Have a question. My sinuses have gotten really bad & have been having infections & horrible sinus headaches, last fall was bad & it's starting again. I can't function with the headaches & a friend brought me a bottle of Walgreen's brand of extra strength headache relief. It's a mixture of nsaids & acetaminophen & caffiene. I didn't even notice the aspirin, & continued to take them for my headaches. Last wk. I had to take them three mornings in a row, & they worked as usual. A few days later, I developed severe constipation. First time in over 7 yrs. I'd been constipated, since having MC. Went two days battling that, had nothing in the house for that, since it's the opposite w/ MC. After two days of that, I began getting dizzy so bad that couldn't function, threw up awful once, then bile later in day. The dizziness subsided in that one day, which was two days ago. Today woke up w/ another bad headache, then read the bottle ingred., showing the aspirin. Duh. Not like me, but when my headaches were that bad, guess I faltered & just didn't read the ingred. Does anyone think it was the headache pills that caused my constipation? I was sooo surprised, and always thought maybe it would give me the big D, not constipation. I've also been verrry bloated the last few mos. More than ever, but no D, since I've been able to control the MC being gluten free. I was also "floxed" this last winter with Levaquin, for a severe sinus infection & dizziness, and have had multiple side effects from that....sleeping disorders, tendon problems, etc. That's the only two times I've had the dizziness, though....then & then two days ago.
My question is does anyone have any preference for headache meds & I'm assuming they should be all acetaminophen, right? I will not take any more of the antibiotics in the Levaquin family, flouraquinolins (sp), won't take any more nose sprays for sinus that have a steroid in it, since gained 15 lbs. on that one. I needed to gain weight, but that was ridiculous. I have heard from one friend w/ MC that the newer inhaler Breo is good, & also helped her MC symptoms for some unknown reason, & also her sis's Crohns. She just passed that along as an after thought, so thought I'd mention it. Also, would the headache pills make me constipated like that? Cannot believe I've been constipated.........not w/ MC. I've been GF for long enough & no big D except for the Levaquin episode, so am really curious. Also, anyone know a good probiotic? Haven't hit on a good one for awhile, except Bubba's saurkraut, and sometimes just not in mood for it. Trying to get rid of the bloatedness, which has seemed to occur no matter what I eat lately.
Sorry for the long post. Any help would be appreciated.
Severe allergies have developed, sinus esp.
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh, mbeezie
Severe allergies have developed, sinus esp.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
Hi Lulu,
As you know, I'm not a doctor, and what I am about to say will probably sound far-fetched, but IMO your main problem is a magnesium deficiency. Your symptoms are very familiar to me because I had to deal with a serious magnesium deficiency a few months ago, and apparently I've had a chronoc magnesium deficiency for roughly 10 years, but it was never detected by my doctors. I had to figure it out for myself.
An adverse reaction to an antibiotic is what allowed me to figure out my magnesium deficiency, and it appears that you are dealing with the same problem. Doctors never point this out, but the fact is that Levaquin can cause SEVERE magnesium depletion, and the resulting magnesium deficiency is one of the main causes of the tendonitis that results from Levaquin. But ironically, one cannot take magnesium while taking Levaquin, because it will inactivate the Levaquin. So a magnesium deficiency is virtually guaranteed unless the patient builds up a big reserve supply in their body before starting the Levaquin treatment. And all of the fluoroquinolones are known to cause this problem.
When I was having severe magnesium deficiency symptoms, my digestive system sort of shut down too. I couldn't eat, because my motility had pretty much stopped. I wasn't really dizzy, but I had periods of lightheadedness, because magnesium is a critical electrolyte, and without an adequate level in the blood, our body cannot properly regulate temperature, heart rate, breathing, or blood pressure. My blood pressure would be way too low at times, and way too high at other times. I had trouble sleeping at night because I would wake up sweating like a pig, panting for air, unable to take a deep breath, and my heart rate would be about twice what it should have been. I thought that I was dehydrated, but when I drank water, it went straight to my bladder, because my kidneys were not working properly. A magnesium deficiency can really mess us up. I even had a couple of kidney stones, a few months before that, as further evidence of a magnesium deficiency.
For supplementation, it's best to not take more than about 200 mg of magnesium citrate, so most of any oral magnesium you take should be magnesium glycinate (chelated magnesium), because it will not cause D. Many members here also use topically-applied magnesium, in the form of a magnesium oil, lotion, cream, or gel applied to the skin. Magnesium can also be absorbed by soaking the feet in Epsom salt, or adding Epsom salt to bathwater.
It took me a few months of taking 600–800 mg of magnesium per day to get completely back to normal, but I could see significant improvement after a couple of days at that dose. Since then, I've lowered my dose, now that I have built up a supply in my cells again. Breathing symptoms (such as feeling a need to take a deep breath, but not being able to do so) that were a problem for about 10 years, are now gone. And my blood pressure has settled down again. Before, it was often erratic.
If that doesn't completely eliminate your headache and constipation problems, acetaminophen is safe for MC, but be careful with acetaminophen, because it can cause kidney damage in certain situations. A magnesium deficiency can cause compromised kidney function, so be sure to allow a little time for your kidneys to recover if you are still having symptoms, before using acetaminophen. Tramadol is also safe for MC, and so are the narcotic painkillers. Some members here have successfully used some of the topically-applied analgesics, including NSAIDs, to treat headaches.
Regarding the constipation, if it was not caused entirely by the magnesium deficiency, it can also be caused by the casein in all dairy products, if you are eating any dairy products.
I have a hunch that it was magnesium deficiency in the first place that caused your sinus infections and your headaches. Here's a reference on that if you don't believe me:
The multifaceted and widespread pathology of magnesium deficiency.
And last but not least, magnesium should reduce or completely resolve the bloating, because as I mentioned above, the digestive system cannot work properly without adequate magnesium.
Please keep us posted on how you are doing.
Tex
As you know, I'm not a doctor, and what I am about to say will probably sound far-fetched, but IMO your main problem is a magnesium deficiency. Your symptoms are very familiar to me because I had to deal with a serious magnesium deficiency a few months ago, and apparently I've had a chronoc magnesium deficiency for roughly 10 years, but it was never detected by my doctors. I had to figure it out for myself.
An adverse reaction to an antibiotic is what allowed me to figure out my magnesium deficiency, and it appears that you are dealing with the same problem. Doctors never point this out, but the fact is that Levaquin can cause SEVERE magnesium depletion, and the resulting magnesium deficiency is one of the main causes of the tendonitis that results from Levaquin. But ironically, one cannot take magnesium while taking Levaquin, because it will inactivate the Levaquin. So a magnesium deficiency is virtually guaranteed unless the patient builds up a big reserve supply in their body before starting the Levaquin treatment. And all of the fluoroquinolones are known to cause this problem.
When I was having severe magnesium deficiency symptoms, my digestive system sort of shut down too. I couldn't eat, because my motility had pretty much stopped. I wasn't really dizzy, but I had periods of lightheadedness, because magnesium is a critical electrolyte, and without an adequate level in the blood, our body cannot properly regulate temperature, heart rate, breathing, or blood pressure. My blood pressure would be way too low at times, and way too high at other times. I had trouble sleeping at night because I would wake up sweating like a pig, panting for air, unable to take a deep breath, and my heart rate would be about twice what it should have been. I thought that I was dehydrated, but when I drank water, it went straight to my bladder, because my kidneys were not working properly. A magnesium deficiency can really mess us up. I even had a couple of kidney stones, a few months before that, as further evidence of a magnesium deficiency.
For supplementation, it's best to not take more than about 200 mg of magnesium citrate, so most of any oral magnesium you take should be magnesium glycinate (chelated magnesium), because it will not cause D. Many members here also use topically-applied magnesium, in the form of a magnesium oil, lotion, cream, or gel applied to the skin. Magnesium can also be absorbed by soaking the feet in Epsom salt, or adding Epsom salt to bathwater.
It took me a few months of taking 600–800 mg of magnesium per day to get completely back to normal, but I could see significant improvement after a couple of days at that dose. Since then, I've lowered my dose, now that I have built up a supply in my cells again. Breathing symptoms (such as feeling a need to take a deep breath, but not being able to do so) that were a problem for about 10 years, are now gone. And my blood pressure has settled down again. Before, it was often erratic.
If that doesn't completely eliminate your headache and constipation problems, acetaminophen is safe for MC, but be careful with acetaminophen, because it can cause kidney damage in certain situations. A magnesium deficiency can cause compromised kidney function, so be sure to allow a little time for your kidneys to recover if you are still having symptoms, before using acetaminophen. Tramadol is also safe for MC, and so are the narcotic painkillers. Some members here have successfully used some of the topically-applied analgesics, including NSAIDs, to treat headaches.
Regarding the constipation, if it was not caused entirely by the magnesium deficiency, it can also be caused by the casein in all dairy products, if you are eating any dairy products.
I have a hunch that it was magnesium deficiency in the first place that caused your sinus infections and your headaches. Here's a reference on that if you don't believe me:
The multifaceted and widespread pathology of magnesium deficiency.
And last but not least, magnesium should reduce or completely resolve the bloating, because as I mentioned above, the digestive system cannot work properly without adequate magnesium.
Please keep us posted on how you are doing.
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.
Tex, you may not be a Dr., but as usual, you make more common sense than a Dr. Before I got your reply. I started feeling so bad that I called the Dr. & miraculously they got me in right away & she said it's another sinus infection, that my nose looked awful, and prescribed what looks like, if reading correctly, Clarithromyc, which is generic for Biaxin. She chastised me for not taking the flonase (sp), the nose spray w/ a steroid in it, but that was prolly what made me eat everything in sight, so won't. She then suggested Claritin.
But your explanation makes much more sense, so tomorrow I'll get some form of the Magnesium, & tonight soak in epsom salts, also look for some magnesium cream I think I may have. I have had some of the same symptoms as you mentioned you had, so worth a try, to me. I'll never take that family of antibiotics again, the side effects are not worth it to me & on Facebook there are several support groups for people who've been disabled by them...Levaquin, Cipro, etc. The nightmares alone would make one shudder. I'm glad now that I mentioned all of that, was afraid it was too much info, but it seemed to give you a clearer pic. I am so tired of the debilitating headaches, and now I remember reading about magnesium & these symptoms some time ago, but wouldn't have thought of it again, probably. I will also watch the acetaphenamin. I know it can damage the liver, but your explanation of it was enlightening & good to remember. I will check in tomorrow or next day w/ you guys. Going to go back to bed & rest. You are always so helpful. I've had a busy few yrs., but need to check in & read here more often. You're a wealth of info.
Thanks again, Tex.
But your explanation makes much more sense, so tomorrow I'll get some form of the Magnesium, & tonight soak in epsom salts, also look for some magnesium cream I think I may have. I have had some of the same symptoms as you mentioned you had, so worth a try, to me. I'll never take that family of antibiotics again, the side effects are not worth it to me & on Facebook there are several support groups for people who've been disabled by them...Levaquin, Cipro, etc. The nightmares alone would make one shudder. I'm glad now that I mentioned all of that, was afraid it was too much info, but it seemed to give you a clearer pic. I am so tired of the debilitating headaches, and now I remember reading about magnesium & these symptoms some time ago, but wouldn't have thought of it again, probably. I will also watch the acetaphenamin. I know it can damage the liver, but your explanation of it was enlightening & good to remember. I will check in tomorrow or next day w/ you guys. Going to go back to bed & rest. You are always so helpful. I've had a busy few yrs., but need to check in & read here more often. You're a wealth of info.
Thanks again, Tex.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
Yes, unlike your doctor, I don't have anyone's medical record open on my desk, so I only know what I am told. The more information we have, the easier it is to spot something that might otherwise be overlooked.
Remember that resolving a magnesium deficiency will help to prevent sinus infections in the future, but it will not treat the infection that you already have. For that, you will need an antibiotic, unfortunately.
I hope the treatment works well, and the antibiotic doesn't cause any other problems.
You're very welcome,
Tex
Remember that resolving a magnesium deficiency will help to prevent sinus infections in the future, but it will not treat the infection that you already have. For that, you will need an antibiotic, unfortunately.
I hope the treatment works well, and the antibiotic doesn't cause any other problems.
You're very welcome,
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.
Magnesium Depletion
Tex, wanted to tell you thanks lots for the info on the magnesium. Why don't Drs. tell us that stuff? Geez. After soaking in tub w/ epsom salts the first night, I had more energy the next morn. than I've had in a good while. Now am on Magnesium and have more energy. I'd forgotten to say that my Dr. had sent me to a Hematologist because I had a high white blood count (14, I believe it was, then finally dropped to 10) during all of the sinus problems & the floxing done by the Levaquin, and they'd done a blood panel, but never mentioned a magnesium depletion at all. I have been so screwed over so many times by Drs. that am getting where I don't trust them much.
We'll see how I feel after I get off of the antibiotic, but I'd just taken one of them so far when I soaked in the epsom salts, so knew it surely couldn't be the antibiotic taking effect that soon. How long did you stay on the high dose, and when would it be safe to drop it down?
Thanks for all of your help, again. Am still some constipated, but at least not like I was. Since having micro colitis, never thought I'd be constipated again, so worried me w/ all of the bloating, then being constipated.
We'll see how I feel after I get off of the antibiotic, but I'd just taken one of them so far when I soaked in the epsom salts, so knew it surely couldn't be the antibiotic taking effect that soon. How long did you stay on the high dose, and when would it be safe to drop it down?
Thanks for all of your help, again. Am still some constipated, but at least not like I was. Since having micro colitis, never thought I'd be constipated again, so worried me w/ all of the bloating, then being constipated.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
Magnesium depletion
Tex, forgot to tell you, yes I sometimes felt like I couldn't take a deep breath also. Will also be glad for that to stop.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
The high white cell count was also probably due to magnesium deficiency. According to research done on rats, there is a certain magnesium level threshold that if the level falls below amount, white cell counts (number of leukocytes) can increase significantly. Probably the same thing happens in humans, if their magnesium level falls too low.
I don't understand why doctors don't recognize that magnesium deficiency is very common and it's a serious issue. Apparently that isn't impressed on them while they are in med school.
Of course, an infection can cause an increased white cell count also, but antibiotics normally have the opposite effect — they lower white cell numbers. IOW, the antiboitic should have offset any white cell count increase caused by the infection. So if your count was still high, that suggests that a magnesium deficiency may have been dominating all of those other effects.
I have to take more magnesium than most people, because magnesium is mostly absorbed in the terminal ileum and the colon, and part of my terminal ileum and all of my colon is missing. That's why I have a worse magnesium absorption problem than most people. But almost everyone has a magnesium deficiency at some level.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a large US national survey indicated that the average magnesium intake for men is about 350 mg/day, and women average about 260 mg/day. And the study found that magnesium intakes were even lower in men and women who were over 50 years of age. Obviously that's way short of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). The RDA for men is currently 420 mg/day, and the RDA for women is 320 mg/day. At that rate, it doesn't take long to build up a serious deficiency. And by having to avoid a lot of vegetables, our magnesium intake is even lower.
So depending on your diet, you should eventually be able to lower your magnesium supplementation to maybe 100–200 mg/per day or so. But it can take quite a while to replenish all the cells in the body with magnesium, once they are depleted.
You're most welcome,
Tex
Influence of graded magnesium deficiencies on white blood cell counts and lymphocyte subpopulations in rats.These results demonstrate a threshold effect for increased leukocytes during a Mg deficiency of four weeks. A Mg deficiency of a longer duration may show different results.
I don't understand why doctors don't recognize that magnesium deficiency is very common and it's a serious issue. Apparently that isn't impressed on them while they are in med school.
Of course, an infection can cause an increased white cell count also, but antibiotics normally have the opposite effect — they lower white cell numbers. IOW, the antiboitic should have offset any white cell count increase caused by the infection. So if your count was still high, that suggests that a magnesium deficiency may have been dominating all of those other effects.
I have to take more magnesium than most people, because magnesium is mostly absorbed in the terminal ileum and the colon, and part of my terminal ileum and all of my colon is missing. That's why I have a worse magnesium absorption problem than most people. But almost everyone has a magnesium deficiency at some level.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a large US national survey indicated that the average magnesium intake for men is about 350 mg/day, and women average about 260 mg/day. And the study found that magnesium intakes were even lower in men and women who were over 50 years of age. Obviously that's way short of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). The RDA for men is currently 420 mg/day, and the RDA for women is 320 mg/day. At that rate, it doesn't take long to build up a serious deficiency. And by having to avoid a lot of vegetables, our magnesium intake is even lower.
So depending on your diet, you should eventually be able to lower your magnesium supplementation to maybe 100–200 mg/per day or so. But it can take quite a while to replenish all the cells in the body with magnesium, once they are depleted.
You're most welcome,
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.
Thanks again, Tex
Glad to know about the magnesium & white blood cell count being high. I was worn out after a move & had also been remodeling for a year after mom died, so when floxed, just didn't need all of that.
I finally have time to read again, so ordered your book tonight, and look forward to reading it.
I finally have time to read again, so ordered your book tonight, and look forward to reading it.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
I don't recall if I mentioned this before, but stress also depletes magnesium.
I hope that you find the book to be very beneficial.
Tex
I hope that you find the book to be very beneficial.
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.
I don't think you did, but I read that myself, and I had plenty of stress the last 5 yrs. w/ my husband passing away, then mom getting Parkinsons & helping her, then her death at 87, & all of the stuff that comes with deaths, so probably contributed.
Am sure I'll enjoy the book. Thx.
Am sure I'll enjoy the book. Thx.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
magnesium depletion
Tex, just read where Biaxin, the antibiotic the Dr. put me on this time for the sinus infection, also depletes the magnesium, pls multiple antibiotics & lots of other type meds also. Came across a great article by a Dr. Cass, MD. about nutrient loss with meds & even OTC meds. Even tho I have more energy on it, am wondering if I should quit taking it until am through w/ the Biaxin, since you said you can't take it w/ Levaquin or the Levaquin wouldn't help? My common sense tells me yes, but just trying to make sure. It won't be that long anyway, until I've taken them all. I've just been enjoying have more energy again, you have no idea. Thanks in advance.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
I can't find any warnings against taking clarithromycin and magnesium concurrently, but there are warnings against taking clarithyromycin if either potassium or magnesium are deficient, because patients who have low blood levels of either potassium or magnesium have an elevated risk of QT prolongation if they take clarithromycin. QT prolongation is a problem with heart functioning. I have no idea if the risk is temporary or whether it might cause permanent QT prolongation, so it might not be a bad idea to ask your doctor about it.
It might help to take magnesium several hours before taking the clarithyromycin, in order to give it some time to be absorbed before the clarithyromycin begins to deplete it.
Tex
It might help to take magnesium several hours before taking the clarithyromycin, in order to give it some time to be absorbed before the clarithyromycin begins to deplete it.
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.
Magnesium Level
Tex, I asked my Dr. to do a magnesium test, so I'd know for sure, after starting a low dose of magnesium, after thinking about it. They just called me & say that it's not low, and is at 2.3. Am wondering why I felt so much better after one soaking bath in epsom salts, then a few days of 200 mg. until skipping it a couple days before I took the test. I'd ordered the chelated mag, and should be here any day, do you think I should still take it? The Dr. seemed really aggravated because I wanted the test. I think she is very defensive about prescribing the Levaquin for me, knowing how bad I've felt since, then learning about all of the support groups for people who have been so floxed from the flouroquinoline family of drugs.
You can't change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
Lulu,
If you had a blood test to determine your magnesium level, that test is worthless for determining the magnesium level of the cells in your body. All that it can detect is how much magnesium is in circulation in the blood. But magnesium is a vital electrolyte, so the blood level of magnesium will always be maintained in the "normal" range, as long as any magnesium remains anywhere in the cells of the body. When the diet is deficient in magnesium the body will pull magnesium from the cells all over your body.
The only time that a blood test will show a magnesium deficiency is when the cells all run out of magnesium. When that happens, then the blood level of magnesium can fall below the "normal" range, triggering a magnesium deficiency test result. But at that point, we are at an elevated risk of having a heart attack or stroke, and our symptoms will be similar to what I described happened to me in my first response to your original post. When the body runs out of magnesium it can't properly regulate heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, nor respiration. The heart is a muscle, and when it runs out of magnesium, it will stop functioning properly.
IMO it's very dangerous to not have a reserve supply of magnesium in our cells, because if we don't have a reserve supply, then if our diet doesn't supply enough magnesium (and most of the restricted diets that we follow do not supply enough) then our reserves will slowly dwindle until eventually something comes along (such as an antibiotic, or surgery, or a hospital stay) to deplete the rest of our available magnesium and we will immediately be in trouble (because we can't replenish reserves in just a few days or weeks — it takes months of significant doses.
I have yet to encounter a single doctor who appreciates the significance of magnesium, especially for IBD patients. It's not even on their radar, because they aren't trained to consider it a serious issue. There is a tissue test that can be used to accurately determine the actual magnesium level in the cells of the body, but none of the doctors whom I have discussed this with even seem to be aware of it, and they never order it (because it's more trouble than a simple blood test).
When I was having the serious magnesium deficiency symptoms that I described in my first post, I went to the ER (at a teaching hospital). The doctors ordered blood tests, including a magnesium test, and when the results came back, they told me that my test results were all normal, and they couldn't find anything wrong with me. But 2 days later, the lab posted my results to my Internet account, and when I checked the results, there it was — the magnesium test result was flagged as below normal, but it went below the radar of both of the doctors (a resident and a supervising doctor) who attended me. Neither one of them even noticed it. Or if they did, they didn't consider it to be important. If that happens at a teaching hospital, then how are new doctors ever going to learn about it?
As soon as I saw that test result, I doubled my magnesium supplementation. Within a few days, my most serious symptoms were gone, and my energy and stamina steadily improved as I slowly built up my magnesium reserves. It took several months before my breathing problems completely resolved, but that's not surprising, because I had been suffering from that particular symptom for 10 years, and during those 10 years, my blood tests had never shown any deficiency problems. The bottom line is that those blood tests will only detect a magnesium deficiency after the body pretty much totally runs out of magnesium. It's ridiculous that doctors can't do a better job of testing for magnesium deficiency, and preventing it from getting to a critical level before they can even detect it. The prudent way to handle critical issues that can't be reliably detected early on by testing, is to err on the side on caution (rather than to just ignore the problem the way that the medical community currently does).
So yes, I'm sure that your doctor is peeved that you would try to second-guess her, so you will need to be diplomatic whenever you meet with her. But if I hadn't second-guessed all of the doctors who have treated me over the last 10 years I would still be suffering from magnesium deficiency. That said, when I explained to my current PCP (who is always willing to listen) exactly what had happened, and showed him blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature records for the weeks during which the acute reaction was occurring, together with the ER test results, he agreed that a magnesium deficiency was indeed my problem, and said to continue taking the higher magnesium dosage. Most doctors probably would have just waved that off, and claimed that my improvement was a coincidence, because similar to MC, they just don't seem to truly understand how magnesium works in the body.
Most of us here find that we do best when we listen carefully to what our body is trying to tell us. No one knows our body better than we do. 200 mg of magnesium is a very low dose, and taking that amount couldn't possibly hurt anyone, unless they have a serious kidney problem, because any surplus magnesium is eliminated from the body by the kidneys.
Tex
If you had a blood test to determine your magnesium level, that test is worthless for determining the magnesium level of the cells in your body. All that it can detect is how much magnesium is in circulation in the blood. But magnesium is a vital electrolyte, so the blood level of magnesium will always be maintained in the "normal" range, as long as any magnesium remains anywhere in the cells of the body. When the diet is deficient in magnesium the body will pull magnesium from the cells all over your body.
The only time that a blood test will show a magnesium deficiency is when the cells all run out of magnesium. When that happens, then the blood level of magnesium can fall below the "normal" range, triggering a magnesium deficiency test result. But at that point, we are at an elevated risk of having a heart attack or stroke, and our symptoms will be similar to what I described happened to me in my first response to your original post. When the body runs out of magnesium it can't properly regulate heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, nor respiration. The heart is a muscle, and when it runs out of magnesium, it will stop functioning properly.
IMO it's very dangerous to not have a reserve supply of magnesium in our cells, because if we don't have a reserve supply, then if our diet doesn't supply enough magnesium (and most of the restricted diets that we follow do not supply enough) then our reserves will slowly dwindle until eventually something comes along (such as an antibiotic, or surgery, or a hospital stay) to deplete the rest of our available magnesium and we will immediately be in trouble (because we can't replenish reserves in just a few days or weeks — it takes months of significant doses.
I have yet to encounter a single doctor who appreciates the significance of magnesium, especially for IBD patients. It's not even on their radar, because they aren't trained to consider it a serious issue. There is a tissue test that can be used to accurately determine the actual magnesium level in the cells of the body, but none of the doctors whom I have discussed this with even seem to be aware of it, and they never order it (because it's more trouble than a simple blood test).
When I was having the serious magnesium deficiency symptoms that I described in my first post, I went to the ER (at a teaching hospital). The doctors ordered blood tests, including a magnesium test, and when the results came back, they told me that my test results were all normal, and they couldn't find anything wrong with me. But 2 days later, the lab posted my results to my Internet account, and when I checked the results, there it was — the magnesium test result was flagged as below normal, but it went below the radar of both of the doctors (a resident and a supervising doctor) who attended me. Neither one of them even noticed it. Or if they did, they didn't consider it to be important. If that happens at a teaching hospital, then how are new doctors ever going to learn about it?
As soon as I saw that test result, I doubled my magnesium supplementation. Within a few days, my most serious symptoms were gone, and my energy and stamina steadily improved as I slowly built up my magnesium reserves. It took several months before my breathing problems completely resolved, but that's not surprising, because I had been suffering from that particular symptom for 10 years, and during those 10 years, my blood tests had never shown any deficiency problems. The bottom line is that those blood tests will only detect a magnesium deficiency after the body pretty much totally runs out of magnesium. It's ridiculous that doctors can't do a better job of testing for magnesium deficiency, and preventing it from getting to a critical level before they can even detect it. The prudent way to handle critical issues that can't be reliably detected early on by testing, is to err on the side on caution (rather than to just ignore the problem the way that the medical community currently does).
So yes, I'm sure that your doctor is peeved that you would try to second-guess her, so you will need to be diplomatic whenever you meet with her. But if I hadn't second-guessed all of the doctors who have treated me over the last 10 years I would still be suffering from magnesium deficiency. That said, when I explained to my current PCP (who is always willing to listen) exactly what had happened, and showed him blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature records for the weeks during which the acute reaction was occurring, together with the ER test results, he agreed that a magnesium deficiency was indeed my problem, and said to continue taking the higher magnesium dosage. Most doctors probably would have just waved that off, and claimed that my improvement was a coincidence, because similar to MC, they just don't seem to truly understand how magnesium works in the body.
Most of us here find that we do best when we listen carefully to what our body is trying to tell us. No one knows our body better than we do. 200 mg of magnesium is a very low dose, and taking that amount couldn't possibly hurt anyone, unless they have a serious kidney problem, because any surplus magnesium is eliminated from the body by the kidneys.
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.