Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

[ikam]

I am unsure. In my recent blood test there was something about kidneys, but I have to repeat this test...

I have never had any of these problems before...

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

http://www.mg12.info/

 

Kidney and liver disease can cause the body not to remove excess mag from the body.

 

Mag levels are often too low in persons with alcoholism and diabetes.

 

Here is an interesting article from wikipedia about the role of glycine and neurotransmitters.

 

If you question any supplement others recommend then don't take it. If I remember in the reading, the LD₅₀ of glycine is around 7 grams (7000 mg) in rats, causing death by hyperexcitability.

 

There are many other salts (at least 7 I think) of magnesium, some of which are better absorbed than others. Somewhere in a thread I remember posting a link to a promoter of a product which claims to be superior based on the fact it contains more than one salt and is better absorbed because of that.

 

This source has a little bit on the relative lethality of magnesium. It is pretty low. But if you are unsure, don't take it or switch to another brand or salt, such as citrate, orotate, aspartate.

 

I hear a lot of people say on here they can't take magnesium and I wonder about this because it is so highly beneficial to people in wd. It could be that they are very deficient in this mineral to begin with and they become some sort of symptomatic when they start supplementing it. Those symptoms may (for the most part) be short lived. And how do you know which is which? It takes quite a while for the average deficiency to correct itself because magnesium is not that easily absorbed and the kidneys work to shuttle it out of the body. The one good thing I noted is that amounts over 400 mg pulled a lot of water into my bowel and kept the works running smoothly in that area, constipation was never a worry.

 

Magnesium supplementation is the single most thing I credit with the speediness of my recovery from acute wd. Period. No one will ever be able to change my mind about this. The severe curtailing of body movements I experienced (because I was trying not to go crazy) caused my tendon sheaths in my legs and arms to become severely sore. Magnesuim alleviated this and allowed me to rest at night when I was going through the insomnia period. I'll never be able to explain how painful that was. I had to sleep with pillows between my legs because just the weight of one leg on the other was excruciating. If you have ever had 'trigger thumb' you'll know what the pain is like. Imagine that all down both of your legs. I still have some residual pain in the backs of my knees and in the area of my left inner elbow left over from those months of sitting frozen in one position all day.

 

Everyone elses mileage may vary, of course.

[ikam]

Thank you. I will stop it for few days and see how I feel...

 

I have been recently quite lethargic and my blood pressure seems to be low...it may be magnesium...

But I am better with paresthesia...

[Petunia]

I currently take magnesium l-threonate, which is supposed to cross the blood brain barrier more effectively. I have noticed a benefit but it is very expensive.

 

I started taking this yesterday because of its ability to cross the BBB easier than other forms of magnesium, I was hoping that it would help with my learning and memory issues. I did some research before buying it, because as kerrip mentioned, it is quite a bit more expensive than the other kinds of magnesium.

 

One study suggested that elevation of brain magnesium through dietary intake of magnesium threonate had positive effects on brain synapes in mice, restoring aging brains to their youthful conditions. 

 

http://www.molecularbrain.com/content/7/1/65

 

Abstract

 

Background

Profound synapse loss is one of the major pathological hallmarks associated with Alzheimer¿s disease, which might underlie memory impairment. Our previous work demonstrates that magnesium ion is a critical factor in controlling synapse density/plasticity. Here, we tested whether elevation of brain magnesium, using a recently developed compound (magnesium-L-threonate, MgT), can ameliorate the AD-like pathologies and cognitive deficits in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer¿s disease.

 

Results

MgT treatment reduced A?-plaque, prevented synapse loss and memory decline in the transgenic mice. Strikingly, MgT treatment was effective even when the treatment was given to the mice at the end-stage of their Alzheimer¿s disease-like pathological progression. To explore how elevation of brain magnesium ameliorates the AD-like pathologies in the brain of transgenic mice, we studied molecules critical for APP metabolism and signaling pathways implicated in synaptic plasticity/density. In the transgenic mice, the NMDAR signaling pathway was downregulated, while the BACE1 expression were upregulated. MgT treatment prevented the impairment of these signaling pathways, stabilized BACE1 expression and reduced sAPP? and ?-CTF in the transgenic mice. At the molecular level, elevation of extracellular magnesium prevented the high A?-induced reductions in synaptic NMDARs by preventing calcineurin overactivation in hippocampal slices.

 

Conclusions

Our results suggest that elevation of brain magnesium exerts substantial synaptoprotective effects in a mouse model of Alzheimer¿s disease, and hence it might have therapeutic potential for treating Alzheimer¿s disease.

 

This article made it seem promising too:

Effects of Elevation of Brain Magnesium on Fear Conditioning, Fear Extinction, and Synaptic Plasticity in the Infralimbic Prefrontal Cortex and Lateral Amygdala

 

I'm still taking 200mg magnesium glycinate at night for its calming properties, but I've added some threonate in the morning to hopefully help with brain repair.

[chicken]

Good info Petu.

 

I plan on taking Mag for the rest of my life if I have to. I believe it is controlling my original anxiety. Since I'm still tapering it is too early to tell if will stave off all anxiety for the rest of my life. So far, Mag is working.

[btdt]

I am still unsure about magnesium. I just read about some precaution. I wonder if somebody could comment on this? I may stop magnesium for some time (have been on it for one month, I think).

 

Precautions In Taking Magnesium Glycinate

 

Before you decide taking oral supplements of magnesium glycinate, be sure to first consult your doctor. There are components in magnesium glycinate which can affect those who have liver problems, kidney problems, diabetes, alcohol dependence, or the like. If pregnant, it is recommended to use only if greatly needed because it is not known if it passes through breastmilk or if it can affect the child negatively.

Was it just the mag glycinate that can affect those with liver problems or all types of mag...do you know? My liver is not healthy... I know that I also react to mag and Vit a D and recently read if you low in both you need to take both... to not get a reaction from either alone.  I have been waiting to feel really well to try this but if the liver is  the reason I am reacting to mag I don't want to try it. I sure don't want to hurt my liver more. 

It seems to be a paradox as I have read  people with bad livers are low in mag... perplexed 

[btdt]

"The only contraindications to magnesium are caused in people with outright kidney failure, bowel obstruction, Myasthenia gravis, or heart block. Also, if you have a heart condition you may find that taking magnesium can lessen the need for heart medication and you should be under doctor’s supervision to guide this process."

http://drcarolyndean.com/magnesium_miracle/

 

"There are a long list of other drugs that can influence magnesium levels, most by affecting the kidney’s filtration process. Proton pump inhibitors (e.g., Nexium) are among the offenders, and can cause hypomagnesemia in some. Given its multiple actions, low magnesium levels are associated with conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Other medical conditions can affect magnesium levels, either through action on absorption or elimination. Alcoholism, kidney or liver disease, and various gastrointestinal malabsorbtion conditions (e.g., Crohn’s disease) can all reduce magnesium levels."

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/magnesium-the-cure-to-all-disease/

 

Drugs that interact or affect mag

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/magnesium

[ikam]

Magnesium oxide: Often used in milk of magnesia products since this form has a strong laxative effect. Even though this combination contains a large proportion of magnesium compared to the oxide molecule, it has poor bioavailability and readily causes loose stools; therefore it is considered the least optimal form to use as a supplement.

 

Magnesium sulfate: This form is often used as an intravenous preparation but it is not used in oral formulations. Since it does have some absorbability through the skin, it is also found in Epsom bath salts.

 

Magnesium citrate: A commonly used form that has a good bioavailability compared to oxide. It is also very rapidly absorbed in the digestive tract but it does have a stool loosening effect.1 This form is found in many supplements and remains a solid option for delivering magnesium into the body.

 

Magnesium Aspartate: This form has increased bioavailability compared to oxide and citrate. There were some promising clinical trials conducted in the 1960s that found a combination of magnesium and potassium aspartates had a positive effect on fatigue and they reduced muscle hyper-excitability.2 Physiologically this makes sense since both magnesium and aspartic acid are critical players in cellular energy production. This form is not commonly found but has been used for chronic fatigue syndrome.

 

Magnesium Glycinate: Glycine is a well-known calming amino acid. This combination has good bioavailability and does not have a laxative effect since glycine is actively transported through the intestinal wall. Due to the calming and relaxing effect of both glycine and magnesium, this combination has been used successfully for chronic pain and muscle hyper tonicity.

 

Magnesium Malate: This less well-known combination has been studied for use in fibromyalgia. Since malate is a substrate in the cellular energy cycle, it can help improve ATP production; there is some preliminary evidence that it may reduce muscle pain and tender points in fibromyalgia patients.

 

Magnesium Orotate: This is another relatively unknown chelate combination containing orotic acid. This form has good bioavailability has had been studied specifically for heart health. Orotates can penetrate cell membranes, enabling the effective delivery of the magnesium ion to the innermost layers of the cellular mitochondria and nucleus. Orotates themselves increase the formation of RNA and DNA which can help heart cells repair and therefore improve function. The combination has been shown to improve heart failure, symptoms of angina and exercise performance in clinical trials.

 

Magnesium Taurate: Both magnesium and the amino acid taurine share the ability to improve cardiac function; each has a potentiating effect on insulin sensitivity and also a calming effect on neuromuscular excitability. The actions of both have striking similarities when it comes to cardiovascular health. They both have blood pressure reducing effects, stabilize nerve cells, improve the contraction of the heart muscle and have an anti-thrombotic effect.7 Additionally, low levels of vitamin B6 have been shown to further deplete both magnesium and taurine.

 

Magnesium-L-Threonate: This form of magnesium has recently been studied to improve memory and brain function. One preliminary study in animals found that it significantly enhanced both short-term and long-term memory, boosting scores by 15% for short-term memory and 54% for long-term memory compared to magnesium citrate.8 Based on this study, it appears that magnesium-L-threonate is a highly absorbable form of magnesium that can improve brain function. While this research is promising, more is needed to confirm its benefit.

 

Magnesium Pidolate (or picolinate): This form of magnesium has generated interest because it is very inexpensive and can easily be made into a liquid supplement. There really have not been any substantial research trials supporting its specific health benefits. The down side of this form is that the pidolate molecule does not have any additional health benefits.

[ikam]

I am using Swanson powdered Magnesium and I feel much calmer...

[ikam]

I have re-started magnesium glycinate in evening, around 100mg. I am back to feeling very sleepy, hardly can get up in the morning...Maybe I should take around 25mg and see...?

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

I would try switching to one of the other salts of mag like citrate or aspartate (in pill form for slower absorption). You could benefit from the mag for various ills, I know I took it in high doses for a time and it stopped my heart palpitations. For you it can help with the paresthesias.

 

The glycine may be way too calming for you.

 

(Nice research by the way, you go girl! That is what we like to see in this forum.)

[ikam]

Thanks. I just read about Magnesium and drowsiness: http://www.livestrong.com/article/487587-magnesium-supplements-drowsiness/

 

I have chosen Glycinate as it has less laxative effect...Also with powder I can take smaller doses, but it seems that Glycinate makes me far too calm. It is almost like taking benzos!

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

I never noticed a laxative effect and I was taking (at one time) around 600 mg of citrate in pill form. Only later in wd did I switch to glycinate and never really noticed a difference. I did notice that it (both salts) very nicely pulls water into the bowel but in my case it, um, greased the chute, as it were, but did not cause the runs (I had well formed stool). You may need to experiment till you find the right one and then try to get the amount a bit higher, closer to around 300 mg, which is what is recommended for women. When you have gotten your body's stores replenished and it is doing it's job, you can then concentrate on getting your mag from food sources.

 

The thing is, though, modern farming techniques are said to produce less nutritious food, lacking in adequate amounts of what we need unless you eat a whole lot of it. And doing that brings on added pounds, not a good idea. So supplementation will always be somewhat of a good idea even when we get well and eat right. (Lots of green leafies and fruits, easy on the fats sugars pastas and meats....)

 

The powered form (calm brand) caused me to have the runs and I could not drink enough of it to supplement because of that fact. But it was excellent for dampening anxiety, a quick shot of it often did the trick. Upthread, Alto recommends mixing some and keeping it available, iced, for sipping throughout the day.

[ikam]

I have tendency to ibs- diarrhoea symptoms...hence, I look for products with less laxative effect. Also, I seem to be very sensitive to supplements at present.

 

As I need to do blood and urine test next week (to re-check my kidney function), so maybe it is better to stop it for now...until the test...

 

As to the nutrition from food, in my view food is not the same as it used to be...I also have to be very careful what I eat. I bought recently a cheaper meat, and I felt really ill after eating what I cooked...

I hardly can eat any veg as so much is grown on chemicals...

 

So supplements seem some option for me. I think I will need at some point good source of multi (maybe Mercola whole food multi), as my fingernails have lots white "dots" and my hair seems to be less healthy...

[ikam]

I think I will stay on mag glycinate, but smaller dose. I like this calming effect, I always sleep so well when I take it...

[eiledon20]

Can we also take 25mg of magnesium from food sources like banana or dark chocolate? For those who may have sensitive reactions to vitamins....

[Anxietyqueen]

I'm too lazy to go to the trouble of dissolving the mag in warm water and mixing it into lotion. Last night, I mixed 600mg mag citrate into about 50mL of some thick body lotion. Mag salts are 55% soluble in water, the body lotion had water as its first ingredient. The mixture was a little grainy going on, but seemed to dissolve fine on my skin. I'd say my experiment was a success. I think this would be particularly good to use if you have muscle cramps in your legs. It might even relax tightness in the chest, if it's caused by muscle tightness, or jaw clenching.

 

Interesting about jaw clenching, since going back on zoloft almost 2mths ago i've had a very sore jaw, i have mag tabs, took one here and there, not very good with consistency unless i have to (zoloft) So i wonder if i put it on my jaw if it would help... i'll have to try it out

[Altostrata]

eiledon, 25mg magnesium per day is a very small amount of magnesium. The supplements help you take more, and at the times you might need a little calming.

 

anxietyqueen, please use search to see our discussions about jaw clenching (bruxism).

[a99]

If I try my hardest to get the recommended  310 mg ( i'm female ) from food would that give the same relaxing effect from the supplementation ? 

[Altostrata]

While getting nutrition from food is always an excellent idea, the concentrated form of magnesium in the supplements will give you more noticeable calming effects.

[Hangingon]

"Magnesium can be calming and reduce anxiety, like a calcium channel blocker"

... is this anxiety in general or just withdrawal anxiety?

I experience intense anxiety all day long... exacerbated by panic attacks that come out of the blue and or for reasons... will the magnesium assist with this?

I was taking 26g of inositol and phenyl gaba for anxiety but it wasn't even touching it.  I still take phenyl gaba (gaba max) at bedtime with 2 tsp of inositol... will this interact with magnesium?

[Altostrata]

Anxiety in general, including withdrawal anxiety.

[Hangingon]

Health food store only has bisglycinate and said this is easier absorbed.... Any thoughts on this?(I did a search on this forum and didn't find the info I am looking for)

[Altostrata]

Bisglycinate is fine.

[mary2]

magnesium citrate is a type that's gentler on your stomach and absorbs well.

I pasted in the above I take mag citrate. To help me sleep and calm anxiety. I'm using solgar. Each tablet is 200 mg. As I suffer from severe constipation and insomnia how many could I take? At the moment i take 2.5 tablets . Could I increase this amount to help me sleep? I certainly don't get diarrehow on this amount. This would stop me having to take benzos or benadryl. I'm doing well on my paxil taper but I always look for ways to sleep.
I also suffer from tension in arm and shoulder using this mobile phone. I tried ribbing cream and mag citrate on it. How much should I use?
I got confused with the table above of different mag types. Is citrate the best? Thanks

Edited May 21, 2017 by KarenB
added correct Solgar name

[Altostrata]

Magnesium citrate is fine. Magnesium glycinate tends to be easier on the gut; you can take more of it. Please read this topic from the beginning regarding dosage.

[Horns85]

Well I tried Mag glycinate 100mg again this morning. I tried at 4 months off, 8 and now almost 10. Though it does seem to relax my muscles a bit, it gives me terrible internal restlessness and restless leg. It's a very strange combo! It seems to do this each time.

 

O well, I guess I am one that can't tolerate supplements. Just going to have to tough this out. If anyone else has this issue, you're not alone. Good luck to everyone!

[JanCarol]

A99 writes:

 

 

any information about pidolate mag ?

 

and 

Mary2 asks:

 

any eye twitching that resolved with mag therapy?

 

 

Ikam informed us that pidolate is another name for picolinate.  I'm guessing that's the European name for it, based on the story I tell next.

 

I googled pidolate, and got linked to a mothers of seizure disorder children.  An American had ordered vials of 133 mg Mag Pidolate from Germany (she got $100 for 9Euros, good price).  She wanted them for her son, who has tics.  The German doctor consulted with her, and recommended 3 vials a day for 3 weeks, then 2 vials a day.

 

She was so excited to try this for his tics.  Poor little fellow kept asking when they would go away, and faced the wall or the corner so nobody could see.  After 3 months of this therapy, there was no response.

 

Of course, this is a case study, not a "trial," but the trials are run with vested interest anyway, you can only go by how it "feels" when you take it.

[Altostrata]

I wouldn't get crazy over exotic forms of magnesium. It's a mineral. If your body absorbs it, your body knows what to do with it.

[JanCarol]

Yes, and the good thing about magnesium is you cannot overdose - you just poop out the excess (unless you have a kidney dysfunction!).

 

Jimbo71 asks:

 

 

Does anyone else reach tolerance with magnesium? I find that if I take it every day, after about a week or so it starts to lose effect. I can take ever larger amounts to try to counteract this, but I'm not sure how healthy this is as I find I can now take 1000mg (or more) in one go no problem (i.e. no diarrhea).

 

 

Mcc2929 answers:

 

@jimbo71, I definitely think I've developed a tolerance to it. The first time I took it I took half of what I'm taking now and felt stoned. The first week or so I could feel when it started to "kick in." Now I'm at twice that dose and don't feel a noticeable difference after I take it. 

 

 

and Horns85 chimes in:

 

 

Well I tried Mag glycinate 100mg again this morning. I tried at 4 months off, 8 and now almost 10. Though it does seem to relax my muscles a bit, it gives me terrible internal restlessness and restless leg. It's a very strange combo! It seems to do this each time.

 

 

Carolyn Dean states that paradoxical reactions to magnesium are frequently caused by such deep deficiencies, that when the 800 neurotransmitters and aminos start to fire up - it can be paradoxical, or cause side effects.  If you start on a lower dose, and increase gradually, you will minimize side effects like this.  According to Dean, once you get less deficient, you will start to "normalize," the side effects will go away, and you can take more.  Like a reverse taper.

 

So yes, you do build up a tolerance of sort - and it would be more dramatic if you were deficient to begin with.

 

It's a good reason to persist with the magnesium, even if it is on tiny tiny doses - because we are all so generally deficient in this mineral.

 

Petunia answered someones question about "why not magnesium glutamate or magnesium aspartate?"

 

According to Carolyn Dean in this article here   magnesium glutamate or magnesium aspartate products will very likely make your depression worse, but she doesn't explain why.

 

It is my understanding that glutamate and aspartate are excitotoxins, which is exactly what someone in withdrawal DOESN'T want.  I talked to a manufacturers rep in a health food shop about "magnesium chelate."  Her brand broke it down to include aspartate, and I told her that was not good for people with mental health issues.  She said "I have never heard that," but I do live in a backwater, especially regarding efficacy and availability of supplements.

 

Additionally, I think it is unethical to label a supplement "magnesium chelate" without indicating what the chelating salts/minerals are.  I would never buy one which just says "chelate."  

 

Eiledon asks:

 

What is a calcium channel blocker? I drink milk before going to bed. It has calcium right and seems to calm or make me go to sleep faster.... 

 

 

A calcium channel blocker lowers blood pressure (relaxing).  The milk that you are drinking before bed is providing lactium and stimulating a tiny amount of tryptophan, as well.  It's not the calcium making you sleepy.

[mcc2929]

Just wanted to share some of my own experience with magnesium. After reading through this thread a couple of months ago and also looking through info online I decided that I needed to try taking some. I found it very interesting that not only is magnesium deficiency common for many people (maybe even most?), but that antidepressant use may cause an even increased deficiency. I'm not sure about the withdrawal causing an even worse one but for myself I believe withdrawal has caused a significant magnesium deficiency. Spacey, foggy, dissociated, unbearable irritability, anxiety, depression, confusion, trouble focusing, sleep issues, word finding issues, and muscle tension. I also have had issues with constipation for YEARs. In general I had been experiencing an overall feeling of my body being totally out of whack, panicked, and all over the place for who even knows how long.

 

I have tried both the citrate and the glycinate. I use Whole foods brand citrate and can't remember the brand of glycinate but got it at whole foods (they only had one option for the glycinate). I began with the citrate and after slowly acclimating my body with increasing doses was taking a lot of it and often, using it as I used to use lorazepam - to sleep and as needed when feeling panic. I began getting a lot of diarrhea although I felt really great otherwise, and switched to the glycinate.

 

I took the glycinate for about a month and noticed a gradual increase of symptoms again as well as incredibly bad gas! By the end of the month I was back to feeling totally out of whack. I just switched back to the citrate two weeks ago and decided to take it on a regular basis instead of as needed in order to try to stabilize my body and maintain while minimizing the chance of overdoing it. I take 200mg (one pill) in the morning with food (very important part for me) and one at night with dinner or a later snack. I've felt a gradual reduction of symptoms and the past few days I've felt the best I have in a long long time. While I still have windows and waves of withdrawal symptoms it is nowhere near as intolerable as the past few years have been.

 

Just wanted to put it out there for anyone considering taking magnesium! So thankful for this thread!

 

Best!

Mcc

[mcc2929]

Also to just briefly add to a post from Aza back in 2013 in this thread about coffee.

 

One thing that I did notice the past few years was that after my mid-day coffee, although I was super sensitive to the caffeine and would get jittery, I would feel the fogginess lift and dissociation decrease. I now believe that this was due to the high levels of magnesium in coffee. Could this be one more reason why coffee is so addictive for us all as humans these days?

[chicken]

 

Just wanted to share some of my own experience with magnesium. After reading through this thread a couple of months ago and also looking through info online I decided that I needed to try taking some. I found it very interesting that not only is magnesium deficiency common for many people (maybe even most?), but that antidepressant use may cause an even increased deficiency. I'm not sure about the withdrawal causing an even worse one but for myself I believe withdrawal has caused a significant magnesium deficiency. Spacey, foggy, dissociated, unbearable irritability, anxiety, depression, confusion, trouble focusing, sleep issues, word finding issues, and muscle tension. I also have had issues with constipation for YEARs. In general I had been experiencing an overall feeling of my body being totally out of whack, panicked, and all over the place for who even knows how long.

 

I have tried both the citrate and the glycinate. I use Whole foods brand citrate and can't remember the brand of glycinate but got it at whole foods (they only had one option for the glycinate). I began with the citrate and after slowly acclimating my body with increasing doses was taking a lot of it and often, using it as I used to use lorazepam - to sleep and as needed when feeling panic. I began getting a lot of diarrhea although I felt really great otherwise, and switched to the glycinate.

 

I took the glycinate for about a month and noticed a gradual increase of symptoms again as well as incredibly bad gas! By the end of the month I was back to feeling totally out of whack. I just switched back to the citrate two weeks ago and decided to take it on a regular basis instead of as needed in order to try to stabilize my body and maintain while minimizing the chance of overdoing it. I take 200mg (one pill) in the morning with food (very important part for me) and one at night with dinner or a later snack. I've felt a gradual reduction of symptoms and the past few days I've felt the best I have in a long long time. While I still have windows and waves of withdrawal symptoms it is nowhere near as intolerable as the past few years have been.

 

Just wanted to put it out there for anyone considering taking magnesium! So thankful for this thread!

 

Best!

Mcc

Hey Mcc,

 

I have had trouble with the glycinate giving me an akathisia/anxious feeling every time I have tried it. I started with about 100mg.

 

I am going to try the citrate. What dose did you start out with and slowly work up to? Thanks!

 

Horns,

When I was going through my worst, I started out with 25mg mag citrate and it really helped. Now, that I'm doing well I am taking 250mg daily. I believe it keeps my natural anxiety a bay. Only time will tell though.

[mcc2929]

Horns, I started at 1/2 a pill (100 mg) and gradually increased. I now take 1 pill (200mg) in the morning and one pill in the evening for a total of 400 mg/day. For me it's very important to take the pills with food as to minimize any stomach issues, but that's just my own experience. Best of luck and let us know how it goes! =)

[manymoretodays]

I am doing okay with the Mag. chelate 200 mg.  without diarrhea.  I usually open the capsule and take about 1/2 or less and then if still feeling worked up......do the other half.  It does leave me with a mild short term headache.  And a bit of a wobbly feeling.

 

I know that I was on a Mag,/Ca supplement at one time........from my a bit more alternative Dr.(but he subscribes to the serotonin deficiency as a cause of depression).  Seems that the 2 in combination may be better than just one or the other???  Anybody know of this?  Don't know but I think when I get my ducks more lined up I should be doing something for bone health, given my age, osteoarthritis in family, etc.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

MMT,

 

You'd be better off reading this topic from the beginning, I know it is 11 pages but very informative.

 

The anxyolitic property of mag relies on the fact that it 'blocks calcium channels' so taking a mag/cal supplement kinda negates its effect in dampening that awful wd anxiety we get.

 

Of note, I took very high doses in the thick of wd and eventually found out that after my body's stores got built back up (there are estimates that most humans are deficient in this mineral) it was too much. It caused me to have a whole-body feeling I likened to feeling like my body had fallen out of an airplane and smashed into the ground. Everything hurt in a way I cannot describe other than that. Once I reduced the amt to under 400 mg/day I immediately felt better (the kidneys wash out the extra pretty quickly if they are healthy but they weren't able to keep up with 600-800 mg/day. Women are supposed to take less than men, ~300 mg as opposed to ~400 mg).

 

I did not have to take it after acute wd passed, I kinda forgot it and felt fine. I am now back to taking 200mg + 500 mg taurine nightly just because. I must be just right because I don't notice I feel any different.

 

I have a feeling most alternative/orthomolecular/naturalistic "docs" are just passing along what they have heard is a 'good idea' and in some cases they are just plain off the mark. There are different supps/amts required for different conditions and some supplements are contraindicated while taking some meds. Do they ever look this up? I think not.