Revisiting Magnesium

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How is magnesium lactate? I'm not sure I understand how different magnesium compounds would be good for different parts of the body?

I can't say I've noticed any difference with magnesium lactate, If anything I have a new craving for dark chocolate, would that make any sense?

Maybe I should just buy bananas and coconut milk? Would that be a good suplement? Uhh I feel hungry..
 
lindsayschu2 said:
I think I've pretty much fixed that as well--I went on a clean diet, added probiotics and bone broth and worked out what my diet sensitivities were and removed them. I'm on a roll. Good luck with theonate!
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Great! He recommends fermented foods too beyond just your basic yoghurt. I've been getting into kimchee lately.

I took some of the Mag Theonate powder last night mixed with a bit of coconut water. It mixes easily and has no taste of its own which makes it easy to take. I like the Mag Citrate transdermal I've been using too but I have the feeling that a lot of it is ending up on my sheets instead of getting where it is needed. Maybe I'll use the transdermal in the morning and the powder at night.

masterjen said:
Topamax can cause fluid retention http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-14494-6019/topamax-oral/topiramate-oral/details/list-sideeffects. Could this have been the cause? What did your doctors think? Just curious, as I may be switching from low dose valproic acid to low dose topamax for migraine prophylaxis due to fluid retention on valproic acid.
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Oh, great. Like I needed another reason to want to get off of these VpA pills.

lindsayschu2 said:
No I was on tegretol at the time I was put on lasix, and I think that was the cause--tegretol causes fluid retention. My mom had the same problem though, so they called it genetic idiopathic edema. When I went off tegretol and on Topamax, I lost 18 pounds, the fluid retention went away but was still on Lasix. Some things say Topamax is actually a mild diuretic--so it was probably like being on way too much diuretic. I was dehydrated all the time, I looked ancient for a while.
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MD speak for "We don't have a clue what's wrong with you so we'll make up an important sounding name so as to not look like idiots."

It seems like it's one extreme or the other. Tegretol and VpA cause fluid retention, Topamax causes you to lose too much fluid. This is just another prime example of how doctors are trying to treat a symptom instead of the root cause of a problem and then end up creating more symptoms in the process. "But we have a pill for that one too!" <picture MD yelling down the hall after me as I storm out in disgust.>
:soap:
 
lnsiu said:
How is magnesium lactate? I'm not sure I understand how different magnesium compounds would be good for different parts of the body?

I can't say I've noticed any difference with magnesium lactate, If anything I have a new craving for dark chocolate, would that make any sense?

Maybe I should just buy bananas and coconut milk? Would that be a good suplement? Uhh I feel hungry..
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If I need a mag supplement for a specific part of the body like cramps in my legs at night, then a transdermal is good at getting specifically there. All other supplements you take orally are going to go everywhere and help as needed.

According to the Dr Mercola link on page 1, mag lactate and mag citrate are the same. And as Nak pointed out, not the highest in mag content but very high in %age absorption. I'm not positive if Dr. Mercola is saying the two are two names for the same things or just have similar characteristics. (?)

I don't think they are the same. Each mag supplement is magnesium plus something else, e.g. the Mag Taurate Nak takes is Mg +taurine, Mg citrate is Mg+citric acid, and I believe Mg lactate is Mg+lactic acid.
The magnesium is all the same but it's the "something else" part that gives any Mag supplement it's other properties like absorption percentage and possible side effects like dashes to the toilet.

Yes, you should get bananas, coconut cream, and some dark cocoa powder and make a smoothie. I'll bring the home grown bananas. Smoothie party at your house!

But seriously, if you can solve a mineral deficiency with food, that's always preferable to pills and powders IMO.


Aha! I just found this. It's an advert for a transdermal mg supp but it does a good job of explaining the different types of Mg compounds. Evidently some are found in nature like the Mg citrate and some are put together in a lab (e.g. Mg lactate).

http://www.ancient-minerals.com/magnesium-supplements/
 
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Just a follow up on the Magnesium L-Threonate powder. I've been taking it for several nights in a row now and I have been sleeping really well. 8-9 hours straight through with no trouble getting to sleep either. Sooooo nice.

Also, even though the recommended dose is 2/3 of a teaspoon and I've been taking a whole teaspoon (can't find my 1/3 teaspoon measure) I have not had any problems with bathroom trots.
 
AlohaBird said:
[...]

I don't think they are the same. Each mag supplement is magnesium plus something else, e.g. the Mag Taurate Nak takes is Mg +taurine, Mg citrate is Mg+citric acid, and I believe Mg lactate is Mg+lactic acid.
The magnesium is all the same but it's the "something else" part that gives any Mag supplement it's other properties like absorption percentage and possible side effects like dashes to the toilet.

Yes, you should get bananas, coconut cream, and some dark cocoa powder and make a smoothie. I'll bring the home grown bananas. Smoothie party at your house!

But seriously, if you can solve a mineral deficiency with food, that's always preferable to pills and powders IMO.

[...]
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I noticed that coconut milk is high in potassium besides the magnesium. That fits perfect - although the milk seems a bit fatty? The fat on the other hand in coconut milk is the lauric acid. So if the liver doesn't absorb it, turns it into a ketone if I understand this correctly? So that is a plus too for the brain.

The fat part in coconut-milk versus magnesium is a bit tricky though, since there seems to be a weak link with BMI and NAA levels in the brain, so I don't want to be fat, I still need to loose 22 pounds(10kg) to be on the right BMI level. (Also I must loose weight since I exercise so much. My body can't take my current weight).

If I blend 100ml coconut milk with 1L of water I would probably get 92-32mg of Magnesium, around 220mg Potassium, 15mg Natrium and 17g of Lauric acid for about 200 kcal/L. For a sport drink that seems pretty ok?

Although 100ml of coconut-milk is a bit low in Magnesium and high in fat (and the Natrium level I could just adjust with a pinch of salt), I think coconut-milks seems to be a very promising Magnesium supplement. It is cheap and taste good too!
 
You can also drink coconut water. Very high in both potassium and magnesium.

The fat in coconut cream, milk, and oil is a medium chain triglyceride so it is very good at burning for fuel. It is also extremely effective at shutting off the hunger alarm and so very good for dieting.

I find that, if I am several hours away from dinner but feeling like snacking instead of exercising, I can have a spoonful of coconut oil (1tsp=40calories). It shuts off the hunger and allows me to get on with my workout.
 
Aloha Bird -- glad here that the magnesium is having a tangible beneficial effect on your sleep. That has been my experience with mg too.
 
Nakamova said:
Aloha Bird -- glad here that the magnesium is having a tangible beneficial effect on your sleep. That has been my experience with mg too.
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Nakamova, how much mg do you take and what kind of mg?
 
Ruth, I take magnesium taurate. My brand is "Cardiovascular Research". I take two or three capsules a day, usually with a meal. Each capsule is 125mg (approx. 30% of the RDA). Occasionally if I feel bothered by mild restless leg syndrome, I take a capsule at night before bedtime.
 
Nakamova said:
Aloha Bird -- glad here that the magnesium is having a tangible beneficial effect on your sleep. That has been my experience with mg too.
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Last night I was tossing and turning with a nasty headache right around my eye sockets.
Then I remembered that I hadn't taken my Magnesium supplement before bed.
I got up and slathered the transdermal stuff all over and the headache stopped dead in its tracks and i was able to get to sleep with no fuss.

It was truly nothing short of amazing.
 
So, just a quick update. I've been on the Mg L-Threonate now for over a month and it is woking well.

I definitely see a difference in sleep, headaches, and seizure activity when I take Magnesium. That said, I don't really see any difference between the Mg Citrate transdermal spray and the Mg L-Threonate powder.

The powder is easy to take (mixes well and not another pill) and doesn't get all over my sheets like the spray so I think I will stay with it.

Bottom line. I think Magnesium supplementation is something to be considered by most of the population with and without E.

But, as far as the form you choose to take, I don't think it really matters all that much. Considerations of convenience, price, does it give you digestive issues, etc. are individual ones.:twocents:
 
Update:

My Magnesium L- Theonate powder ran out and the re-supply was on order but not here yet so I ended up with two nights in between with only the Mg citrate oil transdermal to tide me over.

I had no problems getting to sleep but both mornings I woke up with a start feeling like a seizure was coming on. Managed to wake up and fend them off.

Back on the Mg L-Threonate powder and no more morning "rude awakenings". I think perhaps the difference is that the L-Threonate is more time released and stays with me for the whole night.

So, for me at least, there does seem to be a tangible benefit to sticking with this particular one.
 
My Daughter used to take some Magnesium Colloid Concentrate (High Purity) daily, it's been stopped for a fair while..
You've reminded me to query why she was taken off it Aloha. :)

"Every known illness is associated with mg2+ deficiency and it's the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be more responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient."

Quote by Dr Norman Shealy.. M.D, Ph.D and Neurosurgeon.
 
Hi BA. I just saw your post on another thread asking about taurine. In this thread, back a ways Nak was talking about the kind of Mg supplement that she takes which is Mg Taurate.
Perhaps that could get two birds for you.

Nak?
 
Taurine definitely has neuroprotective benefits. (See the most recent posts in http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/dietary-changes-seizure-control-25355/).

I'm not sure how much of those benefits can be obtained from the magnesium taurate supplement I take, but it's nice to imagine that I'm getting at least some of them. :) I do take it several times a day with no ill effects, and it seems to help me with sleep and mild restless leg issues. The brand I take is Cardiovascular Research.
 
My Neurologist prescribed me Magnesium (Oxide) as a Migraine "prevention" medication.

I've never heard of a Neurologist prescribing it as a Migraine Prevention before and I thought she was just tying to keep me from taking AEDs (she thinks I'm having Acephalgic and Basilar Migraines instead of seizures, so she wants me off AEDs to "see what happens"). But apparently there is something too it?
 
Epilepsy and migraines are very closely connected and there is a lot of overlap, people who have one have the other.

I find that, while I'm concentrating on taking Magnesium for my seizures, it has also cured my migraines as a nice little side effect. :)
 
This morning my girl had a 51 sec seizure @ 8am before she went to school. I gave her some paracetamol when she was with it to cover her in case she had a headache. The school nurse rang me to say she was distressed she was head banging...crying...
:(

I asked her to give her more pain relief after 4 hours., she didn't get a chance to recover much and had no sleep post seizure, So,I've wondered if that has made her irritable??
I'm on standby, incase the school rings me again to collect her to go home..
Damn

She was going so good for a while now....
 
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But do keep it in perspective. She's been doing really well and I'm sure she will get back to that stability.

Sleep really has everything to do with seizures for me. If I don't get enough sleep, my brain is just not right and I really need sleep to recover afterwards. Remember back before computers had back up batteries and you pulled the cord out of the wall by mistake while it was on? Then when you would plug it back in and restart, you would get an error message saying that the "proper shut down sequence" had not been done and please be patient while we get things rebooted here.
That's what a post-ictal brain feels like. Sleep I think is the body's way of doing a reboot.
 
Yes
I was guilty of rushing to get going for 2 school drop offs , I did warn the staff to give her time to recover at her pace. She didn't do swimming that day, which she usually enjoys, she refused, some suspect she had a terrible migraine, as she was head banging. ( she head bangs in pain usually.)
That was Tuesday.
Today is Thursday and we have both moved on.
 
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