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

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 )

amanda

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). 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.

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.

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

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!!

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

Hi mabdab01,

You wrote this above:



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.



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!!!)



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.



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...




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...&postcount=1385

The original D3 thread is here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...&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.



Low-carbing should also help with that.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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



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:



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

I've a question about magnesium, and this seems the place 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-Natural...00-g/17273?at=0
http://www.iherb.com/Pure-Essence-I...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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.