Magnesium

Magnesium

by Zetha - 2015-12-11 01:12:17

Hi Diane, I have been taking magnesium for many years, 20+ as one of my health supplements and though it is a very good supplement for many reasons, it has in no way prevented me from developing Sick Sinus Syndrome during this year.... I am still taking it as my normal vitamin/supplement plan together with all my other stuff: omegas,flaxseed,multivit,calcium etc.... I do not think it can prevent Afib, but it might just be positive for one's general wellbeing! No way I could escape PM!

I'm with Zetha

by Theknotguy - 2015-12-11 03:12:02

Supplements have a lot of anecdotal support but not scientific. Even though a person says it "fixed" or "cured" something that doesn't mean it really happened. And, of course it's hard to prove the other way too. The biggest problem is you spend time on something that might not be a help at all. Then you're further down the road and have a bigger problem.

I got on the magnesium supplements after reading about them on the forum. Since I go into afib a lot, it was worth a try. Two problems immediately cropped up. One was interactions with other medications. Second was they didn't work. Or at least didn't work as much as some said they would.

I'm between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If I don't take medications my heart will spiral out of control and kill me. If I do take medications, they can slow my heart to where it will (and did) stop. So that can kill me. Solution was to give me medications that would slow my heart and then use the pacemaker to keep it going. Not something I would like, but better than being dead.

With the magnesium supplements I still get afib sessions. Problem is, do I go way off the medical path and try for something that isn't supported, or do I go with the supported medical solutions? I've chosen to go the way I get the most support - i.e. medical solutions.

I don't know why you have this great fear of having a pacemaker. It's not a perfect solution granted, but it's a well known and proven solution. I also don't understand why you want to mess around with anecdotal fixes to a problem that could kill you.

If you read through the notes on the forum you'll find people are leading normal lives and sometimes better than normal lives with a pacemaker. They don't find it a hindrance. In fact mine has been a great help.

No one can stop you from trying magnesium supplements as a way to avoid having a pacemaker implanted. Just be aware that going that way could put you into a situation that could kill you when medical solutions are readily available.

magnesiulm

by sco001 - 2015-12-11 03:12:39

Why the fear. Just get it. It is an insuance policy for you.

Why ? Why ?? Why ??? Why ????

by IAN MC - 2015-12-11 03:12:58

Hi Diane i've just read your previous posts :-

- You have cardiac pauses
- Your heart rate in the 30"s while you are asleep
- You have a dreadful quality of life

and you are fooling around with magnesium instead of getting a pacemaker NOW ???

Theknotguy spelled it out , so will I ; your present condition can kill you ,cardiac pauses can lengthen and then you faint or you DIE , a pacemaker will keep you alive, magnesium won't !

Also once you have a PM it will be easier for the doctors to treat your atrial fibrillation. Your main objective should be to get a good quality of life back and it really does sound as though having a PM , in combination with appropriate drugs or ablations , is the only way you will achieve this.

Best of luck

Ian

I take magnesium

by mkaz03 - 2015-12-11 12:12:53

400 mg once a day and I feel this has definitely helped my afib. Ever since starting it I have not had episodes of afib on the golf course which made me feel like I was going to pass out. According to my annual pacemaker check I still get afib but of very short duration and none that I can actually feel.

magnesium

by Tracey_E - 2015-12-12 04:12:08

It's good for us, but it's not a cure. The only thing that will fix pauses and a slow rate is a pacemaker. No meds, no supplements, nothing. We've all been in your shoes- no one wants to be paced. However, many of us come out of it feeling a lot better and regretting we put it off. I know I'm not the only one who found the surgery to be easier than expected and to end up feeling better than I expected. Don't endanger yourself by procrastinating and trying to convince yourself there is a magic cure. There is not.

magnesium

by hopefulheart - 2015-12-15 11:12:07

Hi, Diane
While I do not get involved with supplements, I rely on a balanced vitamin and a healthy diet rich in magnesium because I do believe it is helpful. Go online, and you will find magnesium rich foods listed. Also, it is known that mega dose supplements can be wasted effort and money because the body can absorb just so much at one time. Mega doses of supplements alone and in combination with medications and food/drink/other supplements have caused near death health issues and death. Please do not let fear keep you from doing what is best for you. If our heart needs help, we are blessed to know it. Some do not get a red flag or wait too long for the best possible outcome. I will be thinking of you.
hopefulheart

Magnesium Rules!!!M

by Keithwhelpley - 2018-05-18 01:35:35

Magnesium and it’s defficiency is a oft overlooked cause and cure for many things including arrhythmia sand deadly tachys. The science and studies are there. 

In many emergency rooms IV magnesium is the very first thing heart patients receive. So don’t believe anyone who says it is hocus pocus. 

There is a wonderful book “The Magnesium Factor” by Mildred Seelig MD that brings together much of th research about magnesium and it’s huge importance to staying healthy. 

That being said, not all magnesium supplements are created equal. It take careful reading and consideration because of “bioavailability,” which means the rate at which your body absorbs it.  Some are absorbed better than others. The other consideration is dosage through diet and supplements. If you have a magnesium deficiency and you depend on a 148 mg supplement with a diet that provided 1/3 of the daily requirements, then every day you are moving closer to depletion. And depletion can trigger deadly arrhythmias and  tachys. We all read about sudden cardiac arrest among people who are fit and healthy many are attributed to magnesium depletion. 

If you have the luxury of time before getting a PM or ICD (many of us don’t/didn’t) then get a red blood cell test for magnesium and your other minerals (potassium also is critical for heart function but is much easier to get in your diet). This will tell you how far you hhave to go. It may take months to restore your body to proper levels but it is well worth it 

but if you don’t have the time and need the mechanical fix (PM or ICD) still bring your magnesium to par levels. One of the beauties of Magnesium at par levels is it can fight the side effects of beta blockers. 

Dont bother with a standard blood test to check magnesium. Serum levels almost alway show within the range in those tests. You need the red blood cell test.