# Magnesium Citrate or Magnesium Oxide, which is better?



## atrain

What is the difference between the two and which do people find helps them more?


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## jo-jo

HI atrainI asked the same question to KMottus, she thinks the oxide probably works better because it is less absorbed by your body. It's the kind I take, works fine for me.


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## admflo

We use mag citrate in the hospital. It's strong.


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## atrain

wow Flo, i see you work in a hospital and you use magnesium citrate cause its better? What do you use the magnesium for? the constipation or do patients take it for something else? But i will try the mag citrate now that you say that. can i buy it in capsule form? i have only seen it for mag oxide, well thanks for the tip


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## admflo

Dear Atrain, I did not say it was better, I said it was STRONGER. Mag Citrate comes in a bottle and fizzes like soda pop. We give it to patients to clean them out before they have the colonoscopies to find out why they can't go to the bathroom. Now what does that tell you?Good luck.


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## AD

I have heard that magnesium citrate is a harsh osmotic laxative (not for everyday use). I have taken it before, and it did not affect me one bit differently than the milk of magnesia I take regularly. It felt like it only cleaned out half my colon. It did almost cause vomiting, but not quite. It was too much liquid for my system at once (a whopping 20 oz. counting the water)! I can also taste the artificial sweetener in it which makes me gag for at least an hour. The effects on my stomach and gag reflex have kept me from ever touching the stuff again.I have not heard of magnesium oxide before, only magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia).


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## Rose

The Magnesium Citrate in the bottle used to clean out the colon is not the same as taking magnesium citrate capsules. The amount of magnesium in the bottle is enormous next to the amount of magnesium in the capsules. I have used both the Oxide and Citrate capsules and find one works as well as the other. I switched from the oxide to the citrate, because I read the citrate is more easily absorbed, so I figured it would work more quickly?


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## Kathmerkin

That's funny you all are talking about Magnesium Citrate. My daughter, who does NOT have IBS had to drink 10 oz. of Magnes. Citrate 2 days ago as a prep for an IVP. It made her very nauseous and she couldn't finish the last ounce. She didn't have results though until the next day AFTER her test. Then she had bad diarrhea. Kathie


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## amj

I too am confused about the differnce between Magnesium Oxide and Magnesium Hydroxide (Which is the active ingredient in Milk of Magnesia). I cannot stand Milk of MAgnesia, so I had my compounding pharmacy order just the plain magnesium hydroxide powder. As M.O.M. is just this powder mixed with water, I use the powder alone. I order empty gelatin capsules and a filling tray (over the internet) and make up capsules of Magnesium Hydroxide. I take them with a full glass of water. Same effect, no nasty liquid, and half the price. Is magnesium oxide something else?


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## suzatb

I can only find Mag. Oxide and have not been able to find Mag. Citrate. The Mag. Oxide did absolutely nothing for me and I was taking 1000 mg. Where has everyone found the Mag. Citrate?


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## Rose

Magnesium Citrate is harder to find than oxide.I use mag/citrate made by Solgar. I buy it at a health food store. You can order it on-line atwww.vitaminshoppe.com Use the "search" and just type in magnesium citrate and several brands will appear including Solgar. Good luck


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## laney_001

I checked in my Reader's Digest book about prescription and OTC drugs. It says that Magnesium Citrate is for treatment of short-term constipation and rapid emptying of the colon. It attracts and retains water in the intestine to soften stools. Dosage- adults and teens: 1100-2500mg daily. Take it on an empty stomach wiht a full glass of cold water. It is intended for short-term therapy onlyMagnesium Oxide is not prescribed to treat constipation according to this book. It is for treating low Magnesium (Mg) in the blood and as an antacid. It neutralized stomach acid. Magnesium Sulfate is also used to evacuate the bowel before surgery and as a dietary supplement for people with a Mg deficiency. It works like Magnesium Citrate. Dosage- Adults and teens: 1000-3000 mg daily. Take on an empty stomach with a full glass of cold water. For any of these you should see your doctor for tests of your ion (Magnesium, Potassium, Chloride etc) levels in your blood-- THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! I'm not a doctor, but I am in medical school. I checked the references for this Reader's Digest book and they are all physicians so take that at what you think it is worth. Physicians seem to be a pretty good source in my opinion. I am in physiology right now and it is somewhat surprising just what an effect ions have on our bodily functions. I wrote another post about potassium (K) supplements since they cause smooth muscle (the kind of muscle in the bowel)contractions whereas Calcium causes smooth muscle relaxation. You can check out that other post. Also, I would LOVE to get more people to respond to my post about Autoimmune Diseases. If you know of any in yourself or in their relatives that could be very helpful. That is another of my posts. Please add anything because to find a correlation between IBS and autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, etc) could be very helpful for IBS research. They may be on to something already. Sorry this is so wordy. Thanks for reading it all!


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## mally

I just now tried Magnesium Citrate Liquid (about 8 oz. of the 10 oz. cherry flavored bottle).I did NOT take it on an empty stomach (rather on top of yogurt & sour cream).Result:For hours today I've been having spurts of cramps & diarrhea, & it never ends. I finally took Immodium, even though I'm afraid of it causing constipation.The stuff is sickening.It's actually just a glorified mimic of orange juice with saccharin mixed in. You'd get the same results with the latter, BUT CHEAPER!Anyone who cannot tolerate citrus like myself, should never listen to "standardized" advice, but rather know to avoid citric acid. Instead, like a dope, I went against my better judgment, just so as to experiment, & I suffered for it.All I can say is, there's one more piece of hype to add to my junk list!


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