How To Use Supplement Powders Calcium Citrate Magnesium Citrate
 

I am using Magnesium Citrate powder to get my magnesium. I use 1/2 tsp in my morning bowl muffin (this is about 1200 mg of which 16% is magnesium [200mg]). At my current weight my minimum dosage should be 546mg.

I was informed by my rheumatologist that I need to start taking a calcium citrate supplement to the amount of 1200mg a day (yes, he specifically named calcium citrate). This only accounts for 252mg elemental calcium. What triggered this mess is a 3.5% bone loss in two years.

I've ordered the powder so I can add it to my bowl muffin recipe as well but I wanted to double-check the amount of supplements before I proceed.

When specifying the ratios for intake of Calcium to Magnesium, is this in it's various compounds? Or is it based on the elemental value?

(values based on my current average intake of mag.citrate.)

IE:
Magnesium Citrate 1200mg
Calcium Citrate 1200mg (doctor ordered)

vs.

elemental Magnesium 200mg (16% mag. citrate)
elemental Calcium 252mg (21% cal. citrate)

Final question: Should I increase the amounts I am (will be) using?

As you can see, I asked this question back in May 2011 and have not seen a reply.

Does anyone know?

I just started a thread about Osteopenia in General Health, maybe you should check that one too.

From what I understand:

Calcium and magnesium sort of work against one another, so you should take them at different times. I don't know about ratios.

I take my mag. just before bedtime and calcium in the morning.

Also, even more important is to take vitamin D3 and K2. K2 makes the calcium go to your bones, not your arteries (calcium supplementation without k2 tends to cause more heart disease).

D3 is very important for bone health too.

Someone else suggested silica. I'm going to add that as well.

Thank you Nancy! I was getting worried that I was asking a really stupid question. I'm going to assume then that the doses are based on the total values rather than the elemental values.

Okay, vitamin D3, K2 and calcium in the morning?

And magnesium at night?

And to add: At what time should I take potassium? With meals throughout the day? or with the morning regimen?

I need to pick up K2.

To add: My results from my recent bone scan was .3 so I'm doing quite well with calcium absorption. Now that I've cut back the amount of cheese I'm eating I need to supplement.

When you get k2 get the k2 MK-7 sort. The MK-4 doesn't last so long. I don't think potassium matters.

Here's a pretty good article, but they seem to think you need enormous doses of K2. It would be outrageously expensive, I should think. You might add some silica to that order too.

I order my vitamins online they're always cheaper than the stores. Try iherb or swaonsonvitamins.

Interesting! Do you have a source for that? I've seen plenty of products that combine the two and am sure I've seen recommended that they be taken together. I'd love to read an alternate view.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ca...lements/AN01428

Well, here's one. I googled on "should you take calcium and magnesium at the same time" and came up with several. Sadly, the only calcium supplements they had at TJ's were mixed with mag. So I'll have to order some online.

Thanks for clearing up the confusion. I did come across something that said you could take calcium and Mg together if not more that 250 mg of each. Whole Foods sells magnesium citrate by itself and I was able to get a liquid in capsules version at Costco recently.

Was there supposed to be a link? I'm curious what "they" say. I do use iHerb. I love how you can reorder by simply clicking a button :D

Oops, yes: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...vitamin-k2.aspx

This depends on the brand and quality of the product in terms of elemental vs. compound; in the natural foods industry MOST products are listed on a supplement facts label like such:

Magnesium (as magnesium citrate) ......... 200mg

This above labeling denotes that it is ELEMENTAL mag 200mg from the mag citrate. If it simply said "magnesium citrate .............. 600mg" it is most likely a product that is not labeling how much of the elemental product is in there. This, from my personal standpoint, would be a slightly inferior product because they're really deceiving you into believing each serving is 600mg of magnesium, which is not the case.

In terms of what your doctor meant, I would probably address him directly and ask for clarification; did you want me to ingest 1200mg of this as elemental calcium/magnesium...? I would say it is MOST LIKELY that that is what the doctor meant, because 1000mg of elemental calcium is a standard daily dose; for someone with bone loss I would not find it surprising if their doctor asked them to take a larger amount than that daily. It is good that you are taking large amounts of magnesium with your calcium; it will help ensure that you properly absorb the calcium and avoid calcium deposits such as bone spurs or kidney stones. :)

I totally forgot to follow up on this thread.

Despite NOT taking calcium supplements for the last two years, my bone density test went from -3.5 (percent change from baseline) to -.3

My only calcium has been a near-daily intake of 2 to 3 oz of cheddar cheeses.

For purposes of actually getting the weight moving downward, I've given up my beloved cheese for the time being...

I wonder if supplementing is even really necessary at this time... :p

I have the elemental form.

I don't know. Is that just a .05 increase? I don't know how bone density is measured. What does the doctor say?