GP approval

[Tyson4ever]

Just out of interest, those of you taking magnesium , did you get it ok'd by your doctor first or not.

Jo

[azriverrat]

In the US but no. Then again I take a normal amount not any high dose. Same with potasium. A normal dose nothing overboard.

[creschendo]

I mentioned it to my cardiologist & based on the blood test results he had in front of him he said it won't help as in his view there was no deficiency showing. I think this is a well understood phenomenum - blood levels vs serum levels. However he also said it won't do any harm, so net result was no encouragement but also no discouragement.

All the best

Ric

[ultramarine in reply to creschendo]

I went to an EP after I was currently taking it and he said to double the dose that I was already on and eventually got it approved by my GP. So it depends on the Specialist. I am in Australia.

[traveler65 in reply to ultramarine]

@ultramarine look at affibers.org

[ultramarine in reply to traveler65]

traveler65 I have researched my own condition in depth, for over 4 years and the medication I am on is still being addressed by myself with my Electrophysioligist and GP - I am not on warfarin and never have been but eventually got onto Eliquis and still take this. A list of my medications are always updated and given to any medics.

As far as I am concerned my Electrophysiologist is my best bet for any questions during this ongoing condition, as my medicines are in front of him, the decision then rests with me. Please see my reply again to Tyson4ever which states this as I am not a Health professional.

[traveler65 in reply to creschendo]

@creschendo look at affibers.or

[Hidden]

Most GPs and Cardiologists will say your Mg levels will be fine and with their blood test they usually are.

However, my Naturopath said have a 'red cell' blood test (in the UK through BioLab London) and that was low.He put me on an Mg compound with other good stuff for AFers plus CoQ10 (as that level was low also) as he said they work together to stop AF.

I did get the OK from my GP and Cardiologist who like 'crescendo''s were sceptical but not against it.

[traveler65 in reply to Hidden]

@orchardworkr look at affibers.org

[Barb385]

I did mention it as I was seeing him anyway. I knew from blood tests I was low 0.8 when minimum should be 1.7. I was slightly surprised no-on had suggested it - but I don't think anyone looks very carefully at the overall picture. I've been taking it nearly 3 months now. I saw an immediate improvement in my blood pressure.

[Elaine1951]

My cardiologist said it was a good idea. Standard tests will always indicate mg levels are ok. I follow dr Sanjay Gupta s advice and take it

[tibetan36]

I take magnesium for cramps.....Cardiologist knows I'm taking it and says nothing.

[Hidden]

I used to add vitamin and mineral supplements to my medication list to take into hospital - it included magnesium - but they only wanted to check that I wasn't taking St John's Wort.

[traveler65 in reply to Hidden]

@john-Boy look at affibers.org

[Jonty_13]

Id be interested in the replies also. Everything I've researched suggested that even though blood levels may show ok that you may still have a deficiency. I spoke to one of my GPs who gave me a chemistry lesson on why it wouldn't make any difference and could be damaging. Therefore I have shyed away from supplements and focused on food intake. However, the more I read, it could take 6 months to correct at serum level and supplements in addition to a better diet seems to be the way to go. There are test but they seem hard to get access to. I plan to speak to my pharmacist as well. My arrhythmia nurse was also a little dismissive. I do think he was not up on the very latest research.

My conclusion at the moment is to start but start small dosage and monitor. I think this also needs to be done with other lifestyle changes and I'm trying diet, aiming to lose weight 17kg I'm currently 100 down from 107kg, and exercise. I'm struggling here a little as it clearly triggers my AFib if I do too much.

Therefore I'm going to give it a go and just research the best type to take.

Regards

Jonty

[traveler65]

@jonty-13 Most allopathic physicians do not know anything about nutrition. Their viewpoint is that every symptom is a disease to be treated with a drug. The proper magnesiuum test is for red blood cell magnesium. If the upper range on the lab s is for es. 6.5 , then a healthy a,mount for you is 6.5 or 7 This means you have emnough magnesium. Also unless you plan to spend all day in the bathroom do not use magnesium oxide or magnesium chloride as these are not the ones for your heart/. Use magnesium glycinate and magnesium taurate. I did not qask anyh doctor if I should take them but spent a great dela of time reading about this. On as follow up visit with my electrophysiologist, I showed him a list of all the supplements I use and asked is there anyting on here that I should not be taking. He was very glad I was taking everything as he said every cell in my body needed all this. The mitochondria (energy factories) in your heart muscle cells require enough active T3 thyroid, magnesiuma dn CoQ10 in order to manufacture ATP (energy=life). Not necessarily to run a marathon-but just to be alive. REad as much info as you can find . Look for pure brands such as metabolic maintenance and pure encapsulations and healthy origins.

After the ablation, before I left the hospital, my EP told me to make sure I kept my electrolytes, especially potassium and magnesium high enough (but not too high) or the sotalol I was taking (which depletes the body of those nutrients) could cause torsade des pointes (rapid ventricular tachicardia--usually fatal). Before I was discharged I went into abnormal sinus rhythm because Idid not have all my supplements with me and I also refused hospital food as it would have been bad for me (we were staying in a nearby hotel with a kitchen in the room and had brought our own food---we were a far distance from the hospital to my home_)--- so before discharge I received an IV of magnesium sulfate and ate 2 bananas for the potassium. The heart normalized. I take about 900 mg magnesium spread out over the day and taken with food, although this may not be the amoutn useful for you. Potassium I get primarily form food although one of the supplements contains 49.5 mg potassium-- taken once a day -this is country life target mins with the ratio of calcium to magnesium 1:1 and phosphorus is half that and potassum is atiny amount. the magnesium and other mins are different kinds of chelates. Thisis all something you need to research on your own to decide what is helathy and not dangerous for you. A holistic cardiologist/someonw with a PhD in nutrition who is researching nutrition and afib or nutrition and heart health would be useful for you. You may only be able to find info from someone like this on line--visiting them may be costly dependin on where they are located.

[Jonty_13]

Traveler65, thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to put your thoughts down. i will certainly follow your advice and do some more research. I will also try and see if I can get a red blood cell test done. Thanks again

[traveler65 in reply to Jonty_13]

@jonty_13 look at this website affibers.org

[10gingercats in reply to traveler65]

Re, affibers.org.Very interesting!I take 400mg of mag. citrate daily plus i eat a lot of nuts.After an accident and a hip replace. the surgeon told me my calcium levels were excellent ......I am in late 70s.Si shall keep popping the pills and eating the nuts.....Plus my AF is pretty much silent .

[Hidden]

I did ask, yes, and the doctor said as long as I took it more than two hours before or after the warfarin it wouldn't be a problem.

[ILowe in reply to Hidden]

Why? What has it got to do with Warfarin? I have been taking it for three months now, and take it at the same time as Warfarin and have not noticed anything unusual in the INR. But if there is a good reason, then this would be important to know, and surely, Dr Sanjay Gupta, knowing that most AF people are taking anticoagulants, surely he would have said something when he advocated Magnesium?

[Hidden in reply to ILowe]

Oh, I am sure it's just my doctor being super cautious. I've never found anything myself that says it has a reaction with warfarin. I just asked, and that's what she said. I guess she may have been relying on something like this sharecare.com/health/antico...