Magnesiumhydroxide safe?

[Jocelin]

Hi all,

Upon my complaint about chronic constipation and other hypo symptoms, my endo raised my levo back to the level it was for years (that is: from 0.1375 back to 0.15 now) and he also prescribed me magnesiumhydroxide to get any short term bowel movement improvement. He does not believe that my constipation is caused by my thyroid status, and said I would have to take the magnesium hydroxide for life.

I however have not dared to take the magnesium hydroxide yet because I have read that it will bind with stomach acid. I am afraid that it will impair good digestion in the stomach. I want to prevent further malabsorption of nutrients. I was already taking about 150 mg magnesium malate around noon (to help energy level) and 150 mg glycinate around 10 pm (to help sleeping) as part of my supplements. As far as I know they do not negatively influence stomach acid. Would these forms help with constipation when taking higer doses and still be safe? I know there are other options for constipation like (high intake levels of) magnesium citrate and of vitamine C, but I do not know if they are safe. They seem to impair f.i. good copper absorption, which then would result in vitamine A deficiency etc.....

The well known methods like all kinds of fibers, linseeds, chiaseeds, flaxoil, psyllium, plums, lots of water, lots of veggies etc. I have tried but they do not help.

What do you think, is the hydroxide form as safe as other magnesium forms? Are there any other benefits of this form? Any other healthy suggestions?

Thanks!

[Hidden]

Sorry I can't help with the magnesium question, but maybe if you give more information... So you are on 150 mcg Levo now?

Can you post any recent blood test results (include reference ranges)? That may help understand what is going on. also, what symptoms do you have besides constipation?

[Jocelin in reply to Hidden]

Hi Jnetti,

So kind of you to try and help me get improvement. I have posted a question about my lab results earlier, including my main symptoms. The link to that post is healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... . If you cannot find it, please let me know and I will copy it in this post. It's a long list of blood values from end October/end November, combined from consultations with GP, rheumatologist, endocrinologist. (I have hypothyroidism, diabetes type 1 and so far undiagnosed rheumatory symptoms (for the latter an appointment is made in an academic hospital in February).

I'd be happy to hear from you what you notice, what you think about it all! Thanks!

[Hidden in reply to Jocelin]

Your FT3 and 4 look quite low (ignore the TSH!), but others have answered your blood results questions, so there's not really any more I can add. humanbean has given some good advice, maybe others will follow

[Jocelin in reply to Hidden]

Hi Jnetti,

Thanks for your effort. Indeed I did get some responses. I kept it open to others, like you, because there might be people that see things others don't see. An example I experienced myself was that I always had a low alkaline phosphatase. My endo at that time said that was seen in people with anorexia, which definitely was not the case for me. He had no other explanation and said it was probably better under than over range. Just recently I read that low AP is linked to zinc deficiency. And.. indeed... after taking zinc supplements, my AF has risen and in normal range now. I find it great we can share this kind of experiences. And I'm grateful for you looking at my values. You could have bumped into such thing :-). I wish you a happy and healthy newyear!

[humanbean]

I wouldn't rely on a doctor to prescribe a magnesium supplement or a laxative, I would buy the supplement which best fitted my circumstances and preferences. Note that being deficient in magnesium is very, very common. Testing for a deficiency is not reliable.

I suggest googling for "best and worst forms of magnesium supplement", check several links, and be aware that they don't all agree.

For example, magnesium citrate is (in normal doses) a mild laxative. Some sources will tell you its great because of this. Other sources will tell you its terrible because of this. Personally, I find it helpful, and it is my magnesium supplement of choice. Some other forms of magnesium have no effect on constipation/diarrhoea.

Magnesium can be supplemented in powder form dissolved in water and drunk, it can be dissolved in a bath and you can soak in it, you can spray it on your skin, or you can take it as a tablet. The choice is yours.

The "normal" dose of magnesium is one which supplies about 250mg - 400mg pure magnesium per day.

Some forms of magnesium make people a little bit sleepy - magnesium citrate is one - so take it in the evening rather than the morning.

The magnesium hydroxide you've been prescribed is otherwise known as Milk of Magnesia in the UK. It isn't one I've ever tried myself. If you pay for your prescriptions it might be cheaper to buy it over the counter, or to buy some other form of magnesium which has laxative properties, or to buy some other form of laxative altogether.

[Jocelin in reply to humanbean]

Thanks, humanbean, for your thoughts about magnesium. Very educational again. I didn't know, amongst other things, that mag citrate can make you sleepy. Are you taking or have you taken higher amounts of magnesium than the 'normal' dose? And did it give better results for your wellbeing? I wish you too a very happy and healthy newyear!

[humanbean in reply to Jocelin]

No, I haven't taken more than about 400mg of magnesium per day, in any form, and often I take a bit less than that. I also don't take magnesium citrate every single day.

I know that some people do take more magnesium, but I'm not a fan of taking high doses of any supplements unless I have a very, very good reason to do so. And if it was something I never test, like magnesium, then I would never take very high doses.

The kidneys dispose of excess magnesium in urine, and luckily for me my kidneys are healthy. But I would be worried about stressing my kidneys if I took more magnesium than necessary. If my kidneys did deteriorate I could end up with magnesium building up and causing lots of problems.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper...

[Jocelin in reply to humanbean]

Thanks, humanbean, for sharing your thoughts and ways about magnesium. The kidney-aspect I find very / extra important too, because with having diabetes type 1 for about 40 years, my kidneys are vulnerable. In the link you gave I read that hypothyroidism can cause mild hypermagnesia. This confuses me, because magnesium deficiency seems so common too in people in general, but especially in those with hypothyroidism. At least an extra reason to dose carefully. Thanks once more, you're helping me in my considerations.

[humanbean in reply to Jocelin]

I know that some people who are hypothyroid have poor kidney function. Perhaps the risk of poor kidney function is greater in people who are hypothyroid than in the healthy population. But I'm only guessing.

If hypothyroidism was affecting the kidneys then perhaps magnesium is more likely to build up?

[Jocelin in reply to humanbean]

That seems like a logical possibility. Maybe. like with diabetes where the blood substance composition is not healthy (enough), causing harm to the kidneys, this is in some other chemical way possible with hypothyroidism also. But it could also be the other way around: having kidney problems might cause (hypo)thyroid problems in some people. Guessing indeed... I'll stay sharp with dosing and with checking new information wherever it catches my attention

[Jocelin]

Thanks, Londinium. Great to read the article on ALP. Really happy to have you here, much more valuable than the 'formal specialists' :-)!