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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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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)
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.
FYI magnesium lowers the heart rate.
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.
I get PVCs at anytime, but more so after I exert myself such as exercising, etc.
Any advice?
Thank you.
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