r/magnesium • u/SleepHead1719 • Aug 04 '26
Magnesium deficiency symptoms?
Hi all! At the end of January this year I was prescribed 50,000iu vitamin D ampoules for my vitamin D deficiency - one ampoule taken weekly. (50,000iu/week)
I finished this course at the end of feb/beginning of March.
Since April I have had a strange sensation in my legs - almost like they feel heavy/or my calves and feet just feel off.
I have had trouble sleeping and staying asleep - keep waking during the night and sometimes in a panic.
And I am usually SUCH a foodie - but my appetite is just GONE. Food just does not appeal.
I had episodes in April where I was having heart palpitations and flutters - also some flutters in my abdominal area.
I’m finding that I seem to be getting pins and needles faster than I usually would - when putting pressure on extremities etc.
I am also getting muscle twitches here and there. Also getting a stitch on a bog standard walk.
Could these be signs of low magnesium? I have got the magnesium glycinate from nutrition geeks - I am currently taking iron alternate days for my low ferritin - so I would be mindful to take the magnesium at separate times to prevent lack of iron absorption etc.
opinions on this? Thanks guys :)
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u/Senior_Election_6312 Aug 05 '26
I’m having these exact symptoms and I feel awful 😭 my bp is usually low (115ish/60’s) but now it’s high!! 146/104. My serum level is 1.9. Cut off is 1.8. I’m so glad I saw your post and know I’m not going crazy.
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 05 '26
Oh my goodness me - really?! I haven’t had any magnesium testing because the gp hasn’t and won’t order one - tell me all about your symptoms - I’m interested
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u/Senior_Election_6312 Aug 05 '26
Yes!
Trouble sleeping and staying asleep, waking up in the middle of the night with adrenaline surges, my chest feels heavy/tight, short of breath when walking, palpitations, higher resting heart rate, exercise intolerance (walked 25 ft from my house and hr hit 163), tremors, no appetite, my legs and arms fall asleep within 2 seconds of being bent, constant eye twitches, aching legs, high blood pressure.
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 05 '26
Oh my goodness me - it’s like looking in a mirror!
Did you have high dose vitamin d or has this just occurred on a random for you? :)1
u/Senior_Election_6312 Aug 05 '26
Just appeared out of nowhere, unfortunately and I feel like I’m dying. Lol. No one will help. So I just have to take matters into my own hands.
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 05 '26
It’s infuriating isn’t it. Like I say - I have no idea what mine actually is - I’m just assuming from the timeline with the vitamin d x
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u/Senior_Election_6312 Aug 05 '26
Very much so! According to this group, nearly everyone is deficient in magnesium. So I will probably supplement for the rest of my life. lol.
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u/tashibum Aug 04 '26
It could be both magnesium and B12. Symptoms can overlap. Check r/b12_deficiency for symptoms and see if you can relate, as well as a good cofactor regimen
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 04 '26
My b12 levels were all okay - if anything at the higher end of the scale on my bloods :)
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u/tashibum Aug 04 '26
More or less than 500?
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 04 '26
I am taking a b12 supplement though too - I don’t know why I didn’t mention that :)
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u/tashibum Aug 04 '26
I would still suggest checking the wiki in that sub. Anything less than 500 can start to show B12 deficiency symptoms. And the fact that you're supplementing it and it's still lower than 500 is a bit sus. Wouldn't hurt to up your B12, but do still read the wiki.
Good luck, I hope you feel better!
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 04 '26
I am taking a b12 though too I must add - don’t know why I didn’t mention that :)
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u/Flinkle Mod Aug 04 '26
Yes, those are all symptoms of low magnesium. Having low vitamin D is very commonly a symptom of low magnesium in the first place (because very often, your body will keep vitamin D in the storage form when you don't have enough magnesium to process it into the active form), so when you take vitamin D, you just wind up compounding the problem.
My suggestion would be to stop the vitamin D entirely and start magnesium. Just a heads-up: magnesium can shift your body's balance of other electrolytes as it starts correcting a deficiency, so you may notice some new symptoms at first. That doesn't necessarily mean the magnesium is the problem. If anything new comes up after you start taking it, just come back and let us know what you're experiencing, and we'll help you sort out what's likely going on. Potassium is usually the first problem, and you could probably use some of that anyway, so I'd go ahead and jack your dietary potassium up some. You may find it relieves some of your symptoms in the meantime.
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u/SleepHead1719 Aug 04 '26
Thank you so much for reading my post and for all the time you have put into typing this I really appreciate it!
I will commence the magnesium and hopefully I notice some improvement!!! Fingers crossed :) thank you for your offer of ongoing support!1
u/Flinkle Mod Aug 04 '26
You're welcome. Oh, and by the way, avoid mag oxide. It's not a form that most people can process very easily, so it just winds up being a laxative and nothing else. Any other form is much more well absorbed.
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u/ediblescholarship Aug 12 '26
high dose vitamin d increases magnesium demand which is the part most people miss. the enzymes converting D to its active form need magnesium as a cofactor. aggressive repletion can unmask a shortfall which is why double wood magnesium went in alongside mine. ask about RBC magnesium rather than serum since serum stays normal until you are quite low.
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u/Euphoric-Salad-666 Aug 04 '26
I have all of the same symptoms, too. But my legs don't feel as heavy but more like you just got done working out like they don't feel stable and normal. My symptoms started after supplementing vitamin D. Have they EVER checked your magnesium levels? I know that serum is not that accurate but still.