I was eventually diagnosed with AF, albeit paroxysmally, in June 2012 after years (>10) of my symptoms being investigated with no avail.
The incident resulting in my diagnosis was triggered by a Costa slushy iced drink on a very hot day.
I brought the take away drink home with me one afternoon, so was at home on my own when I took several large sips of this icy drink, felt it freeze it's path to my stomach before my heart began visibly jumping about!
I am used to short runs of what I've been told were 'ectopic beats' but nothing like this before. I tried taking my blood pressure and pulse with my cuff monitor but it was registering with an error as it could not pick up a pulse.
I fruitlessly tried coughing and jumping, which usually abates my short runs.
I was really frightened, thinking I could die with no one to help me and thought I was best off driving to my GP's, less than a mile away. My arms were twitching and my chest still jumping around when I arrived at the GP's. The GP took my pulse which he thought was ~ 180 and then called an ambulance.
The paramedic wired me up to an ECG monitor which recorded it all. Eventually. Thankfully. Luckily for me I reverted to regular rhythm without intervention after 90 mins. I am under Harefield Hospital with no medication to take other than Flecainide as a 'pill in the pocket'. I have not taken one yet.
After the AF diagnosis I did a huge amount of research and decided to take various supplements including 800mg of magnesium daily. I have not experienced another scary episode like the vagally induced icy one but still have some intermittent short bursts, of usually 10 or so beats. I haven't been waking in the night with a racing heart rate as I had fairly regularly before, since starting these supplements. Whether that is down to them, there's no way of proving.
However, one thing that has certainly improved are my cholesterol levels.
I have a CHADS2 score of 0 and my cholesterol levels have always been ok and just under 5.
My total level for years has been 4.9 but rose slightly to 5.2 in my last test 18 months ago.
No change in diet.
However, I have just, last week, had another fasting cholesterol test and my total levels are now 3.79!!!! (HDL= 1.46, TRIG = 0.8, LDL=1.96, TC/HDL= 2.6).
The only difference is the supplements I have taken religiously for 18 months.
I'm so pleased. Has anyone else experienced positive changes with magnesium supplements?
Written by
fallingtopieces
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Hi and welcome to the forum. So good to hear a positive report, thank you. When my PAF first started around 7 years ago I took magnesium daily, but unfortunately it made my stomach sore. I used magnesium citrate and I'm wondering if you are using a different type?
The Magnesium I'm taking at the moment is a compound one, oxide+citrate. I always take it on top of my breakfast though, alongside a big cup of tea too. I find that if I take them without a reasonable amount of food I can feel them in my stomach making it feel a bit raw.
I know 800mg is a large amount but it's fine with me. I did a bit of trial and error with doses, going up to 1200mg but reduced it back to 800-900mg which doesn't have adverse affects on me, toilet wise. (It is a good bowel regulator too.) Magnesium seems to be good for so many things.
Why don't you give it another go and try it alongside a decent breakfast with a drink?
It was difficult to tell how much good, if any, it was doing me, until this cholesterol test which was a real bonus as I had no idea it lowered that too! It can't just be a coincidence in my view.
I also use bath salts now which are also magnesium and can absorb through the skin.
Wow excellent, I should try them. My cholesterol was always around 3.9 but on a recent usual MOT at the GPs surgery my cholesterol came back at 6.3.
I am overweight but I've always been the same but my cholesterol has never really risen like if has lately, I'm due another blood test soon but all I have done us given up eggs and taken cholesterol lowering drinks and spread. The magnesium sounds good though. Do you know if it affects your warfarin or any other meds?
You can eat eggs, they have cholesterol in them but don't affect the cholesterol in your blood apparently.
I'm not on any meds myself but I followed the magnesium advice given on the US website 'Afibbers'. Look it up.
Most of the members there seem to be on combinations of blood thinners, beta blockers and heart rhythm drugs.
I really had no idea Magnesium would lower cholesterol but knew it helped to regulate heart rhythm. I only googled the possible cholesterol connection today and it's definitely connected.
I research everything thoroughly these days( thank heavens for the internet).
I also take a good fish oil capsule, co enzyme Q10, D3, potassium and hawthorn. All recommended on Afibbers.
I am 54 and overweight too. I eat well, no rubbish but just too much unfortunately.
You're exactly like me, I'm 57, I'm overweight but not massively, I eat healthily too and obviously I should watch my portion size!! I also take a fish oil capsule and have felt the benefit of this. I'm really intrigued with this magnesium supplement so I'm going to get some tomorrow, thanks so much for this info, I've been a bit concerned about my cholesterol. Have a good weekend. X
I have taken the magnesium almost every single day(forgotten a few!) for 18 months, No way of knowing how long it took to have that effect on my cholesterol though. Could have just been 3 months or perhaps it's all happened recently?
I'm post menopausal now so I thought my levels were naturally going up because of that, I expected it even.
I bought my Magnesium on the Amazon website and take 2x 400mg as the health shops all seemed to be more expensive and have lower doses of 200mg or even combining Mag. with something else, so watch out!
One capsule I take has a B vitamin in, so I take 400mg with B vit and 400mg magnesium only.
Remember, it may have an affect on your bowel movements(which I've found a positive) just adjust the dose to suit you, don't give up!
Wow, your current cholesterol levels deserve congratulations! My surgery suggested that half a teaspoonful of cinnamon on toast or in porridge might be beneficial to help lower cholesterol. Of course cinnamon does contain Vitamin K, but then I have about the same amount each day.
I think you might have to eat impossibly large amounts of cinnamon to make much difference to INR, Susiebelle. Apparently one tablespoon provides 2.4 micrograms of vitamin K. A tablespoon of parsley (one of the front runners and way ahead of spinach and broccoli) has 62 micrograms. There are lots of sites that will give you information about Vitamin K content, but it is too much effort to single out this and that. Some people eat all sorts of things and have stable INRs and some of us are erratic.
When I asked a cardiologist about magnesium supplements she replied that it cannot be digested through supplements?! I have also read this in a lot of reports. There is one formulation that supposedly is more readily absorbed, I think it is mentioned on the AFibbers site, but I am wary of messing with my electrolytes without professionals advice. I won't buy supplements from any stores other than the one the professional nutritionists use which begins with L.
I started taking Q10, fish oil, spiralina, & Vit C about 1 year ago and without any diet change other than adding porridge oats to my morning fruit bowl my cholesterol is down this year from 6.2 to 5.5, still too high I know but going the right way. My healthy heart nurse was very enthusiastic. What surprised me even more is that my sugar levels are way down and I have reversed red alert diebetes. Couldn't tell you what exactly helped! I am also overweight and finding very difficult to shift it as I seem to be hungrier than I used to be, especially in the evenings.
I do wish we could have more access to nutritionists for information & support, is there any forum member out there who is a qualified nutritionist who might help?
Only other comment would be to beware of fillers in supplements, there is a high street brand which advertises a 50mg tablet, if you analyse it, it contains more than 50% filler such as talc. My plea would be always read the ingredients label very carefully before purchase.
G'day, fallingtopieces,
I don't use any sort of magnesium supplements, and Cholesterol has always been reasonably well controlled (currently 3.3). However, 15 months after diagnosis I linked the onset of an AF event with diet as I was suffering badly from, Bloating, burping, intestinal gurgling, flatulence and diahorrea. Bloating was the worst as I could feel it put pressure on my heart - could really feel it. Having got tested and cleared of IBS and Coeliac Disease I ditched the NHS and went private to a nutrionist who put me on a diet and now (just over 3 years after contacting the nutrionist) I'm pleased to say I can't remember when I last had an AF event. Still get the occasional palpitation but nothing to get worked up about. Interestingly the day AF hit me for the first time I felt crap, like I had some weird 'flu. But what gave me the real clue was the way my digital BP monitor went off its brain !! At the time my normal BP was about 136/85 but it suddenly started dropping - at the time my GP put me in hospital it had dropped to about 90/50 - but, and picking up your points - it also started giving me error messages and wouldn't give any reading at all. Thinking it was the monitors batteries I replaced them. Made no difference still shedloads of error messages interspersed with the downward readings. I decided this was my Apollo 13 moment - 'Houston, we have a problem'. The rest is history. So not quite the same as you but a similar journey. It also appears to me that while the AF journey is different for all of us - so too is the vagal journey.
I do take some supplements, Bio Q10 and a very pure Arctic Cod Liver Oil ( and very expensive - not supermarket grade) and a banana a day!
Cheers
Aussie John
Hi falling, and welcome, very interesting story and yes, well done on the cholesterol. I'm in the 57 (this year, anyway) and a bit overweight club (clue is in the name)... Very interested in the magnesium, I will try to do some research, my cholesterol was 4.8 last time it was taken and obviously I'd like it to be lower. I'd never heard of cinnamon Rellim, as a cholesterol lower at any rate, also very interesting!
Very , very interesting thread. Thanks falling for putting it here. my dr gave me the electrolyte sups taken for diarrhea and I'm sure they help perhaps I'll ask him for some extra magnesium. Terjo
Really interested on your comments on supplements. after years of being fine on a 'normal healthy diet' (plus chocolate!!) I was diagnosed with PAF last year. Since then I have added Q10, then magnesium, supplements to my diet and ....well, I've only had a single , mild episode of AF. Of course it's difficult to say that it's because of the supplements but I feel that the Q10 in particular is beneficial. Oh, and then there's my breakfast banana!
But might these supplements affect warfarin - I swear the change of wind can affect INR levels ..... Searching for a different anti-coagulant which has an antidote ....
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At the time my normal BP was about 136/85 but it suddenly started dropping - at the time my GP put me in hospital it had dropped to about 90/50 - but, and picking up your points - it also started giving me error messages and wouldn't give any reading at all. Thinking it was the monitors batteries I replaced them. Made no difference still shedloads of error messages interspersed with the downward readings. I decided this was my Apollo 13 moment - 'Houston, we have a problem'. The rest is history. So not quite the same as you but a similar journey. It also appears to me that while the AF journey is different for all of us - so too is the vagal journey.
Recent diagnosis of Paroxysmal AF and underlining Lown-Ganong-Levine (LGL) syndrome 
New to AF and this forum
Confused
up date on Potassium effects!!
Newly diagnosed with paroxysmal AF and very confused!
