Blog

6

I've been taking 1000mg of magnesium per day to help with constipation. Constipation has been an on and off problem for my entire life, exacerbated by going paleo; before, I was eating basically a raw vegan diet consisting of a lot more roughage. Since the overall volume of my stools has decreased, I've become blocked up for as many as 5 days at a time.

Thanks to Paleohacks, I sought out a magnesium oxide supplement. It's been a small but sufficient help in this department. However, lately it seems like I have to take more and more to stay regular (regular for me means once per 2 or 3 days -- not great, but manageable). As I've dealt with constipation my whole life, with whatever fix, I'm wary of the dreaded word "dependency." With my understanding, magnesium draws water into your intestines, increasing the amount of stool and the ease of passing it. I suspect that with this unnatural supplementation, my colon may be getting used to the extra help and thus not working as hard in peristalsis. Am I just being paranoid? What's a safe upper limit to magnesium supplementation?

flag
3 
Have you checked your thyroid function. Hypothyroid is a very common cause of constipation. – Terry Nov 2 2011 at 14:44
1 
Magnesium oxide is probably the LEAST well-absorbed form--no wonder you need to take so much. Magnesium Citrate works better for most folk. – Dragonfly Nov 2 2011 at 18:59
Dragonfly, the lake of absorption is what gives the laxative effects. Magnesium in the bowel acts osmotically to draw water into the bowel. This is why magnesium sulphate (Epson salts) works so well, it's not absorbed. – DePaw Jan 24 2012 at 14:55

4 Answers

9

The amount of magnesium you take can be problematic in your health. I would suggest you stop taking it before it becomes toxic to your body. I had IBS-D for 10 years, started Paleo, got asymptomatic, but the first 1.5 months I switched to constipation instead. But over here at PaleoHacks someone made a wise remark: "diarrhea comes usually because you ate something you shouldn't have, and constipation because you didn't eat something you should have". This made sense to me, because bowel movements are driven by and large by the right gut flora. So I started a different regime:

  • I started taking two pills a day of multi-probiotics (iFlora)

  • I started drinking 1-2 cups of Yogi Kombusha Decaf (fermented tea)

  • I bought a yoghurt maker and I started making my own, probiotic, lactose-free goat yoghurt. As I write this, a new batch is fermenting for 20 hours now (to make it lactose-free).

I have no constipation anymore (neither diarrhea for that matter). I'm a regular once-a-day girl now, usually within 30 minutes of waking up.

link|flag
"diarrhea comes usually because you ate something you shouldn't have" How does this explain the loose stools on ZC? I also don't see how the magnesium can be problematic? – Korion Nov 2 2011 at 9:58
That amount of magnesium should be okay: mbschachter.com/… Is the 1000mg dose the actual dose of magnesium? – Sue Nov 2 2011 at 12:04
I doubt Mg is problem too. – majkinetor Nov 2 2011 at 13:27
How much Mg do you think is too much? Right now I'm taking 750mg daily. – Namby Pamby Nov 2 2011 at 20:39
7

I would echo the recommendation about improving your gut flora. Your elimination is basically stuff not being used by your body. Many folks have reported less content once going Paleo -- because they were eating less non-useable stuff. But if you are only going every few days with the help of Magnesium, it sounds like you don't have enough of the good bacteria in your gut.

Try a probiotic (you may have to experiment to find one that gives you what you are missing), eat fermented foods. You might want to read up on leaky gut syndrome or SIBO to see if any of that might apply to you. It sounds like your problem is higher up the chain. . .

link|flag
2

DAmn! I read somewhere that diarrhea could be a result of LACK of magnesium - so I've been supplementing with it. No wonder it hasn't worked!

link|flag
0

Twenty years ago, I had a colon specialist who was a professor at a medical school operate on me for hemorrhoids. He told me most digestive disorders were the result of constipation. He told me if people had more fiber in their diet--he would have almost no patients. The modern diet just doesn't have enough fiber. There are two types of dietary fiber--soluble fiber and insoluble. In the palo diet most foods have both types of fiber. But if you must use a supplement use something like metamucil. The skins on apples, potatoes, etc will give u insoluble fiber. That coupled with milk of magnesia on the rare occasion you do get constipated will keep you regular. Also the old 8 glasses of water a day rule is TRUE.

link|flag

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.