Hacker News Reader

Comment by S_A_P | Hacker News Reader

Maybe this is TMI, but anyone wanting to try magnesium needs to ramp up their dose, as a sudden intake of magnesium supplement is likely to cause you to evacuate your colon in glorious fashion...

View on HN

Magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide (often called elemental magnesium or buffered magnesium) are the forms to avoid unless you're trying to clean out your colon.

Look for Magnesium glycinate or magnesium bisglycinate, but be careful because some of those will include significant amounts of "buffered" or elemental magnesium.

Is elemental magnesium good or bad? Looking at reviews on Amazon they make it seem like a good thing.

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't listen to medical advice from the comments section of Amazon.

I don't see how it's any better than a comment here. I just wanted clarification as to whether the poster thinks elemental magnesium is a good thing or a bad thing.

I had loose vowels the first couple mornings after starting magnesium supplements. After five days my body adjusted and my bowel movements returned to normal.

Is that the opposite of hard consonants?

Thank you for today's giggle :) (no sarcasm)

Hahaha, I'm going to leave the typo in. Just noticed and it made me giggle too!

Magnesium Phosphate enemas: the gold standard in "explosive" laxatives.

I vomit within 30min of taking even the most minute amount of magnesium supplements. Multivitamins seem to be fine but magnesium alone in anything but a trace amount causes an allergic reaction. Are you saying that if I can put up with vomitting daily for a week or two then it might go away? I have a magnesium deficiency (often goes hand in hand with an allergy) and really need to fix this. Eventually I hope to see a specialist about it.

Definitely talk to your doctor about this question, any answer here is dangerous.

Thank you for the warning. I think in rational discussion, such things ought not even to be considered TMI, which is a squeamish, system 1 - type emotional reaction to information.

Well the first thing that runs through my mind is a scenario of someone seeing this and saying to their self, "ooooh magnesium will help me for this job interview Im about to go to, let me take a load of that stuff so I can be at my cognitive best!"

That could make for a rough day...

I think this is good advice in general to never start a new food, medication, supplement, etc. when you have something important to do.

Doesn't matter what I take or eat or don't eat before an interview, this happens to me every time. Not when I wake up, not when I'm showering or getting dressed, but right before I have to walk out the door. I'm amazed that I've ever even landed a job.

On the positive side, this laxative effect is a perfect way to titrate the dosage: Keep increasing it until your colon starts screaming.

...Have some Pedialyte on hand.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com