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Q. People’s Pharmacy has gotten me into a problem with my dear wife. As a regular reader of your column, I always share stuff with her if I think it may help. Your comment about taking magnesium supplements to help alleviate persistent constipation is a case in point.
She started taking magnesium and it helped her bowel function immediately. I was happy to have her benefit from your column. So what’s the problem?
Her 90-year-old father, a long-time heavy user of milk of magnesia, is now having significant kidney malfunction issues. His medical advisors have identified the laxative as the cause.
My wife has abruptly stopped using her magnesium supplement because of what is occurring with her dad. Could you kindly comment on any kidney risks associated with magnesium?
A. Magnesium is essential for muscles, nerves and bones. This mineral helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and heart rhythm.
The daily RDA is 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women. American diets are frequently low in magnesium, and commonly prescribed blood pressure medicines containing diuretics may deplete this mineral.
People with kidney problems are unable to tolerate excess magnesium. They should avoid supplements, laxatives or antacids that contain this mineral. Overdosing on magnesium may overwhelm the system and result in magnesium toxicity. This may be what happened to your father-in-law because of his milk of magnesia habit.
If your wife’s kidney function is normal and her physician monitors her magnesium levels she should be able to tolerate up to 350 mg daily.
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I have started taking 500 mg of magnesium a day and I feel so much better. I do however uses milk of magnesia as a deodorant. Could absorption through the skin, along with the daily dosage be too much magnesium and affect the kidneys?
Why are you not suggesting using a daily scoop of ground flax seed either on breakfast cereals, or mixed in yogurt and/or or sliced fresh fruit in the morning? If that doesn't ensure "regularity", use psyllium husks or some comparable vegetable bulking agent [on a one-time basis] & then start using ground flax seed to keep functioning normally..
Whenever magnesium is taken, it should be balanced out with calcium. I've also heard that only a small percentage of the magnesium in magnesium oxide tablets is actually metabolized by the body. So you might want to use a form like magnesium glycinate or magnesium taurate, to get a greater benefit. I also use the epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in my bath water, and it seems to make quite a difference in my health. And you can also use flax seed oil softgels for a great fiber / regularity solution. Moderation and balance are the right approaches -- and be sure to listen to your body and discontinue anything that causes you trouble!
We women are supposed to have about 1200 mg of calcium per day--and we're supposed to have half as much magnesium. Well, that puts us well over the 350 mg that Joe and Terry say should be the top amount.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: RESEARCH PUBLISHED IN THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION (OCT., 2007) SUGGESTS THAT CALCIUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADULTS, REGARDLESS OF AGE OR SEX, ARE ACTUALLY AROUND 750 MG/DAY, LOWER THAN PREVIOUSLY ESTIMATED.
If you want to alleviate constipation, just eat a half-cup or more of 100% WHEAT BRAN every day. I buy a big bag of it for only $1.30. Now, even with Milk, it's like eating sawdust!!! So, I cover it with Pancake Syrup, and it's then more than edible.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: WHEAT BRAN CAN CERTAINLY HELP WITH CONSTIPATION. PANCAKE SYRUP MIGHT NOT BE THE MOST HEALTHFUL CHOICE, HOWEVER.
I would like to know about absorption through the skin, as I, too, use it as an antiperspirant/deodorant.
I added a magnesium supplement after reading your comments in above article & it did for me what no amount of flax, oat bran, Psyllium or other fiber has been able to do- help with regularity without bloating or gas.
I take 200mg. twice a day with meals. I don't want to cause any damage to my kidneys . Is this safe for long term use?