Health Risks from Excessive Magnesium Although the risk of acquiring too much magnesium from food is low among healthy people, high doses of magnesium from dietary supplements or medications can cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping.
Doses less than 350 mg daily are safe for most adults. In some people, magnesium might cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other side effects. When taken in doses greater than 350 mg daily, magnesium is possibly unsafe.
Magnesium can cause diarrhea, especially when taken in higher doses or certain forms like magnesium citrate. If diarrhea occurs within 24 hours of starting magnesium, it may be a side effect. To reduce symptoms, consider lowering the dose or switching to a different magnesium type.
Yes, magnesium can cause headaches, but usually only when you have too much (hypermagnesemia) from high-dose supplements or impaired kidneys, while a deficiency in magnesium is a common cause of headaches and migraines, making magnesium supplementation a popular treatment for prevention. So, headaches can signal either too little or too much magnesium, depending on the context.
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.
Nassar notes that most adults don't need to be too worried about their magnesium levels. "For the average person who maintains a well-balanced diet, it's rare to be deficient in magnesium," Dr. Nassar says. That's because it's naturally found in many foods.
Early signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur [1,2].
Excessive supplemental magnesium can cause nausea, abdominal cramping and diarrhea, flushing of the face and lethargy. Magnesium supplements can also interact negatively with some antibiotics and medications like diuretics and heart medications.
Certain medications should not be taken with magnesium, including certain antibiotics, PPI drugs, diuretics, bisphosphonates, and high doses of zinc. If you take any of these medications and might need to supplement your diet with magnesium, speak to your healthcare provider.
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.
Bananas are the richest fruit in magnesium. If eaten dried, its magnesium content is higher. More generally, dried fruits such as figs, dates and apricots are an important source of magnesium. Recipe idea: Try a banana-spinach smoothie.
Magnesium can cause diarrhea when taken in high doses because it draws water into the gut, causing at least three loose or liquid bowel movements per day.
Magnesium is not well-absorbed orally, and much of it passes through the colon, causing diarrhea. The more magnesium you take, the more diarrhea you are likely to have, so the first step is cutting back on the magnesium. That should reduce or resolve the diarrhea if the magnesium is causing it.
Taking amounts of 5,000 mg per day can result in magnesium toxicity. 1 This might happen by taking a very large dose of laxatives or antacids that contain magnesium. Toxicity can produce severe symptoms, including low blood pressure, weakness, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, and death.
An essential mineral involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body, magnesium helps convert food into energy, supports muscle and nerve function, and helps regulate blood pressure and maintain brain health.
Individuals with nerve or muscle conditions – People with conditions like myasthenia gravis should avoid taking magnesium, as it can interfere with the function of some nerve and muscle-related medications.
Magnesium should not be taken with certain medications, such as blood pressure and diabetes drugs, thyroid medication, and some antibiotics. Magnesium may also interact with other supplements.
Some good sources of magnesium are:
Signs of more severe magnesium toxicity (when your magnesium is too high) may include:
Among the WIC-eligible foods that provide magnesium are:
Among the known magnesium deficiency causes are prescription medications such as diuretics, antibiotics, painkillers and cortisone, which can deplete magnesium levels in the body by impairing absorption or by increasing excretion by the kidneys.
For drinks high in magnesium, opt for mineral waters, fruit juices (especially orange, cherry, watermelon), plant-based milks (soy, almond), and homemade concoctions using raw cacao, coconut milk, or magnesium powders mixed with water or smoothies, with hot chocolate (made with raw cacao) and herbal teas (like nettle) also being good choices.
Imtiaz: Taking magnesium can be harmful if you're not deficient. The most common side effect is diarrhea, especially from poorly absorbed magnesium, such as magnesium oxide.