Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

[servadei]

Is it possible that mag causes facial tingling? I feel relaxed, but not in a nice way. I feel slowed down and drunk... And before sleep my brain won't shut up

I have facial tingling until morning when i wake up. It started yesterday and today at the same time (around 5 pm)

[Altostrata]

Try taking less and see if that symptom changes.

[Horns85]

I have been able to tolerate magnesium recently. I have tried both glycinate and citrate about 200mg.

 

I have had digestion/constipation issues on and off throughout WD. Does one of the magnesiums work better for constipation or does it not matter? Just curious if one had worked better for any of you. Thanks!

[Altostrata]

Mag citrate is more likely to get bowel movement going. You might also try psyllium powder.

[youngguy]

Months ago I experienced severe sleep disorders: I was waking up in the middle of the night, or the early morning and I had difficulties falling asleep again. 
For example:

 

- I fell asleep at 1 AM and woke up and 5 AM, and took 2 hours to fall asleep again, then I slept and woke up every 30 minutes

- I fell asleep at 2 AM and woke up at 6 AM, taking 3 hours to fall asleep again

 

Even a weak noise could wake me up. Then I tried stopping taking megnesium supplements and things improved. I still have problems, but it's rare that I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep again. 

 

I need more feedback from you: are you experiencing the same problems? have you tried quitting taking magnesium? 

[Mart]

Yes, My PCP said to take magnesium. I didn't notice the sleep problems till I quit taking it. I quit because of all the stomach issues I was having. And I sleep like a baby now! Stomach problems still being associated with tapering antidepressant.

[Altostrata]

It's magnesium malate, http://www.livestrong.com/article/280804-what-are-the-benefits-of-magnesium-malate/Some people may prefer this form of magnesium. It has been studied for fibromyalgia https://drnibber.com/understanding-different-types-of-magnesium/

 

The MgBright product is 70mg per capsule, 180 capsules for about $25-$35. (The label doesn't say how much elemental magnesium is in it; this is important. The bulk of the milligrams may be malate. More elemental magnesium is better.)

 

That's weak for a magnesium supplement. To get 350mg per day, you'd have to take 5 capsules.
 
Magnesium malate, with elemental magnesium content listed, can be found at much less cost elsewhere.

 

See this discussion of different types of magnesium. (Magnesium malate is mentioned in the comments.)

[freespirit]

I find if I use epsom salts or the mag. lotion too close to bed, I get agitated and don't rest very well. That's been the case all the way along. Better if I do it at least an hour before going to sleep.

[KT38]

Is it possible to get a delayed reaction to magnesium?  I took about 25mg-50mg of chelated magnesium last Sun, Mon and Tues....each day it caused more anxiety and air hunger so I stopped.  Fri afternoon I got very fatigued and tingling in the head and everything came back full force! I also got a small cold that day, so not sure what it was.  I felt a little like I wanted to throw up.  I am still in it full on.  It feels like acute month 1 stuff where I wake and all day I am fighting these horrible physical sensations and emotions.  I just don't know what to do with myself.  Or maybe I am in a really bad wave.  Something feels different this time, though, because it's so intense.  Nothing soothes me, I feel like I'm dying 24/7.  When I sit, I can feel an electric current running through me like it was the first few months off. How can this be 6 months being off?  I have just entered month 7.  I won't touch magnesium again. 

[Altostrata]

That is a very unusual reaction to magnesium.

[compsports]

Is it possible to get a delayed reaction to magnesium?  I took about 25mg-50mg of chelated magnesium last Sun, Mon and Tues....each day it caused more anxiety and air hunger so I stopped.  Fri afternoon I got very fatigued and tingling in the head and everything came back full force! I also got a small cold that day, so not sure what it was.  I felt a little like I wanted to throw up.  I am still in it full on.  It feels like acute month 1 stuff where I wake and all day I am fighting these horrible physical sensations and emotions.  I just don't know what to do with myself.  Or maybe I am in a really bad wave.  Something feels different this time, though, because it's so intense.  Nothing soothes me, I feel like I'm dying 24/7.  When I sit, I can feel an electric current running through me like it was the first few months off. How can this be 6 months being off?  I have just entered month 7.  I won't touch magnesium again. 

KT38,

 

Magnesium supplements have been a disaster for me, even when I just take a chip of a tablet.   Even spray is dicey.

 

I just think when we have hypersensitive systems that all bets are off regarding supplements.    Sorry you are suffering so much.

[elgee]

I tried magnesium a couple of times while tapering valium. Each time I experienced an increase in withdrawal symptoms. So I have learned to steer clear from all supplements while tapering. For now I am trying to focus on eating a diet with magnesium rich foods. I think it has helped some. My symptoms don't feel as acute.

[compsports]

What happens when you take magnesium compsports?  I had tried mag oil a few times and made me worse, but kept on trying it because I keep thinking I'll try again.  And then with the supplements I think it made me even worse.  I haven't been this bad in a few months.  It's like chemical torture.

I felt extremely agitated with a racing heart and high blood pressure.   This happened even when I took a minute amount of a mag tablet.   Before bedtime, I took a small amount of magnesium spray and it made me feel more awake and hyper although not agitated. 

 

It sounds like you are in a similar predicament.

[cyopher72]

After reading this topic I decided to try magnesium. I bought Albion® Chelated Magnesium 100mg caplets. I decided to try 50mg by cutting the caplets in half I also took 400iu of vitamin E at the same time (mixing up what I read about it helping with fish oil absorption). I'm not sure if I was imagining it or not but about an hour or two after taking it i felt more dizzy than usual. I took it for two days and on the second day I could not stop from having to urinate hourly thru the entire day and in the evening I had diarrhea so on the third day I skipped taking it however that day I felt the best i have felt in months, I almost felt like myself. I wonder if it was the magnesium that made me feel that way or just a normal window? Today I am not felling as well and had a really dark bowel movement. Maybe the 50mg is too much? 

[Altostrata]

You may wish to take 25mg to begin with and work up very gradually.

[cyopher72]

I was thinking about trying 25mg. I'll most likely start that tomorrow.

 The 25mg caused my head symptoms to be worse. I guess I'll try epsom salts next.

[Exie]

on benzobuddies, there is a topic on how magnesium chloride really helped someone sleep while the other types of magnesium didn't work for her nor for others. she takes 200mg in morning and 300mg at night which looks like a massive dose. however people in benzo withdrawal are not as sensitive to what they ingest, their food sensitivities are not bad like from ADs. and as someone stated, the different types of magnesium are not equivalent in dose. but 100mg of chloride still looks too much for us hypersensitive folks?

[Petunia]

It looks like the normal starting dose for adults taking magnesium chloride is one tablet which contains approximately 535 mg magnesium chloride, 64 mg elemental magnesium depending on the brand. So you might want to start with a quarter of a tablet and see how you go. If you are extremely sensitive, start with even less.

 

It also comes as a liquid. Recommended dose of this is half a teaspoon, diluted (66.5mg) taken 2 - 3 times a day. So with this you could start with an eighth of a teaspoon once a day and see how you react.

[RockinBandit]

My wife recently went back to taking magnesium recently,

Then she started to have ear trouble pain and low hearing ability, my memory zapped me with a post I read here so asked how long the ear trouble had been going on. It started about 3 days after the magnesium had been resumed.

 

Told her stop about 2days later symptoms started regressing and now pain is gone and hearing is okay, It had got to a point that tv volume was right up but I work nights so didn't pick up on issues and she doesn't say anything unless she is extremely unwell.

[oskcajga]

I don't get any of the benefits from orally ingested magnesium.  But when I soak in epsome salts I get MASSIVE benefits - it honestly feels like I popped .5mg of xanex - it's remarkable.  I do this at MOST once every other day because I'm confident that anything that blocks a calcium channel chronically will produce neuroadapations and tolerance (hence, possibility of withdrawals if calicum channels are chronically blocked every single day).

 

Usually, I do it once per week and get completely knocked out from the effect - it helps me deal with all my symptoms and everything.  I strongly recommend giving the epsome salt baths a try for those who are looking for a quick temporary fix.

[oskcajga]

5 cups of epsome salts per bath, but I started with 2 cups and it had a nice effect as well.

 

I think they're all the same.

 

Here's the brand I Use (it's also the cheapest I've found by nearly $10-20)

 

http://www.saltworks.us/ultra-epsom-salt-wholesale.html

[manymoretodays]

I got a ocean load from Costco to still use.......it seems fine.  I pretty much do a couple of handfuls in the tub.  If you're not too sensitive you can even add some scent........particularly lavender is nice.  They sell it by the big box full of bagfuls........of course, it's Costco.......all about buying more than you need.......but it's cheap.

 

Odd with the sound problem......I tend toward super acute hearing sometimes......nothing to do with the Mag. or epsom salts, for me anyway.

 

The oral magnesium citrate works good for me too when high stressed/anxiety.  I take a small amount of a 500mg. capsule and drink a bunch of water and it's pretty relaxing.  Usually just at night or bedtime or I am a bobble head.

[oskcajga]

 

I do this at MOST once every other day because I'm confident that anything that blocks a calcium channel chronically will produce neuroadapations and tolerance (hence, possibility of withdrawals if calicum channels are chronically blocked every single day).

So this means we shouldn't take magnesium supps everyday long term? It would cause withdrawals??

 

 

Orally ingested magnesium probably won't do anything because excess is simply excreted through the gut - but magnesium absorbed through the skin has a much more potent ability to increase blood magnesium levels (and a much more potent effect), thereby blocking calcium channels more effectively for longer periods of time.  I am usually mildly sedated for 10+ hours.  Something of significance is taking place, and I can only imagine that the body will build tolerance to this effect over time.

[Altostrata]

That may not be true, Osk. Our bodies are always using the magnesium. It is an essential mineral for many functions.

[oskcajga]

That may not be true, Osk. Our bodies are always using the magnesium. It is an essential mineral for many functions.

 

Alto, I honestly don't know - but I did a little digging and found an interesting article on the potent effects of intravenously administered magnesium:

 

http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/CPS-%20Monographs/CPS-%20%28General%20Monographs-%20M%29/MAGNESIUM%20SULFATE.html

 

According to this article, IV magnesium can mimic anticonvulsant medications, and also has interactions with other sedative medications.

 

Seem like magnesium administered intravenously (also probably absorbed through the skin) can build up in sufficient quantities to mimic anticonvulsant medications, or other sedatives.  I don't think that there's any limit to the amount of magnesium that can be absorbed through the skin.

[chicken]

 

That may not be true, Osk. Our bodies are always using the magnesium. It is an essential mineral for many functions.

 

Alto, I honestly don't know - but I did a little digging and found an interesting article on the potent effects of intravenously administered magnesium:

 

http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/CPS-%20Monographs/CPS-%20%28General%20Monographs-%20M%29/MAGNESIUM%20SULFATE.html

 

According to this article, IV magnesium can mimic anticonvulsant medications, and also has interactions with other sedative medications.

 

Seem like magnesium administered intravenously (also probably absorbed through the skin) can build up in sufficient quantities to mimic anticonvulsant medications, or other sedatives.  I don't think that there's any limit to the amount of magnesium that can be absorbed through the skin.

 

I don't know either but magnesium appears to help and still be helping me. After suicidal akathesia/anxiety I'll take the risks of magnesium any day. I've  have trouble with anxiety since I was about 7 years old. If mag will keep it at bay I will take it for the rest of my life if I have too. It certainly beats a drug.

[Exie]

My magnesium chloride supplement arrived today but it has a bunch of other ingredients in it some of which are bad, like maltodextrin and mineral oil which are neurotoxins. why would they put a bunch of other ingredients in it even bad stuff?? now I can't take this mag supplement

Do all your guys' magnesium supp have other ingredients in it too? is there no magnesium supp that's not solely just magnesium?

[oskcajga]

This is embarrassing to say, but last night I had a paradoxical reaction to an epsome salt bath.  I remember reading this post by Brassmonkey about how it's entirely possible to overdose on magnesium if we take baths every day:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/555-tips-to-help-sleep-so-many-of-us-have-withdrawal-insomnia/page-7

 

Sure enough, I was taking my bath, (and also rubbing some salts on my skin simultaneously to speed up the effect - which I now realize was obviously not a good idea - though I did this before without any problem), and I became sedated - like normal.  BUT then within a minute or two I suddenly began to feel anxious and agitated, within a minute of feeling that way I got out of the bath and washed the remaining salts off of me - but it was too late - the whole rest of the night I had an excruciating headache and exacerbated symptoms/akathesia.

 

I feel better today, I still have bad pain in my trigeminal nerve and some residual numbness, but I just wanted to share this experience to re-iterate what Brassmonkey mentioned - it's possible to have too much magnesium from epsome salt baths - and the effects at this level are NOT sedating

[Exie]

So if absorbing it through the skin everyday is too much, getting it intravenously through IV would be the same right? When hospitalized with IV, would get magnesium into the blood everyday..

[AliG]

Osk,

You might be overthinking all this . Also, moderation is needed, as with any supplement in withdrawal to sensitized systems. Maybe, a" happy medium" is the way to go.  

[Exie]

Petunia, you told me that mag chloride dose normally comes as 500+mg but its such a high dose, even if I took a tiny portion it might still be too high for my sensitivity. Alto recommended to start at 25mg. Do you know any chloride supps that come in lower doses like 100mg or 200mg? The benzo person who takes chloride is the Mega Mag from Trace Minerals and its 300mg. My dad sent me a chloride supp which is 143mg but it has a bunch of other ingredients some of which are bad so I can't take it. Do you also know of any that doesn't have other ingredients in them and is JUST mag chloride?

 

Someone said mag chloride gives them a lot of sleep while other types of magnesium supps didn't. Other people also said the other types of magnesium didn't give them sleep. It says here that Chloride is the best type of magnesium, best bioavailability

http://www.ancient-minerals.com/magnesium-chloride/

 

I wish I can try the Epsom salts but its not available in my country and I have no bathtub. Mag sulfate is also intravenously delivered through IV according to the website Osk posted. I might go to hospital for that.

When you guys soak in the salts, you use a a couple cups, how much magnesium is that? Seems like a lot. When taking oral supps, its recommended to start at a low 25mg. But when absorbing through skin, does the high amount not matter for sensitive people?

[oskcajga]

Osk,

You might be overthinking all this . Also, moderation is needed, as with any supplement in withdrawal to sensitized systems. Maybe, a" happy medium" is the way to go.  

 

It was not a hypochondriac reaction - it was an overdose - and Brassmonkey indicated he knows several people who have experienced the same thing.  I think I accelerated the effect by rubbing the salts directly onto my skin while simultaneously taking a bath - I thought I'd be able to feel the sedating effect and then wash them off immediately, but it switched from relaxing to anxiety provoking too quickly.

 

Be wary folks, don't overdo the epsome salts.

 

On a more optimistic note, it's been about 1-2 days since then and I'm feeling better - so the effects aren't too terrible - I've had MUCH worse paradoxical reactions in withdrawal.  

 

I'll be coming back to epsome salts again for anxiety relief, but I won't be overdoing it again - more epsome salts does not = more sedation.  Instead, it causes agitation, akathesia, and headaches. 

[Altostrata]

osk, one can indeed overdo magnesium, as reported many times earlier in this topic.

 

Exie, please read this topic from the beginning to answer your questions about magnesium. I have no idea what intravenous magnesium might do; that seems an extreme step. Magnesium is not a miracle cure. You seem to be attracted to drastic medical interventions, which you know we do not encourage here.

 

I would never, ever have thought a topic about magnesium would have 13 pages of discussion.

[Exie]

I did read the beginning of this topic but no one said exactly if soaking just my arms would be adequate..? And exactly where to obtain mag oil? I read the oil is mag chloride. So people who rub it on, do you buy the oil somewhere or do you just mix the oral liquid supplement with water then rub it on?? I simply do not know how to get this oil some people said they have.

And I considered hospitalized intravenous magnesium because I'm seriously desperate now. I'm still suffering unbearably everyday from my extreme lack of sleep but haven't gone to hospital because they give psych drugs. I need to try the magnesium supplement, salts, oil, but I have none right now and it would take days to arrive because I have to order them online. Theyre not available in my country. In casebi can't bear to wait more days, I consider going to the hospital as an emergency and getting the magnesium intravenously. But I dont know exactly what would happen if I went so I want to try the magnesiums a home

[brassmonkey]

Hi Exie-- It is sounding like you think magnesium is going to be a quick fix to make you feel better. It is not. For some people it will help relax their muscles for a short time and for others it can decrease their anxiety somewhat, again for a short time.  But, like all other supplements it is unpredictable for people in WD.  We always recommend starting with a very small dose to see how a person reacts and then carefully increasing it if the reaction is positive.  Going to the hospital for an IV injection is not a good idea as it will put a large amount directly into your blood without your knowing what a small amount absorbed slowly would do.  If you think you're in pain now I wouldn't want to see the bad reaction this could cause.

 

 I know that there is information on magnesium oil, how to make it and how to use it, on line.  But please be careful with your experimenting as it can make things a lot worse then they are now. 

[Altostrata]

Exie, you keep on asking what to get at the hospital. We can't help you with that.

 

If you want to put your arms in Epsom salts, you'll have to try that and see how it works for you. Most people soak their feet or bodies in a nice warm bath.