn't bathe in Mg rich water or the more concentrated Mg oil. Frankly we are not designed to get much from the food or any oral supplement for that matter.

It takes few months to bring magnesium to normal but the difference you can notice right away, really. Initial dose was like 800mg to 1200mh a day then after a year I take only 400mg-600mg from time to time when I feel like I have depleted from magnesium. I can actually feel it now

There is no special brand, I use Swanson mainly but any good, tested brand will do. If I find a link to a one person's research and straggle with depression
I will post her. That guy actually got me idea and information which magnesium to take and how much. Some magnesium are actually useless and even not safe like e.g. magnesium oxide. Mg Citrate you have mentioned is quite good too, but for depression I'd take only glycinate or taurate.

Hi motif,

Thanks very much for the information!!! I might see if I can persuade my sister to try the Mg glycinate that I got for my Dad. It gets very good reviews from people on iherb.com.

Did you take all the dosage in one go or did you spread it out over the course of the day? I seem to be sensitive to Mg supps and if I take too much at once, I get problems with having to rush to the toilet in the mornings...

So, if I understand you correctly, you took 800-1200mg per day for a whole year and now you just take 400-600mg when you feel you need it?

How do you judge when you feel depleted of magnesium? Do you go by psychological symptoms or other symptoms?

I am fairly knowledgeable about magnesium, so I don't need information about what it can do. What I am really interested in is other people's real experiences with supplementation and the positive benefits they notice from taking magnesium, so your experience is very valuable information to me.

Thanks so much for sharing!!!

amanda

amanda

Magnesium is best absorbed in smaller amounts with food throughout the day.

Acid-base conditions regulate calcium and magnesium homeostasis. If you are eating a diet that leads to acidic urine you will be losing both calcium and magnesium in your urine. It follows it is wiser to ensure you always have sufficient in your diet.

While of course it is interesting to hear the experiences of others, it is a simple matter to check the acidity of your own urine and then reduce excess acidity with bicarbonate and/or potassium citrate.

I took in in two doses, but never had problem with toilet because of too much magnesium.



yes - plus/minus, didn't count exactly.



I can feel it when my muscles are easily cramping, when I got irregular heart bits, when I feel unnatural anxious etc stuff like these. Some time ago after years supplementation got blood tested for magnesium and it was in perfect level. I take also from time to time epson salt bath for maintenance.

BTW, why freaking doctors never test magnesium levels, can somebody tell me?
I had to ask and insist!

Hi Ted,

Did you just get some Ph strips from a pharmacy to test the acidity of your urine? I shall have to ask at my local pharmacy if they can get me some.

What kind of diet is said to lead to acidic urine?

I would be most grateful if you could answer my questions. Many thanks in advance.

As for the question of when to take Mg supplements: according to one Mg expert I have read, it is not necessarily a good idea to take your Mg supplements with food as they will make your stomach acid more alkaline and therefore make digestion more difficult for your body. The only exception to this is Mg chloride, which, as it is broken down into chloride, can help to actually make hydrochloric acid.

I must admit, though, that it doesn't seem to be doing me any good at the moment to take my night-time Mg on an empty stomach.

Do you take your Mg towards the end of a meal or at the beginning? Do you also use HCI supplements? Apparently, low stomach acid can cause poor absorption of Mg - and presumably other minerals and nutrients, too. I have been using HCI supplements periodically, but haven't really done any exact monitoring to see if they help.

I wonder if I am already getting enough in my diet and water, which would be another explanation for the rapid excretion. I drink Apollinaris mineral water throughout the day, which contains about 120mg per liter. I also eat legumes and nuts.

Of course, the BM problems could be caused by something else entirely. For the time being, I think I will reduce my intake of Mg via supplement form, try taking them after a meal with HCI and see what happens!!!

amanda