New here & need info on Magnesium Suppliments

[Ellinitha]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. As you know I am new to this site. I am 34 year old mother. I am currently 3 months pregnant and need some help. I started having seizures a little over a year ago. I was working on my computer one and boom a grand mal hit me! I have about a 30 sec warning before I have my seizures but then I am out of it for about 35minDuring this time my husband tells me that I am talking with him. At times fighting with paramedics or him as to not wanting help etc. but I have no recollection of this.

My quality of life is horrible!!!! I am sure other people have it way worse than me so I feel so bad complaining. I am soooo NOT used to being dependant on people. I hate that the TV has become my daughter’s babysitter when I am not feeling well. It totally breaks my heart!!! We have done 2 sleep deprived EEGs and 2 regular ones along with cat scans and MRI's. Of course nothing has shown up in the test! JOY TO THE WORLD! All I know is I have mini or partial seizures all the time. (I call it that I feel off balance or out of wack.) I hate it! I am now on my 4th neuro. My first one was said to be one of the best in our area. I called her several times explaining that I didn't recognize letters at times or that I could not understand English or I would get burst of confusion and fear she asked me if I was seeing a shrink bc this had nothing to do with seizures!!!!! Wow that felt just grand!!! So now all of the sudden I was a wack job as well as a seizure pron person. onder:

I have been on Lamictal and I felt horrible 90% of the time. I slept more hours then I was awake. I am currently on Keppra because I am pregnant. My neuro is sort of a naturopath and he weaned me off my meds. Well after being off the meds totally for 3 days I had another grand mal. So I am currently on the lowest dose 500mg 2x's daily. My neuro put me on 2 natural supplements one is called Recall and the other Neuro Shield. They are fabulous however very costly. Since I am no longer working finances are a little bit of an issue. So it's sort of hard to keep up with his natural meds.

We still have our home but have not lived in for a little over a year now. We need my in laws help getting my daughter to and from school etc. Two different people mentioned to me that they had heard magnesium had helped control muscle spasms or seizures. I need advice and help. I am in bed so much again. The Keppra makes me really depressed and I am in bed way too much. Either because of how the mini seizures make me feel or because of being so down and feeling incompetent! I don't want my daughter thinking this is any way for someone to live. I have gained weight and am frustrated about that as well. I want my dependence back! I want my life back! I hate feeling so horrible 90% of the time. I THANK GOD my husband is VERY supportive of me and how feel. I just feel so bad that he is now with someone who is so miserable almost all the time.

Have any of you had success with using Magnesium along with other supplements or just on its own? Any information will be greatly appreciated. I am going to meet with my neuro this coming Tues. I think he will be willing to work with me in trying the mag out. He is NOT your traditional Neurologist! I read the ingredients in the supplements he referred me to and they both have mag in them. Please feel free to send me any links to sites that might support this theory or share your story for some encouragement. I am at the lowest of low right now and NEED some sort of a boost. I don't even care about fixing myself up anymore. Just getting out of bed is a mission and this is NOT the normal me. I want ME BACK!

Thanks for taking the time to read my long post! I know I have vented a lot and everyone has their own frustrations to cope with. Your time is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks ahead of time,
Sophia

 

[epileric]

Welcome to CWE, Sophia

I've also been on keppra & it was a nightmare, I was extremely over-emotional & my anger was pretty extreme. Vitamine B6 does help some people with the keprage though. http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/keppra-side-effects-6664/ Remember there are other medications out there with less side-effects that might control your seizures as well or even better. I've learned that even if a medication totally eliminates my seizures, the side-effects have to be small enough that it increases & not decreases my quality of life.

I'd be upset if my neurologist suggested I see a psychologist if they'd put me on Keppra considering that the majority of side-effects are emotional. I know my massage therapist suggested it but I didn't expect him to understand about keppra (though going for regular massages did decrease my seizures).

As far as magnesium is concerned, there is at least one person here on CWE that used if successfully for migraines & it does stop twitches but I don't know about its use for seizures. You might have to try it & find out.

Your frustration does sound like that of many others here. Make yourself at home, get comfy & check out all the rooms- the "library" is great for researching things & "the padded room" is great to vent even more if want.

:hello:

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Sophia, welcome!

Unless you have a severe magnesium deficiency it's unlikely that magnesium supplements alone would control your seizures. But magnesium is good for overall brain health (as are B vitamins and omega-3s), and it does have a track record of helping with migraines, so it might contribute to helping with your seizure control.

You are pregnant and tired and gaining weight and trying to reduce stress -- there are a lot of things going on! If it's early in your pregnancy could you perhaps take part in a low-intensity exercise class? That might potentially address some of the issues above. Before starting anything new though, definitely discuss things with your doctor(s).

Best,
Nakamova

 

[RobinN]

Welcome Sophia -

Your research is correct and magnesium is know as an anti-convulsant according to my daughters neurologist. I have used it for years to help with my migraines. Very successful treatment in my opinion.

The best form, and one that I highly recommend at first is the ionic magnesium. It is liquid form and goes directly to the cell. Another that has been useful but it is a brand name, is Jigsaw Magnesium. I don't like to "sell" certain brands but I also hate to have multiple bottles in my cabinet that are useless. There are some that go directly to the intestinal tract and are very effective as a laxative.

Have you also been counseled by any of your doctors as to how important your nutritional choices are to your brain health? This has what has made a difference to my daughter, who is no longer on medication. She is not out of the woods yet, but I see improvement all the time when she is self motivated to making it work. It is not a quick fix as a pill might be, but over the long term it has made a huge improvement in her quality of life. Something to think about and can't hurt.

 

[Ellinitha]

Thank you all for your responses.

Robin, I was wondering what type of diet they recommended for your daughter. I had asked two different neuro's about diet and they thought I lost my marbles. I had tried the Ketosis diet however am unable to do that while pregnant. I researched it and found it can cause mental retardation if done while pregnant. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks again,

 

[RobinN]

Hi Ellinitha -
Here is the glitch... Doctor's have very little training in nutrition and certainly don't seem to keep up with how it can help a variety of disorders and illnesses. I started using a google search and came to a number of sites. I also connected other neurological disorders with seizures. Diet seems to be helping many kids with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. I also met www.dogtorj.com on another forum and he believes 100% that poor nutritional choices are causing much of our illnesses. He is able to control his animals with seizures by changing the ingredients in their foods.

Modified Atkins Diet is helping a number of people:
http://www.atkinsforseizures.com/

Dogtor John has developed the GARD diet. This is similar to the gluten free/casein free diet used with other neurological disorders.
http://dogtorj.com/

The Specific Carbohydrate diet is helping a lot of folks heal:
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

Low Glycemic Diet is another:
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/65/11/1810

I hope that this will give you some reading material for the weekend. There are more posts here on CWE where it has been discussed. Do a search for what interests you and you will find a wealth of reading material.

 

[Ellinitha]

Thanks a lot Robin. I had a rough weekend so didn't get a chance to come on. My daughter is now sick so we are spending the day watching movies. I will search the different links you have listed and get busy. Thanks again. I have not been able to find the Jigsaw (Ionic Mag) locally so I bought was my local store had. I will be bringing it to my neuro tomorrow. In the mean time I will go online and purchase that other one. I am just want to start feeling normal again. I can't express enough thanks for the wealth of info you have given me.

I hope your daughter progresses to get better!

God Bless!

 

[Eve]

Hi! I am also on Keppra.I sympathize with your problems.

I am now taking Calcium Citrate Supreme made by Solaray. Since I started taking it I have noticed my migraines have decreased and I have fewer seizures. I have taking other kinds before but this particular one by Soloray seems to work the best.

It has Vit C, Vit D, Vit B-6,Folic Acid,Calcium,magnesium,Zinc,Copperand Maganese in it. I take it with a small meal like a banana or crackers because I have a sensitive stomach. Please check with your doctor before taking any supplements.

Also check into taking Prenatal Vitamins. I remember when I was pregnant the Dr gave me a prescription for a behind the counter Prenatal Vitamins and they made me feel great. There maybe one that has the magnesium in it. I have noticed since I upped my magnesium I have felt better.

Also I juist started to see a massage therapist that specialized in dealing with health problems. I am starting to feel better. There are massage therapist that specialize in prenatal massage too for pregnant women. Make sure they are licensed and certified and ask around for referrals.

Good Luck.