LONGECITY

I have taken Magnesium Citrate from the NOW brand a couple times and have been able to link it to serious constipation, one time for almost four whole days. Why this would happen?

Hmm, thanks for bringing that up. I experienced constipation too but didnt know what it was. May be the magnesium citrate I started. I'm normal now though.

The odd part of my four-day experience was that I usually eat meals with generous amounts of fiber supplied by foods like broccoli, spinach and chickpeas. This still couldn't overcome 400 mg of Magnesium Citrate.

I have never had that effect, but it's certainly possible that the binding agents in the pills might be causing it. Might be worth trying a different brand and/or liquid sources.

Magnesium Citrate Side Effects

Magnesium citrate does not cause any harm, provided it is taken in the correct dosage. If taken in excess, it has a number of side effects. The permissible dosage of magnesium citrate for adults is 11-25 mg. Magnesium citrate is not suitable for children who are below the age of 6 years. For children above 6 years, the dosage should not exceed 6 mg. Magnesium citrate is safe for elderly people, provided the dosage is appropriate. It is not advisable for use by people with certain health problems. Some common side effects of magnesium citrate are listed below:

* Excessive intake of magnesium citrate can lead to severe diarrhea.
* It can also cause giddiness, headache, throat pain and skin rashes. Sometimes, it can cause blockage of the intestines too.
* It does not have any adverse effects when taken with any other drug. However, it is advisable to keep a gap of, at least two hours between consumption of magnesium citrate and any other drug.
* Constipation often hurts the stomach due to pressure from the intestines, and this pain may be aggravated by the intake of magnesium citrate, which forces the fecal matter through the intestines.
* Patients suffering from constipation should not take magnesium citrate for a prolonged period of time, as it can damage the natural metabolic power of the bowels, resulting in failure of the bowel to carry out its function without the aid of any laxatives.
* Pregnant women or lactating mothers should strictly avoid magnesium citrate drugs, as they can enter the body of the embryo or of the infant (through breast milk).
* Magnesium citrate is not suited for those who have kidney diseases, heart ailments or any history of anal fissures.

Magnesium citrate side effects do not cause any threat to life. However, it gives the best results when taken on an empty stomach, with or followed by ample amount of liquids like water or juice. Intake of sufficient amounts of water or juice prevents any kind of complications.

11-25 mg as permissible dose seems _very_ low to me.

Meat, please cite the source, because numerous other articles over google say that magnesium citrate functions as a laxative to treat constipation at much higher doses than 25mg.

i just googled magnesium citrate and its one of the 1st hits were side effects

25mg is a joke. I take over 2000mg per day and no constipation or the opposite. It is very nice and effective at that dose. No more cramps and a nice calming effect and better sleep.

Yeah, what's this 11-25mg for adults nonsense? Adults need hundreds of mg of elemental magnesium daily from diet plus supplementation, which translates into multiple hundreds of mg of citrate.

Magnesium acts an osmotic laxative. I'm not saying you are necessarily mistaken about the cause/effect relationship here but I have never heard of this before (ever).