Low magnesium

[waterlady]

I have been told by a Homepathy that I am low in the above. Can anyone suggest what foods I could eat, I have muscle twitching all the time in both legs and back. I do like fresh fruit and vegetables, nut and seeds

[AML82]

I’m not sure about foods, but Pedialyte is great for magnesium, zinc and chloride

[Zest]

Hi waterlady

There is a section on Magnesium in the NHS pages - here is a link:

nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-...

Zest

[AnnieW55]

There’s quite a good list of foods here. But milk, 85%+ Chocolate, Spinach, potatoes, almonds, avocados to name a few contain magnesium.

myfooddata.com/articles/foo...

[Cooper27 Administrator]

I would suggest supplementing in the first instance, to top your levels up. Many of our soils are deplete in magnesium, which is why so many of us are deficient these days. Eating magnesium containing foods aren't likely going to top your levels up quickly enough.

A good quality magnesium citrate/magnesium malate supplement will be a good place to start

[MrRigatoni]

Hello pleased to meet you.

Tetany tremors as you said is caused by lack of Magnesium.

List of foods include Pulses Beans.

Whole grain whole wheat products.

Leafy greens and green vegetables.

Dried Fruit Figs Sesame Seeds.

Eat PNB on bread toast helps sources Magnesium, Protein .

Please anything can help with ask

[waterlady in reply to MrRigatoni]

Thank you for replying. My homepathy thinks that my apixaban was stopping me absorb nutrients. I have changed to edoxaban, 6 days now, and my pulsing, tremors have got a lot worse. I was on apixaban 7 years. I have been back to the doctors several times and blood tests show ok, but I am now at my wits end. The twitching is 24 hours a day, not sleeping, getting weaker. Any ideas would be so appreciated.

[MrRigatoni in reply to waterlady]

Hello please can I ask what are taking from the Homopathy treatement.?

Why need to ask because it is possible certain herbal medicines can interact with your own medications.

Common one is St Johns Wort effects mental health meds.

Mirtazipine, Sertraline need to avoid using herbal meds.

I am not a Doctor but if you having this problem need to be informed if having problems with GP.

Use advocacy services on line or use Rethink mental health services.

rethink.org

Use a voice to help you during consultations and some one to speak for you, if having mental health.

I used them.

One other if you having problems with this medication need to also look diet nutrition as mentioned.

I would suggest speak to local council community health service have wellbeing service.

Looks at diet, nutrition ways to cook healthy be careful right way.

If else where look on line, there be a service for you.

To use.

I used this after alcoholism thought doing Ok yet learnt new things aspects of cooking and food now advise others.

Every one needs to be realised that learning education and knowledge is the key here.

I know a lot bit by bit expanding my knowledge further.

Lot on line courses helpful then you can understand the illness conditions you have more easily.

Find the Doctor knows my expansive knowledge uses me to consult and advise my own conditions with her not saying need that.

I am the Doctor this what I going to for you instead heads together discuss openly and good to be honest.

Helps a lot.

Please take care

[waterlady in reply to MrRigatoni]

Hi, I have just found out from the doctor that my magnesium levels are not low. My tremors/throbbing has been going on for months. When I have had an appointment with the doctors, they can find nothing wrong. But the throbbing is in both legs and back, all day every day. It is utterly depressing, especially with no sign of what it is.

[MrRigatoni in reply to waterlady]

Hello thank you for reply.

Might be worth then looking at the food your eating your diet.

Do a food diary everytime eat something any allergic or problems eating.

I would suggest that.

Throbbing aching and constant weird feelings can be many things restless legs to blood pressure changes.

Understand also of you taking hompathic medicine what exactly then need to know how this effects you .

All homopathic medicines have side effects any herb spice.

Other side effects can be in most herbs spices are increased blood pressure, itching, headaches, migraines, stomach upsets, bowel issues.

If used to excessive amounts.

Muscle pain throbbing and aching could be a sign also of the need to stretch those muscles small tensions do occur if not working.

I have muscle weakness due to alcholism have pain legs throbs aches but a slight stretching and some light relaxing muisc.

Tia Chi works wonders.

Heart and blood systems get rushing sounds humming noises ears and chest electrical activity of the body means get strange sensations..

If taking meds like me get these a lot.

I would advise as mentioned do a food diary make notes have varied diet include plenty of whole grains and pasta rice.

Lean meat and use plenty of veggies fruit.

See what happens.

Please if I can help further please ask.

[kleelibby]

I use magnesium cream, I rub it on the soles of my feet. I’ve read that the skin there is very absorbent. I sleep better when I do this at bedtime.

[Midori]

The easiest is to get some magnesium tablets from your Pharmacist while you are researching what can help. Or you could get some at Wilko or Tesco, two places I get my vitamins and minerals from. They can give you a boost until you can find out which foods are best for it.

Cheers, Midori

[TG58]

Have you considered you might have restless leg, symptoms are pins and needles in your leg, and a waterfall feeling running down your legs.

[Lesley1234567 in reply to TG58]

I sometimes have a waterfall sensation running down my leg. It feels like a draught too. I’m interested in what it is. As I have never given it much thought until I saw your post. Would you be kind enough to reply.

[waterlady in reply to Lesley1234567]

Hi Lesley, not replied sooner because I still have throbbing. At long last I got a blood test for magnesium. Don’t know what the results are yet. But I am now having acupuncture, got to the point I am desperate. I even changed from apixaban to edoxaban. Have been throbbing all over body now for months. Still can’t find an answer. It’s so hard to see a doctor.

[Fran182716 Prediabetic in reply to waterlady]

Hello waterlady , my experience was 9 years ago but just offering a possible different perspective.

Firstly I agree with Mr Rigatoni that you need to let your doctor know what homeopathic medications you are taking because they can have negative interactions with prescribed medications - you could be unknowingly be making the situation worse.

I had the muscle twitching, all over my body randomly, it wasn’t painful but made me extremely anxious - a family friend had just died from a devastating neurological disease and I was convinced this was what was happening to me.

My GP thought it was magnesium deficiency due to longish term use of PPI medications. I had the blood test which showed my magnesium was at a normal level so he referred me to a neurologist. It was a 4 month wait for the appointment but the tests ruled out any serious issue and I was told it is “benign muscular fasciculation” and likely triggered by stress and anxiety. Also that blood test showed an extremely low vitamin D so I was given prescription strength vitamins for that.

Having had my mind put at rest the twitching greatly decreased thereby backing up the anxiety theory.

I have since discovered that magnesium blood tests do not give the full picture - your body will strive to keep your circulating blood magnesium normal for many different functions, and so will leach it out of muscles to top up the circulating levels. Therefore your magnesium would have to be pretty depleted to show up as deficient in a blood test and the only really accurate test would be a muscle biopsy which I doubt a UK dr would do especially at the moment, and ouch!

I still get that twitching occasionally especially if I’m stressed or tired but I can dismiss it because I’m no longer worried about it

My thoughts on reading your posts:

- it’s possible that the twitching is not caused by a magnesium deficiency but is coincidental

- if your blood test shows a deficiency you can have supplements but if it doesn’t that doesn’t mean you have optimal magnesium - your muscles could still be low and topping up with supplements (to the recommended RDA along with eating foods naturally good sources) might be worth a try.

- whatever the actual cause of the twitching you are understandably getting very stressed about it and this could actually be making it worse as it did for me. Im sorry I haven’t got any definite answers for that - for me it helped just to be reassured that it wasn’t anything serious, but anything you can do that you find relaxing can’t hurt.

Good luck 🍀

[waterlady in reply to Fran182716]

Hi fran, thank you for all your suggestions, yes the throbbing/pulsing is awful, I don’t sleep much now. I have a good diet, plenty of fruits, veg, nuts etc. Your point about anxiety was suggested to me, and it fits my symptoms. I have discovered anxiety can cause lots of problems.But it was also suggested it could be my blood thinner, apixaban, been taking it for 7 years. Now changed to edoxaban, but now got fatigue, can’t win. Doctors said I was not low in magnesium, all other blood tests ok. In desperation, this has been going on since last October. I went to a homepathy, who did say I was very low in magnesium, so I am taking supplements. I am now trying a acupuncturist, who said I have a twisted pelvis (another story) and that this might be causing the throbbing/pulsing. So I am really trying to find out what is wrong. Whilst I am middle 70s I was very fit and active. It’s all a bit confusing. How did you finally get out of this feeling of continually feeling so stressed, and did it take long. Appreciate your input. Thanks.

[Fran182716 Prediabetic in reply to waterlady]

Hi, your situation sounds so frustrating. It probably took me about 6 months in all to completely stop stressing about it. My initial fear was that it was a sign of something really bad, I was also grieving for the friend who had passed away. It was a combination of medication for the anxiety (citalopram) and having the assessment by the neurologist who was able to reassure me that it was nothing serious which stopped me stressing. It sounds as though there may be a few possible physical causes of your muscle twitching but the stress could be making it worse. Are there any things you like to do that are relaxing? The other thing that springs to mind is CBT as it can help you think about a problem in a different way to reduce the stress around it - though I don’t know whether that sort of thing is available on the NHS at the moment with a lot of staff redeployed to emergency care. Might be worth discussing with your GP? Good luck.

[TG58]

Well I don't have restless leg myself but know people who have, and they describe the same symptoms, I have no medical qualifications of any sort, so it would be difficult to comment anything else, personally though I would go to your GP and see if you can get a proper diagnosis, from what I understand restless leg is a horrible condition but it is treatable with the correct treatment.

Take care

[waterlady in reply to TG58]

I have been trying to sort this with the GP for months but most of the time they won’t see you. It all started last October. But I have throbbing over most of my body all that time. It’s so tiring.

[Amynah]

Hi I rub alcohol on my legs and feet.unfortunately this will not go away you have to live with it. I get rubbing alcohol from boots it's £2.50 and I keep it on bedside table and use it before sleep and some times twice. I also do some stretching before sleep, which helps. But rubbing alcohol is my saviour, when all else fails. Good luck

[waterlady in reply to Amynah]

Thank you for that idea. I am trying homepathy, acupuncture, cream, you name it, but getting nowhere.

[Catatvet05 in reply to waterlady]

Have you thought about coming off the homeopathy medication to see if that is what’s giving you possibly adverse effects with your current medication ?

A few people have mentioned this to you (mixing meds) and I would take advise from it. I know of a few medications that you cannot mix, such as Amitriptyline. You should always tell your doctor if you are on any other medication or supplements, as I do, just in case.

Download Medscape app which will tell you what not to mix medication with. It helped me and my sister.

Take care.

[waterlady in reply to Catatvet05]

I have had the throbbing/pulsing since last October. The homepathy I only started three weeks ago, so I know it’s not that. I have got no further with the doctors, that’s why I have turned to alternative treatments.

[Catatvet05 in reply to waterlady]

I see. Maybe try magnesium salt for bath? Supposed to be good for relaxing the muscles. And lemon palm tea. I was recommended this by a nutritionist.