Magnesium Citrate Side Effects

Magnesium citrate is a common magnesium salt which is made from magnesium carbonate and citric acid. It is a chemical agent with some excellent medicinal values. Its magnesium content is as high as eleven percent. For this reason, it is often taken as a nutritional supplement. The magnesium available from magnesium citrate can be absorbed by our body quite easily, and so, it is considered to be an important supplementary source of magnesium. Magnesium thus obtained is an important mineral essential for the proper functioning of muscles, nerves, heart and various other systems of the body. It also prevents formation of kidney stones.

Another medical use of magnesium citrate is as a saline laxative. When it is taken orally, it has a natural tendency to draw out large amount of water from the tissues into the bowel. This excess of water inside the small intestine then promotes bowel movement and facilitates faster elimination of wastes from the body. For this reason, it is used for treating constipation and other colon or rectal problems. Before any surgery, magnesium citrate is administered to the patient to evacuate the bowel.

Common Side Effects of Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium citrate supplement is more or less safe for people of all age groups except for small children who are below the age of 6 years. It can be taken by elderly people as well. The permissible daily dosage of magnesium citrate for adults is 350 mg. For children above 6 years, the dosage should not exceed beyond 200 mg a day. Magnesium citrate does not cause any harm to your body as long as it is taken in correct dosage. If taken in excess, it has a number of side effects. Moreover, it should not be used by people with certain medical conditions. Some commonly observed side effects of magnesium citrate are listed below:

• Intake of magnesium citrate can lead to severe diarrhea in some people. Actually, when too much of water is pulled out into the intestine, it results in frequent bowel movements and watery stools. In such cases, diarrhea is often accompanied by abdominal discomfort, cramps, bloating etc.
• Some people complain about mild nausea feeling after taking the supplement which may even result in loss of appetite. However, if severe nausea and vomiting occur together, then it could be a sign of magnesium citrate overdose. In that case, a doctor needs to be consulted.
• Magnesium citrate can cause severe allergic reaction in some people which can be identified with skin rashes, itching, swelling of face, lips or tongue, rectal bleeding, choking, breathing difficulty, etc. Such reactions need to be evaluated by doctors immediately.
• In some rare cases, people experience giddiness or lightheadedness. If it is mild and is happening once in a while, then it can be ignored. However, frequent episodes of dizziness could be a possible indication of high levels of magnesium in the blood caused by overdose of magnesium citrate.
• Constipation often hurts the stomach due to pressure from the intestines and this pain gets aggravated by the intake of magnesium citrate. This is because the laxative tries to force out the fecal matter through the intestines.
• Patients suffering from chronic constipation should not take magnesium citrate for a prolonged period of time as the body may lose its natural ability to carry out the function of bowel movement. In this condition, their body becomes dependent on laxative for bowel movements.
• Magnesium citrate may interfere with the working of other medicines. So, if you are taking any other medicine, ask your doctor whether you can take magnesium citrate or not. While taking this laxative with any other drugs, you must make sure that there is a gap of 2 hours between the consumption of magnesium citrate and other medicines.
• Magnesium citrate is not suitable for those people who have kidney diseases, heart ailments or any history of anal fissures. Pregnant women should avoid magnesium citrate as the drug can aggravate the problem of fluid retention further. Lactating mother should not use it as it can enter the body of the infant through breast milk.

Thus you can see that magnesium citrate side effects can vary from mild to severe. Usually, it does not lead to any serious life-threatening conditions. However, if you notice any of the side effects after taking the supplement, then you must stop using it and inform your doctor about the same. You can prevent some of these complications if you take the supplement in an empty stomach and follow it up with ample amounts of fluid like water or fruit juice.