As discussed with my medical oncology NP, I've started taking magnesium glycinate supplements. I'm hoping they will help decrease my hot flashes and anxiety, byproducts of the surgically-induced menopause that I'm in, thanks to my oophorectomy and hormone therapy.
She recommended 300-400 mg daily. The product I bought at CVS says 1 serving is 3 capsules, which equals 360 mg total. Because magnesium supplements can sometimes cause diarrhea, my NP suggested taking it every other day to start, to make sure I don't have any digestive side effects.
Always one to err on the side of caution, I decided to start with 1 capsule (120 mg) every other day. After about a week, I didn't notice any problems, so I moved to taking 1 capsule every day.
After a few days of that, I also didn't notice any benefit, so I increased the dose to 2 capsules (240 mg) every other day, and 1 capsule on the alternating days. After a few more days, I had no diarrhea, and I think my anxiety and hot flashes did improve? It's hard to say, but it seemed less frequent, and it actually felt kind of subdued, like more in the background and less front-and-center.
So now I am taking 2 capsules (240 mg) every day. This is less than the amount recommended by my NP, but I figure there's nothing wrong in trying to take the lowest effective dose, and it gives me some wiggle room in case I want to increase the dose later.
Part of me does wonder if the supplements are truly helping, or if there is some kind of placebo effect, or wishful thinking. I'll keep it up and see what I notice over time.
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