I have not had much luck with finding the "perfect" mix in one tablet.

I am sure they are out there somewhere, but.....



Many foods/juices have calcium added, don't forget about them.

I use Maalox Max for my calcium...since I need the other ingredient
for my GI issues. It is quick dissolve, and easy.

Magnesium is tough to find a good product...mixtures are often the oxide.
So you may have to do them separately.

This week is really tight for me, but when I get some time, I will look around for you. And post it here or PM you...how is that?

I did a brief look see for combo products... the closest I could find was expensive and by Floradix. But still all the combo products
are fairly low in Vit D...if you want to do 1000IUs the new recommended amount, you will have to take that extra.
Many combo products either have mag oxide or mag oxide mixed with chelated versions..but they do not tell that ratio..
so you may get mostly oxide, because that is the cheapest form.

Labels for supplements can be confusing.

They may give data and it is not clear for example, that you have to take
2-4 tablets to get the amount on the supplement listing. One must read all supplement nutritional labels carefully and not assume they refer to one tablet unless that is listed as such.

Another confusing issue is the concept of ELEMENTAL.

This is very important for minerals: calcium, magnesium, zinc are good examples.

Basically magnesium is a metal, and in its pure form, it is not soluble in water.
Mixed with various other molecules or compounds(chelates), it becomes more
accessible to the body and can be used properly.

It can be mixed with an inorganic molecule:
magnesium oxide
magnesium sulfate
magnesium chloride

OR it can be mixed with an organic compound--usually an amino acid--
which then makes it more absorbable..These are called chelates.
The chelate weighs more than the magnesium and hence the total actual percentage of magnesium itself is lower compared to the weight of the mixture.
The general ratio of magnesium to total chelate weight varies from 8% (for the taurate) to about 12% for some others. One guideline is size. If the tablet label for a chelate is confusing and does not give "elemental" values,
and the tablet is small...don't expect much magnesium. For example magnesium malate is 152mg of magnesium elemental, and 848 mg of malic acid to give a total weight of 1000mg on the label. And it is a huge tablet reflecting that ratio.

This website explains it too:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp
There is a nice chart on this website to help you understand.

The second part of understanding magnesium supplements is understanding
bioavailability..that is after you swallow the tablet, how much can one expect to be absorbed and become useful to the patient.
New evidence has shown the the traditional form, magnesium oxide, is not bioavailable.
Unfortunately, many doctors still consult outdated manuals when prescribing magnesium supplements...and the old oxide persists in their minds.
So I have printed that study here, so interested patients can copy it and take to their doctor. Many people believe that 400mg of magnesium oxide is alot, but in reality only 8mg is actually absorbed..which is very little. That is the lowest reported figure for low magnesium containing foods-- one apple, one hard boiled egg, or 1oz of cheddar cheese. High foods include almonds
3oz=270mg, 1 cup of oatmeal=57 mg, and 1 cup of navy beans=108mg.

Recently I just looked up magnesium products on Puritan's Pride website, and saw some updating in the labeling. This is a very good trend and will help avoid confusion. I hope some other products follow this lead.

One sign that you are not getting your magnesium from your chosen product is loose stools or frank diarrhea. That means the magnesium is remaining in the GI tract, and creating a laxative effect. Either change products or lower the dose used. However, many people do not get diarrhea, especially if they are prone to constipation. Sometimes, they just seem "normal" instead. Others who are more prone to looseness will notice any little extra magnesium.

Wow! I have read all of these links on magnesium. Quite overwhelming. I have severe
FM and RSD. I ordered the mag. cream from Kirkland suggested by Mrs. D/ Mrs. D you also recommended ,mag lactate over citrate. Idid some additional research on the citrate. Looks like it is for constipaton? Also I read somewhere that it shouldn't be taken with calcium. I took a closer look at my oral supplement and see that I am taking calcium citrate(600mg) and Magnesium citrate 300 mg. also included is400 IU D. I have had chronic diarreha for weeks as I have been double dosing it daily.
Most of the labels don't say what kind of mag. it is. I called Life Extensions (good co.). Their product is citrate. Any suggestions for findng the mag. lactate ? Also, I take myo mag from Health Product distributors. It has numerous B vitamins (minimal amts.) 5 mg maganese and 440 L malic acid(from Mg malate and malic acid.
Any thoughts as to sources and quantities of good magnesium for severe FM
Sydney

Magnesium citrate is a laxative..but there is a threshold, for each person according to dose. Some people can tolerate it in lower doses, but others
can't.

Calcium in the citrate form, as well as the mag citrate, are favored for people with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones (about 80% of stones are this type).

The citrate form is used to deliver calcium for these patients.

This is one place to find the magnesium lactate:
http://www.medshopexpress.com/081989.html
Magnesium lactate (MgL) is “Mag-Tab SR” : 84 mg (7 mEq) elemental magnesium. The salt MgL contains 12% Mg.

You can find SlowMag and its generics locally. There is practically no diarrhea risk with them. The generics are MagDelay and Mag64... I buy mine at WalMart--the pharmacist orders them for me, behind the counter. 60 are only about $6.00. Affordable and effective. Two per day is enough.

You don't have to buy the most expensive just because lactate showed up well in studies. The Magnesium Chloride in SlowMag works just as well.
And BTW...SlowMag (brand name) was formulated originally by the Searle company for use by doctors to treat magnesium deficiency. The patent is now owned by Purdue. It has been around a long time, as over the counter.

You can buy magnesium malate at Puritan's Pride:
http://www.puritan.com/pages/file.as...CPID=1280&np=1
This is one I use sometimes, and my son all the time. But sometimes it gives my diarrhea, so I prefer the SlowMag.
However, the malic acid in this, is recommended for fibro patients.


So if you want to get more for your $$...you might try the Puritan product...
They have sales all the time, and are very quick and dependable. Their mailing fees remain the same low price
regardless of how much you order...I get alot of my standard yearly vits at their buy one get 2 free sales.

If I recall correctly, BonnieG used the taurate, because she found taurine
helpful for TS.
Certainly since the mag taurate is not common and hard to find, you
can supplement them separately...
Taurine itself is very inexpensive, but I don't know its availability in Australia.
I know in Canada some amino acids are restricted.

I don't think, there is much mag in each tablet of magnesium taurate.
Labeling for this product is confusing... I don't think it is 125mg of
magnesium...as that would be a huge capsule. I don't recall the size being that large. Elemental values for taurate are about 9% mag.
http://www.amazon.com/Cardiovascular.../dp/B00014D5TS

All of the chelates give better absorption than the old oxide. The taurate was originally formulated for cardiovascular issues (arrythmias).
http://www.drhoffman.com/page.cfm/519

Certainly you can use them separately if you cannot find this product.

Thanks for your response, mrsd.
Yes, the Taurine is very expensive. Used not be able to find it here, but I've not looked in a couple of years. It's possibly available now. I used to buy a really good powder from an osteopath for my RLS. It was calcium/magnesium and some other things. It didn't have the taurine as the mag. but it was chelated magnesium. I just forget which one it was right now.

Anyway, thanks for the info.
Appreciated.

Hi Lara
we have never used the mag taurate as my son has been on the calcium/magnesium/zinc with separate taurine for years (in mg of each 1000/500/50 plus 500 each evening)

I do know that when we stop giving the taurine, he feels the difference with more frequent tics.

As MrsD said.......here taurine is relatively inexpensive and readily available

http://www.iherb.com may have reasonable shipping rates to Australia as they seem reasonable on all other things too...dont know if you are allowed to ship it into the country tho

Foods High in Magnesium Serving SizeMagnesium (mg)
Beans, black 1 cup 120
Broccoli, raw 1 cup 22
Halibut 1/2 fillet 170
Nuts, peanuts 1 oz 64
Okra,frozen 1 cup 94
Oysters 3 oz 49
Plantain, raw 1 medium 66
Rockfish 1 fillet 51
Scallop 6 large 55
Seeds, pumpkin and squash1 oz (142 seeds)151
Soy milk 1 cup 47
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 157
Tofu 1/4 block 37
Whole grain cereal, ready-to-eat3/4 cup 24
Whole grain cereal, cooked1 cup 56
Whole wheat bread 1 slice 24


http://www.algaecal.com/magnesium-foods.html

You are missing choccy and candy from that list right It is a food group!

Having been taking 500 mg daily for about 25 years - helps with the muscle spasms and cramps - more then Baclofen (sp)