Your body needs magnesium to function properly. Many people do not get enough magnesium through their diet and, therefore, choose to take magnesium supplements. However, the form of magnesium in these supplements can vary. Magnesium ions bound to one or more amino acids are known as chelated magnesium, or magnesium chelate amino acids. Chelated magnesium allows the magnesium to enter your intestinal wall through the amino acid pathway rather than through the diffusion process. This makes chelated magnesium highly absorbable. However, chelated magnesium is not without side effects.
Overdose
Because chelated magnesium is highly absorbed in your body, the same dose of chelated magnesium may be cause symptoms of overdose that other forms of magneisum supplements, such as magnesium oxide, would not. Symptoms of overdose include nausea, vomiting, flushing, low blood pressure, a slow heartbeat, drowsiness, coma and even death.
Allergic Reactions
Chelated magnesium can cause allergic reactions. Symptoms of allergic reactions include difficulty breathing; swelling and closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue or face; or skin reactions such as hives.
Gastrointestinal Upset
The most common side effect for any form of magnesium supplementation, chelated or otherwise, includes diarrhea or and stomach discomfort. These are most likely related to a slight overload of magnesium in the body.
Kidney Problems
Magnesium itself does not cause kidney problems. However, if your kidneys are not functioning properly, you will have a hard time clearing any extra magnesium from your body. Toxic levels of magnesium could build up. Therefore, if you have kidney problems or kidney failure, magnesium supplementation is not recommended.
Drug Interactions
Magnesium can interact with other drugs, decreasing their effectiveness. For example, magnesium decreases the absorption of quinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin as well as the tetracycline antibiotics and osteoporosis medications, including tiludronate and alendronate.
Magnesium may increase the side effects of dizziness, nausea and fluid retention when taken in combination with calcium channel blockers, particularly in pregnant women. When taken in combination with digoxin, magnesium levels should be monitored. Digoxin can increase the loss of magneisum in your urine. The possible resulting low blood levels of magnesium can then increase the adverse effects of digoxin, including heart palpitations and nausea.
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