Based on this evidence, most doctors, including myself, take the view that in our current state of knowledge there is no sound evidence of magnesium deficiency in ME/CFS and the use of magnesium supplements is therefore a very speculative and unproven form of treatment for ME/CFS
Magnesium deficiency is widespread in the general population in the US, and there is no reason to believe that it is substantially different in the UK. For example, according to the
US Department of Agriculture, 57% of all people in the US have a magnesium deficiency. This is consistent with a number of other estimates that I have seen.
The symptoms of magnesium deficiency can be found listed in many reputable sources.
Wikipedia has a nice brief summary:
Deficiency of magnesium can cause tiredness, generalized weakness, muscle cramps,
abnormal heart rhythms, increased irritability of the
nervous system with
tremors,
paresthesias,
palpitations,
hypokalemia,
hypoparathyroidism which might result in
hypocalcemia,
chondrocalcinosis,
spasticity and
tetany,
epileptic seizures, basal ganglia calcifications and in extreme and prolonged cases
coma,
intellectual disability or death.
[3]
The reference is to Viering, Daan H. H. M.; Baaij, Jeroen H. F. de; Walsh, Stephen B.; Kleta, Robert; Bockenhauer, Detlef (2016-05-27).
"Genetic causes of hypomagnesemia, a clinical overview".
Pediatric Nephrology: 1–13.
ISSN 0931-041X.
doi:
10.1007/s00467-016-3416-3, which is from where this list is taken.
As to the position of other doctors with regard to magnesium deficiency in ME/CFS, I have not seen any definitive survey on this subject. But I do know that Dr. Sarah Myhill, one of the few practicing ME/CFS specialists in the UK, is a strong proponent of magnesium supplementation, and has found magnesium deficiencies in the vast majority of her patients using standard tests. She sees magnesium supplementation as a key treatment for ME/CFS, and has written extensively about it on her Web site.
In the US, Dr. Paul Cheney is one of the most vocal proponents of magnesium supplementation. He has stated that it is one of the two most effective treatments he has found for ME/CFS.
I personally can also testify to the efficacy of magnesium supplementation. Several years ago, I was suffering from what symptomatically appeared to be a severe magnesium deficiency; I was bed bound and at my lowest state that I've been in this illness. I began treating myself with magnesium nebulization (which I have written about extensively in this forum), and I immediately began to improve; over a period of several months, I experienced substantial improvement in my condition. Without magnesium supplementation, I would not be in a position to write this post.
It is also worth noting that magnesium can cause side-effects - especially when used at higher doses, some of which are symptoms of ME/CFS:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-suppl...gredientid=998&activeingredientname=magnesium
This is true; proper dosing is essential, as with any drug. Dosing recommendations for magnesium supplementation are well publicized, and most people have no problems with magnesium supplementation when these are followed.
Please note that the article that you quoted contains the following:
Magnesium is also required for the proper function of nerves, muscles, and many other parts of the body. In the stomach, magnesium helps neutralize stomach acid and moves stools through the intestine.
Problems with nerves, muscles, and proper GI function are almost universal among people with ME/CFS. For this reason, and those reasons mentioned above, I cannot see why a magnesium deficiency should not be treated, as long as the treatment is done properly and does not produce undesirable side effects.
So it is possible that using a magnesium supplement could exacerbate ME/CFS symptoms such as dizziness and gastric symptoms
Yes, this is certainly possible, but once again, such side effects are rare when supplementation is done properly and tailored to the person's needs. If these side effects occur, they can be made to disappear essentially immediately simply by reducing or stopping the magnesium supplementation.
So you can get these toxicity type symptoms even though you're deficient?
Yes; people with certain problems cannot process magnesium supplements properly. In my previous post, I mentioned calcium channel antibodies as one cause for this. A more common cause is renal failure. Normally, the kidneys excrete excess magnesium rather quickly, so that the proper blood level of magnesium is maintained. If the kidneys aren't functioning properly, a standard supplementation of magnesium may cause blood levels to rise well beyond what they would in healthy people, and this may cause the symptoms of magnesium toxicity, even though there is an overall magnesium deficiency. For this reason, you may want to ask your doctor to test your kidney function.
I just got a call from my doctor that my potassium is now low. So should I be forcing myself to take the magnesium as low magnesium can cause low potassium? I don't know how it works so if someone has any advice I'd appreciate it.
You should definitely not force yourself to take the magnesium, as this can be dangerous with your symptoms, especially since we don't know what's causing your reactions. Instead, it's very simple to supplement your potassium, and it should be quite safe since your potassium levels are low. In the US, you can get potassium supplements in the form of 99 mg capsules or tablets without a prescription, and you can take up to five of these a day with meals. More than that is not recommended, as it typically causes gastric irritation. However, if you need more potassium than that, prescription forms are available from your doctor that avoid these side effects.
I've been taking powdered magnesium glycinate without any other sources of magnesium.
I get very different reactions depending on what the magnesium is bound to. Glycine for instance is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.
Although this is true, glycine is also an amino acid that has many beneficial effects in the body.
Magnesium glycinate is a very popular form of magnesium supplementation because it is considered by many to be the most easily absorbed form of magnesium. The amount of glycine in the supplement is not significant enough to cause side effects in most people (I have never heard of any), and the mechanism by which glycine acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter pales in comparison with the inhibitory qualities of magnesium itself. These inhibitory qualities are a benefit of magnesium in proper doses (helping to moderate some symptoms of dysautonomia, for example). However, in doses that are too high, they can cause central nervous system depression and the symptoms that have been described.
It gives me insomnia and make me a bit wired
These are symptoms of hypokalemia, or low potassium. When magnesium levels are increased, the body's demand for potassium increases. These symptoms typically can be relieved by use of an OTC potassium supplement, as I described above. It's generally good to start with a low level of potassium and simply go up to the amount needed to relieve hypokalemia symptoms, while observing the limits that I mentioned above.