This was not how I was hoping to spend the holidays.
It was the end of the year and as usual my wife and I were taking the last two weeks of December off from work so we could relax and enjoy some time with our family. We had spent the previous couple days shopping and wrapping and our plan was to stay home the next day and recuperate.
When I woke up that morning I felt ... off, like I had brain fog. I was mildly dizzy, cold, and my heart felt like it was racing. I was also feeling anxious despite having no reason to be.
I recognized the symptoms as something I had experienced briefly a couple times earlier in the year. Nothing seemed to be horribly wrong though so I just assumed it was stress or fatigue and that it would pass in a couple hours as it had before.
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Contents
Disclaimer:
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be used in place of the advice of a healthcare professional. While my wife and I have been taking magnesium supplements every day for years, I can't say how they might affect you. Always consult a doctor if you have health concerns: don't try to self-diagnose!
Not Going Away This Time
Days started to go by and slowly the dizziness was getting worse and I started to feel more and more anxious. I tried to make myself calm down and relax but I really had to fight to slow my breathing.
About a month prior I had gone through a medical procedure to fix a deviated septum in my nose (I had always had trouble with allergies and breathing in general). While the procedure definitely improved my sinuses I was starting to wonder if something had gone wrong with the surgery that would cause me to have these symptoms.
Doctor the First
I actually had a follow-up with my nose doctor scheduled for later during our vacation so I dealt with the dizziness and anxiety and tried to wait for the appointment.
In short he told me the procedure had gone well and that he had no concerns about the outcome. He suspected my symptoms might be inner-ear related and that in most cases these resolve themselves with time as the body adjusts to occasional structural changes within the ear itself.
The ENT suggested I wait a month to see if it would go away on its own and said that if I continued to have symptoms that he would do a comprehensive ear exam, testing my hearing and overall balance.
The idea of waiting a month to see if my symptoms would fade filled me with despair.
Doctor the Second
I immediately made an appointment with my general practitioner, who listened to my symptoms with patience and then scheduled me for an MRI of my head the next day with a focus on my ears.
I anxiously awaited the results, hoping to find out what was making me so miserable, but the MRI showed that everything looked great, with no signs of any problems with my ears.
I was relieved but at the same time I was getting nervous about the situation. I still had no idea what was causing me to feel worse and worse and my vacation was coming to end.
Soon I would need to return to work and function like a human being instead of lying on the couch trying to fight what I was becoming sure was a panic attack.
My doctor ended up writing me a prescription for an anti-depressant. I never filled it but just knowing it was available made me feel a little bit better, like there was still something I could do or try.
Back to the Grind
After taking a couple sick days to extend my time off I went back to work. Being so dizzy I didn't trust myself to drive so my wife had to cart me to and from the office every day.
Each day in the office was difficult but I trudged through them as best I could. Even the trips down the hall to the bathroom were difficult.
In the evenings I spent most of my time searching the Internet looking for possible causes. It turns out there were a lot of possibilities, many of which scared me quite a bit.
Doctor the Second, Part II
I survived the month until the hearing test with the ENT who had worked on my sinuses.
I went into it sure I would come out with a bad diagnosis but I was still looking forward to it because I really just wanted to know what was happening to me.
Of all the possible results I expected I didn't anticipate this one: I passed all the tests and everything looked great.
This gave me even more anxiety which I think the doctor noticed. He said that he was an ENT and that in terms of dizziness the ears were the only tool he had in his bag of tricks but that a neurologist would have a whole other list of things that could be tested for.
With that in mind I called my general practitioner again and received a referral to a neurologist. I made an appointment for two weeks later.
Passing Time
I passed those two weeks in the same way I had the previous month.
My symptoms were no longer getting worse but I was still dizzy all the time, sometimes to the point of being nauseous. My anxiety level was pretty high although it came and went over the course of each day.
I would wake up in the middle of the night having had horrible dreams, and I spent most of the time feeling far more depressed than I ever had, often to the point of tears.
I also started to get headaches a couple times a week.
Doctor the Third
My neurologist appointment finally came and this time I was determined not to get my hopes up for a diagnosis.
The neurologist listened to my symptoms, had me walk around the office for a bit while watching my gait for signs of balance issues, and then promptly diagnosed me with migraines.
This took me completely by surprise. While I was having headaches on occasion, I didn't have the auras that I assumed were necessary and my dizziness and anxiety didn't seem to fit either.
He responded by saying that the definition of a migraine is expanding all the time and a wide range of symptoms have now been linked to it.
For a treatment he suggested I keep a journal of my diet and activities in order to determine the triggers.
He also said that, instead of prescribing medication to begin with, he wanted me to try a magnesium supplement for a month to see if it improved my symptoms as there have been a couple studies done showing it can help decrease the frequency and severity of migraines.
Lastly he recommended regular aerobic exercise as well as keeping my sleep pattern constant every day of the week including weekends.
The Final Test: Trying Magnesium
After weeks of waiting and worrying about my symptoms I was skeptical that a simple vitamin supplement could help me but at this point I was willing to try most anything.
So the first thing I did was pick up a bottle of magnesium at the local grocery store. I started it immediately and hoped for the best.
For the first 24 hours there was no change in my condition but I kept taking the magnesium. Around the 48 hour mark I started to get a really bad headache in the afternoon. It wasn't the worst I'd ever had but it was the worst I'd had in recent memory.
Eureka!
The headache lasted for a little over 24 hours. However, when the headache was gone something strange and wonderful had happened ... I was no longer dizzy, my anxiety was gone, and my heart didn't feel like it was racing.
I was shocked and thrilled at the same time. The only change I had made was the magnesium supplement. I immediately started searching the Internet for magnesium deficiency and read about the varied symptoms it can cause.
The more I read the more I realized two things. The first was that magnesium is incredibly important to the human body and the second was that many people probably are not getting enough of it.
In short it took three doctors and almost two months before I ended up with the simple solution of a magnesium supplement.
Back to Normal
This all happened to me in early 2010, and in addition to trying to eat more foods high in magnesium I have been taking a magnesium supplement ever since.
I will say however that I recovered faster when I started taking a better quality magnesium supplement.
I do occasionally get a headache (that I now realize truly is a migraine) but they don't occur that often provided I continue to take my magnesium and avoid the handful of triggers I have identified through my journal.
Quite frankly I feel better than I have in a very, very long time.
As always, you are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician or other qualified medical professional to help determine your own optimal level of magnesium, and to see whether magnesium supplementation is right for you.
I have been suffering for 8 weeks with nausea, loss of appetite, terrible sleep, muscle twitches , back pain, sensitivity to sound and light , cold hands and feet, chills, indigestion and anxiety and panic attacks I am a long distance runner, gluten free and have not run a step since the start of all this .I admit my diet for the last few months has been poor and I’ve been running a lot and drinking a lot of water . However I believe I may be suffering with low magnesium from poor diet and increased losses through exercise and excessive water intake. My cardiologist called and told me to take 250 mg for a heart flutter and it seems a lot of my symptoms have lessened . I am still struggle with the sleep and and exhausted and feel weak most days but I am thinking this may be the answer . My serum mg levels were 2.0. I had an rbc magnesium test done and await the results . I am hoping to have some answers soon.
I don’t know your situation now, but I’m surprised those magnesium supplements made a difference at all. What you want is magnesium chloride oil sprayed on the skin. Nothing beats transdermal magnesium at all.
I can’t praise magnesium highly enough. Having looked online, bought some books then begun to use magnesium; it has truly transformed my life. Muscle pain greatly reduced, general well being back again. That’s with Magnesium Citrate tablets together with MSM ( sulphur compound), bathing in Magnesium Salts three times weekly, plus gentle exercise and including dark fruits eg blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries with plain yogurt in my diet.
Every year around Christmas time I end up in urgent care for pneumonia or bronchitis. It usually starts with a cold, then sinus, then sinusitis, then lung problems. After I take antibiotics I feel better but my runny nose never clears. I have been told I have asthma all my life, even though I don’t have symptoms. Two weeks ago I started taking magnesium because i read it was good for diabetes. All of a sudden my runny nose dried up and my 10 minute walks became 25 minutes. Now I walk three times a day (retired 66 yr old). I take a teaspoon every time I eat and one at night. when I forget to take it, my nose becomes wet again. My diabetic blood glucose numbers have been steady, around 103, but that has to do with my diet, My numbers used to be in the 160 to 193 average.
I have noticed a drastic energy levels due to my lungs and nose feeling super clear.
I recently added supergreen powders to my diet (Dec 2017) for an easy way to get vegetables after adding 400 mg per day divided doses of magnesium in September 2017.
The supergreens are giving me headaches — which I’m hoping is a detox effect, explanation courtesy of the internet. But while searching for the cause of the headaches, I read that the supergreens act as a binder to minerals such as magnesium and can cause lowered levels of magnesium.
Balance in all things. I may cut down on the supergreens to something small like no more than 1 teaspoon per day, but has anyone actually researched this or had personal experience with choosing supergreens over magnesium.
The magnesium has helped with balance & cramping & vertigo, so I’m inclined to prioritize the magnesium over vegetables.
But if anyone has something more than speculation to offer, I’m interested in what this community of practice thinks.
Thanks
I was hospitalized recently with severely low levels of magnesium. The primary cause was the daily use of Nexium (omeprazole) over the span of 2 years. Also, daily coffee (caffeine), beer (alcohol), and Advil (ibuprofen) aided in the depletion of magnesium levels, which in turn held down my potassium levels. Doctors are oblivious to this common issue of low magnesium related to the items I just mentioned. I had to speak with a kidney specialist to get this information. Since the hospital stay (two weeks ago) I have stopped taking Nexium, cut out the coffee, beer, and Advil, and have been eating plenty of fruits and vegetables along with healthy balanced meals. I have also started taking Doctor’s Best Magnesium supplement. 200 mg in the morning with breakfast and 200 mg an hour before bed. Each day has been better and I am back in my daily work routine and feeling about 90%. Low levels of Magnesium is a serious issue. Many people out there are dealing with the symptoms on a daily basis but have no idea what is wrong. This website has been extremely helpful and has put my mind at ease knowing what the problem is and that it take time to get back to feeling normal.
This may seem dramatic but I feel that Andrew’s story and this thread saved my health! About 5 years ago I ended up in hospital with a mysterious illness that left me taking super strong IV antibiotics (my mum is convinced it was leptospiroris – rat poisoning, after drinking from a can of coke). After 9 days I was discharged from hospital but didn’t feel well for months after. I had developed vertigo (my GP explained that it was common after high dose antibiotics), headaches, cramping in my legs etc. After a few weeks of minimal work and lots of rest, I began to feel better. However, every autumn these symptoms return and seem to be getting worse and worse every year. I’ve been referred to ENT specialists who insist I have a sinus infection and so prescribe even MORE antibiotics. About two weeks ago, the symptoms returned, again I was prescribed antibiotics. I took them, but stopped when I realised they were making me feel more and more dizzy. I had to return to work on Monday and dreaded it, however as I sat at my desk and gobbled a large handful of almonds, I suddenly got the sensation that my fog was lifting. I googled what almonds contained and low and behold, it was magnesium! So I googled symptoms of magnesium deficiency and I almost fell off my chair. And then I found this article and thread – I started feeling shaky and overwhelmed with relief, I just KNEW this was it!
After work on Monday I went straight to the health store and got Magnesium Citrate and took 400mg that night (2 horse size tablets). I slept like a baby and woke up feeling much better than I had felt in over a week. Headache was gone finally, and heaviness in head gone too. Dizziness had subsided quite a bit too. I felt confident enough to drive to work. At about midday I started to feel dizzy again so took 200mg, 30mins later I felt better. I could hardly believe what was happening. Not only that, but my stuffy nose had cleared.
Today is Thursday and I am clear headed, bright, energetic and happy. I’m still playing around with the doses but I know that I am on the right track FINALLY. I’m getting the oil for my daughter (and myself). I think we are all deficient at home.
I can’t thank you enough Andrew!
Greetings and thank you for this wonderful article. You were lucky to not have had a doctor misdiagnose your issues and put you on an addictive drug, such as xanax, which is why my doctor did. It didn’t help at all, and I ended up dependent on something that I hated. Instead of the doctor treating me, he just left me in the dust. I did not abuse the drug, and was on the same dose for 3 years, which is why it got so bad near the end. Heart palpitations at 3:00 am when I was starting to withdraw, and many more very bad effects. The doctor got upset when i got angry at the misdiagnosis, and this was over 3 years. He just dropped me as a patient, via certified mail, and told me I was on my own. I had a one month prescription of the drug, and weened myself off of it by cutting the pills in half, then again, then again, until I was taking nothing more than a crumb. It still took many months to get back to normal.
Then I read about Magnesium deficiency, causing all of the issues, which was restless sleep (insomnia?), anxiety out of nowhere about nothing, depression, joint aches, muscle aches, constipation, and a plethora of other issues. Within 7 days of taking a calcium, magnesium, zinc multi supplement, It’s a joy to be alive again. My dreams are back and my sleep is deep and life is good. I can’t express to you how important these minerals are for good health, especially after 50 years old.
I have experienced similar symptoms as yours for years. I came across your site 18 months ago and immediately tried a few of the better brands of Mag. Nothing! Even at a fairly high dose.
Then yesterday I noticed half a bottle of doctors best and thought I may as well finish it off. I took two and an hour or so later I had to lie down. Massive head ache, tired etc. It wore off and I actually felt pretty good and will keep taking it. Racing thoughts are reduced.
I think the difference is due to me taking pro and prebiotics of late. It could be that previously my body never absorbed the magnesium and now it has. I hope so at least.
I must admit this is the informative site i’ve come across regarding magnesium.
My symptoms started over two years ago whilst I gave up a career to care for my father and had tests because I was suffering from severe constipation , colonoscopy, CT , and bladder checks because I had UTI .
All clear and diagnosed with IBS-c.
The thing with stress it plays havoc on the body and it got to a point I could not believe the amount of supplements I had in the cupboard from wild primrose oil, cortisol support , magnasorb, iron, at Johns wort , b complex , bit c …….
But the last few months my system in some ways wasn’t getting better except palpitations helped by a course on mindfulness.
But insomnia has increased , loss of sensation on bowel movements, brain fog in morning , fatigue , dry eyes , sometimes lower back pain , including mild pain back of head , lack of concentration and finally feeling toxic especially as my stools are quite light in colour .
My blood checks said I was slightly low on calcium and uric acid high ( I don’t drink or eat loads of fish )
I’ve tried to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle from organic products , plenty of seeds , coconut water , soya and plenty of country walks Inc saunas .
It was interesting that calcium supplements can deplete magnesium which I’m taking .
I must admit I am now quite confused by what to take on supplements to help my symptoms , it’s now nearly two years since my father has passed away and just want a normal life .
I even looked into how the endocrine system work from adrenals to the pituitary gland on how the immune system absords vitamins .
I can only conclude my gut is not working well , distribution of nutrients, poor BM and feeling lathargic.
Any advice appreciated :-)
Hello Richard,
I am sorry to hear you’re suffering so! I’m sure your gut is compromised, as this is the beginning of all illness, and we basically all have gut dysfunction due to 85,000 chemicals and Standard American Diet. Light-colored stools means low bile, which probably means you have gallstones (very common today). I have found great relief following the ancestral diet of my Northern European ancestors. It is the mildest and gentlest (best for gut healing and no offending poisons to keep the body busy detoxing and not doing its regular day to day maintenance/healing.) Here’s the YESs…grass fed (ideal) animal fats, broths, liver, dark meats, gelatin; farm eggs, local dairy, wild salmon, cod, herring; soaked and well cooked barley, rye, and oats, REAL sourdough bread, cooked root veggies (potatoes, onions, radishes, carrots, parsnips) , Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, asparagus, mushrooms, Romaine, peas, navy beans, lentils, black beans, apples, bananas, mangoes, papayas, and pears, sea salt, alittle pepper, parsley, some cane sugar, maple sugar, molasses. That’s it! Combine these in lots of differnt ways and you have a very delicious variety of NUTRITIOUS meals! The NOs…plant oils, corn syrup, Mediterranean foods (herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, peppers, wheat, tea, coffee, chocolate, beer, wine, coconut oil, olive oil, all other fruit, and chemicals. Med foods contain the poison salicylate and no gut healing can occur when eating these foods. They attack our CNS, so our brain and heart, and every cell in our body. Again, very difficult to heal eating these. You’ll notice a difference right away getting away from these foods. Supplement with great probiotics like Culturelle, Align, and FLorastor, magnesium, selenium, molybdenum, plus a multimineral and separate electrolyte supp. Also, the amino acids glycine, lysine, B1, B3, B6, methylfolate and methylcobalmine, grass-fed whey protein powder. Start with 1 supplement and see how you feel. Add another 1 at a time so your body doesn’t become overwhelmed, and you can see how you’re feeling on them. There may be detoxing symptoms, so if they make you feel bad that’s probably why. Just take it slow, and eat lots of comforting broths and custards and cheeses, etc. If you get this message please let me hear from you! The road to healing is slow and not always easy, but this diet is your best shot for a lifelong cure!
i would try Madamusil or natural psyllium fiber which you can find at Costco. Try it two to three times a day. that should fix your IBS. Good luck
Hi! I’ve never posted on a site like this before but I feel that I need to tell my story.
I’ve been suffering from “mysterious” symptoms for 10 years. Dizzy, brain fog, muscle pain and tension, irritability, light sensitivity, anxiety… Sound familiar? It has come and gone and never got any real answers from the doctors other that its just stress and it will pass. Started to get bad anxiety and panic attacks about 3 years ago and I have learned to deal with it.
This year I have had more and more time off work with the brain fog and dizziness. 3 weeks ago the doc said I should try SSRI drugs for my anxiety. I said I’d think about it and went away and did some research. Wanted a natural solution. L -theanine and valerian kept coming up and so did B complex and magnesium. I ordered all on these online ( I live on a remote Scottish island so I cant just pop to the shops). The L theanine (green tea extract) helped a bit with the stress but I still just felt rotten. The magnesium was taking forever to arrive in the post (Doctors best Chilated 200mg). So last Friday we went to the mainland to do our Xmas shopping. A long drive, ferry, busy supermarkets, stress stress stress! I felt rotten. I bought some magnesium from the chemist and took one straight away. The day went on and we were finally in the car waiting for the ferry. Then something occurred to me…. I felt better! Not just a bit better but better than I had in a long time.. The fog had blown out of my brain. My shoulders felt relaxed. I couldnt stop talking. We got on the ferry and instead of hiding away in the corner with a cup of tea I wanted to talk to everyone! 2 hours after taking 375mg of magnesium on an empty stomach and I felt amazing!
Of course i crashed and burned pretty quick. The last few days have been a bit of a rollercoaster. When the anxiety comes back its crushing. Brain fog is so much better but sometimes blows in again like toxic smog. I’m exhausted and sleeping a lot and drinking a lot of water. I reckon I’ve been defficient for over 10 years on and off. I’ve lost months of my life to this but so happy that I might have found an answer.
Trying to find the right dosage. I’m taking 200mg Doctors best chilated 4 or 5 times a day (every 4 hours) and having a bath with Dead Sea salt every day. I’ve ordered Epsom salts and mag flakes so I can spray on the skin. These will take forever to come though due to winter storms disrupting the ferry. Do I just ride the rollercoaster on this dosage or am I taking too much or too little? Any advice appreciated! I have to keep reminding myself that I only started with the magnesium 4 days ago. Patience has never been my strength. Maybe mag. will help with that too!
Thanks for this great website! It’s been good to read other peoples experiences.
I’m off for a banana and avocado sandwich!
Happy Christmas!
Andy
Andy, just looking for an update. How are you feeling?
Thanks for asking James but not great. After a few days feeling much better I went downhill fast. I am still taking 500 or 600 mg Mag glycinate daily and having epsom salt baths a few times a week. Also spray on mag. oil after a shower. I was so hopeful after my first few days on magnesium. I would say that I am not as anxious as I used to be but pretty miserable. I think I might have some kind of cervicogenic dizziness related to my neck. My symptoms are much worse when I move around or I drive. I am going to see an osteopath next week. I think magnesium helped me initially because it relaxed the muscles in my neck. But these benefits were short lived. I’m going to try mag. malate and see if it helps. I’m clutching at straws really. Any suggestions welcome!
Hi Andy, I read that you have to balance magnesium with calcium/vitamin D3. This is crucial! For example, if you take 400 mg of magnesium, you should be taking 800 mg of calcium/vitamin D3….1:2 ratio. If you overtake magnesium, you drain calcium/vitamin D3 from your system. Magnesium and Cal/vit D3 should work hand-in-hand to balance the body.
Research it…I want to see it work for you. Also, make sure you are taking the right kind of Magnesium! There are many types and you must take the right one. Some can do more harm than good.
Hi there!
I’ve been researching this issue a long time, and I have found a couple things worth mentioning to you… There is usually no need to take a calcium or D supplement, even when taking magnesium, because we are bombarded with those two as additives to our food already, or just as part of food. Think milk. D is easily obtained from the sun! Stress or illness depletes magnesium, but mag is not added to anything! That is why it’s an important supplement! Also, recent research has the calcium/Mag ratio now at 1:1… If you take a calcium supplement, you’ll be way over daily needed calcium! Just thought it was worth mentioning!
Hi, Andy, hope you are still here… and feeling better… I had VERY similar symptoms… and I had not been taking Mg supplements… I started them again, after MUCH searching on the internet for answers to my lightheadedness, rapid heart beat, lethargy and weakness… lucky I had Mg oil, which is supposed to be the most absorbable… and added Mg Citrate (no oral Mg is as good as the oil so I do both)… I am hoping for relief soon…
If you are not getting consistent relief, you might have your Doctor test your THYROID FUNCTION… if it is off… it can have very similar symptoms! Yes, either Hypothyroid… or Hyperthyroid… I recommend getting your iodine levels checked too, along with Zinc and Copper… they play major roles in thyroid health. I am going to the Doc to have some blood tests ordered soon!
Good luck to you and all here.
JJ
Hi Sir, how old are you just wondering? I just started taking magnesium ( I didn’t get tested) and I feel almost the exact same way you describe how you were feeling
I’m going through a similar story at the moment, but magnesium hasn’t been enough for me. There are some other factors that could be contributing, pyroluria is one worth looking at. Stress is a trigger.
This past week, my hands have been shaking so badly and my concentration off so far that I could barely work. I did some reading and I’m wondering how far off I was from having a seizure?? Unsure of what is causing it. I called my docs office and they recommended Magnesium. Within about three hours, my hands almost stopped shaking completely and my concentration started to get slightly better. I have a docs visit planned for Monday, but that was so scary. Just hit me out of the blue. Twice in two days, I’ve driven past my exit on the way home. Got to get this figured out fast.
I have nearly all the symptoms of mag d. Most troublesome are painful twitching legs, nausea and lack of appetite , insomnia and anxiety. Had 2 migraine afew months ago, first ones ever and I,m 61. Been under stress a few years. Was on ppi omezspraxole for5 yrs but only 20mg. I,ve read that ppi,s are very Unlikely to cause defficiency. In desperation i started mag citrate 1×3 daily and twice daily oil rubs. Epsom salt bsths daily for over a month. No improvement yet.
For those of you who have a Mg deficiency, please try Mg Chloride. It is 100% bioavailable and for doses up to around 600mg, the laxative effect is minimal. Mg Citrate powder is ideal if you suffer with constipation which is a symptom of Mg deficiency. Dr Carolyn Dean does a good quality supplement called ReMag and there is another call ‘Ionic Magnesium’ which is a little less expensive. Mg Citrate powder is cheaper and can be obtained from most body building sites. Body builders usually know about Mg.
Please remember that although Calcium is vital, it is abundant in our modern day diet and you can easily overload with it. This gives you a Mg deficiency by default. The trick is to keep both Ca and Mg balanced, ideal is a ratio of 1 : 1. Very difficult to achieve with depleted Mg in our soils and food plus an abundance of Ca in our diet. Those of you who have a vitamin D deficiency plus the B complex, Mg is necessary for those to work at optimum levels so no good taking Vit D etc., without a body replete with Mg. Mg is the gatekeepter of our cells and controls the amount of Ca in and out. Ca should be outside the cells most of the time. Without Mg, Ca will flood the cells and start to cause damage. Calcification of the soft tissue is caused including cardiovascular diseases, usually starting with arrhythmia. Ever heard of a Coronary Calcium Scan? Look it up on Google then check ‘Google images’ you’ll be amazed and horrified. Put ‘calcification’ into Google and check those images. You will see that calcification can be anywhere in your body and it’s all because of excess Ca and not enough Mg to control it. Without Mg, Ca is a rogue.
I have healed myself with Mg, taking at least 600mg per day of Mg Chloride. I’ve had nearly all the symptoms that these comments have mentioned. It is completely safe and should be taken every day to keep those levels up. Adjust according to how you feel. If you’re stressed or under pressure up your intake. Do your own research and heal yourself. Only you know how you feel and don’t forget, most medics just don’t know about Mg, they’re not taught it during their medical education. They are taught about drugs and control not prevention and cure.
By the way, if you’ve been diagnosed with MS or Parkinsons, some people have been mis-diagnosed with these conditions when they do have a serious Mg deficiency. Get it checked out and if they want to do a Mg test, make sure its an Exatest or at least an RBC test. A serum test is next to useless and often gives a false positive. Question everything, be your own physician! You may not be a doctor but that doesn’t mean you can’t study and research! Ches
wow! thankyou
Hi Ches,
Thanks for your wonderful comment. Have you tried other forms of magnesium and noticed that they did not reduce your symptoms? i.e. was MgCl2 the only one that produced significant reduction of your symptoms?
I ask because In the past I tried MgGlycinate but I haven’t really noticed much of a difference (Spacey, brain fog, and ongoing fatigue, eye/sinus pressure with no apparent infection/inflammation there or in the blood, as well as low neutrophil count).
I am starting on potassium citrate, as well as MagnesiumBioctirate, but I may end up getting the chloride version.
MB
awesome comment MB. I will try this today
Hi, just wanting to add to this: as someone living with MS, I can tell you there is no excuse to be misdiagnosed any more. An MRI will show lesions and holes (either, or both) in the brain and the brain stem. Any doctor who suspects MS or other neurological symptom should refer you to a neurologist and order an MRI.
I am on a very high-dose vitamin d protocol to help manage my MS. It is extremely strict and I take magnesium to help with it. I would suggest something with elemental magnesium in it to really get the best bang for your buck.
Hi Rachel,
Have you found that Mg supplementation has helped?
Have your tried keto… Any tips or suggestions in Managing or reversing this condition would be very very appreciated..
thank you in advance
Sincerely,
Victoria
I have been through exactly what you describe. It has taken me a whole year of intense research to piece it together, and a whole year of doctors telling me it was anxiety. I had come across magnesium deficiency before and I had starting supplementing with little change. That’s what threw me off, how could I be deficient if I had a healthy diet and was supplementing? Well turns out I had little to no stomach acid and wasn’t digesting food properly, and not absorbing any nutrients from the food. I had bloating and gas, chronic constipation, acid reflux and took antacids which were an even worse idea! I had become so deficient of Vit D, B12, magnesium, Iron, folate that I was in such an awful state. Constant dizziness and headaches, pins and needles, numb arms and legs, weak muscles I could barely lift my arms and drag my feet. I had panic attacks, had pressure in my chest, insomnia, even hypoglycemic symptoms. I’m writing this for anyone else out there who is going through what I went through, scouring the internet desperate to find out what is wrong with them. Listen to your gut. I ignored my gut problems for almost 2 years.
Try apple cider vinegar in water before each meal. And digestive enzymes to help breakdown food. I also take pure Aloe vera for the B12 and gut properties.
The only things that were coming up in my blood results was inflammation (ESR, CRP & C3)
Hope this helps someone
You all have autoimmune disorders. At different levels. But you need to be checked for celiac. You have all the symptoms.
Yes celiacs can also be a cause of magnesium deficiency.
That is not true… people with Mg deficiencies do NOT always have celiac issues.
Is that all you did was add enzymes prior to eating? No additional supplements? How are your symptoms?
Hi leony im feelingbut right now after taking omeprazole
Thanks so much
How safe is long term mag glycinate? I’ve read about some heart issues arising.
Hi, a have been reading all of the comments on this post. Sounds like the story of my life.. My first indicator was an eye twich. I first went to kinda over the counter homeopathic pharmacy (Mexico) and she prescribed me Mag. Phos 6x. It did help but it was slow.. since I was so desperate to get rid of the eye twich I stopped the Mag Phos. and asked for something else according to my new symptoms. So then one day I realized it was anxiety so I took a deep breath one morning and decided to not feel this way after a month and a half of feeling so weird. I felt better for a few days then all of a sudden I got a Pilonidal Cyst on my butt. It burst one night and just started to drain. Painfull stuff. This time I visited a Homeopathic MD and he checked it out.Told him my symptoms as they were progressing.
He said it was anxiety. So he prescribed me something to endure past emotions and something for the cyst to heal from the inside out. It helped with letting go of past dealings. But not with the symptoms. Although my cyst was healed within a week. He also told me that I may have been feeling better emotionally but the resentments are still there so the body threw all this through the cyst. (it made sense to me)
I then said,” why am I so anxious?’, I mean I know I have been through some crap. Who hasn’t but not enough to make me feel this way. So I looked at Magnesium again. I started taking the Mag Phos. 6x again.. and it blew my mind!! Within one day I was way better. But since it worked slow I then started Mag. Oil on my skin and made a lotion also to carry around, and finally I started to feel 80 % better In 2 days. It has been 4 days and the symptoms are all gone exempt one weird thing is that I feel a bit shaky and as if my muscle move one my one whenever I stretch or something. Not painful but noticeable. Have any of you felt this? I wonder if it just part of the process after so much time with the Mag. deficiency. Or maybe do I need another vitamin. During all of this I wasn’t eating well obviously and I’m a strict lacto-vegetarian.
Thank all for sharing your strories and letting me know that I wasn’t the only one feeling like this
I have been experiencing all of these symptoms, mostly a pounding, racing heart, and VERY weak muscles.. The magnesium oil is the ONLY thing that helps anymore at all. Emergency room keeps sending me home with no explanation, completely ignoring my mention of the word ‘magnesium’. I seem to be able to get my heart rate under control by slathering my body with magnesium oil. It once changed my heart rate from 150 to 50! I get (VERY)tired for the day, and the whole thing begins again the next… I spoke to a Naturopathic Dr, who gave me a brief, free consultation. She said to start taking an oral supplement that I can measure dosage better, and use the oil more sparingly when I need it. I tried this, to the same results. One day of relief and complete lethargy, then… WAKE UP! Pounding, racing heart and chest pains… Again. I relate to this all, but cannot seem to get ahead of it and cannot seem to actually change anything in the long term. I hadnt felt well for months before this, but now it’s just unbearable.. Some symptoms have gotten better, but my main conceen now is absolutely my heart. The ER’s say im fine, because by the time i get there (twice by ambulance) my body is covered in oil, and the ambulance has given me SOMETHING in an iv….? At this point, I feel like I’m dying, and there is no help to be had… I just continue soaking myself in this oil, and living LITERALLY one day at a time. I’ve even made all my ‘I love you’ phone calls. Im all out of idea’s….
Try 400mg of COQ10 per day along with the magnesium and also ReMyte from Dr. Carolyn Dean.
Good luck!
I experienced a racing heart like you and my blood pressure also began to rise. I found that when you are deficient in magnesium, potassium becomes deficient too. I supplemented with potassium gluconate and plenty of fruits and vegetables which also contain potassium. You will find magnesium and potassium is better absorbed at the cellular level if you also take a taurine supplement. Also make sure you top up with fluids whilst you are trying to restore your electrolyte levels. I wish you all the best and hope this helps you!
Sean,
I know what it feels like, I’ve been through a similar experience (still recovering). I was to the hospital and they couldn’t really help me, even though I felt SO HORRIBLE. Then I got on a nutrition program with a nutritionist from NY, and am slowly recovering . I was so week that for about 1.5 months they took me to the restroom, which is next door to my bedroom, in a wheelchair! ( I’m only 19!) I’ve been gaining strength & slowly recovering with the program. Thank God! If you’d like the contact info for the guy, just reply to this comment and I’d be glad to get it for you.
Get your thyroid function checked, including iron, copper and zinc… add some selenium into the daily supplement mix. Good luck, feeling crappy is exhausting!
Wow. What you have described, Andrew – it sounds exactly how I feel – except for the headaches. My first bout of dizziness was about 4 years ago. I first went to the doctor about two years ago. I have been to an ear, nose & throat specialist – normal results, CT scans – normal results. Neurologist – normal results. Who would have thought the dizziness could be a magnesium deficiency!! I will stop on my way home from work today and pick some up. I will update you in a few days after it’s gotten into my system. I’m so excited that this could be MY ‘Eureka’!! :)
Hi I have a few questions and a brief of my story.
So I’m 25 and last year I had constant dizziness / off balance / feeling out of my own body / couldn’t concentrate / low mood / light sensitivity /tension around my head, eyes and jaw that all lead to feeling so depressed as I had it EVERY day! My doctor took 4 blood test over 6 months and nothing was coming back . I was so down and my family thought it was all in my head . I kept a food diary thinking it was gluten or dairy intorence . So I heard about a local doctor who specialised in alternative medicine and allegies. He had 4 month waiting list so over Xmas 2014 I got so low I ended up in the doctors again to try find something . Yet again I was given anti biotics for sinus and I knew it was not an infection . I didn’t take them and I felt best at ease lying down on a dark room. My apical nf work life was being effected . I got my appointment with the alternative doctor in Feb 15 and results back 4 weeks later with magnisium decifency. I was delighted he found something . Took 300mg tablets as the powder tasted so bad after 2 weeks . Started them in March and found I was cured from that dead headache around Augest . I was on 1 tablet every day for 3 months then 4 times a week . I stopes taken them in July 15 and got my symptoms all back 2 weeks ago so sround the second week of Jan 16. And started back the tablets 4 weeks ago. Could they trigger the headaches before cruring then ?? Should I be taken magnisium all the time for the rest of my life and not break ?? I’m also taken oregano oil (3 months )and vitamin D (1 week) I can’t go through another year of totally down and confusion so sny advice . Higher dosage ? Thanks SJ x
I am kind of new to this magnesium defiency discovery, however , from what I have researched, it appears that our levels of magnesium fluctuates constantly based on several different factors such as stress, excersizing, diet, medications, etc.. Magnesium has dramatically improved my life and overall well being! I began to suffer from anxiety and loss of concentration . Magnesium has “saved my life” in that respect! I, personally, self monitor my moods and feelings in order to administer, what I believe to be the correct type and dosage of magnesium. I had the RBC test done and that helped give me a base line to work from. I have only been taking magnesium for few months now and I had my RBC test done after my first 30 days of supplementing. Good luck, keep taking it (if it’s working for you) and spread the word !
Hi Andrew, i appreciate this is an old post but thought id like to comment, so why not share my story so far.
About 3 years ago, I went through a stressful event and ended up having my first ever panic attack, completely out of the blue. Ever since i have found it harder than i used to;
– Concentrate
– Sleep well
– I would wake up feeling anxious with no reason to be anxious. And of course, the feeling of anxiety makes you’re brain think about anxiety which exacerbates the problem!
– Motivate myself
– Enjoy life
– Frequent Headaches
– Feeling of not being my old self
Im not depressed, and i was never an anxious person until this event. Recently I have been feeling less of these symptoms, but thought about Vitamin D deficiency and started supplementing quite a large amount of Vit D3 (10,000 IU). Within a day, all of these symptoms felt 100% worse.
As it turns out, Vitamin D3 exacerbates Magnesium deficiency symptoms, as D3 uses magnesium to metabolise it into a form the body can use. So, in trying to solve one problem, i had made a problem which had already existed, even worse.
So i stopped taking the D3 immediately, order Magnesium Citrate capsules and bought magnesium spray, which i applied liberally throughout the day yesterday. My headache gradually went away throughout the day, but i had a couple of alcoholic drinks in the evening and immediately got a headache. I have since learnt that alcohol, caffeine, soda drinks and sugar deplete magnesium. I woke up a couple of times during the night really needing to pee, which is unusual for me, but i have found the magnesium has been making me feel very thirsty.
I woke up this morning feeling anxiety symptoms for no reason, but as soon as i got up i felt more motivated and happier to do things than i have done in the last couple of days since the D3 supplementation. I don’t have a headache for the first time in 3 days, and definitely feel a bit happier and “clearer” as well.
As unpleasant as the last couple of days have been, I really hope that the D3 supplementation has shown me that I was actually deficient in Magnesium and that I am now on the way to feeling like my old self again.
Fingers crossed it is the magnesium, i will be supplementing as much as i can according to how i feel, and my stomach can cope, hopefully over the recommended amount of 400mg (maintenance dose). Cheers for your story!
Just a quick update – I have been supplementing with around 1,600mg of magnesium a day and my stomach only slightly dislikes it, which is good. It has been leaving my joints and muscles feeling a bit tender so ive started supplementing with calcium to help alleviate these symptoms.
I am certainly falling asleep quicker, staying asleep longer and my dreams are more vivid. Im not waking up feeling anxious, only a slightly elevated pulse (very slightly) so hopefully this will continue to get better.
Im feeling very hopeful – my experiment with D3 is now over and i feel like i did (in fact better and less anxious) before testing. Hopefully as my magnesium levels continue to rise ill feel better and better.
That’s great news, Dan! I’m glad to hear you’re starting to feel better.
Hang in there and keep us updated as things progress :)
Hi Andrew, thanks for your reply.
I must say, after taking the calcium I got pretty severe anxiety (I took too much) and have spent the day gradually feeling better. I have purchased some magnesium flakes and have been sitting in a foot-bath of them for quite a long time today and it has made me feel so much calmer.
The main differences I have noticed since taking the magnesium in a variety of forms is:
– easier to fall asleep. Like my mind is clear
– wake up to less anxiety (for no reason)
– cravings for chocolates or sweets has completely disappeared
– feel my determination slowly coming back.
This has been only 5 days.
Fingers crossed with my continued improvement over the coming weeks I’ll continue to feel better. Of course there will be times when I check to see if I feel better, but I look forward to getting to the stage whereby I don’t need to check how I feel constantly.
Thanks for the great site.
D
hi dan…so alcohol and coffee does deplete the body of magnesium…That makes so much sense….every time I make progress and have some wine or coffee I would feel worse the next day…heart palpitations return so does my dizziness…oh I also feel worse after my menstrual cycle…so for the next 3 months I will consume no alcohol and see if my symptoms completely resolve…
Calcium is a Magnesium antagonist and competes with it. If you balance out your Mg deficiency, then in turn, your calcium should balance out and your Vit D.. Vit D also helps increase calcium levels and depletes magnesium even more. We lose magnesium so easily. Sweat, toileting, stress, alcohol and many things deplete it plus it is very hard to get it into the cells where it is needed as many forms are bio unavailable. Mag citrate won’t increase your RBC levels but magnesium malate, glycinate and threonate will. Oxide is the cheapest and in most products. It is high in magnesium but not bioavailable to us, so basically goes straight through with very little used by the body.
Also, the daily recommended allowance is just a maintenence dose for those with optimal levels – very, very rare these days and Dr’s don’t even test for it as blood serum tests are useless. RBC or HMTA is needed.
There are ways people have found to make it more bioavailable – check out the Magnesium Advocacy Group on Facebook. The owner, Morley Robbins, is an expert. There are numerous files to be found and all the co-factors. The group has 50,000 members but worth it by checking out the pinned post and reading the recommended files first.
Taking magnesium every day with co-factors is necessary as most of our soils are deficient and we have too much calcium in our diets and the excess is unbound and settles where it shouldn’t be instead of staying in the mitochondria
This is odd, to me – I was on Mg Citrate, went to FL and the sun took my symptoms away (tingling in legs/feet) to the point that I didn’t need it anymore. Came back to NY and all the tingling came back. Thus, I assumed D3 from the sun helped with the issue in lieu of Mg.
I have since upped my D3 intake and haven’t noticed it affecting Mg at all.
Who knows…a lot of this really is like rocket science!
Just FYI if you have vit d deficiency do we need to take magnesium too?same story here
Hello Andrew
I have gone through a few of the stories posted here and im completely amazed at how many people are experiencing what i am.
I would like to share my story.
This all started aprx 3months ago. I had a bad tummy bug and was off my gym routine for just over a week. I went back to my gym routine thinking i could make up for lost time and hit gym nearly every night for 2hours. On one of the nights my trainer reckoned that i dont look well and suggested we stop and check blood pressure etc. He reckoned that it could be i jumped in too soon after having lost lots of body fluids with the tummy bug and also all the excessive sweating and not replacing them. He suggested take off a couple of days as my body was overworked.
Thereafter things just seem to have gone spiraling down.
I visited the doctor at my work place the next day as i was feeling really sick i couldnt explain where just that i had felt really sick. He did a full examination and then sent me for chest xrays and a ecg as he heard a slight heart murmer all tests were fine he just said i need to relax. I was always a anxious person had even been on a 24hr ecg before. I felt at ease knowing my heart is fine. As the days went on i had no improvement in my wellbeing. I visited another doctor she sent me for a full blood count that was fine too. She reckoned its nothing physical its anxiety and stress. I was still not happy with what i was told and waited for my own GP to arrive as he was out of the country. I eventually got to see him and explained my story and how i am feeling.
He says he is too convinced its nothing physical. I am most definitely giving him a call as to this finding and hear if i could possibbly be magnesium deficient.
These are some of my symptoms. For the last few months im experiencing continuos coldness in my hands and feet. The dizziness, feels like im cold and sick at the same time. Tiredness, heart palpitations. Even now developed this fuzzy feeling in my head feels like im off balanced and im a completely diff space, my body feels shakey and trembly feels like the list is endlesss. I have been to so many doctors visists feel so hopeless already. I truely hope that this could be the answer to my prayers i just want to go back to being my old self again its terrible to feel this way everyday.
I have read that being very active one can loose magnesium through sweat and i sweat excessively when im at gym could this be a possibility?
Will keep posted.
I know exactly how you feel…I have the same exact symptoms….please keep us posted…
Hi, have you researched histamine intolerance? It sounds like that may be worth checking out.
hi Shaun how do you feel now? have you been taking magnesium?
Hi Andrew, thanks for ypur contribution very helpful! You gotta love the web! .I have a similar story I was not getting the answers from several medical doctors so i booked an appointmet with a nautropathic doctor . He suggest a magnesuim thar he really saw a lot of success with it is called, CALM a powder and it fizzes onee water is added i started that and within a few days i felt prrfectly normal., and slept 100% betterAand i got on a organic non GMO muliple vitamin and mineral drink. Also be sure your buying from a good source i have read some not so positive things about vitamins, and powder from China having heavy metals
Hello Everyone,
My stories is I have symptoms of low moods, I might be happy doing something then before I know it my mood has dropped.
My doctor told me to take anti depressants..anyway after doing some research on the net I looked into Magnesium deficiency . I do not get migraines or dizzy spells or heart racing etc just low moods…..
I decided to take the cheapest magnesium form which is oxide and boy my mood just went up, I felt at peace, no anxiety. I took 375 mg of Magnesium oxide which is supposed to be not the best form, I have tried magnesium citrate and I get no effect. I tried glycerinate form too but no effect, I was wondering would be ok to take 2 per day 375mg mg oxide a day or not?
Please give response to this….
Thank you everyone….
Hi Akash,
Symptom relief is a good indicator that you’re on the right tract. Studies have showed that mag. oxide is not as bioavailable as other forms..and taking the high dosages necessary to correct a deficiency can be difficult due to the laxative effect of this form. But keep in mind that we are all different and different forms can be beneficial to our the individual ecosystem that is our body….as your results can attest.
Magnesium is extremely safe and excess amounts are secreted in the urine. The recommended daily allows for mag is around 450 mg a day…but many prominent researchers feel that this is far too low. This amount is the minimum acceptable level to stave off deficiency symptoms..but not enough for optimal good health and definitely not enough to correct a deficiency. A better rule of thumb is to take 5X your body weight in mgs of Magnesium (e.g. If you weigh 100 lbs, take 500 mgs Mg.)
Hi Leighsa
Thank you so much for reply. I appreciate what you are saying that other forms of magnesium are more readily absorbed compared to oxide,
Oxide is cheap and known to be a very badly absorbed. Anyway carried on taking 375mg daily and its effect is not being felt now, so I take 2 x 375 mg a day and still no effect which is strange…
I don’t know what to do now, I only want to alleviate my low mood ( no reason for this in my life).. I might try Niacin ( one that causes flush)
I have tried up to now Vit D, Vit C, 5HTP ( which the effect is not lasted I mean my mood is elevated for a brief period only..
Please any help with this magnesium causing low moods / anxiety would be really helpful.
Akash
Hi Andrew,
I’ve been struggling with this since March. One day I suddenly felt very dizzy, out of it. I had that feeling one evening a few weeks before , but it went after sleeping. I went through a thousand doctors, mri’s,etc… they ended up giving me Antidepressants. Since I didn’t feel depressed I wouldn’t take them. I also had this wierd pressure stuff going on in my front, feeling pressure and noises. Doctors would tellme that those are psicosomatic (yes, idiots). So I finally payed to visit an private ENT, he told me to do some vestibular rehabilitation on the PC and some excersises and do Neti pot every day. One week later, and after some terrible neck pain, the horrible dizzy feeling, and the impossibility to sit infront of the PC with terrible tunnel vision went away. I can enjoy things again, think, work, I got my orientation sense back,etc…
Now I only feel like if I had hit my head (I think the dizziness was the strong version of this feeling), when I move my head I can feel it as if my brain would be made out of stone, specially on the front. I wonder if you had this head stuff or something similar. Also, when I walk for a while I feel strange, and only recover after sitting for a while. When this happens I look down to the floor with one eye closed I can see it waving around a little, this goes away when I’m recovered. I also have a stiff neck, and some muscles get stiff/spasm sometimes or feel sore.
I would love to try magnesium and see if this finally goes away for good, I wonder which one would be the best. A friend gave me a tee spoon once, but I had terrible diarrea for 3 days.
Hello Andrew, my name is Juan:
I want to share my history and hopefully someone could help me and give me some advice. I am 22, turning 23 next week. I was a healthy individual till i was 18 almost 19, i started experiencing anxiety and panic attacks after bad hangover. Since then anxiety took control over me, at the point where sometimes i couldnt feel myself, i wasnt living my life like i used to. I feel scared and depressed because i didnt knew what was happening to me, wondering if would live the rest of my life feeling like that. So i learned to live with that, trying to enjoy my life but not 100%. Last march i decided to research and find a solution of what was happening to me, i was sure there was something i could do. Its not possible that i would live feeling like that all my life. I found a magnesium article referred as the “miracle of magnesium”, i started reading and researching that magnesium deficiency could trigger anxiety and panic attacks along with a big list of other issues. So i went to GNC and bought a Natural Calm bottle which is magnesium citrate. I started taking it slowly and after 3 months i really saw improvements on my anxiety. But suddenly i stopped taking it because i started experiencing loose stools and i dont know what was happening through my head that i tought “ohh maybe i already have enough magnesium in my body”, which was practically impossible since magnesium citrate gives you loose stools above 200mg, and my diet back then wasnt high on magnesium at all, i even kept drinking alcohol for a while, not as heavy as before but a dew drinks yes. I stopped drinking alcohol 100% in June since i found out alcohol depletes magnesium from your body even more. After about 2 weeks after i stopped taking it i kept with losing stools and i felt the anxiety coming back. I kept going with my life without magnesium and not caring that much about my diet. I went out of town and when i was driving i felt my head heavy, pounding, like if i had a really bad hangover, i got scared. I got to the apartment i lie down and the pain kept going, i even had a little fever and feel thirsty like if i was in a dessert. I took a tylenol and i went to sleep. When i got back home, i went to Dr., he said i was dehydrated and a slightly elevated blood pressure that i would be fine once i hydrate myself and he gave me one supplement that dissolve in water and was to regulate intestinal function. After 4 days i wasn’t getting any better, i was getting more anxious, so i went with an internist. He took my blood pressure and said it was a little high, and that my symptoms were because surely i got intoxicated with one of the proteins i used for the gym. I have to add that i get nervous every time i visit a doctor or enter in a hospital. I don’t like them. He made me studies of everything every organ, glucose levels, my cholesterol, even one test especially for the blood pressure. and everything came out clear, he said i was healthy, that i was young and i should be enjoying life. He recommended to try to eat healthy as possible. But anxiety is something you can’t control, you start freaking out for the most little thing, i feel constantly worried, i feel stressed, I feel sometimes like i am getting sick, i try to exercise and i get tired really fast, I even started getting heart palpitations for the first time, my head feels tense and heavy, my neck is always tense and tight. I just went to take my RBC magnesium blood test, and results are supposed to come out next Monday. I am pretty sure i am magnesium deficient, i just want it to confirm it with the test. Do you have any views on this?, I started taking Magnesium Oil about 3 weeks ago (not in heavily doses), the maximum i have taken and it was only one day was 500mg, my heart palpitations disappeared, but anxiety and stress are still there, i just don’t feel myself, Do you have an idea of how long am i gonna take to restore my magnesium levels???, i just want to get back to my life 100%.
Hi everyone
I have had heartburn for many years and began taking prilosec everyday for about 6 months and began to have heart palps that got worse and worse so i stopped the prilosec and they went away. Then i started taking nexium everyday and after about a month began to feel this small pain in my front left neck, over the next few weeks the pain got worse more like a muscle spasm and also joint pain and overall just felt awful jumpy, tired, anxious. So i started researching and bam there it was nexium causing mag defeciency. So i stopped taking and began a mag supplement and started feeling better. However its been a month or so but I still get that front left neck pain (spasm) occasionally. Im wondering is because it was the first symptom i noticed that it will be the last to go away or is it something else. Has anybody experienced this?
Don’t take those proton pump antacids they lower stomach acid this prevents you absorbing minerals and vitamins thus causing deficiency. Most times you need MORE acd not less. Thry taking apple cider vinegar 1 or 2 tbsp before each meal or buy digestive enzymes. And keep taking magnesium. For me the bis glycinate works best.
Hi Juan,
I feel your pain. I am working with top scientists around the world, and have found that while diet and exercise are critical, there are two other factors that most people omit, which are actually more important:
1. your state of mind,
2. your environment (exposure to nature, and exposure to unnatural PEMFs which NASA has known the negative side effects of for a very long time now.)
Walking barefoot on earth, exposure to sun without sunscreen, avoiding blue light before sleep, and mindful meditation are more important than diet. Only those that understand the role of the hypothalamus’s suprachiasmatic nucleus in regulating our entire body won’t be surprised at this point, because they know that these factors directly influence this innate regulator.
This kind of info is included in our four part video series (around 15 mins total) on our website designed to educate people about magnesium deficiency and harnessing their innate genius, (these mental and environmental factors are both inextricably linked to magnesium.)
Also, I saw that you purchased a magnesium oil… it is a much better alternative to pills, however keep in mind that if it came in plastic, then it has a risk of hazardous chemicals like BPA and BPS and Pthalates which can cause cancer, and are known endocrine disruptors (endocrine disruption is central to anxiety problems and most mental problems).
Also your potential daily drinking of fluoridated water is most likely adding to the problem as it calcifies brain tissue.
I hope this information finds you well. There is much more at ineedmag.com. We really do care about people’s health, which is why we have so much scientific content and videos, and why we are the only organization that offers a topical magnesium which is 100% natural, and comes in a glass bottle.
In fact we feel that companies selling any liquid supplement in a plastic bottle are clearly showing they only want your money. it is like offering a pack of cigarettes with your meal plan!
Hi Juan,
Magnesium is vital to good health. You seemed to being doing fine until you started experiencing bowl intolerance with the mag. citrate. (which is common with this form) I would recommend changing to a form that is better tolerated. …ie magnesium malate ..or magnesium glycinate. With these forms you should be able to take high dosages without the laxative effect. Using magnesium oil is excellent as it’s absorbed transdermally through the skin and bypasses the digestive tract so little fear of loose stools. There are also some high quality liquid forms that you can take orally that go quickly into the blood stream. Some good liquid brands to consider remag, angstrom liquid mag, good state liquid ionic magnesium, trace minerals mega mag. I’ll warm u that these taste pretty bad..like salty metal. But most alcohol doesn’t take that great either…we take it because of the effect it give us…so it is with magnesium. It definitely helps us feel better. It’s essential for good health. I personally take many different form through out the day. I have a natural high burn rate for magnesium. Mental stress and even extra physical exertion can increase your magnesium needs from day to day as these increase your mag. burn rate.
Fixing a deficiency takes time….you’re restoring the balance to the ecosystem that is your body. It is important to distinguish between daily “maintenance dose” levels and those levels required to restore “cell saturation” . If your cells are very magnesium deficient, you need to undergo a “cell saturation” regimen whereby you take higher than normal doses of magnesium for a period until you have reached “cell saturation” or “cell equilibrium”. Once your cells have been restored, you can then take a daily “maintenance” dosage level from that point forward. Research food high in magnesium and try to incorporate these into your daily diet.
i recommend researching a product called twin labs amino fuel and anxiety. Alcohol diminishes these too and it contributes to anxiety. You would probably also benefit from a good quality whole foods multivitamin. It’s best to get our nutrition & nutrients from a healthy diet…but that’s not always possible.
Good luck to you.
The magnesium oil can take a month to make you feel better. Apply it daily all over body once in the morning and once at night. It did wonders for me.
Hi Andrew,
I really need some help!!! I am 26 and for the past few years now i have been suffering from dizziness/disorientation on and off every 6months or so. This time round i have had the most servere headaches with it and i feel anxious all the time constantly on edge. I have also been feeling very weak, no appetite, low mood and basically wanting to cry all the time. I can not understand how 2 weeks my life has completely gone down hill :-( i feel asthough my body is really missing something and i dont no what. Could this be magnesium deficiency??? Really appreciate a reply back as my doctors are useless. Thank you
Hi Vicky,
Agreed about the Doctors comment, for the most part. There are good ones out there that take the initiative to escape Big Pharma’s bullshit, but most are just content with pushing drugs and collecting checks.
I can give you several pieces of solid advice that should help your problem rather quickly:
1. Stop looking at blue light (technology screens, phone etc.) at night because it destroy’s your hypothalamus’s ability to regulate your entire body’s innate healing, anti aging hormones, energy, mood, and metabolism during sleep!
2. Start meditating before sleep by simply paying attention to your breathing for 20 long breaths. gradually move on to deeper meditation
3. Start reconnecting yourself to nature, as your body’s entire hypothalamic regulation has evolved to use natural cues like sunlight, and the earth’s natural pulse (Schumann resonance) of 7.8 hz
4. You must absolutely supplement with magnesium. However pills have a laxative effect, and magnesium oil supplements come in a plastic bottles that leach cancer-causing chemicals.
Visit our website and you can find video series that explain all this to you, and we are the only organization that provides a 100% natural topical magnesium that comes in a small compact glass spray bottle that is 100% toxin free.
People are seeing tremendous results, including professional athletes, inventors, students, and parents and grandparents, etc. You can find everything at ineedmag.com
Hope this helps
Hi Vicky,
Agreed about the Doctors comment, for the most part. There are good ones out there that take the initiative to escape Big Pharma’s bullshit, but most are just content with pushing drugs and collecting checks.
I can give you several pieces of solid advice that should help your problem rather quickly:
1. Stop looking at blue light (technology screens, phone etc.) at night because it destroy’s your hypothalamus’s ability to regulate your entire body’s innate healing, anti aging hormones, energy, mood, and metabolism during sleep!
2. Start meditating before sleep by simply paying attention to your breathing for 20 long breaths. gradually move on to deeper meditation
3. Start reconnecting yourself to nature, as your body’s entire hypothalamic regulation has evolved to use natural cues like sunlight, and the earth’s natural pulse (Schumann resonance) of 7.8 hz
4. You must absolutely supplement with magnesium. However pills have a laxative effect, and magnesium oil supplements come in a plastic bottles that leach cancer-causing chemicals.
Visit our website and you can find video series that explain all this to you, and we are the only organization that provides a 100% natural topical magnesium that comes in a small compact glass spray bottle that is 100% toxin free.
People are seeing tremendous results, including professional athletes, inventors, students, and parents and grandparents, etc. You can find everything at ineedmag.com
By the way, there a re free apps you can download to help with the blue light at night, they are also on our website.
Hope this helps
My ND straight ordered a micro nutrient test which checks for r ALL vitamin deficiencies, For safe measure I was given a parasite cleanse, and checked for candida overgrowth
Since I had itchy skin and yeast infection My ND put me on 40 days of Diflucan and this cured my heart palpitations and itching was gone! Before seeing my ND I had seen two cardiologist eight months apart . First diagnosis was PVC . The second diagnosis was sinus node. Are these guys guessing?
I suffered dizziness 4 months after revision rhinoplasty I had two MRI nothing showed up , except thickening of one sinus lining. It took over 50 doctor and it took over FOUR years to figure out it was a blocked sinus that was not allowing normal sinus drainage. I also had mold exposure so had changed to newer office building and was treated for mold that but I still felt dizzy
The fifth ENT doctor was a professor at the Medical School he ordered a CT scan that was a close up to look for Cerebral fluid leak , and he found the block. Now why did it take so long?
Anyhow, I used a 100% pure magnesium oil spray and it has helped me tremendously. My ND really likes CALM I liked it, but it way to expensive so I use the magnesium oil after the shower I just spray it on and it absorbs into the body amazing stuff, I feel so much better
Hi Andrew…
I really want to thank you for putting this site together. Interestingly I had a similar surgery as you (sinuses) when I started to experience many of the same symptoms that you did. In my case I had multiple sinus infections in the past (14-15 over the past 40 years), but this one was unique in that it was all pressure and no drainage, so it took several weeks before an ENT diagnosed it properly. I then elected to have sinus surgery because I couldn’t keep being out of commission for 4-6 weeks every 2 years.
In retrospect, I should not have scheduled the surgery right after the current infection. The stress and anxiety of not knowing what was wrong, then the stress of missing work, plus the stress of worrying abut surgery and the stress of the surgery itself and the post-op timeline meant that I went almost 10 straight weeks dealing with stress and anxiety, not eating well, etc. I had a couple of bouts of depression as well (maybe an hour or two in duration), but this was highly unusual as I’d never had depression before and I’ve had far more stressful situations in the past that I had dealt with just fine. 24 days of antibiotics didn’t help my GI tract either.
I started taking the magnesium supplements you suggested (~600mg total over a 24 hour period – 200mg at a time every 8 hours or so) and immediately started feeling better. The anxiety stopped quite rapidly (within 24 hours). I had another bout of depression for an hour or so at the 36 hour mark, and at 48 hours I was feeling markedly better, although I got a bit too anxious with supplements and caused some upset stomach and diarrhea, so I’ve backed off a bit on the dosing to 450-500mg daily realizing that my body just needs time and that I can’t rush it.
That I think is one of the more important takeaways of your story. Magnesium will help, but it will not be a quick fix, and takes time to work its magic. You can’t rush the dosing of supplements.
Hi Andrew,
One thing most people don’t know, is that stress directly depletes our magnesium, which causes a vicious cycle, becaus emagnesium is also needed for sinus function as well as GI function).
You see, our stress hormones (the adrenal glands) need magnesium to make all 50+ stress hormones, so every time we stress we loose more.
This is why deep breathing is so effective at ameliorating stress and reducing magnesium depletion.
In terms of your loose stools from the magnesium pills, there is a way to replenish magnesium without this effect.
It is a transdermal form of magnesium which passes through skins cells. See skin cells have a natural affinity for magnesium, because its needed for every single organ’s function, and our biggest organ of all is our skin.
Magnesium oil is your best bet, however it comes in a plastic bottle that leeches chemicals, and most magnesium oil is either synthetic, processed, or comes from dirty waters.
There is a particular supplement that is 100% naturally occuring magnesium which comes straight from an underground mineral deposit in the netherlands which has never been exposed to pollution. It also is the only one that comes in a glass bottle.
Probably your best bet for replenishing magnesium without synthetic pills, the natural clean way.
Check it out: myfitmag.com
They are very engaging with lots of videos and user friendly scientific information for your whole family as well. Hope this helps!
Hello, I am really glad I came across this website. I am 99% sure I am magnesium deficient. I have been in 4 months of hell recently. Ive been told I have Vit D deficiency but think there is more to it as I have twitches and nausea etc that dont match the D deficiency. Could you tell me more about your visual symptoms you had? ive seen people say fuzzy vision do they mean like static vision? that is way worse when you are in a dark room? I also seem to get a lot more after images.
Hi Sean. For me the fuzziness was more like the room was unreal and everything seemed to be vibrating just slightly. Static could be a good description for it too though.
It’s so hard to describe. Whatever it is I hope it goes away for you soon!
Did the vibrating vision only happen after you took supplements? I have had mine since this started. I’ve been taking supplements for two and a half weeks now and have seen an improvement in symptoms. I was amazed last week I noticed my tinnitus had changed pitch and got better each day. Then I ate loads of fizzy drinks and takeaways for a few days and it got loud again and then tingling came back so stopped with the bad foods and last night noticed my tinnitus was so unbelievably low I could hardly hear it. Also static vision has improved as well. I am really hoping this will be my cure I know recovery will probably be a long road ahead. Also I see people describe a vibratory sensation, would another way of describing it be like a feeling like you can feel the blood bubble fast in certain parts of your body?
The vibrating vision came as a replacement for the dizziness while I was recovering, so it did come while I was taking the magnesium but it was also somewhat of an improvement over the dizziness itself :)
I didn’t have any vibratory sensations as such, except maybe the Restless Legs that started around the same time.
The tinnitus improvement is interesting though. I’ve read elsewhere that magnesium can help that and it seems like that is what you are experiencing!
The road the recovery was long for me and one of the best things I did was to try not to focus on individual symptoms. The more I could forget about it and do others things the more I started to get back to ‘normal’. Though as you are well aware that’s easier said than done.
Hang in there! :)
Hi Sean,
The ciliary epithelial cells of the eyes responsible for clear, lubricated vision are very demanding of magnesium for it’s role in atp synthesis. More so than other cells of the body. As such, blurred vision occurs during magnesium deficiency.
In fact most problems in the body start occurring due to magnesium deficiency, because as scientists have agreed, along with oxygen and water, magnesium was what stimulated the evolution of humans from single-celled organisms. it wasn’t any other mineral but Mg.
Magnesium helped develop all our vital organs and processes, and is thus ingrained in their very nature, including our hearing, cognition, and vision.
While pills can help, they are limited based on their laxative effect. However you don’t need to let this prevent you from restoring your magnesium quickly.
Scientists agree that transdermal (topical) magnesium is far superior to pills, and has no limits on how much you can absorb and how fast you can replenish your levels.
Ineedmag.com has much more info about magnesium’s role in our vital organs. You can also find doctors and scientists talking about transdermal advantages. They also provide the only topical magnesium product which is 100% natural, and is the only topical magnesium that comes in a glass bottle, thus avoiding the harmful effects of plastic chemicals that have been linked with cancer, impotence etc. It seems to be the best magnesium product on the market right now.
Ineedmag.com has been changing many people’s lives with their product and information for lifestyle changes and free apps. Take a look when you have time… it may be one of the best moves you have made in a while.
They also have a page that talks about the bullshit dogma of Vitamin D supplementation, and how it unnecessarily causes magnesium deficiency.
Hi there,
I was just Googling and stumbled across your site, and read your story. It’s amazing how many of the comments here are so similar. I’ve been through hell and back myself. On Feb 10th this year I had a panic attack while doing the dishes. I’d never had one before, and it was terrifying to say the least. The thing is…afterwards I had major anxiety..that never let up. I was getting dizzy, nauseous, diarhea, weak legs, chills, shaking in my arms, feeling “on edge” always, and I just could not function. I homeschool our son that’s gifted and has Asperger’s, and I also work from home as well.
My husband took me to the ER 3 times over the course of 2 weeks. They just kept saying it was anxiety…but I was not stressed! Finally went to family doc, had mounds of tests, results came back that I was in great health. I started having bad heart palpitations, and I nearly blacked out from them several times- the one time I was driving with my son in the car with me!!!
This scared me so bad. Was I going to just drop over dead? Or worse pass out and kill myself and my son in an accident? I was done. I gave up trying to maintain normalcy and packed some bags, and took myself and our son to my aunt’s home. We stayed there for 2 weeks while I went to various doctors, etc…My poor husband was at a loss. He’s used to me being in charge of most things, and now I could not deal with anything.
Fast forward a little bit, a friend told me to start taking vitamin d and magnesium and see if it helped. It did!!! Within a few days the heart palpitations went away and the anxiety and huge list of symptoms all started to fade. Now, about 4 months later, I feel back to my normal self.
I did run out of my magnesium and my order didn’t come in time so I went 3 days without it and the heart palps came back…not as bad, but I started getting a light flutter. I now tell everyone to try taking Magnesium and see if it helps with their symptoms that the doctor just writes off.
I’m assuming my deficiencies was largely due to two years of not eating well and stress. My mother got cancer, and my father had bi-pass surgery. My dad passed in April 2013, and my mom April 2014. I had taken care of them, etc…It was a lot, and devastating. But, I dealt with it…and when I got these symptoms 9 months after my stress was gone, and I had a handle on my grief, it truly stumped me.
Hi Shauna. Anxiety can be horrible :(
From what I’ve read, long periods of stress can have a direct impact on our magnesium levels, and it sounds like you went through a lot of stress!
I’m glad the magnesium and vitamin d are helping though. Hang in there and let us know how it goes!
Hi Shauna,
My story is so similar to yours. Is there a certain brand/milligrams of Magnesium of Vitamin D I should take each day? I just had blood work some after going through this for a year. everything came back good.
Hi Shauna,
please understand that
1. Stress directly depletes magnesium because the adrenal glands need magnesium for all 50+ stress hormones. (so practice meditation and deep breathing!)
2. Psychological stress is not the only kind. Here are other forms of magnesium depleting stress:
WIFI, poor diet, sitting, looking at tv/computer/phone screens before bed, breathing polluted air, drinking fluoridated water, and even exercise.
3. Supplementing with vitamin D directly depletes magnesium because Vita D supplements come in the innactive form (cholecalciferol) and magnesium is what the body needs to convert it to it’s active form (calcitriol). Furthermore, most people take way too much vitamin D, and this is the cause of much dysregulation in the body. Our diets are so heavily calcium and D fortified that there really is no need for supplementation.
There is a lot more information you can find at ineedmag.com. They have free apps to help you with the exposure to blue light at night, and they also have the only magnesium supplement in the world that is not a synthetic pill, but rather a 100% natural, topical solution that passes through your skin and can restore magnesium up to 20 times faster than pills because it doesn’t have to pass through a compromised and vulnerable digestive system.
It is easily the safest and purest way to replenish magnesium and solve your problems.
Hope all this information helps!
Hi
Thank you thank you…..my story is exactly the same GPs, ENT, MRI. Had dizziness, brain fog, nausea and muscle pain for last 6 weeks. Also really anxious. Ended up in emerg with chest pain.
Have had loads of antibiotics over the last 6 months. Did lots of research as although drs said i was a medical mystery i knew something was missing from my body. Now on probiotics, vit b, mg powder, epsom salt baths, mg oil and accupuncture. Started all this in the last 4 days and starting to feel better with less fogginess and more mild headaches.
THank you for sharing your story
Cath
Hi Cath, if you value your mg oil supplement, does it come in a plastic bottle?
If so, understand that there are plastic chemicals like BPA and BPS which can leech into your Mg oil that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, decreased IQ, hormone dysregulation, and more.
I used to use ancient minerals magnesium oil until i found this out, that and that they actually don’t have magnesium from Zechstein…
Now i use and own the only magnesium product in the world that is 100% natural and unprocessed and comes in a glass bottle free of plastic toxins, straight from zechstein. (we even have a video of us at the zechstein mine:)
Our website has loads of videos and scientific information, as well as lifestyle tips on every page to help you reduce your daily magnesium drainage, including some free apps.
Hope this helps and you really enjoy our product… we are changing many peoples’ lives, and we go the extra mile because that’s what will raise the consciousness of our planet’s people!
Ineedmag.com
I am so happy to have found this website! I have been experiencing many of the symptoms you have mentioned here for about 6 weeks now. Thankfully, CT scans were negative for sinus and serious brain issues that could cause these symptoms. I was diagnosed as anemic last year and I have been supplementing with iron for about 6 months now – I have more than cured it (too much) by aggressive supplementation and changes in my diet. Many sources I have read indicate it is necessary to supplement with magnesium if you take iron supplements. I am going to try out supplementing with magnesium glycinate. I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I am heading back to the doctor tomorrow.
Hi! I am so happy to have found this article. In oct 2013 I had what I would call a nervous breakdown that came out of nowhere! Dizziness, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, heart palpatations, constipation (for a year), depression, brain fog.. all of these symptoms would come and go for about 1 year, went to doctor after doctor because i then thought i was going thru perimenapause (after several hormonal test that came back normal every time) i finally decided to stop going to the doctor.. symptoms would still come and go from time to time but decided that this was just the “new normal”. Came across another article about magnesium defiecieny and decided to purchase magnesium gel, still waiting for the order to come but have started taking baths in epson salt. I am hoping for a miracle! p.s. not one doctor suggested it could be a magnesium defiecincy, they only wanted to prescribe anti-anxiety meds… i had never in my life had anxiety or depression so this has been a traumatic experience to say the least.
Hi im so glad i decided to randomly search the internet on dizzy spells, and came across your page. I have suffered from dizzy spells for over two years and it all started when I came home from having an abcess lanced in hospital and was given antibiotics for infection. I just was dizzy that day and put it down to the infection. Though weeks later i knew something was wrong and went to my doctor who put it down to Labrynthitis. Time went on and it just got worse anything I did at all made me feel sick and lightheaded. Even staring at this computer screen and phones affect my head to. I then fell pregnant and boy was that the worst pregnancy I ever experienced as with pregnancy symptoms dizzyness is common but mine was doubled. I developed anxiety and panic attacks very quickly and even started having health anxiety which I never worried about my health before so it was peculiar. I still worry about my health and I suffer ongoing depression and severe stress from the way I have to live my life. I dont go out much because being in busy places with lots of people makes me more scared and extremely dizzy. Its not a nice life and I struggle everyday I dont even work either.
When I read about the possibility that my magnesium levels could be low I started to get so happy because you have made me see that this could be the answer to my prayers for so long ive waited to find something to change my life. I once was such a happy person but im now always angry and dont enjoy anything and thats all down to dizzy spells.
I have had a rough patch of health with being borderline diabetic and I lost blood during my childbirth so my haemoglobin was so low and then i frequently suffer with a skin condition which causes Abcesses all over my body so with that alone im constantly on a whirlwind of antibiotics so truly if that has affected my magnesium im so livid with anger because i hate antibiotics they mess with my stomach and everything and im currently taking one long term to see if the abcesses stop.
I know your not a doctor but because i have no faith in doctors here I feel why bother going to them and ask do you know if mixing doxycycline with a magnesium supplement will be bad? I have had the exact same experience as you with seeing Ents and being told i have migraines and an inner ear disorder and not getting as far as a cat scan for my head yet but here you would wait months for that its a joke the NHS.
I personally think doctors depending on where you live are useless these days and im in a very bad place and just need help to rid this condition I also suffer with palpitations and i have no self confidence anymore with weight on life is tough.
But enough about me lol. As a person who is a bit anxious about health what magnesium supplement could you recommend i take just dont want to take the wrong thing? Thanks so much for this information its been truly miraculous finding you
Regards Stacey
Hi Stacey. I’m sorry to hear you’re having such a rough time of it! :(
I’ve had the best luck with magnesium glycinate, especially for anxiety and dizziness, but just like anything else you may need to try a couple different kinds in order to see what works for you and what doesn’t.
I hope you find that magnesium helps! Please stop back and let us know how you make out.
I’ve had a foggy brain/head for so many years. I live in florida. Born and raised in New Jersey with no issue. About 10 years ago I had bad ear infection and was in car accident when I believe I hit my head on steering wheel. Since then I’ve been to ent, neuro, allergist, eye doctor and acupuncture. When I move my eyes I feel it badly. I don’t think I’m gonna fall down or anything just have same feeling everyday. I have been on blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds. I have tried everything and they say I’m normal but I know each day I’m not. I’m about to give up its so frustrating. I now have anxiety cause I know that my head will not let me enjoy things. Anyone have this? Feels like sinus and allergy but tests came back fine. Mri of brain was clear. So mad cause nobody knows. I guess next step is therapist or hospital???
That’s rough Adam. I’m sorry to hear things are going so poorly :(
I think part of having a difficult-to-diagnose medical condition is simply perseverance. It’s important to just keep pushing and pushing for answers and to not give up hope for a cure.
One of my favorite examples of this comes from a possibly unexpected source: Scott Adams of Dilbert fame. If you get a chance I highly recommend his book “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big”. It’s a book about a lot of different things, but throughout the book he also describes a fairly serious medical issue he dealt with for years that he finally managed to (mostly) find a cure for, primarily due to his amazing will to just not give up. He’s an interesting guy for a lot of reasons but this particular story always comes to my mind when I’m dealing with something that really has me down.
Hang in there as best you can and keep searching – we’re rooting for you! :)
Blood pressure, cholesterol and many other med deplete our magnesium levels every time we take them.
Hi Andrew
WOW this has given me some hope. For over a year I have been suffering with dizziness, fatigue, headaches, slight nausea..which eventually led to depression and Anxiety. It had really affected my quality of life. I used to be active and sociable but the symptoms made me feel isolated and it felt like no one understood. Eventually I just stopped going to the doctors as I felt I was wasting their time as they could never find a solution and had no idea what was up. Recently I have been diagnosed with low vitamin D, maybe due to the lack of Sun we have had in England but my symptoms have been bad for a year and I was in California for a large part of that time, so plenty of Sun. I have just bought some magnesium supplements so fingers crossed I will get my life back. I am only 24 and petrified I will have this for life…!
Thank you for all the information..will keep you posted on the results
I wish you luck Amy and hope the magnesium helps. Please let us know how it goes! :)
I woke up one day around the end of September and was so dizzy. From then on every day I have this off balance feeling as well as weakness in my legs. I can hardly walk. Did MRI and everything was fine. Also not able to sleep more than a couple hours a night…which is debilitating since I used to sleep 10 hours a night!! I have lost 30 lbs since September. No appetite whatsoever. Heart palpitations, muscle spasms, the inability to sit still. Had surgery to have my adenoids removed because they were infected. Thought that would help with sleep and it didn’t. :( EKG’s and many er and drs visits. They started convincing me it was anxiety. I know I did have anxiety because I didn’t like the way I felt. Blood work was fine. Finally went to neurologist and found I was Vitamin D deficient. Haven’t felt any better though. Am starting to think I could be lacking magnesium as well. Will epsom salt baths work just the same as oral supplements?
Hi Callie. Some people have told me the salt baths work wonders and others have had better results from oral supplements. I think that since we’re each different we each have to find out what works best for us.
That said, I hope the magnesium helps. Please let us know if does!
Wow,
I`m, going through something very similar.
Started getting some mild sinus pain, then brain fog, dizziness, feel extremely tired even after a good 7-8 hour sleep. Can`t concentrate, forget things, it`s like my brain is blank.
Now I used to get these symptoms once every few years but this time round it`s the worst I had so far.
I had several brain MRIs over the last few years for this, have seen several ENTs who all say it`s sinusitis but the problems with the brain function would not connect to the sinus infection. All this started back in 1996 and got gradually worse over the years. Apparently I have as well OCD, general anxiety disorder, and fear of illness. Now I`ve tried Magnesium Oil in August but stopped then for a while. A few month after I stopped I had this really bad flare up which still makes my life pretty bad. So I will see that I can get back on the Magnesium Oil and see if it will make a difference.
Hi Matthias. It sounds like you’ve been struggling with this for a while! :(
It’s so tough when symptoms come and go like that to pinpoint the exact cause, and personally I do tend to get overly anxious when a new symptom pops up (my wife tells me this all the time).
When I had my experience with dizziness I also worried a lot about my symptoms, and I think the magnesium glycinate helped me to not be as anxious while the dizziness was going away.
I very much hope the magnesium helps you. Please let us know how you make out!
Hey, nice to read everyone’s stories and thought I’d share mine to. I just learned my problems were relates to magnesium deficiency and I’ve only been on extra mag. for 3 days, but man do I feel better! Problems started gradually, retless leg syndrome, I started feeling anxious about 2 years ago, symptoms got worse and included more of the list, severe headaches, jumpyness, rushing heart, shallow breathing, a feeling of not being able to breath deeply, always a bit tired, and I even started experiencing involuntary muscle movements, the smallest ones could be blinking too much, but also moving my legs and arms just because it felt like I had to, like the body had some energy that had to be let out through moving unnecessarily.
This is another symptom I realise now is related that has puzzled me for a couple of years. I have very good dental hygiene and I have always brushed carefully, but still my teeth are “nagged” at the lower edges, like they are brittle in some way, and almost melting away upwards. I thought this was strange because I know I get enough calcium through cheese and cream aso.
Then it all came together for me a few days ago. I started finding information about magnesium deficiency and I realized my problems all come back to that source.
4 years ago I started having a series of big orthopedic surgeries, 3 to one knee and one to the shoulder. Now I read that magnesium disappeares at a much higher rate from the body when under mental or physical stress. Calcium cannot be stored in the bones without the help of magnesium, and so my “brittle-looking teeth” make sense to. It probably got much worse during the past 3 years.
Since I started taking a LOT of extra magnesium 3 days ago I can already feel that my heart has a lower resting pulse, and it does not race up as easily. I wonder how I will feel in two or four weeks. About the muscle spasms they are fading away too. Not completely gone but I suppose 3 days is no way near enough to restore a balance between calcium and magnesium.
I never heard about mag. deficiency before and I did not realize it could couse such serious probems. I have the feeling it should be more discussed than it is.
Anyway, thanks for the reading and good luck!
Best regards from Sweden
Hi Andrew – I am so glad I found your story as I was sitting up in the middle of the night with a migraine and inability to sleep. 6 months ago, I had severe dizzy spells and migraines and was admitted to hospital- my bloods came back as having low potassium levels. They have me a supplement for a week and I was ok again. This time, I started feeling dizzy and headachey in November. It has been getting progressively worse- I have see a neuro, an ENT, cardiologist, been to a and e about five times and been to my GP pretty much every week. I can’t concentrate because of the headaches so I’m finding it hard to work, and my muscles have now started to spasm and ache. In hospital, my bloods all came back ok so they told me it is not a deficiency this time. They didn’t test purely for magnesium – just a general blood test for electrolytes. I don’t know what to do – my symptoms all add up with the magnesium problem, but should I take it without the doctors say so? They’re trying to convince me I’ve got a serious neurological disorder that needs to be looked in to as all my scans and bloods keep coming back ok. I’m desperate and it’s affecting my daily life so drastically- which you just couldn’t believe a vitamin would do! Any advice would be great!
Hi Bekki. First, did they do an RBC magnesium test? If not then it’s tough to say one way or another if it’s magnesium deficiency. It might be worth asking for that specific test the next time you are seen. If you have trouble getting them to do it (I know I struggle with that too), then maybe you can find a local version of ‘Request a Test’ or the ‘Life Extension Foundation’ where you can choose your own blood tests to have done.
Also, if you haven’t already then I strongly recommend you read everything you can by Dr. Carolyn Dean and the Nutritional Magnesium Association. Both have examples of people that have severe symptoms from vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
In short, deficiencies of all sorts can cause a wide range of symptoms, and they can imitate other diseases as well. The downside is that it can take time to check all the possible vitamins and minerals and see which one may be the cause of your symptoms, and some aren’t easily detected by blood tests.
All I can say is to do your own research, try to get the tests you think you need, and please let us know how it goes. You are not alone! :)
Thank you so much Andrew for creating this post. I just read your story and all the comments and sense hope in what appears to be a hopeless journey. I’m approaching my 2nd month with similar symptoms: head pressure, heart palpitations, involuntary hand and feet tremor, tingling in hands/feet, extreme weakness and many many many more. I’ve gone to several doctor’s and a couple neurologist. I’ve had 2 CT scan, MRI, several blood work, i was given 2 different seizure meds to stop my eye twitch (never filled either prescription). I recalled my 3rd trip to the ER, i was placed on the psychiatric ward because they thought I was crazy crying for an intense head pressure, heart palpitations and other symptoms when the heart monitor and Vitals kept reading normal. I was told by doctors and Paramedics that I am stressing and causing myself to have panic attacks. I was depressed and in low low spirits seeing the doctors weren’t able to help me. I sought a medical missionary worker I was blessed to have met 5 years ago. She encouraged me to do a colon cleansed and change my diet. The first 4 days we juiced vegetables. Vegetables were never apart of my diet for as long as I can remember. No greens whatsoever! After the cleanse and changing my diet, some of my symptoms went away. The few times I’ve gone to the grocery store, my heart palpitations and head pressure returned (within 5 minutes of walking around). It’s mind bugging as to why they return when I’m on my feet. 2 days ago while driving, she shouted that’s it, that’s it! I know what is missing! Your body is lacking the essential minerals it needs. She explained that my body is lacking magnesium and it needs it to assist with nerve performance. She advised me to eat food that has large amount of magnesium. She also suggested that I purchase magnesium supplement. I have forwarded this article to her and I’m sure she will smile from ear to ear as I am at the moment. Thank you so much for sharing! I will follow up with an update about a week or so after. Thanks!
Quick question: As I ponder how this all happened, i am still unsure. The only thing I can attribute this to is poor diet while nursing. Do you believe nursing can cause your body to deplete by pulling important minerals such as magnesium and not taking any vitamins or eating the proper food that provide such minerals? I hope my question isn’t too confusing seeing I’m half asleep.
Food high in magnesium includes: Artichoke, Avocado, Swiss chard, Bok choy, lentils…..
Hi Kerri. I think many of the different types of stress we place on our bodies can deplete magnesium and I imagine nursing would definitely qualify as a type of physical stress! :)
It could also simply be diet-related like it was for me, though even a healthy diet has the potential to leave us deficient if we’re eating fruits and vegetables from soil that is depleted of magnesium.
There are so many factors that can lead to deficiency I think that as we look back it is sometimes going to be impossible to determine the exact causes. For me I think it was calcium supplements plus a poor diet plus high stress levels, but I’ll never know to what degree each of those played a part in my eventual deficiency.
But in the end I found it and fixed it, and I hope magnesium helps you as much as it helped me :)
Hi Andrew,
I first wrote on this discussion trail on September 12. I have been taking mag since then, and have been getting better. I want to report back and hopefully it will help someone who is still struggling.
I started with magnesium oxide for a week. It didn’t help me. Maybe I didn’t give enough time. But back then every day seemed very long when all I felt was hopelessness. I switched to citrate for about 2 weeks. It didn’t really help much either. I was at loss as to what kind of magnesium would work for me. After looking through different bottles on the shelf in the store, I decided to buy one called “Ultra-Mag” by Source Natural. It contains citrate, taurinate, maleate, glycinate and succinate. After taking it for one week, I could feel the difference. While dizziness didn’t go away completely, I felt something was changing, and just started to feel better. I started to have more days without dizziness than with, gradually it went away. Last month I cut back the dosage from two tablets to one. After a few days, dizziness came back. So I had to go back to two tablets a day. Even though most recently I tend to get a headache in the early evening, I seldom feel dizzy. Hope I will stay this way with the help of magnesium.
Thanks for stopping back and letting us know how you are doing. I’m very glad to hear you are doing better! :)
It seems like different types of magnesium help different people, and I like how you kept trying different kinds until you found something that really helped you.
I’m sure your experience will help a lot of people here – thanks again for sharing.
I live in western ny. In the last 2 years I have had this issue that starts around the fall season. When the weather starts to change I feel like I have my head being squeezed and constant light headedness and dizzyness. Let’s not forget the nassua. After seeing a primary doctor who led me to a ent who ruled out any sinus issues he sends me to a Neroligist and they tell me I have migraines and vertigo. They put me on a antiseiuzure med which they say have found in the helping of vertigo and migraines. But by then I was into late April and I said to myself lets wait and see what the cold weather brings. Well here I am and it is all starting again. It seems hot humid weather helps as symptoms are lessened. My primary put me on a antidepressant which I could not tell you if it works or not because if I did not have to put up with this every year I would probably not need them. After reading all the different articles I was amazed at how similar they are. I have children who I keep very busy with sports and I hate that I have these head issues because I so often feel like I just want to be lazy and lay around. I hate this. In closing I will definitely check out this magnesium thing. How great would it be to not spend 5 months feeling this way.
Hi Mark. I’m in central NY so I know exactly what you mean about weather changes causing health issues.
For me it’s usually the loss of sunlight and the dry air that gets to me around this time every year. In particular when the air is super dry from the heat running all the time my sinuses will dry out and give me what feels like pressure all around my face. I actually had a whole-house humidifier installed last fall and it helped quite a bit that winter.
Also the lack of sunlight wreaks havoc on my mood until I get used to the short days, though in the past couple weeks I’ve gone back to using my elliptical which has helped a lot.
What you’re experiencing does not sound like fun, so I do hope the magnesium helps. Hang in there, and please let us know how things go.
Can you share what your magnesium RBC was when diagnosed? Just curious if it was low normal or below.
I actually never had a magnesium test … my neurologist simply listened to my symptoms and suggested magnesium.
That said, I have an appointment with my GP next week and I’m planning to ask to have my magnesium, calcium, d, and b levels checked. If I can get them I’ll post them here :)
My story:
I was teaching at my university and one day last April 2013 I walked into the class and was incredibly dizzy, heart racing, and off balance. I’ve taught classes and done lectures hundreds of times, but this really scared me.
One week later, my stomach started hurting.
For 2 years prior to this I had been working out very hard. Swimming, running 30 miles a week, biking 30 miles a week. I did P90X and Tapout XT as well. But, I had an extremely poor diet (felt like I could eat what I wanted).
By the end of this April 2013 month, I was very sick. On the last day of class I though I was having a heart attack….could barely even walk down the hall. So my wife took me to the emergency room. Nope not a heart attack……endoscopy say’s gastritis and esophageal erosion. So protonix, prilosec, nexium, dexilant, tripple therapy etc. etc.
For months I worked through this and saw no relief. Finally, I let my PhD kick in and started using my brain. PPIs are known to make you magnesium deficient. Low stomach acid does not help….because you can’t get the nutrients from the food. Additionally, I drank very little water and was consuming mostly soda and coffee.
So step one has been to get the gastritis under control. Finally I found things that work and things that are triggers. Her is what worked: olive oil (2 teaspoons a day), plenty of water, and BioGaxtrix (I’m not marketing this, but after trying a lot of natural stuff this just happened to have all of it in a single capsule, expensive but it really helped….is not a cure all). What not to do: alcohol, sugar, coffee, tea, tomatoes, onions, citrus and unfortunately chocolate.
Found out along the way that sugar is the devil and high fructose corn syrup in any product is the devils brother (if he has one). So away go all the nice snacks, pies, and cakes.
Now during this time my dizziness has worsened and like many of you I’ve been to way to many doctors. Also, I get cold feet, crawling feelings in my legs, tremors in my shoulders, neck, arms and chest and some serious spliting headaches. I’ve been through all the MRI, CT, balance disorder, chiropractor, blood work routes I can stand……everything points to be being a perfect person (I’ve even been told it is all in my head…I’m sure you have too). I stumbled on the magnesium idea some time back and tried it but I did not get a good result, but I think I know why.
I did go to a heart doctor (only guy to actually took the time to listen) and told him about the condition. He said that likely my gastritis has caused me to not be able to take in all the electrolytes/salts that I needs and that what is happening to me is that when I’m sitting or lying I’m ok, but when I get up I don’t have enough blood volume……heart goes to racing…..vagal system kicks in and I get anxiety….heart races more….equilibrium goes haywire and ultimately I walk around feeling bad, dizzy and depressed as to why it won’t go away.
He told me to take Thermotabs and drink more water. I did and all the dizziness went away….for a few weeks. Two things I think a happened. 1) I felt better and thus wanted to go do more….stressing my body and depleting my reserves and 2) the Thermotabs are only NaCl. You have to have a balance and with my gut issues I can’t do that effectively.
So my feelings are as follows and I’m going to try it:
1. I need to take in around 2.5 to 3.5 L per/day of H2O to keep my blood volume up. H2O is good for you anyway….most of us suffer from chronic dehydration.
2. I need to make sure I have a good mixture of metal salts (Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, and Sodium…and maybe Zinc and Vit. D). I found a supplement called Salt Sticks that has a good ratio for runners and triathletes.
3. Since you can’t OD on Mg, I’m going to also add in some additional supplementation. Nearly all Mg supplements have low bioavailability…..so even though you take a bunch of capsules or tablets, you are really not getting so much Mg. At any rate you can only supplement so much until you get diarrhea.
I’ll see how this works and let everyone on this forum know. I know how this feels, I deal with it every day. Having to stand up in front of 50 to 60 people and give a lecture when I’ve been so dizzy, clammy, heart racing, spasming etc. is very debilitating and can be down right depressing at times. Especially when you go to doctor after doctor with no relief.
I hope you all find some relief.
God Bless
Chris
Amazing story Chris, thank you for sharing!
It’s awful when you spend your time and money going from doctor to doctor without really finding any answers, or worse they tell you it’s just mental and nothing is really wrong.
I think you quickly learned the same thing I finally did: doctors can help point us in the right direction but ultimately we are the masters of our own health and we need to take an active role in figuring out whats wrong, including actively looking for doctors that will listen like your heart doctor did.
Please check back as you are able and let us know how it goes, and I hope you find relief as well!
My magnesium is working very well. I’ve used several different types and brands, but it looks like Ultra-Mag from Source Naturals is about the best I’ve found. It has 400mg of Mg sourced from (citrate, taurinate, malate, glycinate, and succinate). So this has a much higher bioavailability when compared to the very cheap Mg-oxide. They are horse pills though and the suggested dosage is 2 a day. I break them in half and space them out throughout the day…..otherwise, you will get diarrhea. Trying to take more than 2 a day also causes diarrhea…..at least for me, but I suppose that may vary by person.
So nearly 99% of my dizziness is gone and the anxiety is about 90% gone. And, I typically sleep like a baby. It took about 3 weeks of persistent dosage to get corrected.
One thing I noted in this journey is that foods that are high in calcium, especially dairy, tend to counteract the effect of the Mg and so I have to be careful to limit intake of such foods. The ratio that I think works best is Ka:Mg = 1:1 or perhaps even 1:2.
But I can definitely say that this was a difficult journey and though I occasionally I will get a dizzy spell, I have them very rarely.
If anyone has any questions on what I went through or what I at least think may be some of my problem (and they could be yours too), don’t hesitate to ask: csedrington@gmail.com
God Bless,
Chris
That’s great news Chris – thanks for letting us know!
Just like you I’ve noticed that there are many foods fortified in calcium, but it seems like very little is fortified with magnesium. No wonder we become deficient.
Take care, and enjoy your dizzy-free days! :)
Hi Andrew
I had a HPV Gardasil Vaccine Damage since March 2013. I was in a relationship and was advised by my doctor to take Gardasil. I had 2 shots and then all the symtoms of chronic fatigue, tingling sensations in hands/feets, severe headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath. It went on till Sep 2013 before I realized it could be Gardasil vaccine that caused all my issues. I went to see so many doctors and all my results are normal including Brain MRT, Heart Scan, blood tests etc.
I only started to improve after taking liquied zeolite, Natural Cellular Defense, in April this year and by June I was about 80% and about 90% better in July. However, I kept having relapse and never able to make a full recovery. I realized that it could be magnesium lacking in my cellular level (though my blood test indicate I have ok magnesium) because HPV vaccine depletes magnesium at the cells level. That is why I always don’t full recover with symptoms of vomiting, fatigue, heaviness in head coming back.
I just started on magnesium citrate 500 mg per day. Can you advise me how I should proceed as I am desperate for healing and I believe Magnesium replenishment could be the answer to my full recover thought I am still on liquid zeolite 15 drops x 4 times a day.
Thank you!
Kevin
Thanks for sharing your story Kevin. When your blood was tested, what kind of magnesium test did they do? If it wasn’t a Red Blood Cell (RBC) test then low magnesium levels could be missed.
I hope the magnesium helps you start to feel better!
Hi Andrew, I am still not feeling well since my relapse 3 weeks ago. Been taking about 500 to 600mg of magnesium citrate daily since 1.5 weeks ago.
I am not sure if it is the Gardasil Vaccine effect again that made me fatigue, heaviness in head, tingling sensations in body, vomiting and nausea. Been really struggling.
I thought it is probably the magnesium deficiency that is lacking that ar causing my relapse as I read vaccine depletes magnesium and it all make sense to me. But till now, I am not sure if magnesium can help with my condition as I am still the same after taking magnesium citrate for 1.5 weeks.
Can you advise me and share your thoughts?
Kevin
I’m sorry to hear you’re still not doing well Kevin!
I remember you mentioned you have had a number of blood tests, but I wonder if it’s worth seeing if your GP would run a range of vitamin tests for you, just in case it’s caused by some other vitamin or mineral?
Hi Andrew
My blood tests are all normal. I suspect it is the aluminum adjuvant in the vaccine that is causing my neurological issues. I am going to switch to magnesium malate as malic acid does bind to aluminum and flush out from the brain.
What are your thoughts?
Many thanks to all of you and especially Andrew for his efforts in compiling great info and links. The vertigo and dizziness for myself began last year in November. At the time I had picked up a virus from renovation of our century family home. As well I was on, serious BP medication for hypertension that had been going for many years. I’ve since discovered one particular med a Spiro which essentially a water tablet also was a testosterone blocker. My conditions worsened and I called my specialist, a nephrologist, just before Xmas and suggested I take a walk to rid the vertigo. Almost immediately I fell and broke both my leg and ankle and ended up in emergency for surgery, my BP was 271/171 and I had to sign a waiver in surgery. The intensity since then has become at times quite frightening. After two ct scans and two MRI no tumors, ears apparently fine, however my GP last week seemed to have a light bulb moment when I mentioned that the facial ticks, numb feet, and excessive muscle spasms at night could be the source of also terrible insomnia. I’m hoping to hear back tomorrow from blood tests for calcium and magnesium deficiency. I immediately after blood tests went on Internet and discovered so much! In just a few days big changes but also big dizziness, bizarre. I am going to wait and hope this is it…many thanks again to all of you for sharing!
A waiver in surgery! That’s amazing Mark. Thank you for sharing this.
Please let us know how the blood tests turn out. Hang in there!
I have been feeling dizzy for about three months now. I had a head scan and the test result is normal. I came across Andrew’s article and read everyone’s comments. So I bought magnesium citrate, and has been on it for 5 days now. I felt better in the first two days and not too good in the last three days. It got worse throughout the days it seems like. I know everyone’s case is different. If I am indeed magnesium deficient, how long would I expect to see some real and consistent improvement. Thank you so much.
Hi Melodie. Like you point out, everyone’s case is different.
That said, you can read more about my recovery experience here:
How Long Does It Take For Magnesium Supplements To Work?
In general though, I think it usually takes a while to become magnesium deficient so I think it is fair to expect that recovery won’t happen immediately. Personally, my recovery was not linear: I had good days and bad days, but over time the general trend was positive.
I do hope the magnesium helps. Please let us know how you make out!
Thanks, Andrew, for taking time to respond. I can see you really make it your mission to help and encourage people in similar situation. God bless you!
I read your blog with interest; I, too, have recently “discovered” magnesium and am reading the book The Magnesium Miracle by Dr. Carolyn Dean. I had been having problems with feeling insecure with walking, palpitations, and dizziness. I started out with the Magnesium Oxide, but after reading about the low absorption rate, switched to Magnesium citrate with taurine. I have been amazed at how different I have felt. I find I need to take it every 4-5 hours in order to keep up the effects, which tells me I must have been severely depleted. I had a high calcium intake over several years, and feel that this is what complicated things for me. I also have fibromyalgia, which is another indicator of magnesium depletion. All in all, magnesium truly has been a wonder drug for me over the past 2 months.
Dr. Dean’s book taught me a lot about magnesium. It’s definitely worth your time :)
You said you had a high calcium intake over several years. Was that from calcium supplements?
I’m glad magnesium has made such a difference for you. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi! I’m glad I came across your article; thanks for sharing your story. I have been suffering from what I believe is Migraine Associated Vertigo since January. (I went to an ENT who did a bunch of tests and diagnosed me with an inner ear problem, but had no idea why). Long story short, I saw some info about low magnesium possibly causing dizziness/vertigo so I did a search. Interestingly enough, I was diagnosed with low Vit D last year and was put on massively high doses of that to get my levels back up, and I believe that can wipe out the magnesium in your body?? Perhaps a magnesium supplement is all I need!! Although I wonder if low magnesium could cause an actual problem with the inner ear (a test did reveal a 28% “weakness” in my right ear).
What kind of weakness in your right ear? Is it hearing-related or balance-related, or both?
You may be right about the Vitamin D consuming your magnesium: I’ve read a couple different articles that say high doses of Vitamin D can lead to magnesium deficiency. It seems like magnesium supports the other minerals, and if you supplement one without increasing magnesium you can end up low in magnesium (I think calcium may have been my trigger).
If you end up trying magnesium, please let us know how it goes. Dizziness is horrible – I hope it doesn’t last much longer for you!
The weakness is balance related, my hearing tested fine. I was diagnosed with Labyrinthitis, but my doctor admitted it was their best guess. I deal with a strange “shifting” sensation of objects back and forth, up/down 24/7 (best way to describe the dizziness!), with occasional episodes of positional vertigo. The chronic dizziness all started last year, a few months after I started my massive doses of Vit D (50K iu per week). After my levels came back up, I cut back on the dosage, but it was still pretty high and I never supplemented with Magnesium. I will definitely keep you posted on how it goes! I just took my second dose this morning. Thanks for starting this website, it’s been very helpful!
My balance was affected terribly by my severe magnesium deficiency. I was falling over at least once a week, sometimes more and couldn’t even walk my dog without landing on my butt due to weakness as well. I have been supplementing in quite high doses for almost 2 years now and my balance has improved significantly – I even braved walking 2 of my dogs together again last week. (Alaskan Malamutes).
It can take years of consistent supplementing to improve. I find if I slack off I start to regress in symptoms. It’s definitely a long but worthwhile process of recovery.
I have recently been researching magnesium supplements. Within 2 years I lost a friend , a dog, miscarriage, and my fiancé passed away suddenly. I turned to alcohol. A year after my fiancé passed I stopped drinking and reality hit hard. I didn’t have bad anxiety until I had a BAD sinus cold . Since then it all slowly started . Where I can’t go into stores without feeling like I’m going to pass out. I’ve had horrible dizziness and I’ve been to numerous doctors and ER and for all of the to say I’m fine. I am a diabetic but I keep that under control. I’ve blamed it on anxiety or tooth issues even though the dentist say my teeth are fine. I will get EXTREME anxiety that comes in spurts. Antidepressants make it worse and only the good benzos help but still feel dizzy. I am at my wits end. I don’t want to move off the couch most of the time because I’m so light headed. I have a mri schedule in 2 weeks and I’ve already had numerous of ct scans. I want to live my life again . I’m 31 and feel like life has stopped and it sucks. I am going to try this magnesium thing and pray it works and if it does kick myself because I’ve wasted over a year of my life.
That’s a lot to deal with in a short period of time :(
Hopefully the magnesium helps – hang in there, and please let us know how it goes!
Thanks for the very good article Andrew.
After having pneumonia, 2 rounds of antibiotics. Hypertension and the side effects of three different medications I tried, I ended up with dizziness, anxiety, muscle cramps, numbness in my head, tiredness, sinus pressure, and weak eyes that make me dizzy and just want to sleep all the time.
After seeing so many doctors who either didn’t know what was wrong or wanting to put me on anti depressants, a friend referred me to a Dr. of naturopathic medicine. WOW… expensive but well worth it to get your health back ! One of the items he recommended taking was magnesium bisglycinate. I have always had problems taking magnesium because it does the opposite of what it should do…. (Cramping dizziness anxiety) which is what this type of magnesium does to me as well. So I’ve been taking citrate instead which seems to be working for me.
Just wondering if anyone else is sensitive to certain types of magnesium and if there are better types which are more easily tolerable?
Glycinate and malate have worked the best for me, citrate was OK, and oxide didn’t help me at all … but I’ve had people write in swearing by both oxide and citrate :)
At this point I don’t there’s a single right answer. Each person is different and I think it’s a matter of testing the types and paying close attention to how each one makes you feel.
Maybe there is common thread though. Does anyone else here have a strong preference for a particular type of magnesium?
Hi Andrew, could you please help me? I have low magnesium levels and have been tested . I have anxiety , dizziness etc . I started on ethical nutrients mega magnesium which has a mixture of magnesiums in it but then I read about glycinate and bought pure magnesium glycinate from the compounding pharmacy which has 85 milligrams of elemental magnesium per 500 mg capsule . If I take it in the morning it makes me so sleepy , if I take it at night it gives me horrible nightmares and wakes me up all night . Both of the tablets did that . Do u have any suggestions? My anxiety is not feeling great because I’m trying to take less to sleep and not be tired :(
Thanks :) I’m also zinc deficient but all other minerals are fine . Thanks
Hi Emma. I found the whole process to be mostly trial and error. I had to try a bunch of different types of magnesium, different doses, and different times of the day. I also started small and worked my way up dose-wise.
From the messages I’ve received here, other readers have had the same experience. Everyone is different and has unique needs.
I hope you find what works for you so you feel better soon!
Hello
I am currently looking at magnesium re depression. The difficult thing is only 1% of our body magnesium is in our blood so a blood test is as good as useless. Anybody got any ideas?
I’m sure there’s a better way to do it but I just went with trial and error after my neurologist suggested I try magnesium. Interestingly he did no tests prior to making the recommendation but he ended up being spot on.
My system was to add a small amount of magnesium to my diet and then slowly over time increase it until I started having bowel troubles, all the while keeping track of the status of my symptoms.
Anybody have a more elegant solution?
Does anyone gets buzzing sensation in feet,legs?like vibrations?I got every symptom of mg deficiency… I have been on nexium 40 mg for 3 years….they destroyed me,I didn’t know dark side of this horrible drug….when I mention this to my doctor,he looked at me like I am crazy…..
I don’t get a buzzing sensation per se, but I definitely get the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome if I don’t take my magnesium. For me it’s more of an itch that I can’t scratch unless I move my legs.
It sounds like you are experiencing something different though? Is it like a constant muscle twitch or something more subtle?
It is vibration,like you can feel blood moving thru,but my chiropractor did adjustment of my lober back,and that helped me…but my hands and feet are sometimes freezing cold… I am taing preaty good dosage odg now…stopped nexium…geting better but slowly…sometimes I feel good,than again few days like it is nothing change…
Dear Nina,
I know exactly the feeling you’re describing. I’ve had it in my left ankle (on and off) for years. I tried describing it to my doctor and he looked at me as if I had two heads. It feels like you can feel the blood rushing through that particular part. It doesn’t hurt, it just feels weird. It doesn’t happen all the time. It comes and goes. Anyway, just recently I got the same feeling in my left thigh. It happened for about a day. I am on the low side (borderline) of the magnesium range. I have experienced very severe tingling in my legs and arms, in the last month or so, a twitch in my eye and sometimes the tingling turns into a burning sensation. It’s very uncomfortable and distracting. I had lots of bloodwork done. I’m also a little low on Potassium and B vitamins and deficient in Vitamin D. I take a good Multivitamin and have added the necessary supplements. I eat a healthy diet, but suffer A LOT of stress. Stress depletes important vitamins. I developed stomach problems. I have a lot of excess acid in my stomach. I also developed anxiety out of the blue. I started taking a Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc supplement (1000 mg. Calcium, 500 mg. Magnesium & 15 mg. Zinc per tablet). The tingling, creepy crawly, burning sensation under my skin has almost totally subsided after a couple of days. I’ve noticed my anxiety has almost disappeared and I feel much less foggy. I’m praying that my problems just stemmed from low magnesium and this is the solution. One more note: The increase in Mag is causing very loose bowel movements. I’m probably going to have to switch to another form of Magnesium other than “oxide”. A side effect is loose stools, as Mag Oxide acts as a laxative.
Nina,
I’ve been having that as well. In my chest, neck and arms. I had a bad case of gastritis in 2013 and have never been the same since. I’m going to try magnesium along with some other electrolytes/salts that I may not be getting due to my digestion/stomach issues.
Hope you are improving!
God Bless
Chris
I’ve been dealing with dizziness for over 12 years. My ENT physician told me I’d suffered a viral attack of the left inner ear. He told me I have a rather debilitating case of vestibular neuritis. I’ve also had migraines for 45 years but they’ve diminished considerably in the last year. I was prescribed a generic for Imitrex and that would knock them out w/in an hour. The dizziness is still very much a concern and problem. It’s gotten worse over the years. Poor sleep exacerbates it exponentially but a good, solid 8 hours makes a huge, positive difference. I’m going to try the magnesium supplements. What could it hurt? And it might just help. Thank you for your blog. I’ve enjoyed reading all the comments. Not that I would wish this on anyone, but it *is* nice to know I’m not alone.
I suffered an earache in 2007. Afterwards I noticed decreased hearing in that ear and constant strange ringing noises (tinnitus). Some pitches are low, some high, some in between. A few months later I began getting dizzy once a week or so. It was very unnerving because I had never experienced anything like this in my first 44 years or so. I was scared to death, especially when the episodes occurred at night and while I was driving. Reducing my speed did not help. 35 MPH on a rural route felt like 75, I was drifting around like a drunk driver, and I would have to pull over and rest. Dizziness would pass in 20-30 minutes or so. I’ve always been an anxious person, however, these episodes made my anxiety worse. Having been healthy my entire life and in great shape while in the Army, I attributed my issues to the decreased physical activity and weight gain upon my retirement. And being hard-headed I just learned to live with it, and never sought medical help.
In 2011 my family and I moved to Alaska, where the dizziness became worse. My episodes were longer than before and recovery time tripled. On a couple of occasions I stumbled to the bathroom as bouts of nausea/vomiting came on. That was new! I had never gotten physical ill while in Washington State. Additionally, I noticed that my headaches (migraines, I don’t know, as I was never diagnosed), became more frequent and more painful. My faithful Bayer aspirin wouldn’t always work and I struggled through many days at work, suffering from what I now referred to as the “wobblies”. It all came to a head when, while standing in front of a register at a Subway restaurant, I experienced my first “drop attack”. I was suffering an intense headache that day. It was the most violent, unexpected, rapidly spinning sensation I had ever experienced. I fell over backwards, grabbing for anything and everything, nearly tearing the chip rack from it’s mount! Thankfully my wife was with me, and being in tune with my condition, grabbed my arm and broke my fall. I felt a tremendous, weird mix of both fear and embarrassment. I did not lose consciousness, though, and was aware of every moment of the episode and the recovery period. This one landed me in the emergency room, as I finally dropped my stubborn ways. It was a good six hours before I recovered from that one. Yuck. Over the next several weeks I had three ekg’s, two MRIs, and wore two different heart monitors. Then a trip to a neurologist. All checked out. In the meantime, I experienced several more episodes, including two more drop attacks at work and one while walking my dogs. The dog drop attack was almost comical….nothing like find yourself suddenly laid out on a frozen snowmobile trail, trying to shake of the effects of the episode, while two labs are jumping all over you, thinking you’re playing! I was scared to death of driving, and often had my wife and teenage son take me to work and on weekend trips. Drop attacks and some others were followed by 10-15 minutes of intense sweating. Once able, I would move to an air-conditioned computer room or outside. I learned that cold air and conditions expedited my recovery. For me, cold is good! I also trained myself to do everything from standing to walking up stairs in a “lean forward” position. This enabled me to quickly take a knee or fall forward at the onset, breaking my fall.
My ENT docs were leaning toward Migraine Associated Vertigo but were still trying to figure if my tinnitus figured in, as many of my episodes occur when I suddenly turn my head or make a left or right turn while walking hallways. They had me begin a log, thus documenting the date, severity, my actions at the time, current ailments, etc. This in turn made me look into the past at the overall history of my condition. I determined that fatigue and my bad headaches (migraines) were the primary trigger, and caused me to further investigate why episodes spiked during the winter months. All of my drop attacks and many other mild ones occurred while I had a major headache. Heck, I would go an entire summer without a single issue, just to have 4-6 a month during the winter. I then began using my “happy light” 3-4 times a week in an attempt to improve my mood during these long Alaskan winters. Additionally, a co-worker recommended Claritin for my headaches. I tried Alavert, all I could find at the time, and found that it worked wondrously when aspirin and other pain relievers failed. Alavert killed the aforementioned headaches, sinus in this case, thus eliminating a primary trigger and relieving my anxiety. While conducting additional research I learned that many people suffer vertigo from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, in particular vitamin D. Okay, now I was getting somewhere, as naturally produced vitamin D is nearly non-existent during Alaska winters! I also learned that Magnesium is considered a wonder drug and has a necessary and positive effect on over 300 bodily functions. While not conclusive as far as I can find, magnesium has supposedly enhanced the lives of many who suffer from vertigo.
It was a long slow slog for me. I now take vitamin D supplements in the morning with breakfast, and magnesium supplements in the evening with dinner. I break out my happy light a couple times a week for that therapy, drink plenty of water, and keep Alavert with me always. Alavert is a wonder drug for me, wiping out a sinus headache and it’s painful pressure in less than 20 minutes. My episodes have dropped off at least 90% and I am currently enjoying my most episode-free winter in Alaska in four years! Headaches are nearly non-existent now (non-sinus types), probably because of the vitamin D and Magnesium. The few bad sinus headaches I get now get a shot of Alavert, and a short while later I’m trucking on. I’m doing so much better at work as my anxiety level has plummeted. I won’t go so far as to say I’m cured, but man, have I made a LOT of progress. It’s always a good thing when you’re not suddenly and unexpectedly hitting a concrete floor, you know what I mean? I now feel comfortable getting into my truck and going downtown, something that I rarely did just a year ago. I am also currently reducing my weight and stepping up my physical activity in an attempt to further help my condition and overall health.
I hope this info helps anybody who is suffering like I suffered. Best of luck and health to you.
What an experience. Thank you for sharing!
It seems like keeping our magnesium, vitamin D, and calcium levels in balance is so important and yet so difficult at the same time.
I wish there was an easy way to check them on a regular basis to see how we’re doing, something like a blood glucose monitor that checks vitamin levels instead.
Hang in there!
Yeah it’s SO strange. And I try to explain to people that it also feels like slight pressure behind my eyes like you’d get if you were intentionally crossing your eyes but obviously not crossing them or seeing things that way. But a slight “heaviness” and pressure to them.
That’s exactly what I’m feeling with my eyes. It’s also like I’m holding my finger up too close to my eyes. I’ve been on magnesium for several weeks now. I seem to be having some improvement of other symptoms, like the anxiety and depression, but the vision thing still has me concerned.
Question about the vision…I’ve been magnesium deficient twice now. Ugh! This being the worse! When I try to explain my vision issues to people I always explain it as if I’ve had a few drinks. Like “buzzed vision”. Would you describe it the same way? It’s not really blurry per say. Maybe a little unfocused at times but it more or less feels like I’ve had a couple of drinks constantly!
That’s a good way to describe it. When I tried to explain it to people I said it was like everything I looked at was vibrating just slightly.
Not only is it unpleasant it’s also tough to describe!
Hi Andrew:
I can’t thank you enough for posting your experience. I had the same exact experience as you. My dizziness was diagnosed as MAV (Migraine Associated Vertigo). I saw many doctors like you and was prescribed an antidepressant. I was shocked that I could have a migraine without the pain. I also did research and found out many people with low magnesium levels are not detected in blood tests due to serum levels. They say to just take magnesium for a while and see if it helps. The magnesium tests are invalid. I experience dizziness like I am going to fall over, light headiness, depression,anxiety, cold hands and feet. I just started taking magnesium and changed my diet to avoid taking medication. Did you ever get light headed? How long did your dizziness fully resolve after taking the magnesium. Your story gives me hope as my symptomes and experience are the same as yours.
Katie
Migraine Associated Vertigo – I haven’t heard it called that before but it lines up perfectly with what my neurologist described. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve also read that the magnesium test doesn’t always detect low magnesium levels. Overall the readers who have written in through comments and email seem to be a mix: for some readers the test was how they found out about magnesium, and for others the test showed nothing. I wish there were a better answer in these cases than ‘try it and see’ though.
There’s a more detailed description of my recovery process here, but in short the worst of the dizziness was gone after a couple days and was followed by a vague ‘fuzziness’ that lasted 6-8 weeks. The ‘fuzziness’ could also be described as being light headed, though it wasn’t an ‘I stood up too fast’ kind of light headed so much as a ‘the world still seems slightly off-kilter’ feeling.
And cold hands and feet: definitely! I still get that before a migraine too, but when I was experiencing the dizziness from magnesium deficiency I was freezing all the time and my hands and feet were the worst.
Hang in there!
I’ve been researching magnesium for about a month now, since listening to a radio program with Dr. Carolyn Dean, who wrote The Magnesium Miracle (highly recommend her book and her blog).
I’m taking magnesium for muscle tics / spasms and heart palpitations, among other things. What I’ve learned is that 80% of people are magnesium deficient, because it just isn’t in our diets any more. Chances are if you’ve got an issue, adding a magnesium supplement can help. RE: calcium / magnesium balance, if you eat a typical modern diet that includes dairy products, green leafy veg, almonds, and other sources of calcium, you are getting enough. In terms of intake, Carolyn Dean says you want to consume as much total calcium as magnesium (this is taking into account all calcium and magnesium from supplements and diet). The body naturally grabs calcium and eliminates excess magnesium, so it will maintain an ideal balance between the two if you offer enough magnesium.
I’m using magnesium citrate and transdermal magnesium (magnesium “oil”) and finding both wonderful.
Very great article. I have been fighting off dizziness for over 4 years now. Doctors don’t know what it is. My ENT said I have migraines simply as an exclusion to everything else it could be. I have been taking 250MG of Magnesium Oxide for some time now, but just switched to the citrate yesterday. How much did you take at first?
I made a couple mistakes in the very beginning, so the amount of Magnesium I thought I was taking at first isn’t what I was actually taking.
The first Magnesium I tried was Solgar’s Chelated Magnesium, which is 400mg of Magnesium per serving. However it didn’t dawn on me at the time that the serving size was actually four tablets … so I was taking one 100mg tablet a day for a about a month before I realized what I’d been doing.
The other thing I missed is that Solgar’s Chelated Magnesium also has 135mg of Calcium in it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I definitely started feeling better faster when I switched to Magnesium by itself with no Calcium.
So the short answer is that I started with 100mg of Magnesium Glycinate (with Calcium), then about a month later I upped it to 400mg of the same Magnesium, and after a couple years of trial and error I now average 600mg a day between my Magnesium Glycinate and Magnesium Malate.
Please let us know if the Magnesium Citrate makes a difference for you!
Hi EVeryone,
I have had magnesium deficiency for a year straight. I went to see so many doctors that I lost count. A day, I probably saw like 3 difference doctors. Within a year, I had like 70 doctor visits if not more. After praying and Thank God I saw a doctor who specializes in dizziness/vertigo. In my mind I was like ok same o same… But he did some many test that involves me laying down and standing and also earring test and a digital eye test which gave him the answer to my problem. He said my magnesium was low. When magnesium is low, the electrical communication in your brain becomes unbalance. So he said I should take magnesium glycinate and prescribed Amitriptyline 25mg to take every night. Under about a week, I was back to normal. But some time I feel dizzy but as Andrew says, you body lost magnesium over time so you need more time to build it up. So after been on this med for about 2months, everything has cleared and gone. I sometime have a ghosting or fuzzy vision but it has reduced from a 100 to about 10. So am very very glad and I Thank God and the Blessed VIrgin Mother for answering my prayers. Amen!!!
Take to your Doctor about this. My DOctor is in Houston tx.
Teb, why the Amitriptyline? WHat does that do? Also who is your doctor?
What is the name of your doctor? I’m in Houston with the same symptoms.
Hello my name is Hannah. I am 15 years old and for the past 6 or 7 months I have been having the worst migraines ever I ended up in the emergency room 2 times they got so bad. I got a MRI scheduled because my doctor thought I had a brain tumor and when it came up clear they put me on some muscle relaxers for a while until my headaches started overpowering the meds. And lately my headaches have just gotten worse and worse and now everyday when I wake up to when I go to bed I have to worst anxiety and am so nauseous all the time. I can never not feel like i am going to puke. A few days ago I was looking online for possible things which these could be cause my doctors can’t find anything and I found “the invisible deficency” low magnesium. And I was reading through all the things is can cause and it terrified me. It said in order for your body to absorb the magnesium supplements you would need to take calcium and vitamin k2 but it also said that if you take to much of one of those and don’t balance it out with the magnesium, it can cause sudden strokes and even death. Is there anything you have done to make sure this does not happen to you? If yes I would love to know.
Hi Hannah. The only supplements I take right now are a multivitamin and of course my magnesium.
The multivitamin has a lot of K in it, and so many foods are fortified with calcium that I don’t worry too much about it.
So far I’m doing ok, and my calcium levels were checked a couple months back for a different reason and they were right where they should be despite having taken a lot of extra magnesium for years.
That said I think it would be a good idea if your doctor can check those levels for you so you know for sure. Ideally it would be the RBC magnesium test instead of the regular serum magnesium test. If you can have that done then either you will have found a possible cause of your migraines or you will have ruled it out so you can start looking elsewhere.
I’m glad you are doing your own research as I think we all need to be our own health advocates but please also work with your doctors so you can explore all possibilities and have as many people looking into a solution for you as you can.
Migraines are awful and I hope you are able to find a way to stop them!
Thanks so much for this information. I have had a similar experience and wanted to share this with you before I go out to find some good quality magnesium.
I experienced a couple of episodes with mild dizziness over a period of about 6 months. Each time the dizziness lingered for 2 – 3 days. First time, I sought medical advice and was told after a blood test that my calcium levels were too high likely due to a thyroid problem which would likely require surgery. Referral to specialist, Endocrinologist received. I didn’t follow up.
Second time, another consultation with a different medical practitioner who told me to eat more salt. I do believe the salt actually did help. I didn’t persevere though due to feeling well and kind of taking that for granted I suppose.
Third time, about 3 months later, was perhaps similar to a mini stroke. I woke in the night to go to the bathroom and my right side seemed to almost entirely collapse. Dizzy came with a fury this time. I had to hold onto the walls to assist with mobility almost entirely incapable of walking. Third consultation with yet another GP who advised similarly to the first, too much calcium, other tests required. 1. Endocrinologist 2. Ear Nose and Throat 3. CAT scan. This all cost a small fortune and produced little result. The Endocrinologist sent me for a scan of thyroid and explained there was a tumor on a parathyroid gland which should be removed as was likely the problem. I was off work for 6 weeks, hardly able to move from bed and certainly not able to drive a car …. dizzy, dizzy, dizzy.
I went to see a Chinese doctor. He did a series of Acupuncture treatments over 4 days. I was fine. Back to work. I continued seeing him and he disputed the theory about my parathyroid, but offered little advice other than to be happy.
I went to another acupuncturist who was abit more helpful and provided a herbal remedy for stress. She hit a key with her theories on stress. Absolutely I was stressed. Never more stressed. My work and home life were immensely challenging and I had been struggling for a long time with all of it. Almost a year prior I had escaped serious floods in my city, which devoured my home and everything in it. Work beckoned and there was only time to help others, not to grieve myself. Later, there were other personal issues to cope with. Stressed to the max, but just soldiering on.
Lastly, I sought advice from a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor who said I have had a tumor on my parathyroid for my entire life. I am 50yo. He said it is not a problem.
I haven’t experienced dizziness since, but do get the occasional migraine which is always extremely intense. I don’t want to experience any of the stress, dizziness, headaches again. Still not convinced my parathyroid is the problem. The endocrinologist agreed, but explained the tumor can cause other problems e.g. nerve problems, pain, aching bones, etc.. I do have some arthritis.
Interesting. I was so pleased to read your article and thank you ever so much for sharing. Very best wishes to you. I’m off to shop for Magnesium!
Ciao,
Maryanne
That’s a lot of doctors over a long period of time! It amazes (and saddens) me that after all the time and effort you’ve put into finding a solution that you’re still having to deal with it.
It’s interesting about your Calcium levels – a lot of what I’ve read says that Calcium and Magnesium work together but that if one gets too high that it takes over and crowds out the other (I’ve seen 10:4 as a common Calcium:Magnesium ratio to shoot for but I don’t know how ‘official’ that is).
It does seem like there are a lot of foods that are ‘fortified with calcium’ but there really isn’t anything I’ve seen that is ‘fortified with magnesium’. Part of me wonders if as a society we’ve gone so far in pushing milk and Calcium supplements for strong bones that we’ve started to make ourselves Magnesium deficient.
I hope the Magnesium helps! If you get a chance, please stop back and leave a note on how you make out with it.
Good luck!
Hi Andrew:
Thank you so much for your posts. I am going to start magnesium supplementation today.
!5 months ago I had an episode of feeling like I was having a stroke and went to ER. Have been to ER 17 times in the last year and all they have done is to give me blood pressure pills that did not agree with me.
The anxiety spikes my blood pressure.
I had a CAT scan and MRI in December because of my neurological symptoms and both were ok.
My GP referred me to an ENT whom I saw in April of this year and he diagnosed Vertigo. I am dizzy, my eyes are funny and I am anxious and nervous with headaches and trouble walking.
I went for physio for the vertigo and they think I have unilateral vestibular loss.
I also saw an endocrinologist who found a cyst and nodules on my thyroid. I had a biopsy which showed up with not enough material for diagnosis. I am having a second one next week.
I am at my wits end living with constant dizziness, panic and trouble walking.
I at least feel like I’m not alone and so hope this helps. I want my life back so desperately.
I started using EASE magnesium spray from Activation Products 2 days ago and am getting some magnesium citrate today.
I am 67 years old and never been so terrified in my life.
My doctor is useless in all this.
Sally
Did you do anything to cause the magnesium deficiency? Were you given antibiotics after your surgury? Do you have any idea why your magnesium would be low, besides just diet? I’m wondering what might cause this, and I am reading that antibiotics and other drugs can remove magnesium from your body.
That’s a great question. I took antibiotics for a couple weeks after the surgery and to be honest I never really thought about it as a potential cause of my low magnesium levels.
When it first occurred I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I had done wrong that could have caused my deficiency and these are the things I came up with:
– I had been taking a calcium supplement for a while
– My diet was definitely not ideal
– High levels of stress at work
– The surgery itself
I bet you’re right though – while the antibiotics did help prevent infection after the surgery I’m sure they didn’t help my already borderline magnesium levels. I had already been having the occasional bout of dizziness before the surgery but the antibiotics could very well have been the tipping point, and it lines up pretty close time-wise.
And I definitely agree that many drugs can remove magnesium from your body: just yesterday I saw a commercial for Nexium where they mentioned low magnesium levels as a possible side effect.
Do you have any links that talk about antibiotics and magnesium? I have one from the NIH that talks about them interacting but I haven’t come across much beyond that.
And thanks for writing – you’ve given me something new to think about!
hey Andrew,
I am suffering from the same exact story you posted. got light headed and dizzy out of nowhere in the end of Nov and it is still happening. went to ENT and got blood work done twice. passed everything. saw my aunt on xmas and she told me that she talked to her neurologist friend and she told me that she thinks it’s a form of a migraine. now I need to find out what is triggering them. I work out a lot ( well not as much this past month bc of this) get anxiety due to the fear of feeling lightheaded and during the time I get an “attack” makes me very nervous and anxious. i don’t eat too many foods with magnesium in them. maybe this could be the answer. I took two pills of chilated magnesium this morning. both 100 mg each. how many did you take in the beginning
Hi Alex, thanks for sharing your experience.
When I first started I picked up magnesium oxide (this was before I knew better), and I was taking 100mg a day. I now take roughly 425mg per day (glycinate and malate), but that’s my maintenance dose – for a while I was up near 800mg per day.
I think each person’s tolerance and requirements are different so it may take some tweaking to find out what works for you. I hope the magnesium helps – please let us know how you make out.
If you were on antibiotics I would also guess that you might have a yeast overgrowth. Yes, men can also get this. Candida. I would say stay away from refined sugars and junk food in general, raw garlic everyday, onions, cranberry juice and start cooking with coconut oil and see how that goes.
Hi andrew, I know this is an old thread but this helped me soooo much… after I had my last daughter in 2012…I just had gotten sick all of a sudden. I was throwing up I couldn’t really eat I’d throw everything back up, I couldn’t even keep Gatorade down…I was having this off balance sensation that felt like I was falling or swaying kind of..very hard to explain…for this past 3 years I’ve been to enter Dr’s who said I had fluid in my ear I had an mri everything was fine ice had several audio tests I’ve taken steroids I’ve taken allergy medicine. …I’ve probably spent over 3000 in copay and meds trying to figure out the cause! ! When I went to the neurologist she did right down on a pap we r for me to go pick up magnesium, this was about 2 months ago .I never did it because I wanted a chewable or powder form…so on monday before reading this post I picked up a powder form Magnesium in walmart aND 24hrs later I feel like this swaying motion Is slowly going away!! I feel like I can come back to being normal amd not afraid to go out anywhere!!. I’ve been taking it for 2 days now so I don’t want to jinx it….but thanks soouch for this post!
That’s good news Dyasia, I’m glad the magnesium is helping! :)
Hi Dyasia!
Some powerful knowledge about pregnancy and magnesium:
Every single time the cells of your baby divide and replicate inside your uterus, it used magnesium. Cell and DNA division and replication are magnesium-dependent, and because the mother’s body prioritizes the magnesium towards the baby, you became severely deficient.
Keep in mind that your baby starts as one cell, and and up as tens of trillions of cells. That is a lot of magnesium being used! because magnesium is necessary for all cognitive function and creation of neurotransmitters, it is no surprise you were feeling what you did.
However please keep in mind that magnesium pills have a laxative effect, and are synthetic.
Any pregnant mothers and mothers in general most benefit from a natural form of magnesium that is not taken orally, but topically. It restores magnesium 10 X faster.
FitMAG topical magnesium is the only one that is 100% natural and comes in a glass bottle, without the toxins and cancer causing chemicals in plastic bottles.
Their product is by far the highest quality, and the safest and most pure.
it is extremely affordable at around 20$ for a 4 month supply…
Check them out at ineedmag.com
They have a page specific to pregnancy as well.
Hi, i am adnan from Pakistan
Actually we didn’t take enough magnesium in our diet the second reason is highly use of alcohol, tea, coffee, smoking etc
Some medication also cause of magnesium deficiency