Signs of a magnesium overdose can include nausea, diarrhea, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue. At very high doses, magnesium can be fatal.
Severe hypermagnesemia (levels greater than 12 mg/dL) can lead to cardiovascular complications (hypotension, and arrhythmias) and neurological disorder (confusion and lethargy). Higher values of serum magnesium (exceeding 15 mg/dL) can induce cardiorespiratory arrest and coma.
Intravenous calcium, diuretics, or water pills may also be used to help the body get rid of excess magnesium. People with renal dysfunction or those who have had a severe magnesium overdose may require dialysis if they are experiencing kidney failure, or if magnesium levels are still rising after treatment.
“Most magnesium will stay in the body for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. So it's not something you can just take once, see results, and then never take again,” explains registered dietitian Amanda Li, R.D.
Prescription pain medicine slows your digestive system and may increase the amount of magnesium your body absorbs. The combined use of pain medicine and enemas or laxatives may increase your blood levels of magnesium.
Magnesium also modulates activity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPAA) which is a central substrate of the stress response system. Activation of the HPAA instigates adaptive autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses to cope with the demands of the stressor; including increasing anxiety.
The patient should be assessed for signs of toxicity (e.g., visual changes, somnolence, flushing, muscle paralysis, loss of patellar reflexes) or pulmonary edema. If these signs are observed, a physician must be notified.
Extreme cases can cause muscle spasms and tremors (shakes that you can't control). Over time, low magnesium can weaken your bones, give you bad headaches, make you feel nervous, and even hurt your heart. It can also lead to low levels of other important minerals like calcium and potassium.
Magnesium helps relax muscles and calm the brain, which can help you to sleep better. But, unlike melatonin, it won't actually make you drowsy or feel sleepy.
Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs the mineral magnesium. It also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones. Magnesium is needed for many functions in the body. This includes the physical and chemical processes in the body that convert or use energy (metabolism).
Particularly, in patients with sensory urgency or detrusor instability, magnesium administration improves subjective urinary symptoms. Moreover, low magnesium concentrations can lead to bladder spasm and urinary frequency.
If your results show you have a higher than normal amount of magnesium, it may be a sign of: Addison disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands. Kidney disease. Dehydration, the loss of too much bodily fluids.
Frequent urination is a symptom of many different conditions and can have a wide variety of treatments. It can be a symptom of pregnancy or a urinary tract infection, or more serious or long-lasting conditions like diabetes, overactive bladder or prostate issues.
Drinking too much fluid during the evening can cause you to urinate more often during the night. Caffeine and alcohol after dinner can also lead to this problem. Other common causes of urination at night include: Infection of the bladder or urinary tract.
When taken in very large amounts (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.
Magnesium is important for maintaining muscle and nervous system function, cardiac electrical properties, and for supporting immune system as well as regulating glucose and insulin metabolism [2,3].
For this reason, overdosing on magnesium supplements may lead to a condition known as hypotension—when blood pressure drops too low. And, while high blood pressure is damaging, low blood pressure could impair your ability to regulate blood flow and lead to dizziness or light-headedness.
Extra info: If muscle cramps occur despite taking magnesium, you should consult a doctor, especially if you are suffering from additional symptoms such as numbness, tingling sensations or muscle weakness.
Low magnesium is often overlooked as the culprit. In addition, as your magnesium levels continue to decrease, your dizziness symptoms could actually develop into vertigo, which can make it difficult to perform daily duties, such as going to work or just getting out of bed.
A deficiency in Magnesium (along with potassium) can cause palpitations and force the heart into fatal arrhythmias including Atrial Fibrillation.
Normal Results
The normal range for blood magnesium level is 1.7 to 2.2 mg/dL (0.85 to 1.10 mmol/L).
A health care practitioner may order a magnesium test to check for a deficiency as part of an evaluation of malabsorption, malnutrition, diarrhea, or alcoholism. Testing may also be performed when someone is taking medications that can cause the kidneys to excrete magnesium.