LymeNet Flash: How much Magnesium?

This is topic How much Magnesium? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by James H (Member # 6380) on :

I think we are almost all taking some form of magnesium supplement, on the recommendation of an LLMD or otherwise.

Marnie has written volumes on the subject.

But... How much should we be taking? Is there such a thing as too much Mg? (There is with almost anything.)

I see some here taking it IV or IM, which suggests they are taking more than is practical orally... or perhaps they just have too many stomach problems with all the other stuff.

Is the Magnesium Oxide stuff we find in the grocery store totally useless?

Posted by zipzip (Member # 6226) on :

vitamins go through your body quickly and oral vitamins go through your body very very fast.

for oral mag dr b recommends mag tab sr (sustained release), so its stays in your body longer.

which is available at niche pharmaceuticals which you can find online.

Posted by RECIPEGIRL (Member # 5884) on :

Hey James,

Hope you had a great Christmas. I ran into "jo3" Jean in Austin at the LLMD. It was great meeting her. We'll all have to get appointments on the same day & meet!

As I'm sure you know, that in the past, physicians received scant education about nutrition.

Any time-released pill is hard on the liver. I would never take a time-released Niacin or magnesium, for that matter. That's my personal preference.

Actually, only the water soluble vitamins like B & C pass through the body quickly.

Any nutrition book will warn about taking excessive doses of the fat soluble vitamins, A & D as they are stored in the body. Vitamin E is somewhat stored within the body.

Minerals on the other hand take a long time to build your reserves. But, Marnie is right, if you take minute amounts of liquid Mg Citrate, then it does leave the body within 2 hours.

I keep a bottle of Marnie's Mg. Citrate in the refrigerator for pain. It works so fast. My whole family likes it.

But for daily use, I usually use the
Magnesium Citrate Capsules 170mg by Nutricology for Bb; directions say take 3 times daily.

Magnesium Taurate capsules by Cardiovascular Research LTd. for very mild, cell wall stabilizer; good for heart, nerves & eyes.

Magnesium Maleate for fibromyalgia - huge caplet.

The biggest problem with magnesium for me is timing it 2 hours away from ABX.

Marnie's information is wonderful about Mg.

Also, George Eby's (supposedly invented the zinc lozenge for colds) website is massive. It has a great deal of info on Mg.

It's at: www.coldcure.com

Anyway, those are my favorite magnesium products.

Take Care,
Jan

Posted by lymeinhell (Member # 4622) on :

[
Is the Magnesium Oxide stuff we find in the grocery store totally useless?[/B][/QUOTE]

Yes

It's not very absorbable and most of it (to quote Marnie) ends up in the toilet. Small doses taken frequently are a much better option.

I take Magnesium Maleate with Potassium 4-6 times a day - it's only 80mg but's quite a pure form and easier on the gi tract.

------------------
Julie G.
___________
lymeinhell

Posted by richtersl (Member # 2554) on :

Magnesium Oxide is specifically designed to keep your bowels moving. If you need it for that, it does a darn good job.

But for someone with Lyme Disease or any kind of muscle pain we want to keep the magnesium in our bodies a while longer and not flush it down the toilet. This is where forms of magnesium such as magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, and magnesium taureate come in handy.

As was mentioned earlier, Marnie has written volumes on the subject. For starters, try:
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/030187.html
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/030188.html
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/030189.html
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/030190.html
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/030191.html

George Eby's web site is excellent and also has volumes of information. I think George mentions working up to about 700-800 mg/day.

Linda

[This message has been edited by richtersl (edited 28 December 2004).]

Posted by James H (Member # 6380) on :

Ok. So in general people are not taking really massive amounts, but more in line with what might be on the label directions for the particular product.

The posts about taking it IM and IV had me wondering just how much some were taking.

I've been finding even the grocery store Mg Oxide stuff is helpful.

I'll go out and look for something better and see if it helps more.

Thanks,
James

Posted by David95928 (Member # 3521) on :

James,
Dr. B. (among others) has noted that when depleted, absorption of magnesium becomes a problem. He has also noted that Lymies sometimes have trouble absorbing, in general, particularly B vitamins. I went to IM after using oral for several months with no discernible effect. IM magnesium sulfate is supplied in 2 ml vials that contain a gram. That's about twice the RDA but I only take it two or three times a week. The effects are noticeable right away, mainly in terms of improvement of muscle cramps and twitching.
David

Posted by James H (Member # 6380) on :

David,

That makes sense, thanks for explaining the rational for IM.

I was noticing some irregular heart beats, and the oral Mg cleared it up right away.

It was just the grocery store variety and it still worked.

I see it is important stuff.

James

Posted by lkpod (Member # 6187) on :

My LLMD told me to take either mag malate or taurate.

I started slowly and he said to go as far as I could (up to 1,500 mg) without having to run to the bathroom.

I'm taking about 800 to 1000mg per day right now.