Posted by Jlx on October 23, 2006, at 20:16:35
In reply to Re: Magnesium for depression, posted by LOOPS on October 23, 2006, at 18:24:36
Hi Loops,
I think we can get "topped up" with magnesium, get the mag/cal ratio more straightened out and then need less magnesium overall. That was my experience anyway.
Also don't forget the effects of food. If we're eating calcium rich foods, more magnesium might feel good, but if not much calcium in our diet, magnesium supplementation of 500 mg may be too much. Also consider your magnesium supplementation for your body weight:
Formula to Calculate Magnesium Daily Requirement-
5 to 10 milligrams per day per kilo of ideal body weight or 2.5 to 4.5 milligrams per day per pound of ideal body weight.Example: 70 kilos or 150 pounds= 350 mg. to 700 mg. daily. This nutritionist's site also has some other considerations as to when you go with the higher amount: http://www.krispin.com/magnes.html#Formula
This Magnesium Deficiency Questionnaire might also give you some idea about what sort of considerations apply. Maybe you no longer need to supplement magnesium or only a very little:
http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081501.htm
Perhaps instead of a 1:1 ratio, try 2:1 first one way, then the other, but less overall.If I remember correctly, you take magnesium chloride, right? And live in ...Chile? Is it possible to get magnesium taurate, or taurine there? Magnesium chloride is supposed to be well absorbed and without the amino acid to "temper" the magnesium a bit, maybe you are getting too much too abruptly. If you can't get magnesium taurate, then try taking the taurine with it if you can get taurine. George Eby, whose website it was that first prompted me to try magnesium for depression, has a lot on taurine being heart-friendly. Besides his main page, http://www.coldcure.com/html/dep.html he has another just on taurine: http://george-eby-research.com/html/taurine.html He said, incidentally, that he had cardiac arrhythmias for years from brushing his teeth with baking soda.
Some taurine amounts per mg/100 g edible portion, from his website:
Chicken leg
378Chicken breast
26
Shellfish
332
Beef
64Interesting difference between chicken breast and leg!
I think heart palpitations can also result from imbalance between potassium and sodium, usually not enough potassium. Potassium is plentiful in lots of foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90 so that may not be it, but you might try eating something high in potassium or drinking a fruit or vegetable juice when you're having heart palpitations. I get little weird foot and leg cramps when I get out of whack sometimes, and usually a small can of pineapple juice sets me right.
Zinc is in there too somewhere.
Do you space out the magnesium throughout the day/evening?
Vitamin E helps heart palpitations for me sometimes, but I think they might be hormonal when this happens.
JL
> Hi -
>
> I love magnesium - it's the best supplement I've found so far, but I've been having weird side-effects that are completely contrary to what should happen. Maybe someone can finally help me out here?
>
> So I originally started taking magnesium about a year ago, and mixed it with some calcium (usually around 1:1). I felt much more relaxed. Then after some months I started getting heart arrhythmias, which got very annoying.
>
> I think at this point I lowered my dose of both, but the arrhythmias would come back every now and then. I continued with the cal/mag mixture and gradually started to lose sleep again.
>
> Recently I ditched calcium completely and just took the Mg. Immediately I felt calmer - I had been quite anxious for awhile and not sleeping well at all, despite supplementing Ca/Mg at about 1:1.
>
> Also no arrhythmias for those couple of days initially. Then suddenly, after about 4 days of 500mg Mg only, my arrhythmias came back full force. Today I felt weak and trembly playing tennis. However mentally I feel fine.
>
> Way before my experimentations with Mg/Ca - I always was an anxious person prone to depression, mood swings, insomnia, pms, socially reclusive; but I never ever had arrhythmia until I started the Mg.
>
> Now I am much more relaxed person but my heart isn't happy. What is going on here? I want to continue the Mg but don't want to have these palpitations - they are scary.
>
> Many thanks for any advice
>
> Loops
poster:Jlx
thread:695365
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/697104.html