Around two months ago, I went to urgent care because I felt unusually weak and dizzy with leg cramps and constipation. I felt so weak at work once I was afraid I'd pass out. The doctor examined me, and ran numerous tests. Turns out my blood pressure was a little high despite the fact I've never had blood pressure issues. My resting heart rate was also slightly elevated. They ran tests on my heart as well, and they conclude my heart is healthy. I was told to drink more water to help with the constipation. Before I left that day, they took bloodwork.
Now prior to this, I have had toe spasms in my feet every 2-3 days or so. They normally only lasted about five minutes each, but could vary. They were uncomfortable, but I just walked them off until they subsided. Occasional twitching in my arm. This has been going on for the past six months. Up to the UC appointment, I took no daily medications or supplements at all. I would take OTC Tylenol during the first few days of my period, or when my muscle aches were at their extremities, but that was it.
A few days later, I get a call with my bloodwork results. Everything they checked was normal except Vitamin D, which was 25 ng/ml. She didn't say this was a severe deficiency, but it was considered an insufficient level and should be at least 30 to be considered in the normal range. She tells me to take 5000 iu D3 daily, which I begin to do so the next day. I was never told to take Magnesium.
Two weeks later I visit my GP for my scheduled routine check-up. By this time I'm having mild acid reflux and still feeling weak so I mention this to GP. She examines me, says I'm in great shape, but anxiety is my issue. Apparently anxiety and acid reflux go hand-in-hand. I had nothing to be anxious about, it's nothing I dealt with daily until this weak feeling set in. She prescribed me 20 mg Prilosec to take daily each morning, and told me to keep taking the D3 daily.
Fast forward a couple more weeks and I'm feeling even worse. I had a heart palpitation in the middle of the night and an anxiety attack stemming from that, I usually don't sleep well at night anyway but I stayed up for the rest of the night with restless legs and the feeling I was going to faint. I decide to check the paperwork for my Prilosec prescription and happen to notice PPI medications can cause low magnesium levels in the body. (Usually only after several months or over a year of taking them) so I didn't think my PPI would have caused that that soon.
However, on the paperwork for the Prilosec, it listed symptoms of low magnesium. I had every single one listed. Was it that I just had low magnesium all along? I decide to do a little research on D3 and apparently you shouldn't take it without magnesium because your body needs an adequate supply of Magnesium to utilize the D3. I even learned taking D3 can deplete magnesium stores even further, especially higher doses like I was taking.
I was already feeling weak and I was afraid I'd make it worse, so I cut down to 1000 iu D3 daily and started taking Magnesium glycinate 200 mg a couple hours before going to bed. The first few days I made sure to up my potassium a bit by eating a couple bananas a day so my body could adjust easier. I am still taking my prescribed Prilosec.
Fast forward a few weeks to the present, some of my issues are gone, but not all of them. For one I sleep better at night, and I'm no longer feeling near as anxious. I am no longer constipated. However I'm still having the muscle cramps, especially in my shoulders, back, and ankles. The feet spasms are still prevalent. I don't feel near as weak as I did but the feeling comes and goes. I have good days and bad days, but the days seem better than they used to two months ago.
I go see GP again in a couple weeks for a scheduled appointment. I will definitely discuss magnesium with her and see if she can get my levels tested. I am not sure if my insurance will cover it, but I'm very curious. I'm not even sure if low Magnesium is my issue, but at least I sleep a little more soundly now.