Magnesium and calcium both help keep your muscles functioning properly and help your body form strong teeth and bones. Dietary sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, nuts and legumes, while calcium is available from dairy products, tofu and Brazil nuts, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. Despite their beneficial effects on your body, too much magnesium and calcium causes negative effects, such as making your heart rate irregular.
Recommended Daily Dose and Tolerable Upper Limit
Taking the recommended daily doses of magnesium and calcium helps lower your risk of experiencing adverse reactions from them. The recommended daily calcium dose for children between 4 and 8 years of age is 1,000 mcg, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. Children and adolescents between 9 and 18 years of age need 1,300 mcg daily. This dose drops back to 1,000 mcg per day for adults ages 19 to 50. Women over 50 need 1,200 mcg of calcium daily. Men over 19 require 1,000 mcg per day until they are over 70. Everyone over 70 needs 1,200 mcg of calcium daily. The tolerable upper intake level for calcium is between 2,000 and 2,500 mg daily. The recommended daily dose of magnesium varies according to age and gender. Male adults and teenagers need between 270 mg/day and 400 mg/day, MayoClinic.com notes. Female adults and teenagers need between 280 mg/day and 300 mg/day. The tolerable upper intake level for magnesium is 65 mg/d for children between 1 and 3 years of age, MedlinePlus says. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 should not take more than 110 mg daily. Anyone over the age of 9 should not take more than 350 mg of magnesium daily.
Overdosing
Overdosing on calcium and magnesium can affect your kidneys. A magnesium overdose also severely lowers blood pressure, slows heart rate and is sometimes fatal. Kidney problems also have been associated with excessive magnesium levels. A calcium overdose causes adverse effects, such as kidney toxicity, confusion and arrhythmia.
Severe Allergic Reactions
Magnesium sometimes causes a severe allergic reaction in some people. Symptoms such as rashes, swelling of the facial area, tightness of the chest and impaired breathing are possible signs of a severe allergic reaction. Sometimes the allergic reaction becomes so severe that it causes the loss of consciousness and coma. Consult your doctor before you start taking magnesium and calcium supplements to help lower your risk of experiencing their adverse effects.
Possible Interactions
Magnesium and calcium both potentially interact negatively with blood pressure medication. Magnesium increases the negative side effects of blood pressure medication, while calcium sometimes impedes the effects of beta-blocker medications. Cholesterol medications, such as bile acid sequestrants, sometimes interfere with calcium absorption. High levels of calcium react adversely with the heart medication digoxin. Low magnesium levels potentiate the negative effects of digoxin. Magnesium also impairs your ability to absorb antibiotics such as quinolone and tetracycline. Anti-seizure medications, such as phenytoin, lower calcium levels, necessitating the use of calcium supplements to prevent calcium deficiency.
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