Be Patient with Magnesium...It May Take Awhile

I wanted to share some personal info in case others have prematurely given up on magnesium to aid in pvc's and pvc symptoms.

A little history on my heart... I've been living with PVC's in varying degrees of intensity for a few years now. My cardiologist had given me the full workup (including a 30 day event monitor) and my diagnosis was benign pvcs. He sent me on my way and told me that I was perfectly healthy and to try my best to keep my mind at ease and ignore the symptoms the PVCs were producing.

Fast forward to today.... I've been taking magnesium (300 mg of magnesium citrate) via a product called Natural Calm for about four months. Originally my family doctor (an MD with extensive knowledge of supplements) thought I should try it for my high blood pressure, but over time I've found some wonderfully surprising benefits that I didn't expect. He initially suggested a topical magnesium since you don't get the digestive issues and its supposed to be the best absorbed. I bought Ancient Minerals Magnesium oil tried it topically for a month and it didn't work. When I saw him again a few months later, still complaining of high bp, insomnia and anxiety he wanted me to try magnesium again and recommended Natural Calm. This time I noticed changes pretty soon, although not PVC's initially. After one week I was sleeping perfectly (I've had quite severe insomnia for a few years now). After about 2 weeks I saw my blood pressure start to fall and its been normal ever since. The BP has been a battle for years and I had to keep upping my dose of procardia xl and it was still high. Now I am completely off medication and the BP has been normal for months. As for the PVC's... I didn't notice any change at first, but after about three months into the supplementation I can say that it is very rare that I feel one and its usually only one or two together. In the past I would have strings of them and lots of yucky symptoms to go along with it. That has all gradually changed. Now four months after starting magnesium I notice that a day or two around ovulation i may notice one or two PVCs and then around my period each month I notice a couple, but they have GREATLY diminished. I read that if you are truly magnesium deficient (which I would also like to mention is hard to diagnose because my blood work showed my mag levels were fine) that it may take some time for everything to be restored. The body uses magnesium in hundreds of functions, so it may send the new stores of magnesium where it is needed the most first.

So if you tried magnesium for a short time and gave up, you may want to give it another try. OR if you tried one kind of magnesium you might want to try another kind to see if its absorbed better. I would stay on one kind for at least one month and see if you feel better in general, then give it another couple of months to see if PVC's are helped. My Dr. recommended I read the Magnesium Miracle, which i haven't yet, but the dr who wrote it has a great blog with lots of helpful ideas on finding the right magnesium for you.

Just wanted to share this info, because when I was researching magnesium i was skeptical from the range of success and failures people had with it. But I'm pleasantly surprised and feeling really much better with no other medication at all.

[merileegal]

Thanks for the information. I started using calm magnesium and citrate and just ran out. I just ordered a different brand of calcium and citrated. I'm hoping it works as well. Do you order your calm on line and if so where is an econimical place to get it? It is a littlepricey.

[mzak69]

I am struggling with PVCs as we speak. My dr put me on metaprolol tartrate 25mg twice a day and a potassium supplement Klor-con 20MEQ. I also started taking 250 mg of Magnesium about 2 weeks ago. I am still getting the PVCs.

I get PVCs at anytime, but more so after I exert myself such as exercising, etc.

Any advice?  

Thank you.

[bbxx]

FYI magnesium lowers the heart rate.

[colby12]

Magnesium Malate is actually the best form of Magnesium to take for PAC or PVC because not only is it a chelated form which has a high bio-availablility but the malate form works with a part of the Krebs cycle that targets muscle cells including your heart muscle cells. Studies have shown the people who die from PVC induced MI had a very low functioning or non exsistant Magnesium Malate Kreb cycle function. I am in a Respritory Therapy program and we have to know ion function as a matter of routine to keep patients alive. Magnesium is a ion that is  critical in the balance of homestasis as it relates to cell function. It is simple in the fact that if your magnesium is low your cells lose their ability to perform their normal function and in the case of heart muscle pace maker cells they will lose the ability to fire properly at regular intervals causing PAC & PVCs. Also normal blood serum levels of  magnesium does not indicate that magnesium in your cells is normal or not deficient. Thus the chelated forms should be taken as most know by now. I had arrythmias that were getting so bad that it was getting hard to breathe on occasion. I started taken Magnesium Glycinate and my PACs went down by half. Then I read the studies on the Krebs-Malate cycle combined with my own knowledge from my University work. I do not have ANY arrythmia as long as I take the Malate form of Magnesium. I take Magnesium Malate from Source Naturals.  

[bbxx]

Other ways to increase magnesium is to eat pumpkin seeds and do a foot soak in quality epsom salts. (of course this is not a huge increase by any means) but I was told by my doctor (albeit and integrated doc) to eat lots of magnesium rich foods. (for those who dont want to down supplements)

[viperron]

I've been taking Natural Calm for about 9 months now and my skips are down by 97%, I noticed the difference within 1 day, if you take the correct amount. However I do suffer from diarrhea as I need lots of mg for the best result, so I supplement my Natural Calm with Angstrom mg which does not go thru the digestive system, therefor no diarrhea....My heart rate at night while resting is often in the low 60's or high 50's, that's down by about 15 to 25 bpm and my blood pressure is way down. I am not crazy about the low heart rate but as I learn about the amount of mg to take I have noticed that very seldom will I ever have a skip when my heart rate is low. I'm still learning but I am a believer im MG, I've read almost everything I can find and keep wondering why not ONE DOCTOR did not tell me about this .......it would have saved me years and years of anxiety and a ton of money...

[scisland]

Great info on the Magnesium Malate, so interesting. I may try to cycle that in later. Although things are going so well I hate to rock the boat!!!!

Marileegal, I buy my Natural Calm at Whole Foods. It is a bit pricey (I think $25), but its so worth it to me I'd pay $50. Everyone should at least give it a try. It won't hurt, can only help.

[scisland]

viperron....I'm trying to find that perfect dosage that will provide me enough magnesium but no diarrhea. I was taking 300mg spread in three doses throughout the day (as Natural Calm recommends), now have backed it down to 250mg and its gotten a little better. How much angstrom do you take to replace some of the Natural Calm?

I'm also in total agreement about why cardiologists don't at least have patients give it a try. I suffered not only with PVC's, but horrible general anxiety and insomnia for at least two years. The difference has been amazing for me and I am so thankful to feel better.

[viperron]

Just remember that you can basically take all the angstrom mg you  want as your body will get rid of what it doesn't need, and no loose stool, however I think that the natural calm does a little bit better job. I usually take two level teaspoons full of natural calm a day, once in the morning and once in the evening and mix 1 once of angstrom mg with a very small bottle of orange jucie and take it to bed with me and drink it during the nite. I was taking quite a bit more of both for a long time but it seems that possibly my body may be catching up with the need for mg. If you get a chance to read all the symtoms (symptoms) of lack of mg you will find it very interesting....After reading the list I could place several of my problems with the lack of mg, one being kidney stones which I've suffered with during my life. Please remember I am also learning about the proper way and amounts of mg to take, as we do not have anyone or any doctors to help us out ( there is no money to be made selling mg so you can almost count out doctors and drug companies trying to help us)  Ron

[scisland]

Thank you. I think its just finding the right balance. I'll report back if I have any new news that others may find helpful.

[is_something_wrong]

Just my two cents here, be careful by self-medicating with magnesium. It may help (especially towards PACs) but it may also worsen the situation. Magnesium is a natural calcium channel blocker.

If you have AV block, slow heart rate in general or kidney problems, be VERY careful taking magnesium. If the PVCs are caused by electrolyte imbalances, be very careful too. I would ask my doctor before trying to treat a condition.

[viperron]

If you had a doctor worth 2 cents he may have already looked into helping you with mg, however he can't make any money or get a free golf trip to Augusta having you use mg. The sooner many of you realize this the better off you will probably be. Did you know the first thing that probably would be done if you have a heart attack is to be put on a slow mg drip. I don't pretend to believe for a minute that mg is the answer to all problems however I will bet it would help over 50% of the people on this blog if they would simply study it. What would be even better if the doctoc would participate in this mg experiment, as if that would ever happen. Anyone that has ever read one of my entries knows how I feel about doctors, after suffering for almost 4 decades and only getting help by what I found on the internet.....THAT simply is NOT RIGHT.. I will agree that it will in fact slow your heart rate and if you already have this problem you must be careful. I can only speak for myself and the help mg has given me. I must restate WHY did I have to find this out on my own. No one has ever tried to answer this for me, maybe you will be the first.

[merileegal]

So if mg slows the heart rate down, does it also lower blood pressure???? Are the two related?

[is_something_wrong]

Yes, Mg can lower blood pressure, but in some cases increase it according to my doctor. Viper, I don't disagree but for some people, mg can be dangerous. If it relieves a benign but annoying condition in some people but creates a dangerous condition in a few, the net effect is probably not so good. Just check if you can/should use mg and all is good.

[merileegal]

I've been taking mag and my resting bp has been as low as 78/54 in the morning. Don't know that it is caused by the mag but I'm going to experiment with it. It's really hard to wake up and get going with it that low. I've been off for 4 days now because it stops a med I'm on from working effectively. I haven't taken my bp for a few days because I haven't been so lethargic. The anitbiotic could've made a difference in my energy level. This will be interesting to track.

[viperron]

What med are you taking that mg is affecting?  Merileegal, yes mg will lower you blood pressure, sometimes considerably. All my life I've had a fairly high heart rate and now in the evenings I'm often in the mid 50's to mid 60's. I will admit that the 50's concern me a bit but I have had no other side effects and I am a bit of a hypo, not very proud of the hypo part but it who I am. I totally agree that if you already have a slow heart rate you may need to consult a MD. I apologize for being so down on doctors but I've had some real bad experiences with them in the past.

[merileegal]

I'm taking cipro for a uti. I've never used it before and I'm actually quite nervous using it after reading all the scary stuff about it. Mg affects the absorption of the med so you're not supposed to take calcium, mag, or straight milk products for 2 hours before and 6 hours after you take cipro. I just had an ablation 2 weeks ago for SVT and my gyn. dr. perscribed this. I just feel  a little nervous about it. One of the things it does is cause arrythmias which I really haven't noticed it has done a lot of but it is still a concern.

My heart rate is actually fine, usually in the upper 60's upon waking in the morning. It is my blood pressure I'm worried about. It is usually in the 90/70 something and while on mag ( I think) it has been much lower. When I get off this terrible med, (and it may be sooner than the 7 days) I'm going to experiment with the mag a little and test its effects of my blood pressure.

[mzak69]

Does anyone know if the different types of magnesium (oxide, citrate, malate) have the same effectiveness? For example, if you take 500mg of the oxide form (which I do), is it equivalent to 500mg of citrate or malate? Do they assimilate in our body differently?

Also, does the type of magnesium dictate a different dosage? I am trying to determine which one is the most effective and what the dose should be to control PVCs.

Thanks.

[curmudgen]

read this web site - http://www.livestrong.com/article/251947-types-of-magnesium-supplements/

[merileegal]

I went to the website that curmudgen left. It was very imformative. I looked around that website a little more and found more info on other types of mag, namely citrate and malate.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/470620-the-differences-between-magnesium-magnesium-citrate/