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Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome

A.B.

Senior Member
Messages
3,780
This study is rather old, but still relevant.

The hypotheses that patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have low red blood cell magnesium and that magnesium treatment would improve the wellbeing of such patients were tested in a case-control study and a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, respectively. In the case-control study, 20 patients with CFS had lower red cell magnesium concentrations than did 20 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and social class (difference 0.1 mmol/l, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05 to 0.15). In the clinical trial, 32 patients with CFS were randomly allocated either to intramuscular magnesium sulphate every week for 6 weeks (15 patients) or to placebo (17). Patients treated with magnesium claimed to have improved energy levels, better emotional state, and less pain, as judged by changes in the Nottingham health profile. 12 of the 15 treated patients said that they had benefited from treatment, and in 7 patients energy score improved from the maximum to the minimum. By contrast, 3 of the 17 patients on placebo said that they felt better (difference 62%, 95% CI 35 to 90), and 1 patient had a better energy score. Red cell magnesium returned to normal in all patients on magnesium but in only 1 patient on placebo. The findings show that magnesium may have a role in CFS.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1672392
 
Messages
15,786
My magnesium tested on the very low end of normal in red blood cells, and high in serum. If I don't take magnesium, I get muscle twitches and loss of gut motility.

Though once I started Yohimbe, I haven't really needed to supplement magnesium. I used to need magnesium twice per day, and now I just need it once on alternating days, at most. Not sure how Yohmibe is doing that, but I'm not complaining :D
 

PhoenixDown

Senior Member
Messages
456
Location
UK
Never got mine in the end, specialist gave me the blood forms but when I got home, local doctors refused arrange to have it done.
 

cigana

Senior Member
Messages
1,095
Location
UK
My magnesium tested on the very low end of normal in red blood cells, and high in serum. If I don't take magnesium, I get muscle twitches and loss of gut motility.

Though once I started Yohimbe, I haven't really needed to supplement magnesium. I used to need magnesium twice per day, and now I just need it once on alternating days, at most. Not sure how Yohmibe is doing that, but I'm not complaining :D
Same with me: my red cell magnesium is deficient but blood levels are high.
 

wdb

Senior Member
Messages
1,392
Location
London
This paper is on sci-hub is anyone wants to read it. Seems like they did a good job of blinding and controlling for expectation and influence and the results look quite strong. Only weakness I see are that it was quite a small sample (15 in treatment and 17 controls) and only lasted 6 weeks so it's unknown if the effect could be maintained. Also the Nottingham Health Profile looks like a bit of a blunt instrument for example going from borderline yes to borderline no on 'tired all the time' would result in a 39% swing in the score.

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alicec

Senior Member
Messages
1,572
Location
Australia
I've been supplementing magnesium (both topical and oral) for quite a few years.

Serum and RBC magnesium are at the top of the range and have been whenever measured over the years.

I find the supplements very helpful for muscle pain and twitching, sleep and generally feeling calmer, but having high RBC magnesium has done nothing for my ME/CFS. This is gradually getting worse.
 

bspg

Plant Queen
Messages
547
Location
USA
Hmm, this is interesting. I didn't know one could have good serum magnesium levels but and low RBC levels. I wonder if that's why oral magnesium never seems to do anything for me. I have most of the problems associated with magnesium deficiency but oral magnesium never helps.