What medications should you not take with magnesium? What are the side effects and contraindications of magnesium? The right dosage and the right dose during a magnesium cure? The possible drug interactions? What are the problems due to the lack of magnesium in the human body? And finally, does magnesium prevent you from sleeping?
I. What Is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a mineral from a group of trace elements that plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of our body.
It helps stabilize blood sugar levels, provides good cardiovascular health, and enables more than 300 neurological and enzymatic reactions in our body.
It is found in our food via water and vegetables among other things, but unfortunately, in an industrial era, foodstuffs are becoming more and more depleted in magnesium especially because of the use of pesticides, which results in a good part of the western population suffering from a deficiency in this very important mineral.
II. What Medications Should You Not Take with Magnesium
# Can You Take Magnesium with Blood Pressure Medication
Magnesium consumption is useful in cases of high blood pressure. It is important if you are taking blood pressure medication, to tell your doctor before adding magnesium supplementation.
# Can You Take Antacids with Magnesium Citrate?
Magnesium citrate acts in the body as an antacid. It is a dietary supplement that regulates the acidity level in the human body naturally.
Consult your doctor before combining it with an antacid.
# Can You Take Magnesium with Antidepressants?
There is no contraindication to taking magnesium and antidepressants. The results of certain studies have highlighted the effectiveness of magnesium on depression.
It would be possible to take magnesium and serotonergic antidepressants at the same time.
# Can You Take Magnesium with Blood Thinners
Taking anticoagulants must always be very well supervised. If you are already taking anticoagulants, it is necessary to ask your doctor for advice if you want to take magnesium.
# Can I Take Magnesium and Vitamin D Together?
Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption and bone formation. Magnesium is an important mineral for the functioning of vitamin D.
These two elements are very complementary, acting together for the best functioning of the body.
# Can I Take Vitamin C and Magnesium Together?
Many food supplements combine vitamin C and magnesium. By taking magnesium and vitamin C, you can not only reduce fatigue but also improve your brain health.
# Can You Take Metformin and Magnesium Together?
Metformin is used for people with diabetes. It is an oral anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide family.
If you want to combine metformin with magnesium, ask your doctor for advice first.
# Can You Take Magnesium with Omeprazole?
Omeprazole is used to treat certain gastric reflux problems. It is not uncommon to find medicines in pharmacies that combine it with magnesium. It seems that this formula is very effective.
# Can I Take Magnesium with Nexium?
Nexium treats duodenal ulcers and has antacid properties in the stomach. It is also known as Esomeprazole magnesium.
Nevertheless, if you want to take magnesium oxide at the same time as Nexium, consult your doctor first.
# Can You Take B12 and Magnesium Together?
Vitamin B12 is a plus for neuronal health. For it to be bio-activated, it needs the presence of magnesium. These two elements can therefore be taken together.
# Can I Take Magnesium with Pantoprazole?
There is Pantoprazole with magnesium. But if you want to take magnesium supplementation along with this remedy, consult your doctor.
# Should You Take Zinc with Magnesium?
Magnesium and zinc work together for muscle health in the human body. These two minerals, along with vitamin B6, protect the cells.
# Should You Take Potassium and Magnesium Together?
There are food supplements on the market that combine potassium and magnesium. These are recommended for high blood pressure and stress management.
# Can Diabetics Take Magnesium?
Magnesium can be of great benefit to diabetics, especially those with type 2 diabetes. People with this type of diabetes continue to make insulin. However, it is much less effective.
Magnesium supplementation improves the effectiveness of insulin in the body.
III. Side Effects and Contraindications of Magnesium
1/ Magnesium Supplement Side Effects
Like all good things, magnesium does not deviate from the rule of too much is not enough. In case of wrong dosage, an excess, or simply an irresponsible intake of magnesium you may suffer from side effects such as
Diarrhea, because of its laxative effect, magnesium adequately relieves constipation.
But if your transit is already fine or if you consume too much, you may suffer from moderate to intense diarrhea following a magnesium supplementation.
Vomiting and nausea are caused by low blood pressure. Indeed, magnesium has a regulating role in our blood flow.
But too high a dose can put it under strain, even lowering it too much, which will result in dizziness and nausea.
In the case of skin applications of water highly concentrated in magnesium or in the use of dry magnesium oil to fight against wrinkles and acne, it is possible to see the appearance of red patches synonymous with allergy, or caused by very sensitive skin.
In extreme cases of intense overdoses of magnesium, cases of extreme muscular fatigue and breathing difficulties have been noted, as well as sleep apnea, paralysis, and comas in very rare cases.
The intake of marine magnesium, although better absorbed by the body because of its natural state, can cause a mineral surplus, in other words, dehydration in addition to the symptoms mentioned above.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms following magnesium supplementation, please stop all treatment and consult a doctor as soon as possible.
2/ Contra-indications of Magnesium
The elimination of magnesium is done exclusively by the urinary way. This is why people suffering from renal insufficiency are refused magnesium supplementation.
Individuals with kidney failure are more likely to develop hypermagnesemia, which can be accompanied, in rare cases, by heart block because their bodies do not properly eliminate the excess minerals that may be in the blood.
It is not necessary to totally eliminate the intake of this mineral, but like sodium and other molecules, the intake must be controlled and monitored.
3/ Magnesium Dosage and Overdose
If you intend to take a magnesium cure in the next few days, please respect carefully the dosage.
If you are going to use a homemade potion of mineral water and Nigari salt, please do not exceed 20mg for 1 liter of water.
And if you are going to consume ampoules or other medicated supplements, rely on the dosage given by your doctor or pharmacist.
Here is a small summary of the recommended daily needs according to the age and sex of each individual:
- 1 to 3 years old: 80 mg/day
- 4 to 8 years old: 130 mg/day
- 9 to 13 years old: 240 mg/day
Females:
- 14 to 18 years: 360 mg/day
- 18 to 30 years: 310 mg/day
- 31+ years: 320 mg/day
Men:
- 14 to 18 years: 410 mg/day
- 18 to 30 years: 400 mg/day
- 31+ years: 420 mg/day
An overdose is linked to a too high quantity of magnesium in the blood and corresponds to a concentration higher than 1.1 mmol/L in a healthy subject, and 2.5mmol/M in the case of therapeutic use and can lead to disastrous consequences, so be very careful.
4/ Drug Interactions with Magnesium
A drug interaction occurs when the use of one substance alters the effect of another. As a general rule, magnesium does not have any direct drug interactions.
Interactions can occur when too much boron or calcium is added to the diet (more than 2000 mg/day), which reduces the body’s ability to absorb magnesium.
Excess phosphate can also reduce the absorption of magnesium by our body due to the formation of insoluble enzyme complexes in the intestine. But these remain negative or antagonistic synergies.
Some drugs may interact with certain foods that contain calcium, iron, or magnesium. But in this case, a simple spaced intake is enough to stop the problem.
Vitamin B6 also acts against magnesium, but in a good way! Taking vitamin B6 will help the body better assimilate magnesium, which is why most supplementation in this mineral often goes with taking this vitamin to make the effects faster and more promising.
In any case, if you are taking medication and are thinking of taking a magnesium cure, do not hesitate to plan it with your doctor to eliminate any possible doubt.
As for pregnant or breastfeeding women, no supplement should be taken without the advice of a doctor, so keep in mind that a cure, no matter what, even in the case of a natural element present in large quantities in our body such as magnesium, must be thought out, and especially reasonable.
5/ Precautions
Taking magnesium is not recommended for people suffering from renal insufficiency. Magnesium can only accentuate this pathology.
It is also important to respect the dosage of magnesium and avoid an overdose. Magnesium overdose can cause effects such as diarrhea and headaches.
Also, avoid taking magnesium with alcohol and coffee.
6/ What Is Hypermagnesemia?
An overdose of magnesium is called hypermagnesemia. This is an extremely rare condition, but it can occur with unreasonable supplementation.
An overdose is linked to a too high quantity of magnesium in the blood and corresponds to a concentration higher than 1.1 mmol/L in a healthy subject, and 2.5mmol/M in the case of therapeutic use.
A scientific study has proven that in most cases, a person who ingested a high enough quantity of magnesium could see this same quantity being reabsorbed within 4 hours following the intake, which is why cases of hypermagnesemia are quite rare.
However, as mentioned above, an overdose can lead to serious problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, hypotension, nausea, sleep apnea, and even coma.
It is, therefore, necessary to remain very vigilant when taking magnesium supplements.
IV. Problems Related to Magnesium Deficiency
As we have seen in the previous points, magnesium plays a very important role in the proper functioning of our body in general.
The use of bad farming methods as well as industrialization makes the percentage of magnesium in our food decrease more and more.
It is not uncommon to find real magnesium deficiencies in humans at any age.
One may think that it is difficult to detect a magnesium deficiency without first taking a blood test, but this is totally false.
Several signs can, taken together, make a potential deficiency in this mineral obvious.
A magnesium deficiency can cause headaches, chronic fatigue, aches and pains, stress, disturbed sleep, constipation, and high blood pressure for no reason.
If you suffer from several of these symptoms, it may be time to have a blood test to determine if a magnesium deficiency could be the cause of all these concerns, and your doctor may prescribe supplementation via ampoules if necessary.
But you can take advantage of a good magnesium cure yourself, by privileging green vegetables, organic if possible, rich mineral waters, periwinkle, or even Nigari salt diluted in a liter of water to take advantage of all the benefits of magnesium easily and safely.
V. What Is the Best Time of Day to Take Magnesium?
There is no real best time of day to take magnesium because its action is diffuse over the long term.
If you want to enjoy a good night’s sleep, it is possible to take a supplement 2 hours before going to sleep, otherwise, a dose in the morning can help you recover your energy for the whole day.
VI. How Long Does Magnesium Take to Act?
Magnesium is a mineral that is rather well assimilated by our body. You can feel positive effects from the first days of a cure.
A cure should last about a month in the case of water dosed at 20mg of magnesium or 1 week for stronger supplements and should remain occasional.
At the end of your treatment, you will see a clear improvement in your condition.
VII. Does Magnesium Prevent from Sleeping?
Magnesium is a mineral that relieves aches and pains and headaches while lowering your stress level and blood pressure.
It is far from being an excitant like coffee or vitamin C, your sleep will only be improved by taking it responsibly.
You do not risk having disturbed sleep following a magnesium intake.
VIII. How Long Does Magnesium Stay in Your Body
The duration of action of magnesium in the body is difficult to determine. Most of the magnesium in the human body is stored in the bones. In addition, magnesium is eliminated through urine and sweat.
Therefore, people who engage in strenuous physical activity lose more magnesium than those who do not.
Some studies estimate that we lose 30 to 40 mg of magnesium per liter of sweat per hour.
Useful Links:
Magnesium intake and incidence of pancreatic cancer: the VITamins and Lifestyle study
Beneficial Effects of Magnesium Supplementation
Can magnesium deficiency cause hair loss?
Is magnesium bad for your liver?