magnesium

[Milescircus]

if ordered to take magnesium twice daily, what type of magnesium is best for RLS specifically and what’s the proper dosage if diagnosed with a magnesium deficiency?

also…. NEVER quit Mirapex cold turkey…….

[Joolsg]

clinical-reviews.com/uk/sup...

Your doctor should have advised you what dose to take if you are deficient. But the above link might help.

There is a slow withdrawal schedule on our website for all dopamine agonists. Just in case anyone else needs it.

rls-uk.org/useful-resources

[Milescircus in reply to Joolsg]

Oh my withdrawal has been agonizing. But I had 2 rounds of iron infusions and iron/ferritin/saturation levels are all better. My daily ice eating has stopped but my legs have not! I went to the neurologist… who advised I could taper off the mirapex or just stop and get it over with… he said I might not sleep for 2 weeks! Well that was terrible advice! For anyone asking…. Listen to the people in this community, even over the advice of a doctor and NEVER DO THAT. Hematology won’t even see me here… hoping the magnesium helps, now tapering off the mirapex and doubled my gabapentin. I’m waiting on a response from her about the magnesium.

[SueJohnson]

If you are still taking gabapentin be sure to take your magnesium at least 2 hours apart from when you take your gabapentin as it affects its absorption.

[Milescircus in reply to SueJohnson]

Omg. I’m in such desperate need of ANY sort of help or advice . I know I can trust what you all say to be fact… I’ve been off mirapex for maybe 2 weeks now. Still on gabapentin. I HOPE I’m right in saying I can take 2 a couple hours before bedtime and 2 at bedtime? I also got a prescription for Tylenol #3… it worked for me many years ago. Well can I just say that my life sucks right about now. I can’t sleep AT ALL… I’m awake most night, might sleep a few hours about every 2/3 night… I’ve fallen asleep while walking upright I know several nights… I am pretty positive I fell at least three times walking around in the house last night doing random things… I’m just about sure this is something else. I’ve had severe RLS since I was 14….. and I’ve never had anything like this. I saw a neurologist but he wanted me to see a doctor closer to me, he’s a PA, and set me up with a sleep specialist. I couldn’t get an appointment until July 30. Honestly, at this rate I may not live that long. Any further help or advice on what else to try would be greatly appreciated. Is there another movement disorder that mimics RLS or that is worse?

[SueJohnson in reply to Milescircus]

Hang in there! It will get better.

The tylenol #3 should definitely help. You can take 3 of them at a time and 12 over a 24 hour period.

On the gabapentin take 600 mg 1 to 2 hours before bedtime and any extra 2 hours before that.

[Milescircus in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you so much. Might save my life. RLS can seriously drive you to a point of no return.

[ChrisColumbus]

The amounts you need to take to address diagnosed magnesium deficiency should be set by your doctor. And as Sue says, you need to juggle when you take magnesium around any other meds you are taking in that it can interfere with absorption of e.g. gabapentin, Proton Pump Inhibitors etc.

Magnesium glycinate usually seems to be recommended in the US because it is less likely to cause bowel issues and it is said to help sleep (although when I trialled it I didn't notice any sleep benefits). Also - at least in the UK - it seems to come in smaller easier to swallow capsules than some. Some US packaging suggests you should only take 100 mg/day, which is much too low.

I preferred magnesium citrate in that I found it more helpful against RLS, and it didn't give me bowel issues because I was able to spread it out through the day (I wasn't taking anything else that it interacted with): however the tablets tend to be large. Some people can't tolerate higher doses of citrate and/or have difficulty with tablet sizes.

I see that the link which Jools shared while containing useful info is ultimately an advert promoting a UK made 'complex' combining magnesium citrate, glycinate and malate with zinc and vitamin D. There are similar products in the US. I've not tried any of these products, but they tend to make a lot of claims about efficacy and to be expensive unless you sign up to a subscription.

Good luck!