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In today’s busy life, the trend of consuming dietary supplements without medical advice to maintain health and fulfill the deficiency of nutrients in the body is increasing rapidly. Magnesium supplements are being widely promoted on social media, especially citing good sleep, stress relief, muscle cramps and better digestion. Seeing this, people start taking over-the-counter (OTC) magnesium tablets and capsules without any medical test and without consulting a doctor or dietician. But do you know that excessive consumption of any mineral can take a toll on your health? Medical experts and doctors have issued a warning that overdose of magnesium in the body can cause a condition called ‘Hypermagnesemia’, which can seriously damage your heart, kidneys and digestive system.
#1 How important is magnesium for the body and how much quantity do we need daily?
Magnesium is an essential mineral for the human body, which plays an important role in the smooth functioning of more than 300 biochemical reactions occurring within the body. It helps in strengthening our bones, controlling blood pressure, maintaining normal heartbeat and helping the nervous system to function properly. Generally, an adult male needs about 400 to 420 mg and an adult female needs 310 to 320 mg of magnesium daily. People who eat a balanced diet—including green leafy vegetables, pulses, nuts (walnuts, almonds), seeds (pumpkin seeds), and whole grains—don’t usually need to take separate supplements. But when it is taken externally in the form of medicine without testing, its balance in the body starts getting disturbed.
#1 Early and serious side effects of magnesium overdose without medical advice
When a person starts consuming excessive magnesium through supplements apart from food, it puts additional pressure on his kidneys. If the kidneys are unable to remove excess magnesium through urine, its levels in the blood can become dangerously high. Due to this, the following symptoms and damages can be seen in the body:
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Deterioration of the digestive system (Diarrhea and Stomach Cramps): The first and most common effect of overdose of magnesium supplement is on the stomach. Taking magnesium citrate or magnesium hydroxide in excess amounts can cause severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, which can lead to dehydration.
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Dangerously low blood pressure (Low Blood Pressure / Hypotension): Magnesium relaxes blood vessels. But when its level increases too much, the blood pressure suddenly falls very low, causing the person to feel dizzy, blurred vision and faint.
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Muscle Weakness & Lethargy: Excessive magnesium slows down the signals between nerves and muscles, causing extreme tiredness, fatigue, muscle stiffness or weakness throughout the body.
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Irregular Heartbeat & Cardiac Arrest: In case of severe hypermagnesemia, the heartbeat may become uncontrolled (Arrhythmia). Very high levels of magnesium in the blood can also cause heart attack (cardiac arrest) or severe breathing problems.
#1 Who is most at risk of magnesium overdose?
According to doctors, people whose kidneys are completely healthy, their body expels small amounts of excess from supplements through urine. However, even healthy people can be harmed when taken in high doses for a long period of time. But Chronic Kidney Disease For patients suffering from diabetes, the elderly, heart patients and pregnant women, taking magnesium without advice can prove fatal. Kidney patients have less ability to expel excess minerals from the body, due to which toxicity spreads very rapidly in their body. Additionally, for people who are already taking blood pressure or antibiotics, magnesium supplements may alter the effectiveness of those medications and cause adverse effects in the body.
#1 When and how to take magnesium supplement? Know the correct opinion of experts
The clear advice from health experts is to never start supplements because of a reel, social media post or on the advice of a friend. If you suffer from persistent insomnia, excessive anxiety, or persistent muscle cramps, first go to your doctor or pathology lab and get a ‘Serum Magnesium Blood Test’ done. If magnesium deficiency is actually found in the blood report, then only consume the supplement as per the exact dosage and time limit prescribed by the doctor. Including natural foods like spinach, banana, dark chocolate, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds in your daily diet is the safest and best way to improve magnesium levels without any side effects.