For depression, studies suggest dosages around 248 mg to 305 mg of elemental magnesium daily, often as magnesium chloride or oxide, can improve symptoms, but there's no single official dose, and higher intakes like 500mg (as glycinate) have also shown benefits, so it's crucial to consult a doctor for personalized advice, especially since magnesium levels can be depleted by stress, notes Healthline, WebMD, PLOS, Frontiers, and Psychiatry Redefined.
When taken in doses greater than 350 mg daily, magnesium is possibly unsafe. Large doses might cause too much magnesium to build up in the body, causing serious side effects including an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, confusion, slowed breathing, coma, and death.
You generally need 350 to 400 milligrams (mg) of magnesium daily during pregnancy, depending on your age (e.g., 350 mg for ages 19-30; 360 mg for 31+; 400 mg for teens), but it's crucial to talk to your doctor for personalized advice, as individual needs and food intake vary, with too much causing diarrhea and low blood pressure, while food sources like greens, nuts, and seeds are best.
Magnesium supplements can be taken at anytime during the day, and with, or without food. However, as magnesium may increase GABA activity (promoting calmness and sleep), many individuals choose to take it in the evening, or before bed.
While magnesium supplements may be helpful for some people with anxiety, they aren't a substitute for professional medical care. If you're experiencing symptoms of anxiety, it's important to speak with your healthcare provider to determine the best course of treatment for your individual needs.
Magnesium itself increases levels of GABA, a brain chemical that helps you feel calm. The best form of magnesium to use is magnesium glycinate. Just talk to your doctor before you take it, to make sure it's safe, and you are on the correct dose.
Effects were observed within two weeks. Magnesium is effective for mild-to-moderate depression in adults. It works quickly and is well tolerated without the need for close monitoring for toxicity.
Magnesium and Zinc
Researchers have found that high doses of zinc supplements can decrease magnesium absorption and affect magnesium balance in the body, regardless of calcium intake.
In magnesium deficiency, neuronal requirements for magnesium may not be met, causing neuronal damage which could manifest as depression. Magnesium treatment is hypothesized to be effective in treating major depression resulting from intraneuronal magnesium deficits.
Individuals with diabetes, intestinal disease, heart disease, or kidney disease should avoid magnesium unless specifically instructed by their healthcare provider. Overdose: Signs of a magnesium overdose include nausea, diarrhea, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue.
Brown recommends people “start low and go slow,” such as initially taking 100 mg and seeing how your body responds before increasing the dose, especially because of that laxative effect. Other side effects could include feeling a bit sleepy or sluggish or a reduction in blood pressure.
Magnesium for Energy Production and Fighting Fatigue
Magnesium can also reduce feelings of stress, which can drain energy reserves. Best Time to Take: Morning or early afternoon. Taking magnesium in the morning with breakfast or in the early afternoon helps you take advantage of its energizing effects.
Magnesium deficiency symptoms start mild with fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and headaches, but progress to more severe issues like muscle cramps/spasms, numbness, tingling, anxiety, insomnia, abnormal heart rhythms, and even seizures, affecting nerve, muscle, and brain function crucial for overall health.
Foods high in magnesium are leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. A doctor can check your magnesium levels by a blood or urine (pee) test. If you have low magnesium levels, your doctor may recommend taking a supplement.
Yes! Taking Vitamin D and Magnesium together can help support a healthy immune system. Vitamin D aids Magnesium absorption, and Magnesium helps Vitamin D work better.
One of the biggest factors is the presence of calcium in the diet, as high calcium foods can reduce your magnesium absorption (and vice versa). Foods containing sugar and caffeine may have similar effects.
Yes, it's safe to take Vitamin B12 and Magnesium together. The benefit of supplementing B Vitamins and Magnesium together is that they don't compete for absorption in the body. That's why many multivitamin supplements combine them to help simplify how you keep up your vitamin intake.
Getting enough magnesium may also help keep blood pressure in a healthy range. Stress and mood: Magnesium helps manage stress hormones and supports neurotransmitters related to mood. It's not a treatment for anxiety or depression but maintaining good magnesium levels can help with overall emotional well-being.
Treatments for people with mild symptoms include "watchful waiting" (being closely monitored by a doctor or nurse), psychotherapy, and exercise. Moderate symptoms – People with moderate depression have more symptoms and may have thoughts of suicide. Doctors usually recommend antidepressant medications or psychotherapy.
Magnesium supplements do not usually produce an immediate effect after the very first dose. As a general guide, you may start to notice subtle benefits within about a week of consistent daily use, although for some people it can take several weeks for magnesium levels to build and for symptoms to improve.
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The rule is simple: Commit to doing the task for just five minutes. That's it. Once you get over the initial resistance and begin, even if only briefly, something shifts. Momentum builds, anxiety decreases, and your brain transitions from avoidance to engagement.
It has recently been discovered that taking high doses of vitamin B6 supplements significantly reduces feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.