Magnesium Advice
 

Hi
I see a lot of talk on here about taking Magnesium. It seems to help with anxiety and maybe sleep?

What is the correct form and dosage to take it in? I see a lot of different options at the store?

I would search through the threads for this info., but sometimes that is too exhausting.

THank you

Here is my magnesium thread:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1138

You can use oral forms, but avoid OXIDE types, as they don't get absorbed and are useless except for laxative purposes.
Most of the other versions of magnesium are fairly well absorbed from the GI tract. Aim for 200mg a day dose, elemental to start. Read labels carefully to show what is elemental and what is the total weight/tablet.

SlowMag twice a day is a good one...it comes in a generic called Mag64. WalMart has it affordably (both brand and generic, or your pharmacy can order it.
Some Costcos have the generic behind the counter or they can order it for you---it is very low price there for the generic.
This delayed version is well absorbed.

You can also use a lotion form, called Morton Epsom lotion.
This is at Walgreen's and WalMart or online at Amazon.
This is a wonderful way to loosen up your neck and shoulders if you have spasms or pain there. Applied at night it will help you sleep too. Just use about a quarter's diameter per day if applying it on arms or legs or back, or a fingertip amount on the neck area once a day. You do not need huge amounts of it..as the magnesium in it gets absorbed nicely.

Here are the recommendations from the specialists in my area for magnesium intake:

Neurologist: 200 mg a day

Sports Med/Concussion Doctor: 500 mg (twice daily) in Vital Nutrients brand

Any thoughts about epsom salt baths for magnesium or relief?

Just my opinion, but they're great.
Important thing I think is to follow directions and don't use more than recommended. For people who may have vertigo or get dizzy spells, just please be careful with water temperature and getting in and out of bath. :)

mrsD will tell you that epsom salts are great.

Vital Nutrients mag is no better than any other non mag-oxide product.

Epsom salt baths are relaxing and useful. They do make the water
very slippery...so be careful. You have to soak a while to get benefits...at least 20min or more. Do not use HOT water...use only lukewarm.

Less is absorbed in a bath, than you can provide orally.

The lotion is handy also for the neck areas, jaws area, etc. You will get more absorption from the lotion when used in the inner wrists and up the inner arm to the elbow. This is where skin is
thin and veins near the surface.

Don't overdo it...you need healthy kidneys to excrete any excess magnesium you apply or take.

What does the lotion actually do for the neck area? Relieve tension?

Magnesium increases circulation to inflamed tissue. It dilates small vessels so blood can flow better.

Magnesium is a NMDA pain receptor antagonist. It blocks pain signal transmission.

Magnesium works in the mitochondria at the membrane level to improve metabolism of the cells.

Magnesium works opposite to calcium for muscle functions. Calcium is the contracting electrolyte and magnesium is the relaxing electrolyte so cramping, tense muscles relax.

Magnesium is a biochemical factor in the proper metabolism of fats so that Omega-3's can be utilized properly.

You can visit a magnesium site and read more actions...there are many... like this one from Univ. of Oregon:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium

Mrs.D, Where do you get your magnesium lotion? Called all around yesterday to stores and also a few pharmacies with no luck. A local pharmacy did tell me they make up a magnesium compound lotion but it's by prescription only starting at 10% ??

WalMart has it for $5.98.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Morton-Uns...fl-oz/23711655

Walgreen's:
http://www.walgreens.com/search/resu...n+epsom+lotion

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Morton-Epsom-L...n+epsom+lotion

I get ours at WalMart.

Post #2 here has this same information (minus the links).

Thanks! Hadn't looked online when I posted but Walmart and Walgreens pharmacist told me they never heard of it ???

Figures :rolleyes:..... The WalMart lotion is in the first aid area.
Walgreen's tends to cost a bit more. A good employee would search it in their register computer to find it for you.

Morton's is rather new still...and the bottle is not large or splashy and they don't advertise it yet... so it remains on the shelf getting ignored. It is one of the most useful remedies I have EVER used and delivers tremendous relief.

Thanks for the info. Mrs. D.

If I were to apply the lotion every night, would I still need to take a supplement, or can I do both?

That depends.

The beauty of the lotion is that it gets past areas of inflammation which tend to reduce blood flow. So any magnesium from supplements, may not reach your intended target.

But with time, as the topical opens up the circulation to inflamed areas, then further topical may not be needed in the future,, if you use a supplement or better food choices.

I'd say use the topical for a month or two. And instead each some almonds or beans, or green leafy veggies to provide some mag from food sources.

Some people don't absorb magnesium well, esp if taking drugs for GERD which lower acid levels in the stomach.

Has anyone tried Magnesium L-Threonate (aka MagTein)? I've read that it's the only Mg that crosses the blood-brain barrier. It was developed by MIT scientists specifically to enhance brain function and plasticity. I ordered a bottle from Amazon, but it hasn't arrived yet.

Well, I will post a reply to myself about the Mag Threonate, lol. The recommended dosage is 1 pill in mid-afternoon, and 2 more taken 1 hour before bedtime. I got my package too late in the day for the afternoon dose, but I did take 2 at bedtime, along with my usual melatonin (which doesn't seem to do much by itself). I should say that I have had to take Ambien CR for years because I have a sleep cycle disorder, and the only med that has worked has been the extended-release. But my doctor wants me off of it immediately, as he has recently seen studies that Ambien and related meds don't play well with concussion. :\
I was not expecting anything but a bad night, as I'd just done a 7 night trial of Mirapex, and my sleep was horrible.

However -- I woke up once at about 5:30 a.m., and fell back to sleep, which is a two-part miracle: only waking up once, and then falling back to sleep. I remember dreaming, too, which I don't remember doing much on Ambien. That's the great news. The bad news? I was so sleepy that I couldn't get up for work. I literally could have slept all day. But, if this makes sense, it was a nice, 'snuggle in the blankets' sleepy, not a groggy hungover sleepy. I couldn't trust myself to drive in to work til I slept it off a bit more.
Luckily, I have a very understanding workplace, and they know about my TBI and sleep issues. However, I'll have to take my son to school tomorrow, so I won't be able to try it again til tomorrow night. He doesn't have school on Thursday and Friday, and I'm working from home. I will try just one pill at bedtime, and try going to bed earlier.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but if I could get the same 'sleep all night' benefit of the Ambien CR, from a mineral I need anyway, and something that won't potentially harm me like the Ambien, that would be so fantastic!!

I'm curious as to why I had this strong reaction. Is it because this molecule was designed specifically to affect the brain? I know one other person who tried it, on recommendation of her APRN. She has an acquired injury post-surgery (removal of benign brain tumor). She did the recommended dosage, but it made her too sleepy in the afternoon and evening.

Hi AlmaVera,

There are quite a number of posts about Magnesium Threonate on various forums here. If you want to read any of them you could use the Forum Search Feature and search Posts rather than Threads.

Here is a link to an animal study that mrsD posted on one of the posts mentioned above.
http://blog.lifeextension.com/2012/0...threonate.html
Brain Health Spotlight: Magnesium Threonate

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20152124
Neuron. 2010 Jan 28;65(2):165-77. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.12.026.
Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22016520
J Neurosci. 2011 Oct 19;31(42):14871-81. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3782-11.2011.
Effects of elevation of brain magnesium on fear conditioning, fear extinction, and synaptic plasticity in the infralimbic prefrontal cortex and lateral amygdala.


I just had a quick read through some reviews on iHerb and it seemed to have varying results. Apart from that I personally haven't used it. I do take Tryptophan from time to time and sometimes feel a little hung over from that similar to what you describe.

I am not quite awake here so hope all this makes sense. lol ;)

Is this true that Magnesium Threonate is the only kind of Magnesium that is effective for the brain? I have been taking Mag. Taurate as recommended by my psychiatrist. Is Mag. Threonate better?

Thank you

I really don't think so. This is because in order to be absorbed, magnesium has to ionize in the water based GI contents. That means the carrier --threonate--separates away, and they become 2 molecules. Once ionized the magnesium gets swept up in the serum and will no longer be bonded to the threonate.

The only factor I see possible is that the linkage breaks faster in the stomach contents than with other types of magnesium. That is it dissolves faster or more completely.

We know that oxide form does not ionize and stays in the GI tract to be eliminated. So solubility is the main factor.

Magnesium seems to be able to cross the blood brain barrier easily in its ionized form.

I will send you a link in PM.... please read it.

Thanks, Lara, for your response and the article links. :) Unfortunately, it must have been something other than the Mg Threonate that led to that one blissful night of sleep. :( That and melatonin are still all I'm taking, but I'm back to taking too long to fall asleep and waking multiple times. I am still fairly functional at this point and my mood is much better than it usually would be after this many weeks since I quit the Ambien, which is somewhat surprising, but I can tell my levels of concentration and my mental processing speed are both way down. Oh, well. I'm sure the extra Mg is helping, so I'm sticking with it. :)