Magnesium

kfat1
kfat1 Posts: 50 Member
edited November 22 in Social Groups
Is it ok to take a liquid magnesium supplement instead of pill form ? Any recommendations?

Replies

  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    You can take any form of magnesium that your body absorbs well, including epsom salts and sprays. I've not used a liquid magnesium myself, but I think @Sunny_Bunny_ had a magnesium powdered drink (I wanna say it was some lemonade flavor that was really tart) that she tried with some success. However she moved on to other forms due to cost, if I remember correctly.

    @kfat1
  • kfat1
    kfat1 Posts: 50 Member
    Thank you so much @KnitOrMiss . I am going through serious keto flu and find it difficult to swallow some of the huge magnesium capsules. The leg cramps and body aches are awful, so anxious to get my electrolytes in order.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    kfat1 wrote: »
    Thank you so much @KnitOrMiss . I am going through serious keto flu and find it difficult to swallow some of the huge magnesium capsules. The leg cramps and body aches are awful, so anxious to get my electrolytes in order.

    I actually think the cramps are more due to low sodium than magnesium. But I do think supplementing magnesium is a good idea. Just that sodium is the primary cause of symptoms.
    The magnesium drink I originally found was this one. It does have other minerals and stuff too so that was nice.
    Pure Essence Labs Ionic Fizz Magnesium Plus - Calming, Natural Anti Stress Supplement Powder - Raspberry Lemonade - 12.06 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0011865NQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.ha3zbHZK4TEE
    It's pricey so I switched to buying bulk magnesium carbonate which was the same form as in that drink. It doesn't taste great just in water but if you flavor the water or make it a salt water/magnesium shot to get a dose of both it goes down easier.
    This one is popular also. These both taste quite tart and I generally preferred to take them in less water and just down it.
    Natural Vitality Natural Calm Magnesium Anti Stress, Organic, Raspberry Lemon, 16 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BPUY3W0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Rja3zb7QD6D4W

    Again, your symptoms sound mostly sodium related though and you can fix that within 15 minutes with what you already have in your kitchen. Add 1/2tsp to some water and down it. Do it again a few times a day. Aim for 2 tsp to get around 4600mg a day and also salt food.
  • kfat1
    kfat1 Posts: 50 Member
    Thanks @Sunny_Bunny_ I really didn't think about it being sodium. I did take some magnesium last night and am epsom salt bath only to awaken in sever muscle pain and cramps from my hips down. Also noticed heart palpitations, so have upped my sodium intake for today. I hope it works as I am really starting to feel lethargic and out of sorts. First time I have experienced this.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    kfat1 wrote: »
    Thanks @Sunny_Bunny_ I really didn't think about it being sodium. I did take some magnesium last night and am epsom salt bath only to awaken in sever muscle pain and cramps from my hips down. Also noticed heart palpitations, so have upped my sodium intake for today. I hope it works as I am really starting to feel lethargic and out of sorts. First time I have experienced this.

    Sodium supplementation isn't optional when you cut carbs. The lower carb you go the more sodium you need every single day.
    Here's some info on why
    https://jonnybowden.com/salt-and-the-low-carb-diet/

    Ketogains recommends 5000-7000mg a day. Every day.
    It's a good idea to supplement magnesium (I wouldn't actually supplement potassium beyond a few shakes of NuSalt) because if sodium is kept up on a daily basis you shouldn't be wasting the others to begin with.

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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  • kfat1
    kfat1 Posts: 50 Member
    Thanks again @Sunny_Bunny_ . I have been keto for quite some time and not sure why I had this sudden onset of keto flu. Never had issues before and have kept my electrolytes in check, or so I thought lol.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    With the mention of heart palpitations, make sure you watch the potassium. Both too much and too little cause this. Potassium can be found in coffee, chicken, and many other places where it isn't (YET) required to be tracked on labels. When I used lite salt in my keto-ade, it made me dump even more magnesium. Apparently, I was way magnesium deficient, but getting enough potassium naturally, so I had to stop COMPLETELY with the light salt...

    Every single time your body reaches another level of adaption within nutritional ketosis, you can be affected by the flu. Activity levels, illness, food intake, weather temperature and/or pressure changes, so many things trigger the onset... And from day to day, your sodium, magnesium, and potassium needs can change!
  • kfat1
    kfat1 Posts: 50 Member
    @KnitOrMiss . Good point about reaching another level. I am assuming my body is adjusting again, as I have been keto for a long time, so the keto flu just threw me for a loop I guess. The heart palpitations have slowed down somewhat, after I was in a bigemany rhythm for several hours. It was miserable. I think I am on the mend at this point. Thanks for the wisdom.

  • KarblessKreature
    KarblessKreature Posts: 52 Member
    edited October 2017
    Another good source of sodium is broth I use a powdered knoor chicken flavor and cream of tartar for potassium. Magnesium I get thru vits and food
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    Most folks get enough potassium through food, so be careful supplementing it. If you are not eating organic, grassfed meats and veggies, you're unlikely to get enough magnesium through food, as foods are depleted for a number of reasons (pesticides, soil depletion, GMO's, etc.), so make sure your vitamins cover your true needs. The simplest way to tell on magnesium is to increase the amount until you have a digestive response (aka loose stool), then reduce the dosage until the side effect stops. That's your own threshold, in simple terms - there are so many other factors, but that's an easy way to check...
  • KarblessKreature
    KarblessKreature Posts: 52 Member
    Potassium is the only one I can’t seem to hit. That’s why I use the tartar to catch up. I eat spinach 3-6 cups and 2 avocados everyday and I’m always short potassium.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    edited October 2017
    @KarblessKreature - Remember, at this point, nutritional labels are not required to list potassium, so it is entirely possible that you're getting enough potassium and not knowing it. Chicken is a good source, as is coffee, among others. Most of us don't end up deficient in potassium without a specific health condition or extreme depletion in sodium AND magnesium...as it's the last to dump. Too much potassium is as dangerous as too little, so keep a close eye on any symptoms of over or under dosing.

    Just as an example, I was using lite salt in a keto electrolyte drink, and the potassium was causing me to dump magnesium -- because I was getting enough potassium in my dietary intake, but my magnesium was widely depleted. Magnesium is used and needed in over 300 bodily processes, and something like 90% of the first world population is deficient, 75% of that 90% don't even know it. The magnesium and potassium, and sodium tests in a CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel) are nearly useless, as the body keeps a very delicate balance of these electrolytes in the blood. Your body will essentially strip mine your bones and muscles to keep that blood balance, leaving you woefully depleted of resources without much warning until you end up with muscle cramps, insomnia, and heart palpitations, headaches, and the like... Those tests only show the depletion when they're at a level of you needing to be hospitalized, not have a little supplement...

    Watch the symptoms, run the tests, but keep perspective. Good luck!
  • KarblessKreature
    KarblessKreature Posts: 52 Member
    None of those issues but good to know. Like they say you learn something new everyday. Thxs again
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Anyone taking MSM as a supplement should keep an eye on magnesium as well since MSM tends to boost magnesium metabolism.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    @tcunbeliever - I did not know that about MSM. I've not taken it or researched it though... Thank you for sharing that!

    One thing I did learn recently myself is that our magnesium needs increase the more sugar/starches we intake, as magnesium is needed to process them properly... Never knew that...
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    When people say they are taking melatonin to help them sleep I always ask them if they are also taking magnesium, because magnesium is required for melatonin uptake...doesn't do you any good to have an abundance of melatonin if you lack the magnesium to absorb it.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    When people say they are taking melatonin to help them sleep I always ask them if they are also taking magnesium, because magnesium is required for melatonin uptake...doesn't do you any good to have an abundance of melatonin if you lack the magnesium to absorb it.

    @tcunbeliever - I wonder if that is why Melatonin never worked for me? I can tell you from how long I had to double dose on magnesium that I was likely extremely deficient over the years... And I tried Melatonin back when. Then I tried L-Theanine, which did work...but was expensive... Melatonin never touched me.

    I've also heard experts talk about how much we tend to take TOO MUCH melatonin when we do take it, etc. And that circadian rhythm and timing the daylight stuff and D3/K2 with early am and just after lunch to keep the natural rhythms ongoing... It makes me wonder how much we're actually doing less than stellar by ourselves and our children with all the lights and electronics late and pervasively...
  • Vladaar
    Vladaar Posts: 147 Member
    When people say they are taking melatonin to help them sleep I always ask them if they are also taking magnesium, because magnesium is required for melatonin uptake...doesn't do you any good to have an abundance of melatonin if you lack the magnesium to absorb it.

    Thanks for the information, I have been having trouble sleeping at night since doing Keto. I will give the magnesium supplement a shot.
  • chaoticdreams
    chaoticdreams Posts: 447 Member
    When people say they are taking melatonin to help them sleep I always ask them if they are also taking magnesium, because magnesium is required for melatonin uptake...doesn't do you any good to have an abundance of melatonin if you lack the magnesium to absorb it.

    Oh wow, I did not know this. I have trouble staying asleep and have been taking a melatonin supplement every night before bed, but it's not very effective. I'll try adding the magnesium around the same time see if that does anything. Thanks!
  • valleygirl74
    valleygirl74 Posts: 159 Member
    My doctors recommended Magnesium malate (fibromyalgia.) It may not overtly help with the pain but it helps with feelings of heart pounding when I am going to sleep. Also, I drink a lot of water which seems to be good.

    Epson salt, i.e., Magnesium sulfate, is a good hot bath addition and not too expensive.
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