For years we have been hearing that Americans shouldn’t waste their money on supplements. Nutrition experts explain that if we ate a well-balanced diet, we wouldn’t need any supplements. We’d get all the nutrients we need from our food. But that may not be true of all nutrients. We think some people may need magnesium supplements, and perhaps certain other nutrients as well. How can you get the benefits from any supplement you take and minimize side effects or long-term risks?
Magnesium Supplements Can Cause Diarrhea:
Q. You recently wrote about the importance of maintaining adequate levels of magnesium. Some of your readers might benefit from my experience in combating one of the mineral’s frequent side effects.
Lab work revealed that my magnesium levels were too low, so my primary care provider recommended 500 mg of magnesium a day in tablet form. Unfortunately, that caused me severe diarrhea.
When I told my doctor about this, she suggested that I split the dosage and take 250 mgs in the morning and 250 mgs in the evening instead of taking one 500 mg tablet a day. Since I started doing that I tolerate the magnesium well.
Drugs May Affect Magnesium Balance:
A. Many people do not realize that certain medications, particularly diuretics prescribed for high blood pressure, can kick magnesium out of the body. The proton pump inhibitor drugs (PPIs) such as esomeprazole (Nexium) or lansoprazole (Prevacid) can reduce magnesium absorption, which may also result in low magnesium.
The consequences of too little magnesium may not be immediately recognized. They include weakness, fatigue and muscle cramps. Nausea, lack of appetite, lethargy and depression are also symptoms of low magnesium. We worry most about irregular heart rhythms that could lead to cardiac arrest.
Thank you for a simple, practical approach to getting the magnesium you need without the diarrhea it could cause. People who would like to know more about magnesium may wish to listen to our hour-long interview on the topic, Show 969: Magnesium the Neglected Mineral, available as a CD or an mp3.
