Interesting article about Magnesium

[IdasMum]

Just came across this very interesting article and thought it worth sharing here.

Very worrying to see how much of modern life, modern eating, modern farming and medication is depleting us of this important mineral.

westonaprice.org/health-top...

[SheffieldJane]

Thank you for posting IdasMum. There have been a couple of posts about cramp lately and Magnesium is helpful for that.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I do find it interesting that when we are handed pred we are also handed calcium - but magnesium is also lost more due to pred and is equally important in bone building but it is never mentioned.

But never mind magnesium in particular - did you see that even Mr Gove now is understanding that intensive monoculture farming is destroying the soil?

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

Yes, very true, I think it's a money saving exercise ?

Pete

[IdasMum in reply to PMRpro]

Oh good....now if only other's could see how disastrous their policies are on health and social care.

Better not say more....

[LizzieGuinn in reply to PMRpro]

It’s the first time I’ve ever liked anything Michael Gove has said! Living in the Dorset countryside ( and the granddaughter of Dorset farmers) I find the farming practices going on around me utterly depressing. And that was before I started on Pred!!!

[Hidden]

Hi IdasMum

Thanks for the info, could be useful for those amongst us that are not well into researching stuff.

If it's of any value,I found the book by Lani Simpson,DC,CCD called 'Dr LANI'S, No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide (The Truth about Density Testing, Osteopathic Drugs and Building Bone Quality at Any Age) to be a really good read with lots of advice for looking after your bones (on Pred or off of Pred).

Obviously I have no medical knowledge to back up its contents, but if your concerned about magnesium loss while on prednisolone, I think the contents of the book will be an eye opener.

Pete

[GerriMc]

Great article. Thanks!

[Jackoh]

Thank you for posting this Idasmum. Have just restarted taking a magnesium supplement plus other vitamins that I had stopped taking( felt like I was sponsoring the local health shop single handed!) This was very comprehensive and revealing. We 'll have to promote you to resident researcher with all your interesting articles and references!! Best wishes Jackie

[Lizwillis]

What a very interesting article, thank you for this. I have now printed it off to digest slowly. I looked at magnesium a short while ago as it was mentioned relating to poor sleep. I have magnesium oil ( can't remember why I got it!) and when my OH had cramp I suggested he sprayed it on" did the trick! I then thought to use it on my very painful thumb/ wrist joint as it was keeping me awake. Again, worked like magic at taking the pain away.

[skibarski2]

IdasMum

I Read the full article, as I started taking Magnesium supplements just over a week ago now. I have been having a horrendous time with cramps, really tight calves, & jerky legs (drop foot according to dr,) whatever that means. She put me on a medicine called ROPINIROLE, in The hope that it would calm down my legs. I go back tomorrow to see her. However after my first a week on this med, I felt nor saw any difference.

So in desperation I started to “GOOGLE” everything, came across a site for RESTLESS LEGS, however on watching some YouTube videos, I did not recognise the symptoms I had with those of restless leg. BUT what I did find was someone posted about MAGNESIUM supplements helping them. An oral intake, plus using the OIL. Rubbing it into their legs, saying it helped a lot. They could actually leave the house now, whereas before they couldn’t.

So as I said, in desperation for a remedy, I ordered myself a Magnesium supplement pill, plus a bottle of the OIL..

The OIL is very sticky, & for me to start with it STUNG like hell, I had read where someone pointed this out as happening to them too, but they said stick with it, as it will stop that stinging. I have a lot of burning in my legs due to Peripheral Neuropathy, so the stinging was like TORTURE for me.

After about 4 days it stopped stinging. My legs still jerk, but NOWHERE near as bad as they were doing, which was so embarrassing I could not & would not Leave the house. My sleep pattern has been atrocious, but what I am finding now in this past 3 or 4 days is, If I can get off to sleep, I am staying asleep now, & getting a good 4-5hours before wakening up for the loo.

It is still early days, but I shall continue taking this Magnesium to see if even better improvement occurs. If by the time my months supply is about to run out & the answer is yes, then I shall stick with it, because even some help for my legs is better than what it was.

I am all the more convinced now after reading that link & about calcium & how that works through a build up, that this may have been what has been going on with me. Plus the many other MEDS that I take.

So this is something that I will be talking to my GP about tomorrow..So thank you for this link, I have saved it, & will be ortinting of some of what I think my doctor should have been aware of, but seemed to overlook. That maybe I was lacking this Magnesium.

Hope this finds you well.

Kate

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to skibarski2]

Drop foot and jerky legs aren't the same thing - well, they weren't in my day!

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

It's what happens to people after a stroke (for example) when their foot hangs down. It doesn't twitch or jerk...

[skibarski2 in reply to PMRpro]

Hi PMRPRO

When I lift my foot or feet up from the floor, the foot bobs up & down, it makes it hard for me to slip my feet into my shoes or slippers. The jerking is in my legs AND latterly my arms now. My legs just either swing or jump up & down.

My arms just feel like electric shocks and the arms raise up & down in reaction to the shocks..

I took videos of how they were behaving with me to an appointment I had with her, and as she looked at the video of me trying to put my FOOT into my shoe that morning, she just said Oh you have drop foot. I took it from the way she said it, it was NOTHING to worry about.

But I have to be honest & say that I am worried about these symptoms.

As my legs are so weak again, they shake When I raise them off the floor, it feels like small electric currents are running through them, from my thigh downwards, while at the same time one of them seems to stick to the floor when walking, it just does not raise quick enough to take a step when I am on the move, causing me to trip up, so much so, that I am back to using my scooter which I hate using. But I would never get fresh air if I didn’t.

Just too many things going on at the same time now..

I am hoping to get started tapering tomorrow when I see the doctor, as I have never been dropped from 15mg since I was first prescribed in June.

A month ago, I was actually upped to 40mg for a week as my oxygen levels were low.

Anyway thanks for reply, hope this finds you well.

Kate

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to skibarski2]

Think I would be expecting a referral to a neurologist somehow. Have you someone you could take with you to an appointment?

[Hobbitses in reply to skibarski2]

I have been taking magnesium to help alleviate restless legs for years now, and it has made a huge difference. But I also have gastric issues so will now be looking into the type of magnesium that would be best...

[skibarski2 in reply to Hobbitses]

Hi Hobbitses

Do you also use the magnesium oil on your legs?

[Hobbitses in reply to skibarski2]

No, had never heard of mag oil before now.

[skibarski2 in reply to Hobbitses]

It was the oil version that I was more interested in. Then decided to go for broke & buy the capsule oral version as well.

[Hobbitses in reply to skibarski2]

Well, Skibarski2, I guess I must stir my lazy self to investigate all this further! Be interested to hear how you get on - although if course it all takes a while to get results...

[skibarski2 in reply to Hobbitses]

Hi Hobbitses

I took a photo of the oil I am using, but have no idea how to add it, you get many kinds I opted for the GOODNIGHT one, in the hope it will improve my sleep. Lol lol you never know, one of these days it may knock me out..

Kate

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hobbitses]

Why not try Epsom salts in baths/footbaths? Can't cause gastric issues that way! OTOH - are you perhaps taking too much at once? That was the use for Epsom salts when we were children!

[skibarski2 in reply to PMRpro]

Hi PMRPro

I actually do steep my feet in A basin of Epsom Salts water, every morning after I sit down from cleaning, then again every night an hour before bedtime. We do not have a bath as I could not get in & out of one, but because of the Neuropathy I have been using Epsom salts now for many years. In the hope that I would get relief in my legs.

Alas with the passing of the years, they have just got worse. Hence me trying out the Magnesium method. I will give anything a go if it will help, if it doesn’t I shan’t continue with it.

I finally got started on the tapering today, dropping by 2.5 to 12.5.

I get blood work done again in 2weeks, to ensure all is well with the drop, & if I am still as bad with my legs then a referral MAY be the next route we take..But she upped the dosage of the ROPRINILOL, to see if that will work wonders..lol lol

Kate

[Hobbitses in reply to PMRpro]

No I have never tried Epsom salts, which is quite funny as I live in Epsom. I have been taking Healthspan's Magnesium with vit B complex till now - 1 tablet a day. But I looked at their website and discovered they have a new product called Opti Magnesium, which has citrate and malate (both mentioned as Good Things in the article quoted above), D3 and other tum-friendly things (you can tell how pharmaceutically technical I am) and divides the daily dose into two. I have ordered it.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hobbitses]

Worth trying I suppose. The magnesium is magnesium, whatever the salt is (the citrate and malate) - but the citrate and malate have roles elsewhere and it is the "elsewhere" that should determine which you use. All worth trying though.

[IdasMum]

Having just started wearing a CPAP mask, I'd urge you to get checked for Sleep Apnoea.

My O2 sats would drop to 25% during apnoeas and I am pretty sure that this would have an effect on every muscle in my body.

I found this searching Google.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[daworm]

I take a magnesium supplement called Natural Calm...it comes just as a magnesium supplement or with added calcium.....easy to take, easily absorbed, it's a powder mix with water, hot or cold, lemon flavor..works great..magnesium is important in many bodily functions...helps with sleep and cramps, good for the brain..

[Nannie-C]

I have AFib as well as PMR and after I found my magnesium blood levels were low I started using magnesium oil daily. Does seem to help my AFib and cramps. Blood levels slowly improving. Does make skin tingle to start with but soon settles after a few days. Not tried any oral after reading about malabsorption and gut upsets

[HeronNS]

Two books I read early in my PMR/pred journey were Vitamin K2 And The Calcium Paradox by Kate Rheaume-Bleue‎ and The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean.