When Do You Take Your Magnesium??

Are you asking this because, allegedly, magnesium makes other supps harder to absorb?

I heard about this too. So it's the one I tak in that is multiple hours separate from my other supps. I take my herbs and supps during lunch (I eat at home for lunch during the work week). Then 5 hours later take in magnesium around 5pm and the remaining supps and herbs a couple hours after that.

You may not be able to take everything you need to take at once.

Is taking magnesium with lunch or dinner an issue?

Do you need to take it twice a day? Are you taking a multiple with it in it also?

Can you up the legumes, almonds or spinach, kale, bananas and chocolate!

I always look for the food source first rather than a pill. How about a nice salad with spinach, kale and swiss chard and some slivered almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a dressing with some sage in it. You have 7 ingredients that have magnesium in them right there.

Dacarte3 - thanks for your suggestions....I have the time, but what is odd is that you can see so much clear cut info out there about other minerals...but I can't find the hard and fast rule about magnesium interfering. So was wondering if anyone had good research about it? I agree with your 2 hour rule....seems a safe way to go.

PeteZa - thanks for your suggestions! I am all about getting vitamins/minerals from food sources vs pills the best I can, including juicing spinach/kale at home, etc. Nuts and seeds are very hard on my leaky gut, so I can't take much (but do use nut butters).

So you know, I keep supplemental magnesium intake low (not a big fan of megadosing anything), but food sources are hard to "measure" so I use them to increase my magnesium intake above my low dosing of magnesium. The reason I am so attached to magnesium is that, last summer, when I had Hashimoto's flares to an extent where I thought I was going to die (tachycardia and high BP spikes), magnesium "saved my life."

I am trying to take 200mg in the am and 200mg in the pm of magnesium glycinate, to keep my heart calm and happy (plus eating high magnesium foods in our home...we are healthy eaters). Maybe it is "placebo" at this point, but it makes me feel safe and secure during this treatment. I did try ancient minerals magnesium oil spray in the past - maybe I should just do that topically in the morning again and see what happens. That would resolve those issues.........

Thanks PeteZa -

I think taking it with the morning tea is a good idea, too - I just wouldn't wait 2 hours to take my herbs....and just "take a chance" and take them 1 hour after. But I am so stubborn that I want to know the answer now! I usually can find research after digging, but I am striking out today!

Thanks CD!
I have that Cowden protocol chart in a folder on my computer but never thought to look at it for magnesium (duh!)...I would think that Cowden would know enough about magnesium to not recommend it with herbs if it would reduce the effectiveness of them! Thanks for this!

I dont think mag interferes with other natural suppliments, including other vitamins.

Its known to absorb thyroid med (so is calcium) as CD mentioned. I always kept it away from RX man made synthetic meds (ABX included).

So, an immediate calming effect (within an hour) - I see why you were taking it twice daily.

Maybe try cutting the second dose in half...( and add it to your other dose) - see how you do...if it's an immediate reaction, you will know right away. You can always take it if you feel those symptoms.

I really was convinced after researching and researching that it really does work and get absorbed - and this brand came highly recommended. It was a good alternative for people with malabsorption issues, and it tells you how many sprays = mg dosing right on the bottle. I would think it would be like people absorbing magnesium via epsom salt, etc....they recommend spraying it all over the body (sprays are quite large! couldn't limit to one area well)...

My only complaints were that it is sticky (it can be rinsed off 20 minutes prior to showering, but that is a pain!) and also it stings! Some don't get the stinging too badly, but others do. Maybe on the bottom of feet would be a good idea (like foot soaks) - the stickiness wouldn't bother you as much.

Anyway, I recommend trying it - I just struggled with it a bit.

Let me know how it goes!

Also, funny life lesson learned.....do NOT pet your dog, cat or any other furry creature (or even brush up against them) with this on your hand/arm....unless you want to become a human fur remover...due to the stickiness :)

NQA - you have a great mind....you are a thinker!

Where I am cautious is when introducing vitamins/minerals or supplements - I try to avoid taking any of them to the best of my ability and have notecards of the best food sources for these things. I "dose" my food like I would a supplement (for potassium, 1/2 avocado, 4 dried apricots, etc....). Magnesium was different for me because it is a natural calcium channel blocker and my heart was in trouble. I haven't let go of mag yet due to a PTSD of sorts from last summer. One day I won't supplement mag either, but it helped a lot and until I'm further down the healing line, I will likely keep taking it.

If I am low in a vitamin or mineral, I look for "why" vs going for a supplement and/or megadosing. I just feel a low level is often more than "just a deficiency" because our bodies were designed to get what they need and/or work with what they've got - or humans wouldn't have made it this far, because there were no grocery stores or airlines to fly in exotic fruits (corny example but you get the idea). Sometimes, while you heal, you may need the supplement....sometimes, if you treat the cause, you won't need it. You are right, too - absorption is a big part of this, too...how many people do you know who are reducing their stomach acid via OTC products...the exact opposite of what we should be doing. I'm rambling too much....basically there is such a delicate balance of these vitamins and minerals in our bodies....I avoid upsetting that balance as much as possible. When I feel I have to take something, I am cautious as to what it might do to my herbal medicines and also my other mineral balances.

But for now, I am sticking with magnesium plus taking many herbs for healing and detox. Herbs aren't the same. Your body isn't "low on Japanese Knotweed." It is herbal medicine....for healing. But adding something that can impact absorption of this herbal medicine is a big concern. I feel that supplements will never replace the natural way we were meant to get nutrition (activating by chewing, enzymes, processes and the like...not just swallowing a pill). This is why they say, even with juicing, that you can't store it...you have to drink it asap before that "special something" gets lost.

You brought up great things NQA. It is frustrating and overwhelming at times...not enough time in a day to figure it all out, for sure :)

Just remember to never assume you are low in something....one size doesn't fit all with any supplementation, including magnesium, and can cause problems if high doses are taken on assumptions alone. Magnesium/Calcium/Sodium/Potassium are all related and sensitive to changes. Raising one can make deficit in the other much worse. Always know what your body is doing, not what everyone else is doing.

I took B12 (high dose) without knowing my potassium was low. B12 draws from potassium and made me experience tachycardia like I'd never felt before. By the way, had B12 level tested and it was fine all along.

Same with iron - I have low normal iron in serum but high ferritin. But came close to just taking some iron last summer when I heard "most Hashimoto's patients have low iron." High iron is nothing to mess with and adding iron without knowing your levels is extremely dangerous.

It was these trials and errors which pushed me toward food whenever possible for basic vitamins/minerals and checking levels always before putting them in my body....and not putting them into my body until I am certain it is a true deficit (like parasite caused or some other reason) and not from another cause (like VDR problem with Vitamin D levels).

Interesting evolution this thread took.....really great discussions...thanks!

Our soils are so depleted of nutrients and minerals that I like Dr. Dean's idea of taking magnesium to bowel tolerance:

drcarolyndean.com/magnesium_miracle/


And, Epsom Salt baths can be a source of magnesium (with the addition of magnesium flakes being obviously better):

wellnessmama.com/4513/magnesium-salt-baths/