Does Magnesium Make You Poop? Solutions & Ideas

Whereas most individuals can get all the magnesium they want (anyplace from 320 to 420 milligrams per day) by consuming magnesium-rich meals—together with nuts, seeds, leafy greens, beans, complete grains, salmon, bananas, and potatoes—some folks may have a magnesium complement in the event that they’re poor or have sure well being considerations, like constipation, per the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH).

Here is the lowdown on how magnesium helps you poop, one of the best variety to take for constipation, how a lot to take, and when it is time to go to your doc about being backed up.

Associated Tales

Does magnesium assist constipation?

When you’re having hassle pooping, magnesium can assist by making your stool softer and simpler to move. “Within the GI tract, non-absorbed magnesium is an osmotic laxative, which suggests it secretes extra water and electrolytes into the intestine to assist issues transfer ahead and enhance constipation,” says Elena Ivanina, DO, MPH, founding father of the Heart for Integrative Intestine Well being in New York Metropolis.

Magnesium is definitely a standard ingredient in over-the-counter (OTC) laxatives like MiraLax, Milk of Magnesia, and Citroma. However you may get the identical advantages simply from taking a magnesium complement, says Dr. Ivanina. You simply have to take the best sort of magnesium.

The very best magnesium for constipation reduction contains:

• Magnesium oxide: This can be your finest guess, in keeping with current pointers from the American Faculty of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Society. There’s good proof to indicate it really works to alleviate persistent constipation, so if including extra fiber to your weight loss program is not reducing it, you possibly can strive magnesium oxide earlier than transferring on to a stimulant laxative or different merchandise.
• Magnesium citrate: This sort can relieve occasional constipation by softening your stool and inspiring your intestinal muscle tissue to maneuver poop out, says the Cleveland Clinic.
• Magnesium sulfate: It additionally has laxative properties that may assist you poop, per the Mayo Clinic.

Usually, you should not take magnesium or different laxatives for greater than every week until you have been advised by your physician to take action, says the Nationwide Library of Medication (NLM). When you’re repeatedly counting on laxatives that can assist you poop, that may very well be an indication of an underlying GI downside that must be addressed.

Different forms of magnesium and their makes use of

There are literally a bunch of several types of magnesium dietary supplements, and differing types can be utilized for various well being issues. Listed below are the commonest, which you’ll usually discover within the vitamin aisle at your native drugstore:

• Magnesium chloride (for low magnesium ranges, per the NIH)
• Magnesium aspartate (for low magnesium ranges, per the NIH)
• Magnesium glycinate (which can help temper and sleep, per the Mayo Clinic)
• Magnesium hydroxide (which can relieve heartburn, and may have a laxative impact, per the Harvard T.H. Chan College of Public Well being. This sort can also be discovered within the OTC remedy Milk of Magnesia.)
• Magnesium lactate (for low magnesium ranges, per the NIH)
• Magnesium malate (which can assist with muscle ache, per Mount Sinai)
• Magnesium sulfate (which can assist with muscle ache, per the Mayo Clinic)

How a lot magnesium ought to I take for constipation?

Most magnesium dietary supplements are available 500-milligram tablets or capsules, per Michigan Medication. Most consultants advocate beginning with 500 milligrams, however ask your physician about the correct quantity for you. Dr. Ivanina recommends taking it within the night (perhaps after dinner, as a result of it may trigger irritation for those who take it on an empty abdomen). “Usually it may usually assist produce bowel actions the following day,” she says.

The NLM additionally recommends taking magnesium with 8 ounces of water for those who’re constipated, as a result of downing some further fluids may assist transfer issues alongside. And for those who’re on any prescription meds, take them no less than 2 hours other than the magnesium to keep away from any potential interactions.

Can you are taking an excessive amount of magnesium?

Whereas it is attainable to take an excessive amount of magnesium, the typical wholesome individual would wish to take loads (assume: 5,000 milligrams or extra per day) to be able to run into issues like magnesium toxicity, which may doubtlessly be deadly. However even reasonably excessive doses (like over the really helpful 500 milligrams per day) can mess along with your abdomen and make you crampy, nauseous, or offer you diarrhea, per the NIH.

Different potential indicators of magnesium toxicity embody the next, per the NIH:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Facial flushing
• Urine retention
• Lethargy
• Muscle weak spot
• Shortness of breath

Name your physician and search emergency medical care for those who really feel any of those results after taking magnesium.

Dangers or uncomfortable side effects of an excessive amount of magnesium

Once more, excessive doses of magnesium can mess along with your abdomen and make you queasy or nauseous. And since it really works as a laxative, there is a good likelihood that overdoing it will provide you with diarrhea. Doses over above 5,000 milligrams per day may very well be poisonous, per the NIH.

It is particularly vital to verify in along with your physician earlier than taking magnesium when you’ve got a kidney downside, as a result of the kidneys are accountable for eliminating extra quantities of the mineral, says Dr. Ivanina. (So if they don’t seem to be working in addition to they need to, further magnesium may construct up in your physique.)

Lastly, take into account that magnesium can work together with different drugs. These embody the next, per the NIH:

• Biphosphonates, used to deal with osteoporosis
• Antibiotics
• Diuretics
• Prescription acid reflux disease drugs
• Very excessive doses of zinc dietary supplements

When you take any of those drugs, verify along with your physician earlier than including a magnesium complement to your routine.

Different methods to poop simpler

Magnesium dietary supplements can assist you poop while you’re actually backed up. However for those who’re coping with common or frequent constipation, way of life adjustments is likely to be wanted to actually clear up your poop downside. On this case, attempt to:

• Eat a high-fiber weight loss program: Purpose to get between 22 and 34 grams of fiber per day, from meals like beans, complete grains, fruits, and greens. Choices like berries, peaches, apricots, plums, and floor flaxseeds are particularly good for getting issues transferring, per the NLM.
• Drink loads of fluids: Ingesting sufficient water and/or different hydrating drinks could make your stool softer and simpler to move. In reality, an older examine in Hepatogastroenterology¹ discovered that ingesting round 8 cups of liquids per day with a high-fiber weight loss program improved constipation greater than a high-fiber weight loss program alone.
• Train repeatedly: Shifting your physique can maintain issues transferring in your intestine, too, per Harvard Well being Publishing. Attempt to do one thing lively daily, even when it is simply taking a stroll round your neighborhood or on the treadmill, or following a yoga or Pilates video.
• Test your place: Squatting, leaning again, elevating your ft, and even rocking forwards and backwards on the bathroom could make it simpler to poop, in keeping with the Cleveland Clinic. (Squatty Potty, anybody?)

When to see a health care provider about constipation

All of us get constipated every so often and it is often no large deal. However it is best to let your physician know for those who’ve gone greater than three days with out pooping, are in quite a lot of ache, have blood in your poop, or are constipated and in addition throwing up, in keeping with the NLM. These may very well be indicators of an underlying GI situation that must be handled.

FAQ

Is it okay to take magnesium day by day?

It is usually secure to take 500 milligrams of magnesium day by day. That stated, needing to take magnesium daily to be able to poop is a crimson flag that one thing else is likely to be happening. You possibly can have an underlying GI downside that must be addressed, otherwise you may simply have to make some way of life adjustments (like extra fiber!) to help higher bowel habits, says Dr. Ivanina.

Can magnesium soften your stool?

Magnesium oxide is an osmotic laxative, which curbs constipation by bringing extra water into your intestine, which helps make your stool softer and simpler to move. Although remember: it is not categorized as a stool softener (like docusate sodium), which is a distinct sort of drugs that “lowers the floor rigidity of stool, permitting extra water to simply enter the stool,” says Dr. Ivanina.

What’s the finest stool softener for constipation?

Seems, stool softeners like docusate sodium (i.e., Colace) truly aren’t that efficient for serving to you poop, so they don’t seem to be often really helpful by GI docs, says Dr. Ivanina. Magnesium oxide, which is a sort of osmotic laxative, is definitely a better option, and the one which’s really helpful by the American Faculty of Gastroenterologists and the American Gastroenterological Society.