best form and dose of magnesium for constipation

[valene2009]

been taing 800 mg of mag citrate-it helps but still have a hard time goin in the am or next day..  would mag oxide work better??? i looked up some old threads but couldnt find much on oxide form.thanks !!  and how much can you take ..is 800-1000 mg too much?? thanks!!

[Joe S.]

Val, I have been having some very tight muscles recently. I am using magnesium oil on them to help them get loose. Side Effect is bowl movements. MOM - Milk of Magnesia may be helpful.

[Sleepy In Seattle]

My neuro suggested Magnesium Glycinate - it's not as easy to find as the others, but I have been on a fairly high dose of it for years and have never had any problems with constipation - which is a miracle! It definitely can be a problem....

[valene2009]

sleepy--how high of a dose do you take? i was thinking of upping my mag citrate to 1000 and seeing if that helped first.

[Calli66]

I agree about the Magnesium Glycinate. I've been taking it for 8 months or so, and I don't have to use stuff like metamucil anymore at all. I get Bluebonnet brand---called Chelated Magnisium on the bottle. Albion method (apparently makes it more bio available). I get mine at Whole Foods. It's best to start with 200 mg (1 capsule) a day, and then gradually add more till you get to "bowel tolerance"---this means when you'll be 'going' too much. Then back off slightly to find the right amount per day. I took about 400 per day for quite awhile, and am now up to 600 mg per day, which seems good for me. I take one capsule with each meal 3 times a day--spread it out.

I had read that Magnesium Oxide is too harsh---you don't want that.

Calli

[Calli66]

Also--wanted to add---the citrate form apparently is a shorter-acting form of magnesium. Probably the more you take then it would get you going for the time being. But the glycinate form kinds of 'stays with you' longer. Anyway, it works really well for me. I used to have to take all these powders at night (I took Natural Calm--mag citrate powder and psyllium too) and it is nice to just take the mag glycinate. I will say, though, that once I wake up in the morning, I really do need to be where I can use a bathroom. That is to say, there is slightly more urgency involved than just your normal "I'll use the restroom once I get into town" type thinking.

Calli

[valene2009]

ok thanks so much. i will try the mag glycinate.. it sounds like it is more powerful than the citrate.  i usually take all the citrate at night so it doesnt interefere w/my meds.. do you have to spread it out between your meds? i take plaquenil and i know i am to wait 4 hours ..i also take doxycycline 2x a day and fish oil in the am.. would i have to take it hours away from fish oil and doxy?

[valene2009]

Also-is the powder form better than the tablet form?  for constitpation that is? i called a pharmacist and she didnt know!  she said she had never heard of glycinate but would call the hospital and for me to call tomorrow to find out.. ughhhh

[Calli66]

The BlueBonnet brand mag glyc is just a powder put into a capsule. It's easier to take in a capsule, already premeasured--you're getting 200 mg per capsule. I take mine with meals and also with my other supplements which include fish oil. I could be wrong, but I really don't think there's a problem taking it with anything like foods, or plaquenil. But I'm not sure. I had never heard anything about waiting to take anything for 4 hours after taking plaquenil.

The way I think about this is that the magnesium is part of the body's electrolyte chemistry, along with the other main ones, potassium and sodium. You take something like the citrate form, and it goes through you pretty fast (like the next morning). You take the glycinate (or other forms) and it starts to add to the levels in your body---over time, you're adding to what you've already got, your body is taking in what it can use. With magnesium, it can take a month or so to get used to the increased availability of the mineral---to top up what you've maybe been missing.

The thing to watch out for is increasing too quickly to where you would get too many BMs in a day, because that flushes out too much potassium. So you don't want to take too much, but just the right amount.

I'm not an expert on this---so do your homework. Read this page on WebMDhttp://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-91231-Magnesium+Glycinate+Bulk+Misc.aspx?drugid=91231&drugname=Magnesium+Glycinate+%28Bulk%29+Misc&pagenumber=7

Calli

[valene2009]

is the gylcinate stronger than citrate?  when i took 400mg of citrate it did nothing for my constipation-it did make my migraines go away..yeah!  but when i upped it to 800mg i can "go" but lately i feel like its not working as well...

so you def suggest the glycinate? thanks for the web md site.. i was told on here to wait 4 hours after plaquenil or doxy..i am ConfuSED!!!! lol. o well..

[jazzlover]

For me, from years of experience .. only the oxide works for constipation. It is the least absorbed .. and that is what you want. (goes right thru)

I take about 1000mg or more of mg oxide each day plus about 400mg of glycinate for my heart.

KAL has a good glycinate. I use the cheap stuff for the oxide.

[valene2009]

jazz. u totally answered my questions..thanks so much!  i can continue then with the citrate 400mg for migraine prevention ( it relaly works) and try the oxide for the other prob.. ) you are a lifesaver
the oxide you just take a pill form and the glycinate you use a powder?

[anita]

Oxide is the one to take for constipation.  Same reason Jazzlover said...it's not absorbed by the body, so it ends up in the intestines.

[cargillwitch]

sorry to jump in but magnesium ( of any kind) adjusts fluids.
To be working in your colon- large intestine- the magnesium has to be taken up by the entire body.

It effectively allows more fluid to re-enter the fecal matter across the intestinal wall. making it larger and softer and easier to pass.

It is not that it  wasn't absorbed by the rest of the body and went straight to the intestines.

It's actions of cell fluid adjustment are seen elsewhere, you just don't notice it as much as running to the bathroom LOL.

[valene2009]

does anyone know if you can take 2 different types of magnesium at the same time? i am assuming you can? thanks!