My Magnesium Level Won't Come Up..

by D. Wade
(California)

I've had Crohn's colitis for 22 years. Several years ago, I had 2-3 years of chronic diarrhea (at least 10 X a day) and finally, I found relief using helminth therapy (hookworms) which have brought my inflammation to normal.

During this time, though I began to drink 4-5 cups of strong black tea a day, and wasn't supplementing with any minerals.


Slowly, I began to experience "charlie horses", my toes and eyelids began to twitch. Eventually, my hands and feet began to go numb, and I had tingling in my lips. I was checked out by an MS doctor, had a full MRI and nerve conductivity test, and they were all normal.

The symptoms continued, and I began to experience intense PMS with anxiety, insomnia, and depression. I became pregnant and then had a miscarriage at 10 weeks, and lost a huge amount of blood. I tried an SSRI which worked for about a month, until my period came back, and all the symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, began, as well as the tics, twitches, and mild Peripheral Neuropathy.

I finally took a red blood cell magnesium test, and it was flagged as low. As well, my intact PTH was extremely low (normal is 10 - 64, mine was 4). My doctor concluded I had Magnesium Deficiency, and I began intermuscular shots, twice weekly, and supplemented with 450 mg. of magnesium glycinate a day.

I have been doing the shots for 2 weeks, up to 600 mg. of oral supplementation, and I am soaking in epsom salts baths and rubbing magnesium chloride on my skin. However, I am not noticing any relief. The shots seemed to help at first, for a few hours, but are not providing any long lasting relief.

I am slowly upping my magnesium dosage, and added mag calm yesterday, so took about 900 mg, without experiencing diarrhea. My doctor suggested proscribing a diaretic that makes you hold on to the magnesium, but I haven't started that yet.

My question is, for a magnesium deficiency which has been going on for 2 years without treatment, how long does it take to replete? I'm probably not absorbing the oral supplements perfectly because of the Crohn's (even though my symptoms are quite good; 2-3 soft BM a day, and no inflammation. But I thought shots would provide a rapid recovery?



Do I just need to give it more time? It is very distressing to have the symptoms, and as my period comes around each month, any progress I feel I have made is reduced to anxiety, cramping, tetany, and tics. I cannot even flex my leg without my calf cramping within seconds.

I haven't reached my oral tolerance yet, (no diarrhea), so I'm hoping when I do, that will help. I also ordered Transdermal Magnesium Gel, since I was just using local magnesium chloride flakes.

Please help. My doctor has never treated magnesium deficiency, so he thought I should be replete by now. Now he's sending me to an endocronologist since he doesn't know what else to do.

Thanks!

DW