# Problem with Magnesium Citrate (saline bottle)



## Bill Z

I drank about 3/4 of a Magnesium Citrate bottle today. Only about 7 hours later did I get the urge. Initially there was adequate release, but very liquidy. However just afterwards I had to strain a lot to get rid of more stool, and eventually I couldn't do so anymore because I was getting a bit lightheaded and a rapid heartbeat was coming along. (The rapid heartbeat is not related to the magnesium, it's something I get anytime I strain too much.) So it got to the point where I still had the feeling to go and I still felt there was plenty left, but could not release any, neither from light pushes nor straining. It just doesn't seem right that I would have trouble getting rid of liquified stool. I'm sitting here still with a moderate urge to go, but knowing it will just lead to more of this "scary" straining, I can't risk it. I just turned 29 and in (apparently) good health, but it feels like my heart is struggling to keep up when I have a bowel movement. I don't get it.First question, has the above happened to anyone else? I would not call the laxative a failure, it's just that it was--clearly--an incomplete clearance. I can tell because I still feel half-full down there *and* there is an urge to go.Second, can magnesium citrate cause problems if you have a bad kidney? I rarely ever use the potent Magnesium laxatives (like the aforementioned) anymore, instead I just take 400mg of magnesium citrate in pill form every day. Even so, I hope this is not too much. Who knows if I might have some subtle kidney problem that no one's diagnosed yet?Please respond,Bill


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## Kathleen M.

One issue with IBS can be sometimes things feel ways they aren't really. So sometimes it feels incomplete and there can still be urgency but it is a mis-signal rather than a real signal.So it can be hard to know sometimes if there really is lots more stool to come out, or it just feels like there is.If you have to strain a lot to pass any stool (even when it is clear you do have stool in the rectum and are ready to go) you might want to get the pelvic floor tested. Some people can have a sphincter that tightens up when it should be relaxing and they can retrain that with biofeedback.I don't think kidney problems would cause magnesium to not work as a laxative. The part that wets the stool is the part you didn't absorb anyway. If you never absorbed it, it never gets to the kidney. Kidney issues with magnesium usually is more in the body (like heart or muscle issues), not that it stops being a laxative in the bowel.Even with kidney problems it usually takes a lot of magnesium for a fair amount of time to cause problems. If you are averaging out to 1000 mgs a day you should be in the safe zone.


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## Sean

I have the same problem with Magnesium Citrate. Many people swear by it. It is supposed to be fast acting - within 30 minutes to four hours - and clean you out. It takes forever for it to work on me - usually twelve to eighteen hours. I never get complete relief either. I pass some liquid but never a lot of solids even if I am really backed up. I can sit on the toilet and strain, but cannot get everything out. The last time I took it, I had to end up taking an enema as well. For some of us with chronic constipation, the best option is a stimulant laxative. That is all I use now. Dulcolax in either tablet or suppository form has never failed to work thoroughly. Feel free to e-mail me for more information.


Bill Z said:


> I drank about 3/4 of a Magnesium Citrate bottle today. Only about 7 hours later did I get the urge. Initially there was adequate release, but very liquidy. However just afterwards I had to strain a lot to get rid of more stool, and eventually I couldn't do so anymore because I was getting a bit lightheaded and a rapid heartbeat was coming along. (The rapid heartbeat is not related to the magnesium, it's something I get anytime I strain too much.) So it got to the point where I still had the feeling to go and I still felt there was plenty left, but could not release any, neither from light pushes nor straining. It just doesn't seem right that I would have trouble getting rid of liquified stool. I'm sitting here still with a moderate urge to go, but knowing it will just lead to more of this "scary" straining, I can't risk it. I just turned 29 and in (apparently) good health, but it feels like my heart is struggling to keep up when I have a bowel movement. I don't get it.First question, has the above happened to anyone else? I would not call the laxative a failure, it's just that it was--clearly--an incomplete clearance. I can tell because I still feel half-full down there *and* there is an urge to go.Second, can magnesium citrate cause problems if you have a bad kidney? I rarely ever use the potent Magnesium laxatives (like the aforementioned) anymore, instead I just take 400mg of magnesium citrate in pill form every day. Even so, I hope this is not too much. Who knows if I might have some subtle kidney problem that no one's diagnosed yet?Please respond,Bill


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## fizzixgal

A couple of weeks ago I was so backed up the only way I could go is by using enemas. I tried a half bottle of Mag citrate and had no effect from it except bloating. I had no urge to go at all! It was terrible. I went to the ER, was given a soapsuds enema that really didn't help much, then went on a liquid diet and about 4 days later finally did manage to get things moving again. It took a full bottle of mag citrate PLUS a maximum strength Ex-Lax tablet, but 4 hours after taking that I was running to the bathroom every few minutes for a while. (Then I had to do a colonscopy prep, which was pretty unpleasant but could have been much worse.) I haven't had to use an enema since, though I'm getting quite sluggish, have used Ex-Lax once already a week ago, and will probably use it again either tonight or tomorrow.Maybe you need to combine the mag citrate with a stimulant laxative? Ex-Lax and Dulcolax are two very good stimulant type laxatives and at least one of them works for most people. The worst thing is worrying about whether you're ever going to have a BM again. I think that actually makes the constipation worse.Anyway mag citrate alone doesn't work for everyone, especially when you're really constipated. It doesn't mean you're obstructed or that your system isn't reacting well to the laxative, it could just mean you need more help.


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## Bill Z

Thanks for the response Kathleen, and everyone else. Anyhow, a few hours after I typed the original post, I had a strong urge again and got lucky enough to have "another round"--which proved my original thought, that I was still full in there. However, even after that second round, there was *still *a slight urge remaining (which I could do nothing about.) Then for the next two days I had unpleasant urges to go, off and on, and continual feeling of fullness. I indulged that urge once, and got nearly nothing out. Personally I can't stand having the urge without being able, so I'm thinking maybe I'll just try half the bottle next time (which worked well, a while ago.) Or maybe just go back to MoM.The suggestion of stimulant laxatives is interesting, but from a non-user's perspective, isn't it a good idea to avoid those rather than become dependent on them? A lot of doctors are not particularly fond of Senna, as well.


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## fizzixgal

There are still doctors that caution against using stimulant laxatives for just that reason (I ran into one at the ER who thought that using any kind of laxative chronically would cause colonic inertia). But you didn't get to this stage by overusing laxatives, did you? I don't think any of us did. We use laxatives because we can't go otherwise. There's a school of thought among doctors today that if you become dependent on laxatives, it's because something was wrong to begin with, you didn't develop the dependence as a result of using them. I don't think many doctors would warn you against occasional use anyway. And what have you heard against senna specifically?MoM stopped working for me about 5 years ago. But if it still worked, I would use it instead of stimulants. I think it makes sense to use the weakest remedy that works... as long as it does work.


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## IBSCinGeorgia

Sean said:


> I have the same problem with Magnesium Citrate. Many people swear by it. It is supposed to be fast acting - within 30 minutes to four hours - and clean you out. It takes forever for it to work on me - usually twelve to eighteen hours. I never get complete relief either. I pass some liquid but never a lot of solids even if I am really backed up. I can sit on the toilet and strain, but cannot get everything out. The last time I took it, I had to end up taking an enema as well. For some of us with chronic constipation, the best option is a stimulant laxative. That is all I use now. Dulcolax in either tablet or suppository form has never failed to work thoroughly. Feel free to e-mail me for more information.


Sean the mag citrate doesn't work for me at all. It makes my constipation worse. It makes it feel like I'm passing a wad of sandpaper in that it comes out slow and I feel every excruciating inch of it as it comes out my butt.


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