Magnesium citrate
Regulatory sources consulted
Approved indications
- Relief of occasional constipation; a bowel movement is usually produced within one-half to six hours.
Clinical warnings
- Ask a doctor before use if there is kidney disease, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or a low-magnesium, low-sodium, or low-potassium diet. Stop use and ask a doctor if rectal bleeding occurs or no bowel movement follows use. — FDA OTC magnesium citrate oral-solution label, set ID 021ebb61-2466-4272-8f7d-b49cafd08754
Pregnancy and lactation
Ask a health professional before use during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Recent literature (PubMed)
Background Magnesium supplements may have beneficial effects on arterial stiffness. Yet, to our knowledge, no head-to-head comparison between various magnesium formulations in terms of effects on arterial stiffness has been performed. We assessed the effects of magnesium citrate supplementation on arterial stiffness and blood pressure and explored whether other formulations of magnesium have similar effects. Methods and Results In this randomized trial, subjects who were overweight and slightly obese received either magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, or placebo for 24 weeks. The total daily dose of magnesium was 450 mg/d. The primary outcome was carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity, which is the gold standard method for measuring arterial stiffness. Secondary outcomes included blood pressure and plasma and urine magnesium. Overall, 164 participants (mean±SD age, 63.2±6.8 years; 104 [63.4%] women) were included. In the intention-to-treat analysis, neither magnesium citrate nor the other formulations had an effect on carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity or blood pressure at 24 weeks compared with placebo. Magnesium citrate increased plasma (+0.04 mmol/L; 95% CI, +0.02 to +0.06 mmol/L) and urine magnesium (+3.12 mmol/24 h; 95% CI, +2.23 to +4.01 mmol/24 h) compared with placebo. Effects on plasma magnesium were similar among the magnesium supplementation groups, but magnesium citrate led to a more pronounced increase in 24-hour urinary magnesium excretion than magnesium oxide or magnesium sulfate. One serious adverse event was reported, which was considered unrelated to the study treatment. Conclusions Oral magnesium citrate supplementation for 24 weeks did not significantly change arterial stiffness or blood pressure. Magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate had similar nonsignificant effects. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03632590.
An estimated 3% of the population has clinically significant restless legs syndrome. Given the limited pharmacological options in the arsenal, there is a need for a therapeutic agent with a better side effect profile. Twelve treatment naive adults (10 women and 2 men with a median age of 41.5 [32-48.5] years) with primary restless legs syndrome were recruited in our open-label pilot study; magnesium citrate 200 mg was administered daily for 8 weeks. Serum magnesium levels, International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale, Kohnen quality of life scale, and multiple suggested immobilization tests (three 1-hour tests) were performed before and after supplementation. Paired t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for data analysis. Pearson and Spearman's analyses assessed the association between magnesium levels and restless legs syndrome variables. Participants had a significant reduction in International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale scores (6.67 [2.33-11] P = .006) and improved Kohnen quality of life scores (8.5 [2.09-14], P = .014) without notable differences in serum magnesium levels (P = .3). The median periodic limb movements during wakefulness index (30.40 [5.20, 122.40] to 8.63 [0.32, 17.47] P = .043) and self-reported discomfort score (19 [14, 30.5] to 6 [0, 8] P = .0010) of all 3 multiple suggested immobilization test trials also demonstrated improvement. Serum magnesium levels negatively correlated with multiple suggested immobilization test self-reported scores and the periodic limb movements during wakefulness indices. Despite the limitations of open-label design, our study's positive results indicate the need for a placebo-controlled trial with a larger sample size. Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Name: The Effect of Magnesium Citrate Supplementation in Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS); URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04462796; Identifier: NCT04462796. Gorantla S, Ravisankar A, Trotti LM. Magnesium citra
There is robust evidence to indicate a strong correlation between the bowel preparation status and adenoma detection rate (ADR), which directly impacts the incidence and mortality rate of postcolonoscopy colorectal cancer. Therefore, improving bowel preparation has been of increasing interest. In Japan, commercially available bowel preparation agents include polyethylene glycol, oral sodium sulfate, sodium picosulfate-magnesium citrate, magnesium citrate, and oral sodium phosphate; each has its own strengths and limitations. The timing of administration can also influence the efficacy of bowel preparation and patient tolerability. Furthermore, meta-analyses have suggested predictive factors for inadequate bowel preparation. A detailed understanding of these factors could contribute to reducing the need for repeat colonoscopy within 1 year, as recommended for patients with inadequate bowel preparation. Recent advancements, such as oral sulfate tablets, present promising alternatives with higher patient satisfaction and ADRs than traditional methods. Achieving optimal bowel preparation requires enhanced instructions, individualized regimens, and a comprehensive understanding of patient backgrounds and the characteristics of various bowel preparation agents. This article provides a concise overview of the current status and advancements in bowel preparation for enhancing the quality and safety of colonoscopy.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the United States. Early detection through colonoscopy significantly improves survival rates. Detecting colon polyps depends on the quality of bowel preparation. However, inadequate bowel preparation remains a significant issue in clinical practice. Efforts to address this challenge have led to the development of bowel preparation regimens emphasizing efficacy, tolerability, and safety. Bowel preparation options can be categorized by their osmotic and volume properties. Isosmotic solutions based on polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solutions (PEG-ELS) are available in both low-volume PEG-ELS with ascorbic acid (PEG-Asc) (e.g., MoviPrep, PLENVU) and high-volume formulations (e.g., GoLYTELY, CoLyte), as well as sulfate-free high-volume PEG-ELS formulations (SF-PEG-ELS). Hyperosmotic solutions include oral sulfate solution (OSS) (e.g., SUPREP), sodium phosphate tablets (NaP) (e.g., OsmoPrep), oral sulfate tablets (OST) (e.g., SUTAB), flavored PEG with sulfate salts (FPSS) (e.g., SUFLAVE), and magnesium citrate. Hypoosmotic solutions consist of PEG-sports drink (PEG-SD). In addition, combination solutions are available, such as sodium picosulfate with magnesium citrate (SPMC) with laxatives (e.g., CLENPIQ), and OSS with SF-PEG-ELS (Suclear). Each regimen differs in terms of cost, volume, taste, contraindications, and potential adverse effects. Therefore, clinicians must carefully evaluate each patient to determine the most suitable regimen for their patients.