Magnesium, B Complex & Zinc supplements help!

[nikki2975]

Based on some symptoms i've been having i was advised on HU to take a Magnesium supplement but wanted to check if 375mg twice a day is enough? I was told that the tests are not reliable so i don't have any results and ranges but was hoping someone could advice if ok?

Also, As the vitamins were on offer i got a mixed Vitamin C & Zinc one which again, i have not had any blood tests for to see where my ranges are. would it be worth checking them first in case i don't need to take them?

I also got a Vitamin B complex which has got

V-B1 - 1.1mg

V-B2 - 1.4mg

Niacin - 16 mg NE

V- B6 - 1.4mg

Folic Acid - 200ug

V-B12 - 2.5ug

Biotin - 50ug

Pantothenic Acid 6mg

I have only had my B12 and Folic Acid checked. My B12 was in range but not optimal so i'm taking 2000mcg a day as adviced on HU and the Folic Acid my doc prescribed is 5mg a day. am i still ok to take them?

[Anthea55]

I have been told by a doctor that you can increase magnesium until it makes you loose, then cut it back a bit.

Anyone else heard that?

[Gambit62 in reply to Anthea55]

The EFSA (European Food Standards Agency) doesn't set any recommended limits for magnesium supplementation because of the relatively high incidence of diarrhoea caused by supplementation. I don't think there are any downsides reported from having high levels just that lots of people do react by developing diarrhoea - so if that happens stop or cut back

[birdie in reply to Anthea55]

Yes, I've read that. I take magnesium citrate 400mg twice a day to help sleep and constipation

[bluebug]

If you stick to the level on the packet/jar for vitamin C and Zinc you are unlikely to over dose.

[nikki2975 in reply to bluebug]

The Vitamin C is 80mg and the Zinc is 10mg. Do you think i need a higher dose? As i said in my post i haven't had them checked so i don't know what my range is and whether i'm high, low or optimal enough for either.

[humanbean in reply to nikki2975]

With regard to vitamin C, I take 2000mg per day, and sometimes up to 4000mg per day.

80mg is a very small dose.

Vitamin C is one of those things that can cause diarrhoea in high doses. If you take too much, just cut back.

[Sedum]

Make sure it is magnesium citrate. Magnesium is something very safe to take. If you take 'too much' you will have loose bowels. This happened to me the first time I took it, but have upped the dose since without that. Book:Magnesium miracle by Carolyn Dean useful. (Amazon)

[nikki2975 in reply to Sedum]

According to the label it has both Magnesium Oxide & Stearate but it doesn't say how much of both is in each tablet. Will they ok to take?

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

You can take them, but you won't absorb any magnesium. You need magnesium citrate or malate.

[sweetsusie]

Vitamin B12 doesn't absorb well through the stomach. Shots are much better..or the tablets that you place under your tongue, I'm told.

[nikki2975]

Please can you right your own post about it so I still get replies to my question. Don't mean to be rude but there is a post about not posting on other peoples question.

[sweetsusie in reply to nikki2975]

OMG! I am so sorry, nikki2975!!! It didn't even occur to me! No worries...

[nikki2975 in reply to sweetsusie]

Thanks! No problem...i've had it happen a few times to me and my post got overtaken and never ended up getting the help i wanted.

[greygoose]

What exactly was your B12 level? You might not be taking enough. Or could even be taking more than you need. That wastes money!

If I were you, I wouldn't take that nasty old synthetic folic acid. I would get a B complex with methylfolate in it. That will keep your Bs balanced, and raise your folate nicely.

Most people are deficient in magnesium and zinc, because soils are depleted and, as you say, the magnesium test isn't very reliable, so I wouldn't bother testing, if I were you.

As to vit C, I think you'd have to take a very high dose for it to be too much. I take 4000 mg a day. Yes, it can give you a runny tum, just like magnesium. But, the trick is to start low and work up to gut tolérance. Both zinc and vit C are best taken at night.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

My B12 was 249 ng/L and the range is >183 ng/L. my level is classed as normal but when i posted this on HU with some other recent tests Clutter advised me that B12 was optimal at 1000 and to supplement 2,000mcg Methylcobalamin daily for 6-8 weeks then reduce to 1,000mcg daily.....Marz also told me that my level was low. I'm just waiting for my Methylcobalamin to be sent as i haven't started taking anything for it yet as it was classed as normal.

Do you think the 375mg twice a day is enough to start on for the magnesium? I'll see if i can find a b complex with Methylfolate instead as the one i have now has Folic Acid.

Also, with me already taking 20,000iu of Vit D and then the 2,000mcg B12 & Magnesium... will i be ok to take a b complex as all 3 are ingredients of the b complex i have now just at a much lower dosage?

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

I'm sorry, I don't understand. A B complex that contains vit D and magnesium? That sounds more like a multi-vit. What else is in it? B complexes usually just contain B vitamins.

I would say that 2000 of vit B12, with a B12 that low, isn't enough. I would say at least 5000 mcg. And get a proper B complex with methylfolate. Thornes do a good one. You can find it on Amazon. Don't buy vitamins and minerals in the supermarket unless you really know what you're looking for, because they're usually poor quality.

375 mg daily is a good starting dose for magnesium. If your stomach can tolerate it, and you don't get the runs. You can then increase to gut tolerance - i.e. until you get the runs - and then back down a bit.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

It's called Vitamin B Complex and its Boots' own brand and it's ingredients are listed as Calcium Carbonate, Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Nicotinamide, Maltodextrin, Calcium Pantothenate, Mannitol, Magnesium Stearate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Silicon Dioxide, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vit B12 - Cyanocobalamin.

I'll take the ones i got back and look for the Thorne one on Amazon.

I was diagnosed with a Polycystic Ovary today on my right side and i also have a small amount of fat in my Liver. I am being referred to specialists for both of them so waiting to get further tests and treatments. they were both found of the ultrasound i had done last week. They still don't know what's causing my stomach problems so i'm being referred for that also.

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

OK, so from Calcium carbonate up to Dicalcium Phosphate, included, are all fillers. Then you have maltodextrien, with is a form of sugar. Then B5, Mannitol - which is another sweetner - Magnesium Stearate, another filler. B6, B1, B2. Silicon Dioxide, another filler. Folic acid, which is the synthetic form of Folate, B9. Silicon dioxide, which I believe whitens the pill. And Cyanocobalamin, the least easily absorbed form of B12.

No usable magnesium, and no vit D, just an awful lot of fillers and additives. I would not buy my supplements in Boots.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

I've been to take them back today. My doctor said I could try centrum as there really good and that they only test b vitamins, Vit D, Folate and Iron on the NHS all of which I got a blood form for today and to take a multi vitamin for the others. I've heard the hospital do them so I'm gonna wait till the 21st when I next see my endo and ask him for a blood form for a full vitamin check.

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

Oh no! No point in taking a multi vit! Honestly, they know nothing!

There are all sorts of reasons not to take a multivit, but the two main ones are : a) there's not enough of anything to treat a real deficit. b) they're all lumped together, when there are certain things that should be taken seperately because they cancel each other out! Plus some things should be taken at night, and others in the morning. It's a complete nonsense. Wast of money.

If you get your vit D, B12, folate and ferritin tested, you'll be doing good! We can work on what to take with what when you get the results.

Although, if you've already been taking vit B12 and folate, there's no point in retesting, the results won't be good.

[greygoose in reply to greygoose]

Oh, and multivits only tend to use the cheap versions of stuff which can't be easily absorbed - or not at all!

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

Ok thank you...i'll take them back to haha. All 4 of them were low last time I had hem checked so I am guessing that I have more that are out of range too but if I can't test them to find out how and what should I take to at least have some form of supplement for them to make sure?

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

One step at a time. Get those tests done first. Some things you can just take, and some you can't.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

Sorry lol, I always try to forward plan and get ahead of myself. it's turned into a bit of OCD.

Before I order them are these the right ones?

amazon.co.uk/dp/B007LEO3OW/...

amazon.co.uk/Jarrow-Methylc...

amazon.co.uk/Thorne-Researc...

or there is a Stress B complex too. which one do you think would be best as i'm always stressed but i know that will improve with the B12 and if i remember rightly Vit D helps too?

amazon.co.uk/Thorne-Researc...

Thank you for your help

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

I think either of the Thorne B complexes would be fine. The B12 is the right one. But do you think you need the extra folate? Wouldn't the folate in the B complex be enough? I don't know, you don't give the result.

Difficult to plan ahead with supplements when you don't know what the results are going to be.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

Sorry I never think to repost the results as I post them when I get them for advice but in March which was my last folate blood test my folate was 4.5 ug/L but the range is 4.60-18.70 ug/L so it was low at the time. Apart from the B12, Folate, Vit D, Iron and the other B vitamins I'm not able to test them as my doctor said it can't be done on the NHS and I can't afford private but I'm guessing that if the ones I have been tested for are out of range that I'll have others that are too due to my thyroid and bad diet but I can't test them to check so I thought I could take something to help boost the ones I can't test anyway?

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

Yes, you can. But, what you can't do is start taking a huge bunch of supplements at the same time. You need to let your body get used to each one individually, see if it suits you, before going onto the next one.

I know you get the all together in a multivit, but there's not enough of anything to make much difference anyway. But when you're taking each one seperately, you need to be more careful.

For example, as I was taking zinc - and feeling really good on it - I wondered if perhaps I should addin a little copper, to balance it. Well, the copper made me feel really ill, so I stopped it. Had I started all my supps at the same time, I wouldn't have known which one it was, and would have had to start all over again.

So, get the tests done, start supplementing the deficiencies, and then we can discuss the others one at a time. And decide when you should be taking them all, because you can't take them all at the same time of day, either. Plus, you have to work them in around your thyroid hormone replacement. Some with food and some on an empty stomach. It's really quite an art!

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

I never thought about that lol

So glad I found this forum...I'm learning so much and have been able to get so much information to be able to ask for things at the doctors and get the right treatment if needed and just learn more about my body

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

I haven't started taking any supplements yet so which is best to start with? I obviously haven't got the b12 or b complex yet but I have the Vitamin D and Iron tablets. I also have the folic acid ones too but should I leave them and get the methyl folate instead? Will the 400mg be enough to start?

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

Well, I definitely would not start on the folic acid. Which was lowest? Iron of vit d? Start on the one you need most.

400 mg methyl folate? I doubt you need that much! The one you linked to is 400 mcg - one thousand times less. I don't really think you need separate methylfolate, anyway, there's already 400 mcg in the B complex. You'd be doubling the dose.

[nikki2975 in reply to greygoose]

I'll start the Vitamin D then but I go on holiday tomorrow for a week so would it be worth starting it when I get home incase I have any side effects? I don't want them to ruin my holiday it's been over 10 years since my last one.

Yeah sorry I meant mcg not mg...I'll leave them then and get the b12 and Thorne ones. I took the multi vitamins one back to the shop today.

[greygoose in reply to nikki2975]

Might be best to leave it til you get back, yes.

[Scouser58]

May I say,,take the recommended dose printed on the bottle,,,,this is a good place to start,,and take them for at least on full bottle i.e. a month then think about how you feel inside, and how you feel, and how you dealing with each day...

When I take supplements I do this way myself, to take them slowly and steadily is the best way to get the best from them,,,,,ttfn from Karen.

[humanbean]

With regard to Magnesium, you may find these links helpful :

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

globalhealingcenter.com/nat...

metabolics.com/blog/the-def...