|
Multi-vitamin problems
I've had MG for more than ten years, and just recently learned from a new neurologist that taking a multivitamin with magnesium may be contributing to worsening MG symptoms. I couldn't believe no doctor had thought to tell me that sometime in the last decade!
Apparently magnesium causes an exacerbation of symptoms in MG. And a daily dose, well... not good. I never even considered that something in my vitamins could be a problem. Also, a lot of antacids and laxatives have it too, so check the label. I've yet to find a multivitamin without magnesium, so I take a few of what I consider the most important supplements individually. Hope this helps someone. Sam |
Magnesium stearate in vitamins is not absorbed into the body.
It is inert. It is used as a "flow" improver so the powder will come out of the hopper smoothly and into the tablet press properly, or fill a capsule properly. If magnesium OXIDE appears on a label, very little of this is absorbed either... studies show 4%. To give a comparison, 3 oz of almonds have 270mg of magnesium! One cup of oatmeal has 57mg. Here is a link with good information including RDA: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...ium/index.html Multivits in general do not provide much magnesium if any. The studies I have seen mentioning HIGH dose magnesium use in patients with MG involved IV mag sulfate given to women with MG who had eclampsia. (malignant hypertension of pregnancy). I have not seen studies involving RDA levels of magnesium. From 1990: Quote:
Quote:
Most doctors do not even know that magnesium oxide is useless. And I would not expect them to understand what is in a standard multivitamin either. If you care to give me the brand I can look it up for you. But if it says magnesium stearate.... don't count on any absorption at all. Magnesium stearate is not soluble and melts at 88 C. It is a fatty waxy material not a significant source of magnesium. It appears on just about every Vitamin label, as inert ingredient. two other sources: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/top...esium_stearate and http://www.raysahelian.com/magnesiumstearate.html The commonest cause of high dose oral magnesium is Laxatives given to purge before tests. In fact Fleets Phospho Soda has been taken off the market. Enemas given too often by Fleets will also present significant problems. edit to add.... it is not just vitamins that magnesium stearate is found. Most RX drugs have it too. You can find the inert ingredients listed on the insert the pharmacy can give you that comes with the bottle, or on rxlist.com has many ingredients too. Therapeutic amounts of magnesium are not in these dosage forms because that would create a HUGE pill...one that most people could not handle. Here is the link to Mestinon: http://www.rxlist.com/mestinon-drug.htm Quote:
|
I can't take ANY multi-vitamins. Dr. never told me not to it's just that they make me very sick. I only learned from this site that it makes MG worse, I always thought I was just allergic to them. {still think I am allergic, as I really get sick, not just weak}
|
Welcome to NeuroTalk Sam! :) As you see we have some awesome forum members here. I'm glad you found us! :)
|
Sam, Is your MG getting worse? For a doctor to point to a relatively harmless vitamin (in small quantities) as a reason for that should scare you!!!! There are other, more common, reasons why someone with MG would get worse like not enough/right medications, a new thyroid or other condition, etc.
Maybe you should see your primary doctor to talk about checking some basic things like thyroid to make sure nothing else has changed. Like Mrs. D. said, we need magnesium. Yes, high doses of it can cause a myasthenic crisis. And, yes, vitamins are not regulated by the FDA but there are still guidelines for them. If you are eating a balanced diet, you may not need a multivitamin. Talk to your primary doctor about that too. Again, please get help if your MG is getting worse. And if your doctoring is getting worse, please seek out a 2nd opinion from another neurologist!!! Annie |
Greens+
Hey guys,
Just wondering if anyone's every tried Greens plus bone builder by Genuine Health...It's a powder...I've heard good things about it, but I'm a bit worried because it says that people on rx drugs should not take it without approval from a physician... I'm going to ask my doc. about it, but I'm sure he'll just be like, 'yeah, it's fine,' and wont even look at the ingredients (need to find new family doctor yesterday)...Just wondering if anyone's tried this...I'm excited to try it because the ingredients all look promising, and i've heard such good reviews (although they've all been from healthier people)... One other thing...There's ginko biloba in it, which makes me sorta uneasy...I've always avoided that stuff because it gives me the shakes, but the woman at the health food store said that if anything, she finds that it makes her sorta sleepy (the Greens plus) so it's better to take it at night...Do any of you know if Ginko affects MG at all? |
Can you put up the ingredients for me to look at? Or at least give me a link to them? I'll see what I can do for you.
|
Sure, thanks Mrs. D!
This is for the 'bones part... http://www.genuinehealth.com/greens-...uilder-formula and this is the 'Greens' part http://www.genuinehealth.com/greens....greens-formula Thanks again! :) Nicky |
I am sorry.... this is a very confusing website....I cannot find exactly what you are using from it. I see prices...very high prices however. One formula for bones mentions vitamins but not their amounts or types....I don't like that website....I never recommend products that make you work to find the ingredients or conceal them with fancy wording.
|
Here you go, Nicky.
http://www.iherb.com/Twinlab-Dr-Gree...lets/8583?at=0 And "super foods" section: http://www.iherb.com/Superfoods Have you ever tried using iherb as a source? Mrs. D. knows quite a bit about brands, etc. there. This is only one brand and one type of calcium. I have shopped at this site for ten years. Absolutely no problems. And their prices are much cheaper than in stores. Annie |
I went on Google and found this:
http://greensplus.com/product_info.p...products_id/34 Is this what you are asking about? If so, this is an enormously small amount of anything. It is basically a food serving, not a vitamin supplement per se. |
Hi Mrs. D,
Sorry the formatting's kinda bad :S Bones Calcium (formate: 200mg; citrate-malate: 150mg; bisglycinate: 150mg):50mg Magnesium:300mg Vitamin D3:800IU Vitamin C (calcium and magnesium ascorbate):100mg Folic Acid, B12 and B6: 400mcg, 10mcg, 10mg Silicon:3mg Boron (FruiteX B® Osteoboron™):3mg Zinc, Copper, Manganese:10mg, 1mg, 3mg L-Lysine: 400mg Selenium: 100mcg Lycopene:7mg Greens Phosphatide complex (26% phosphatidyl choline from 97% oil-free lecithin) In the brain, phosphatidyl choline is changed into actylcholine a compound essential for the transmission of messages from one nerve ending to another. In the intestinal tract, lecithin helps with the absorption of vitamins A and D, and other fat-soluble nutrients. In the bloodstream, lecithin may help prevent cholesterol and other fat from accumulating on the walls of the arteries. 2,171mg Organic barley, alfalfa and wheat grass & red beet powders 1,543mg Spirulina 1450 mgs Apple fibre powder 1033mgs Japanese Chorella It is made up of 60% easily digested protein. It has nearly twice the protein of soy and 8 times that of rice, as well as an immense amount of chlorphyll. It contains over 20 different vitamins and minerals. Studies have found that chlorella helps detoxify the body of toxins. 383mgs Organic Soy Sprout powder 383mgs Organic whole brown rice powder 383mgs Stevia leaf power 225 mgs Eight non-dairy bacterial cultures containing Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria (2.5 billion per serving) in a special base of fructo-oligosaccharides (F.O.S.). These beneficial lactobacilli restore the balance of microflora necessary for a healthy gastro-intestinal tract. 200 mgs Royal jelly 150 mgs Bee pollen powder 150 mgs Licorice root extract 116 mgs acerola berry juice powder 115 mgs Siberian Ginseng extract 60mgs Milk Thistle extract 60 mgs Organic atlantic dulse powder 33 mgs Ginkgo biloba extract 20mgs Japanese Green tea extract 15mgs European Bilberry extract 10mgs Grape extract 5mgs |
First off.... the amounts of extracts in this are really low.
Imagine 1 gram (a very small amount) of apple fiber? What is apple fiber? pectin? or from the skin? The calcium is really low. The magnesium stated does not say what kind, but at 300mg I suspect it is the ineffective magnesium oxide. It is odd, because they are so detailed about the calcium and then the magnesium is secretive? For example grape seed extract starts being "therapeutic" at 100mg/cap. There are many many things like this on the market. They sound good with all that stuff, but most people don't know what normal amounts of these things really are. Since we don't know what kind of magnesium this has in it, it is hard to say what impact it would have on MG. The boron, and other minerals are similar to some OTC osteoporosis supplements, except for the calcium content which is surprising low. One thing to look at very carefully...is what is this list pertaining to as a dose. 1 capsule contains? 2 capsules contain, 4 caps contain? People often don't notice this. As the price goes up, typically the # of capsules in a serving go up as well. Example: Quote:
This is a minute amount of anything! This statement alone gives me the creeps... I don't see anything harmful in it, tho...if you can afford it. But I'd like to know exactly what kind of magnesium is in it. |
Magnesium is necessary. If you research, it appears on common lists for MGers to avoid, however real data is not there. I have been magnesium deficient and had to take supplements. If you are pregnant, magnesium can be a problem, as it can for any pregnant woman. As far as I can tell the reason magnesium ended up on avoid lists was because of a report of problems with one pregnant woman. Not all of the avoid items on the drug list apply to everyone or actually are the result of research; anecdotal stories are given the same credence as real research for MG.
Bill |
Thanks, Mrs. D.
I already bought it!:o Oh well, lesson learned...I'll try it and see if I notice any difference...At least it wont hurt... I feel so 'had' lol Nicky P.S. Thanks for the info., Billy...I agree that magnesium is necessary, and I was pretty sure I was deficient at least before...Lots of cramps and muscle twitching (this is all before ever starting mestinon)...I'm sure that as long as the dose isn't too high, and it's taken with other nutrients so the combo. is more similar to a whole meal, maybe, it should be okay.. |
If you get loose stools using this, it might point to that magnesium being the oxide form, which is not absorbed. It will pass into the bowel and loosen you up (people vary however with this).
There are foods relatively high in magnesium. 1 cup of navy beans = 110mg 3 oz of almonds == 270mg 1 cup yogurt == 47mg 1 serving oatmeat==57mg Most green veggies have magnesium. You can check various foods at www.nutritiondata.com |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:31 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin • Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
vBulletin Optimisation provided by
vB Optimise (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.