My Magnesium is included in the Mega Multi Mineral supplement I take once a week, and is made by Solaray.

I also take a supplement, made by Caltrate, of Calcium and vitamin D. The supplement is an all-in-one. I take it twice a week.

My Magnesium is included in the Mega Multi Mineral supplement I take once a week, and is made by Solaray.

I also take a Bayer baby aspirin every other day.

It also helps with constipation. Something about putting moisture into the bowels or something like that...I know if I don't take it....well....you know.....I take 1000 mg, get them from Puritan's Pride.

I take Magnesium Ultra from Vitacost.com. It consists of magnesium oxide, magnesium amino acid chelate, magnesium malate, and magnesium laurinate.

I've known for a long time that I do better when taking magnesium, and once a psychic actually told me I need magnesium. I thought that was pretty unusual!

I take a standard magnesium from Walgreen's, whatever they carry 500 mg. You need extra magnesium if you take Prevacid and other GERD drugs, since those leach out your magnesium. I was getting terrible leg cramps before I started taking it.

My doctor for my migraines said "Chelated Magnesium"...hard to find, but if the magnesium is "helping with constipation", then guess where the magnesium is going..in to the toilet. The Chelated doesn't (And I don't know why).

Vickey-MN

I take Magnesium Malate by Source Naturals when my Fibromyalgia gets too difficult to manage with pain meds. Generally during stressful times at work (like now). It helps immensely.

It also helps to cut out all caffeine during these times.

Jodi-

Here is a link that might be useful: Mag Malate Info

I have been taking magnesium for constipation for years and years. Don't remember how I got started but if I'm having trouble I take an extra pill. Works every time. I take Nature Made 250 mg.

I've always read that Malate was the best. I now take the Magnesium Ultra (which contains Malate) from Vitacost that Alisande uses.

Gosh, when I was in the hospital with double pnemonia, they were doing all kind of blood tests and found out I was very low on calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium.(I think it was Magnesium) I know I got the other two right, but it was in liquid form and gave me the worse diarrhea I have ever had. I refused to take it after one of the nurses informed me that I was having diarrhea because of the mag. Plus they were giving me a stool softener. I started refusing that too when I found out.. I was not a happy camper!!! I was never so glad to get out of that place!! Then they were trying to slip the mag. in pill form and stool softener in with my other pills I take daily. But I watched it like a hawk..and took them out and gave them back to the nurse. I told my dr. that I was NOT taking them. I have enough problems with upset stomach as it is!

I have kind of a love/hate thing going on with Magnesium.

When I was five months pregnant with my son, I went into labor. As soon as I got into the hospital they pumped me full of Mag Sulfate to slow the contractions.

One of the benefits of magnesium is smoothing involuntary muscles. It was a horrible drug to be on.

I had to have it once again when I was back in the hospital at 8 months because of Pre-eclampsia (toxemia). This time they used it after delivery to keep my blood pressure down and to keep my vitals working. I felt just horrible, my eyes wouldn't track and I couldn't hold my head up, not that I really wanted to at that point. Ugh.

But ... it really helps relax my muscles when I need it.

Jodi-

And now that you have the input of all the the amateurs, talk to your doctor first. Like many things, magnesium in the wrong doses or for people who have certain conditions is dangerous. Here is what WebMD says about side effects:

Doses less than 350 mg per day are safe for most adults. When taken in very large amounts, magnesium is POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Large doses might cause too much magnesium to build up in the body, causing serious side effects including an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, confusion, slowed breathing, coma, and death.

Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Magnesium is LIKELY SAFE for pregnant or breast-feeding women when taken by mouth in the amounts recommended. These amounts depend on the age of the woman. Check with your healthcare provider to find out what amounts are right for you.

Heart block: High doses of magnesium (typically delivered by IV) should not be given to people with heart block.

Kidney problems, such as kidney failure: Kidneys that donâÂÂt work well have trouble clearing magnesium from the body. Taking extra magnesium can cause magnesium to build up to dangerous levels. DonâÂÂt take magnesium if you have kidney problems.

check this site..has food with mag..easier for the body to tolorate...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.algaecal.com/magnesium/magnesium-rich-foods.html

And now that you have the input of all the the amateurs, talk to your doctor first.

Kudzu, I don't dispute what you said about magnesium possibly not being the best choice for everyone, but there's an undeserved insult implicit in all the amateurs.

Many of us are informed medical consumers. We're not flying blindly; we do our homework. I'm guessing you regard yourself this way, too, since you read WebMD. Because I believe people are individuals, with individual needs and reactions, when it comes to my own body, I consider myself to be a pro.

I take 500 mg for my fibromyalgia. Don't know if it works or not.

Thanks for ALL the above posts. Often I do not go back and read the following day, so the "heads up" about possible kidney problems IS noteworthy. I was considering adding mag. to my regimen and I am not sure that I would have researched it as well as I would even prescribed medication. (Having just been given a huge supply of Ibupropen, by an urgent care MD even tho I told him I had 20% kidney function) I consider myself well informed as to my medical issues.... but, leg cramps are a mind numbing issue that those of us who suffer from them might very well just grab anything for relief.

Anyway, my guardian angel must have made me re-open this thread and since my MD is a thousand miles away, I will think more than once or twice about relief from leg cramps via magnesium.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Nanny

Yes if you brush up on your biochemistry you'll remember Ca2+ and Mg2+ are the 2 most common and necessary ions in your system. W/o them your heart will stop, etc etc etc. I guess I would call them the electricity system.

alisande-
You're right. I didn't mean to sound that way, but I can see how it came off. I phrased it that way to get the OP's attention, because I was getting a little concerned as I read through one enthusiastic endorsement after another with no cautionary info. My apologies to anyone who thought I sounded snotty. I'm an "amateur," too, but I'll be more diplomatic the next time I want to raise a flag.

Thanks, Kudzu! You sound like a pro to me. (And that was a compliment.)

A few weeks ago I had a friend stay with me and she came with a case of holistic vitamins, drinks, oils, iodine, chia seeds she sprinkles on her fried eggs every day. We talked about magnesium and she used a powder called Natural Calm from Natural Vitality that she mixes with water. The label says it balances your calcium intake. Restores healthy magnesium. Organic raspberry lemon flavor. She is a real know it all when it comes to vitamins and what to look for.

We went to the pharmacy to so I could pick up some magnesium and every bottle we picked up she said not to buy it because it contains magnesium oxide or some other ingredient that shouldn't be in your body. I couldn't keep up with the information she gave me that week.

I know nothing of vitamins but she told me not to use the calcium with magnesium tablets that I was taking.

She does say that magnesium is vital to good health and does so many good things for your body.

Anne

Having a friend who's been dealing with fibromyalgia for some time, I copied the link to this thread and sent it to her a few minutes ago.

I don't know whether she read the thread or not, but see no message from her (she's not a member of Gardenweb).

She replied to me to say that she is taking Sierrasil ... and it's wonderful. Don't know whether doctor- or self-prescribed.

ole joyful

Once more - thread-killer, it appears.

o j

Not to worry, oj, it happens to me too. I guess the all threads have to die a natural death eventually. :)

I don't know if this thread is dead or not, but just wanted to make a comment about consulting your doctor first (over personal experience). In all honesty, most medical doctors don't really know much about nutrition. For instance, my Vitamin D was extremely deficient and my doctor advised me to take 400 iu's per day. Sorry but this is laughable really. I ended up taking 5000 iu's D3 per day. Every day. (I have Celiac and Hashimoto's so this may not be the correct amount to take for someone with no real health issues.)

I have a couple of autoimmune diseases so I need large of amounts of some nutrients that I just can't absorb from food. So, I basically self-treat as far as supplements go, and there are times I educate my doctor on supplements as well. : )

As far as magnesium goes, I take Natural Calm powder, that was mentioned above. I don't do well on hard tablets for any supplement. I mix the powder in my 'supplement' drink. I also use Magnesium Oil from the same company. I apply this oil transdermally (rub it on my skin) liberally throughout the day. Magnesium is highly absorbable this way. I don't seem to have to worry about overdosing, as my body obviously needs this magnesium in a big way. Also, magnesium oil is good for pain (ie. fibromyalgia) so you just rub it on the sore spots. Again, for those of you with no health issues, you probably wouldn't have to take as high a dosage of supplements as I do; but I'm just saying from personal experience doctors do not know everything.

My ex-, trained in hosp. food service 50 years ago, who served as second head for a few years, and head of food service in a local psychiatric hospital for about 20 years, said that most doctors, having taken only a course or two, if that, knew very little about nutrition.

That knowledge may have been of an earlier time and perhaps their training may have increased in recent years.

ole joyful