• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

How much Zinc and Magnesium are your taking?

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
Half a tablet of zinc at night. 15 mg. I think. Too much will make food taste like metal.

I take Magnesium powder in the morning and at night. 400mg in water twice a day.
 

liquid sky

Senior Member
Messages
371
I take 400 mg. of magnesium twice daily in the morning and at bedtime also. I don't take zinc regularly, just occasionally. Maybe twice weekly.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I stopped zinc. DogPerson from this forum says do not take zinc supplements ever.

I take magnesium up to 3 times a day if I remember, maybe 4 if a long day. I really need it at least twice a day. I forget what dosage I take, but it is a normal dose. There are some time-release forms which worked for me, so I could only take it once, and it would still be in my system 8 or more hours later. But they cost more and I'm not sure if it's citrate form or what. Citrate form is supposed to be more effective.
 

Crux

Senior Member
Messages
1,441
Location
USA
I'm at 15 mgs. zinc daily now for long term. I'll probably add copper in a few months, but it appears that I'm still copper-dumping now. I'm improving greatly with zinc; I hold it in importance nearly as highly as B12 for my recovery.

I stopped oral magnesium about a year ago, negative symptoms. I had it measured in blood serum sometime later. It was highest normal. Now I use transdermal mag. chloride on occasion.
 

xrunner

Senior Member
Messages
843
Location
Surrey
It depends. In the past, I had a few hair analysis that didn't make any sense.
However, my last hair results were broadly in line with my blood minerals (intracellular and plasma).
I'm a convert.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Hmm, I think I'll pass. With a few notable exceptions, hair analysis doesn't have much of a reputation anyway...

Well supposedly she knows tons about certain vitamins because of saving dogs (when vets said it was hopeless) and fixing her own health. She has a lot to say about B2 and others and has a lot of followers on this forum now.
 

Freddd

Senior Member
Messages
5,184
Location
Salt Lake City
What amounts and when in the day?

Hi Place,

I consider zinc one of the possibly critical cofactors. It's lack can bring everything to a grinding halt. My response to it when I tried adding 50mg to the 15 mg I was already taking I had to titrate it at an additional 12.5 mg increment several times to a total of 65mg. Many people find sufficiency somewhere between 15 and 65mg. If it is needed, an increment brings a noticeable beneficial change in healing and/or energy and/or mood. As zinc does upset the stomach in many cases you may have to split it into 2-3 doses per day with food. You may need to try several forms to find one most agreeable with your stomach.

I also take a total of 480mg/day of magnesium oxide.



DISCLAIMER
I am a self taught systems analyst and consultant. I am not credentialed, certified or licensed to do anything besides drive a car. I have been disabled by the disease processes being discussed and affecting neurology in a multitude of ways for 10 years and impaired in a variety of ways and levels for 54 years before that. Everything I say is my opinion, synthesis, understanding or otherwise of my own creation except direct attributed quotes. Approximate paraphrases are also my interpretation of what I have read. All of this is at best my data analysis, understanding, synthesis and hypotheses and not to be construed as medical advice. I am not responsible for anything you do with any information provided in any way. Anything you do is your own responsibility and at your own risk. There are no published peer reviewed studies backing up my opinions or statements, except the incidental ones quoted or implicit in my synthesis or understanding, and then only in so far any reading of such papers may confer. Your interpretations, actions and variations of what I say are strictly at your own risk.
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
Just watch for a metal taste. Stop right away for a while, then take less. I found out and figured that out a couple of years ago. It was awful.
 

Freddd

Senior Member
Messages
5,184
Location
Salt Lake City
Just watch for a metal taste. Stop right away for a while, then take less. I found out and figured that out a couple of years ago. It was awful.

Hi Sallysblooms,

Is that metal taste with zinc? I had a metallic taste for a while after starting the mb12 but I had infections and all sorts of things that had to clear up. I was only getting 15mg of zinc in those days in a multi mineral. I never had it later when I increased the dose. An magnesium isn't part of it, right?
 

Crux

Senior Member
Messages
1,441
Location
USA
I had a metallic taste temporarily after restarting zinc. I've read that it could be from the release of excess copper. I don't remember having the taste from Mb12, but I understand the potential for it. Magnesium is reputed to chelate excess metals.
 

Adster

Senior Member
Messages
600
Location
Australia
Apparently, you can also get metallic taste from Zinc deficiency. I seem to get this if I don't supplement enough when using b12/mfolate. Food tastes bad too when this happens.
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,200
Location
Canada
I use magnesium oil and rub it onto my forehead or arms a couple of times a day. I do this just enough so that I don't get headaches. If I start getting head pain it's usually an indication I need magnesium. I do take a mag chloride tablet sometimes but it is rough on my stomach if I take it very often. Same for zinc supplements, so I've never gotten in the habit of taking them.

I had headaches every day for ten years before I started taking an absorb-able magnesium supplement.
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
Hi Sallysblooms,

Is that metal taste with zinc? I had a metallic taste for a while after starting the mb12 but I had infections and all sorts of things that had to clear up. I was only getting 15mg of zinc in those days in a multi mineral. I never had it later when I increased the dose. An magnesium isn't part of it, right?

I had just started the zinc and I was staying with my parent's since hubby was out of town. I kept asking mom if she added lemon to the food, or telling her things tasted different. She knew I was really ill (POTS had just started) so she didn't know what to say. I discovered it was just the zinc. I stopped it. Then after a while started just half the dose.
 

Freddd

Senior Member
Messages
5,184
Location
Salt Lake City
A comment on zinc in general and how it affects taste. Mb12, methylfolate and zinc deficiencies can each and all cause loss of or partial loss of taste and smell, zinc deficiency being a very common cause. Further the partial loss can change the balance of different flavors causeing all sorts of flavor distortions. Mb12 deficiency at least can cause olfactory and taste hallucinations of many varieties. When the senses of taste and smell starts coming back when taking any of the items that may affect it there can also be quite large perceptual distortions as the "whole" sense does not come back all at once but rather parts come back and the balances change,possibly radically. I have had several occurances with metalic taste and once it was an infected root canal that had caused a drainage pathway into the mouth, and several times it was as the sense of taste and smell themselves that were changing and the meyallic tastes were artifacts of these changes.


DISCLAIMER

I am a self taught systems analyst and consultant working in group healthcare since 1979, full time in group healthcare since 1985. I am not credentialed, certified or licensed to do anything besides drive a car. I have been disabled by the disease processes being discussed and affecting neurology in a multitude of ways for 10 years and impaired in a variety of ways and levels for 54 years before that. Everything I say is my opinion, synthesis, understanding or otherwise of my own creation except direct attributed quotes. Approximate paraphrases are also my interpretation of what I have read. All of this is at best my data analysis, understanding, synthesis and hypotheses and not to be construed as medical advice. I am not responsible for anything you do with any information provided in any way. Anything you do is your own responsibility and at your own risk. There are no published peer reviewed studies backing up my opinions or statements, except the incidental ones quoted or implicit in my synthesis or understanding, and then only in so far any reading of such papers may confer. Your interpretations, actions and variations of what I say are strictly at your own risk.
 
Messages
16
this is interesting. so is there any definitive consensus about how to approach the metallic taste? I have had it for a couple of months but it's getting so much worse and driving me off a wall. I have already been to the dentist and had that cleared. I originally started hormone replacement two months ago and thought it was the fluctuating estrogen levels but it has gone on too long for it to be that. now that you mention this though, it did come on right around the time i started Rich's protocol (also around the introduction of HRT). I take a tablet and a half of jarrow methyl b12 1000mg, 1/2 fola pro, 1/2 actifolate and some of my other daily supplements (nadh, d-ribose, cucumin, vitamin d3, adding in triple mag now). I had thought of zinc deficiency especially because i was taking ultra inflamx for awhile for my gut which has copper in it so i thought maybe that disrupted the balance . i started with some sublingual zinc from solgar but so far haven't noticed a difference at all and I have habitually sucked on zinc lozenges for awhile. I also know I have heavy metals particularly high amounts of mercury so I didn't know if it is simply from that . My sense of taste hasn't changed, it doesn't affect food I eat, it's just when i sit all day long my mouth feels like a pool of metal. i keep chucking mints , ginger candies, cough drops, anything, in my mouth to temporarily get rid of the taste (which my gut does not appreciate). Could this be from the methyl b12?? Do I just need more zinc??
 

juniemarie

Senior Member
Messages
383
Location
Albuquerque
Well I am following this with great interest as metallic taste in my mouth has been with me for over 2 yrs. I dont take zinc so thats not it. It started before I was on Rich's protocol so thats not it. I searched and posted lots for about 6 mos because it is so uncomfortable but finally just gave up......I just put up with it and hope someday I include something in my list of supplements that coincidentally makes it go away.