I have terrible legs and feet cramps. Should I be taking magnesium? I so, how much.
mjgarr
Magnesium Info- Magnesium Deficient Conditions - Thu 5 June
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Yes. I take somewhere in the range of 400–500 mg of magnesium glycinate daily. I divide it up during the day, with or following meals or snacks, and I take the last tablet just before bedtime. You can take a bit more if you want, but most of the extra amount will probably be wasted because your body can only absorb so much in any given time. That's why it's best to divide up the dose during the day, so that it has a better chance of being absorbed. Any excess amounts are eliminated by the kidneys, so there is no point in taking massive doses because that just overworks the kidneys unnecessarily.
It takes a long time to rebuild reserves, so plan on taking it for a year or so to get your reserves back to normal. After a few days, the leg/foot cramps should begin to lessen, and after a few weeks or so you should begin to notice improvements in the way you feel in general. After a year or so you may be able to reduce the dose to 200–300 mg of magnesium, provided that your diet includes a significant amount of magnesium. But most food these days does not contain nearly as much magnesium as most people think it does.
Tex
It takes a long time to rebuild reserves, so plan on taking it for a year or so to get your reserves back to normal. After a few days, the leg/foot cramps should begin to lessen, and after a few weeks or so you should begin to notice improvements in the way you feel in general. After a year or so you may be able to reduce the dose to 200–300 mg of magnesium, provided that your diet includes a significant amount of magnesium. But most food these days does not contain nearly as much magnesium as most people think it does.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.