Multivitamin

Supplements Magnesium and Potassium

by Gemita - 2020-10-26 13:52:10

Debann,

Did your doctors check your bloods/electrolytes and confirm that the problem is magnesium and potassium dips?  If so, did they offer any formal treatment or advise you on good dietary sources of magnesium and potassium??  

Taking a supplement may be necessary as well, but it should be done with your doctors knowledge in case you develop high levels or create an imbalance of minerals which could be just as dangerous and cause heart rhythm disturbances.  

I use Magnesium Ascorbate powder (with doctor's knowledge) because I have low magnesium levels (and constipation!!) but Magnesium Taurate is supposed to be an excellent mineral for heart rhythm problems like AFib.  I cannot recommend a potassium supplement because this needs to be discussed with your doctor.  Good luck

Magnesium w/ Taurate

by MartyP - 2020-10-26 14:12:27

Pacemaker on May 17, 2017 and I've been taking Magnesium  w/ Taurate (I get it from Amazon) every day.  I started taking it to reduce the number of PVC's I was getting.

Does it work?  I think so ... I don't get PVS's very often :)

Electrolytes

by AgentX86 - 2020-10-26 14:14:56

A lot of us have troubles with electrolytes.  Potassium, sodium, and magnesium are all needed for nerves to operate and the heart's electrical system is really bundles of nerves, these metals are important.  Sodium is almost always in abundence in the Western diet.  The problem is usually the opposite.  We get much less potassium and magnesium.  Of the three, potassium is the one that can get us in trouble really easily.  Too much or too little can be life-threatening.  You really have to be careful here but bananas are a good, safe, source.  There are others but care must be taken.  Fake salt is potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride, so is a source of potassium but be careful with these things.

Magnesium is a little harder to come by naturally.  If we're getting rid of it too quickly (kidney damage or exercise) it can sometimes be hard to get back.  Magnesium suppliments are pretty cheap but you should only take them on advice of your doctorl.  The level of magnesium that will cause problems is pretty high and it's rather self regulating (ever hear of Milk of Magnesia? ;-).  If you end up takign magnesium suppliments, forget magnesium oxide.  It works on the nose to avoid sunburn (the white stuff) but doesn't get absorben into the system, rather passes through (see: Milk of Magnesia).   One of the organic magnesium suppliments (glycinate, citrate, malate, or taurate) are far better.  You may have to experiment with more than one and in differetn doses to get something that works.

Magnesium stopped my PVCs (I think) and certainly got rid of my leg cramps.

supplementing

by Tracey_E - 2020-10-26 22:29:30

I would not do a general multi-vitamin because it's full of things you don't need. Target what you do need.

Ask your doctor about potassium, it's available by prescription depending how low you get. I have to watch mine also but my doctor wasn't specific about where to find it, he just said make sure I get enough because I'm on meds that can deplete it and I  live in FL where it's hot and I work out a lot. I prefer coconut water to bananas because of the sugar in bananas. Sports drinks have some but they're also loaded with sugar and have minimal ectrolytes so read the labels. There are also a lot of options at a running store like Nuun. Again, tho, read the label to make sure it's the right amount of the electrolytes you need. I automatically add nuun to my water if I'm going to be sweating outside, just water doesn't cut it if we are sweating a lot. 

As for magnesium, I do a gummy at bedtime, Natural Calm brand. It also comes in a powder that you mix with water but I don't like to drink a lot at bedtime. It's better to do it at bedtime because it will help with sleep, and it can be hard on the stomach. Don't jump right in to the full recommended dose, work up to it. I can only tolerate half of the recommended amount or I'm running to the bathroom.

You can track your nutrition for a few days on an app like myfitnesspal to get an idea how low you are and how much you need to supplement.