The 9 best magnesium supplements

Means and preparations

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Over the counter, or over the counter, there are many different multivitamins and mineral supplements that contain magnesium in various compounds. What is magnesium for? In what periods of life is its increased consumption required? What drugs sold in pharmacies are the best in terms of balance, digestibility and price? These are the questions that the current ranking of over-the-counter magnesium products answers. All prices are for the period of spring 2019 for pharmacies of all forms of ownership in the Russian Federation. But one should start with the biological role of this element in order to know the reasons for its deficiency.

If you properly 'scrape along the bottom' of our body, then pure magnesium in each of us will be no more than 25 – 26 grams. However, this amount is more than enough to ensure the work of many millions of enzyme molecules, and there are more than 300 different types of them. Magnesium in ionized and bound form plays an important role in maintaining water-salt and electrolyte balance, takes part in the transport of molecules across membranes. Ions of this metal are necessary to maintain the physiological tone of muscles, including the smooth muscles of blood vessels and internal organs, which are innervated by the autonomic nervous system. Magnesium is able to induce inhibition processes in the central nervous system, it is considered an anti-stress factor.

Approximately one in three people is deficient in magnesium, due to its lack of food. The most common reason for the nutritional deficiency of this substance is the use of agricultural fertilizers, and the leaching of magnesium from the soil. As a result, a deficiency of the element occurs in crops, cereals and vegetables. The second reason is prolonged heat treatment, which destroys the organic magnesium compounds most assimilated by the body.

On the causes of deficiency and daily needs

If for a healthy adult, a slight magnesium deficiency is not any critical condition, then for patients with epilepsy and convulsive syndromes, severe forms of atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus, with arterial hypertension and osteoporosis, a deficiency of this metal can cause severe complications. During the period of breastfeeding and pregnancy, increased magnesium consumption is required, but this is normal. In the same way, a lot of magnesium is spent in childhood and adolescence, due to the intensive growth and maturation of the body, the activation of the work of enzyme systems.

A large consumption of magnesium occurs in athletes, persons engaged in heavy muscle work. Magnesium is excreted in sweat, and therefore people who often visit steam rooms and saunas need to compensate for the deficiency that occurs with greater intensity. Various emotional stress, insomnia, numerous travels, leading to the phenomenon of jet lag, when a person is out of his time zone for a long time, also lead to a lack of this element.

Chronic magnesium deficiency also occurs in the elderly. In this case, a low concentration of this element in the blood leads to a high level of calcium, and this increases blood clotting, and leads to an excessive thrombus formation process.

Finally, diuretics, alcoholic beverages, and frequent consumption of coffee can also lead to periodic flushing of magnesium from the body. With its deficiency, insomnia, anxiety, and fatigue most often occur in mild cases. With severe hypomagnesemia, there is an increased tendency to seizures.

What is the daily requirement for this metal? On average, 400 to 800 mg per day. In the event that there is a deficiency (and this is easy to check using laboratory diagnostic methods), in addition, it is necessary to add up to 30 mg of magnesium per kilogram of body weight daily. It is desirable that it enter the body in combination with pyridoxine, or pyridoxal phosphate. It is vitamin B6 and it improves stress resistance. Since low resistance to stress contributes to magnesium deficiency, this combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 is considered favorable.

Rating of the best magnesium preparations

Nomination a place Name of product price
Best Magnesium Citrate 1 Magne Express 535 RUB
2 Magnelis B6 Forte 468 r
3 Magnesium Chelate Evalar RUB 933
Best Magnesium Asparaginate 1 Panangin, Panangin Forte 343 r
2 Asparkam 43 rbl.
best magnesium lactate 1 Complivit Magnesium 232 RUB
2 Magne B6 476 r
3 Magnelis B6 302 RUB
4 Magnesium Orotate: Magnerot (Magnemax) RUB 633

Magnesium preparations

Currently, there are many modern magnesium-containing drugs that can reduce the unpleasant symptoms of hypomagnesemia, and replenish its physiological reserves. But not all drugs are equally well absorbed and tolerated. In pharmacies, there are both compounds of magnesium ions with organic acids, and with inorganic ones.

Examples of organic magnesium compounds include magnesium lactate, orotate, asparaginate, malate and citrate. These names hide radicals of organic acids, acting in the form of anions – negatively charged parts of an electrically neutral molecule as a whole. Accordingly, we are talking about compounds of magnesium ions with lactic acid (lactate), orotic acid (orotate), amino succinic (asparaginate), malic (malate) and citric (citrate). All these compounds are popular, are included in many drugs and dietary supplements, and will be described below.

There are also inorganic compounds, which are presented in the form of magnesium sulfate, or ordinary magnesia sulfate, as well as magnesium oxide. A distinctive quality of these inorganic substances is their inability to compensate for magnesium deficiency. The thing is that their bioavailability, that is, assimilation by the body in a natural way, through the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, is very low. Therefore, magnesia, or magnesium sulfate, is excellent at fighting constipation, and can also be administered intravenously, in an emergency. It cannot be used as a biological supplement for long-term replenishment of the deficit.

The situation is exactly the same with magnesium oxide. In some cases, preparations containing oxide are prescribed for constipation, but are not dietary supplements. Let's consider the most active, popular and safe drugs containing magnesium.

Best Magnesium Citrate

The list of drugs is opened by means containing magnesium citrate, or a compound of magnesium with citric acid. The body absorbs both magnesium and citric acid as it takes part in the Krebs cycle, or the tricarboxylic acid cycle. That is why citrate, which is taken in moderation to prevent a deficiency of this element, simultaneously activates biological oxidation and cellular respiration. The bioavailability of all magnesium citrate preparations is quite high, they are highly effective and beneficial to health.

Magne Express

Rating: 4.9

Magne Express

Magne Express is a combination of magnesium citrate with vitamin B6. This combination is considered mutually beneficial, and enhancing the effect of both components. Magne Express is indicated not only for the correction of mild insufficiency, but also as a prophylaxis, as a biologically active food supplement.

It is known that the main source of magnesium in food is nuts, grains, various seeds, halva and green vegetables. Therefore, in the event that there is a deficiency of these food products, or their culinary processing involves prolonged thermal exposure, then a magnesium deficiency may occur. Magne Express is produced in bags, in the form of a sachet. Inside each sachet there are special sucking granules.

It is necessary to take this medication one sachet twice a day, and dissolve during meals. They do not need to be washed down with water. The average course duration is about 1 month. These granules have a sweet and sour taste and resemble the aroma of tropical fruits. Magne Express is produced by the Austrian pharmaceutical company Hermes, and the cost of one package in 20 sachets, on average, is 520 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

Despite the fact that the bioavailability of magnesium citrate is high, this agent is recommended to be used in the form of a dietary supplement, but it should not be used to compensate for the developed hypomagnesemia. There are special preparations for this, for example the ampouled preparation Magne B6, which is magnesium lactate, and is described below. Therefore, Magne Express is undesirable to use during pregnancy and lactation, with a serious form of renal failure, and also if the patient is taking levodopa drugs for the treatment of parkinsonism. A relatively high price will be a relative disadvantage: a monthly course of taking Magne Express will cost the Patient about 1000 rubles.

Magnelis B6 Forte

Rating: 4.8

Magnelis B6 Forte

Magnelis B6 Forte is a classic compound of magnesium citrate and pyridoxine hydrochloride, or vitamin B6. Each tablet contains 618 mg of magnesium citrate, which is equivalent to 100 milligrams of the ionized form of pure metal. The drug is produced in tablets, the package contains 60 pieces.

Magnelis B6 Forte is indicated for the treatment of deficiency of this element, both isolated and associated with other conditions, such as hypovitaminosis, and nutritional deficiency has been diagnosed. Clinical signs for which this drug is prescribed may be irritability, stomach and intestinal cramps, increased heart rate, paresthesias and creeping sensations in the muscles, unpleasant pain in them, as well as various muscle spasms.

Magnelis B6 Forte is usually used from 3 to 4 tablets per day, depending on the severity of the magnesium deficiency, with meals. The minimum dosage is 2 tablets per day. The standard course of admission is one month. Magnelis B6 Forte is produced by a domestic manufacturer, Pharmstandard, at the facilities of the Tomsk Chemical Pharmaceutical Plant. The average cost of one package of 60 tablets is 550 rubles. Depending on the dosage, it can be 10 days of taking or a whole month course, if you take 2 tablets daily.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of this drug will be the ability to compensate for the lack of magnesium, but, like all other products containing magnesium, there are contraindications. This is a serious form of chronic renal failure, again taking levodopa, and also under 12 years of age. This fact is due to a lack of research, and therefore, if a child is diagnosed with magnesium deficiency, then in this case it is necessary to take another drug that can be prescribed to children. Further, such a tool will be described – this is Magne B6 in ampoules. Also, a relative disadvantage can be high cost. If a person takes 4 tablets a day, then a package of 60 tablets will be enough for him only for two weeks, and a monthly course will already cost 1000 rubles.

Magnesium Chelate Evalar

Rating: 4.7

Magnesium Chelate Evalar

What are chelating compounds? They have nothing to do with a dressing gown and negligence. A chelate complex is a special type of combination of large molecules with metal atoms, which simultaneously gives a stable structure and protects the metal from various chemical reactions. Chelates facilitate its transportation to the required place, and then the chelate complex quietly disintegrates into parts, and the metal ion begins to have an active effect, where it is needed. Getting a chelated complex is not easy at all. This requires modern chemical production.

It is this high-tech production that is currently launched at Evalar. Magnesium Chelate from Evalar is an opportunity to obtain an easily available and easily digestible form of magnesium. It is easily assimilated, as it does not require additional transformation in the body. Its digestibility is almost 100%. Patients tolerate the chelated form of magnesium, as well as other metals, very well, and is able to penetrate the transplacental barrier.

Evalar Magnesium Chelate is shown as a dietary supplement, for the prevention of stress and cardiovascular diseases, for maintaining health during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Shown Magnesium Chelate for adults and children over 14 years old. These tablets are not cheap: a package of 60 tablets will cost an average price of 920 rubles. According to the instructions, both adults and children need to take one or two tablets a day with meals. Course – month. This means that the package is just enough for a month's course.

Advantages and disadvantages

The big advantage of the chelated magnesium compound is its high bioavailability, good tolerance and assimilation, the ability to prevent various conditions associated with magnesium deficiency in a mild form. Even a relatively high price should not be scary, since one package is immediately enough for a monthly course.

But there are also inevitable disadvantages, which are not at all connected with the form of release, but with the entry into the body of the element itself. This, as in the previous case, treatment with levodopa drugs and severe forms of renal failure, in which the load of the body with magnesium ions is simply contraindicated, which the diseased kidneys cannot remove. Also, Evalar does not manufacture drugs, and therefore there is no diagnosis of mild to moderate hypomagnesemia in the indications. Therefore, you need to take this drug for your own pleasure with a preventive purpose.

Best Magnesium Asparaginate

Perhaps it is magnesium and potassium aspartate that is best known to the elderly and patients who are being treated by a cardiologist. The fact is that in the Russian Federation most of all are sold such well-known drugs for the prevention of magnesium and potassium deficiency, both Panangin and Asparkam. In these dosage forms, magnesium and potassium ions are combined with the residue of aspartic, or amino succinic acid. This amino acid residue is also of great importance for nitrogen exchange, takes part in the synthesis of pyrimidine bases, which then serve in nucleic acids. Potassium and magnesium aspartate preparations are characterized by good bioavailability, and the most common of them are Panangin and Asparkam.

Panangin, Panangin Forte

Rating: 4.9

Panangin, Panangin Forte

It was indicated above that Panangin and Asparkam are preferred by therapists and cardiologists, mainly to the elderly. The fact is that in addition to magnesium, Panangin also contains potassium, namely, a deficiency of potassium often leads to a violation of cardiac activity and heart rhythm. Why potassium deficiency can occur? Yes, because the elderly can take drugs to treat hypertension, and often among them are diuretics that remove potassium from the body.

Therefore, Panangin is shown first of all for various arrhythmias and cardiac disorders, as a preventive measure in the treatment of cardiac glycosides, since potassium deficiency may occur, and only in the last place – as a prophylactic agent or food supplement for potassium and magnesium deficiency. Unlike the previous drugs described above, Panangin is positioned as a really drug.

It is necessary to use Panangin or Panangin Forte after meals. Panangin Forte differs from simple Panangin in the amount of substances: one tablet contains 316 mg of potassium asparaginate and 280 mg of magnesium aspartate, and in simple Panangin – 158 and 140 mg, respectively. The usual course of treatment is a month, the maximum daily dose is three tablets 3 times a day. Panangin and Panangin Forte are produced by the Hungarian company Gedeon Richter, and the cost of one package of 50 tablets is 150 rubles. There are also intravenous forms of administration that are used in hospitals.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of Panangin and Panangin Forte will be the combination of magnesium with potassium. This is both an excellent marketing ploy and an opportunity to immediately improve the therapeutic effect, since the lack of potassium and magnesium is dictated by the same mechanisms. The drug is well tolerated, it is inexpensive, but at the same time it is necessary to keep in mind the contraindications, among which can still be called chronic renal failure, increased concentration of magnesium, potassium, as well as a severe form of atrioventricular blockade. Panangin and Panangin Forte must be taken with caution during pregnancy, and especially during the first trimester, since potassium supplements can cause significant harm to the baby if it is in excess. A pack of 50 tablets costs, on average, only 48 rubles, and Asparkam is produced by the domestic company Medisorb.

Asparkam

Rating: 4.8

Asparkam

Asparkam can be considered a 'budget' analogue of Panangin. Each tablet contains equal amounts of magnesium and potassium aspartate – 175 milligrams each. There is no particular difference between Asparkam and Panangin, which is described above, there is no – neither according to indications, nor by contraindications, nor by the mode of administration. However, some patients note that he is somewhat more rude. And not in relation to direct action, but according to the sensations immediately after taking it. There may be a heaviness in the abdomen, a slight burning sensation in the epigastric region. Especially often, these symptoms can appear in patients with cholecystitis or gastritis with low acidity.

In the same way, the list of contraindications when taking Asparkam contains atrioventricular block, hyperkalemia, hypermagnesemia. The only significant plus of Asparkam is its availability and low price.

Best magnesium lactate

The pharmaceutical industry produces a significant amount of various magnesium complex compounds based on lactate, or lactic acid. These are Complivit Magnesium, Magne B6 and other products. Lactate should not be confused with lactose. Lactose is called 'milk sugar', and lactate is sometimes figuratively called 'blood sugar', since lactic acid is nothing more than an intermediate product of the physiological severity of the breakdown of glucose, the main energy substrate.

Complivit Magnesium

Rating: 4.9

Complivit Magnesium

Complivit Magnesium is named so purely for commercial purposes. Unlike all of the above preparations, which contain either only magnesium compounds, or in half – magnesium and potassium asparaginate, Complivit Magnesium is a real vitamin and mineral complex. It contains vitamin A, vitamin E, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, calcium pantothenate, folic acid, vitamin B12, copper compounds, zinc compounds – and finally magnesium lactate. Therefore, it could be successfully called anything: Complivit copper, Complivit zinc, or Complivit folic acid. There would be no difference other than other catchy titles.

You need to use this remedy one tablet daily, the duration of the prophylactic intake is one month. The instructions specifically indicate that this remedy is not a medicine. This drug is produced by Pharmstandard, Ufa Vitamin Plant. One package of 60 multivitamin tablets costs an average of 200 rubles. It is, of course, inexpensive.

Advantages and disadvantages

Since Complivit Magnesium is not considered a medicine, only individual intolerance can be called among the contraindications. After all, if the drug is not registered as a drug, then officially it is possible not to write anything about contraindications for taking, because contraindications exist only for drugs. Naturally, in case of individual intolerance to the components, there will certainly be an appropriate indication in the instructions, and this is how you can distinguish dietary supplements from drugs. The only downside will be only a preventive focus. If a doctor diagnosed a deficiency of an element, then it makes no sense to take multivitamin complexes, to which 'just a little bit of everything' is added. You need to be treated only with those drugs that are specifically designed to correct the deficiency, and we will talk about such a drug right now. This is Magne B6.

Magne B6

Rating: 4.8

Magne B6

Magne B6 is available in two dosage forms: tablets and oral solution. Let us describe this drug using a solution as an example. Magne B6 is available in ampoules, but not for intravenous or intramuscular injection, but in order to break them, shake them into a glass of water and drink. Each ampoule contains magnesium lactate. In total, the intake of 3 or 4 ampoules daily allows not only to fully satisfy the body's need for an element, but also to quickly eliminate its deficiency. Magne B6 in the form of a liquid is a brown solution with a faint caramel smell.

It is indicated for use if, against the background of an increased consumption of magnesium, the patient has such conditions as gastrointestinal cramps, tachycardia, muscle spasms and soreness in the muscles, irritability, as well as unpleasant tingling sensations in the muscles. If a lack of magnesium in the blood plasma is detected in a laboratory way, then Magne B6 in ampoules allows you to quickly normalize the deficiency. Thus, the indication for admission is clinically and laboratory confirmed magnesium deficiency. One of the most common indications for prescription is pregnancy, as well as nutritional deficiency, or malnutrition during pregnancy.

It should be used with meals, for adults – up to 4 ampoules per day. Babies over 1 year old should be prescribed it in a dose of 10 to 30 mg per kilogram, but the appointment is made by a pediatrician, after confirmation of hypomagnesemia. Usually, an ampoule for adults is diluted in half a glass of water, and after control and normalization of the level of this element, treatment is stopped.

Magne B6 is produced by the French company Sanofi-Aventis, the average cost of 10 ampoules of 10 ml each is 500 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of Magne B6 in ampoules is the ability to quickly correct magnesium deficiency, good tolerance, and the ability to prescribe it to babies, which is rare in the world of magnesium medicinal preparations. A relative disadvantage will be the high cost, not a very convenient technique when it is necessary to use an ampoule, even with self-breaking tips. It must be remembered that the drug should not be used with low glomerular filtration rate and severe forms of renal failure, as well as if the patient is taking levodopa or treating parkinsonism.

Magnelis B6

Rating: 4.7

Magnelis B6

Above, the drug Magnelis B6 Forte, which is magnesium citrate, has already been described. But it turns out that there is simply Magnelis B6, which has nothing to do with citric acid, but is magnesium lactate. In terms of magnesium, one tablet contains 48 mg of magnesium, plus 5 mg of vitamin B6 – pyridoxine hydrochloride.

The drug is indicated primarily to eliminate the deficiency of this element, and those symptoms that occur when magnesium in the blood serum drops below 0.5 mmol per liter. These symptoms include: spastic unpleasant pains in the epigastrium and abdomen, rapid pulse, weakness, irritability and insomnia, unpleasant and painful tingling sensations in the muscles and their spasms. The drug is indicated for adults and children over 6 years old, and it is necessary to take from 6 to 8 tablets per day for adults, and up to 6 tablets daily for children whose body weight exceeds 20 kg.

All tablets should be divided into two or three doses, take the drug with meals. But after normalization of the concentration of magnesium in the blood plasma, treatment is stopped. The drug Magnelis B6 is produced by the domestic company Pharmstandard, and the cost of one package of 90 tablets, designed for at least two weeks of administration, is 515 rubles. If you wish, you can find this package in pharmacies and at a price of 380 rubles, but this does not happen often. Therefore, the average monthly cost of the course will be 900 – 1000 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

This drug has several minor but unpleasant drawbacks. First, there is Magnelis B6 Forte, which is not lactate, but citrate. According to the established pharmaceutical tradition, usually a drug with the prefix 'Forte' is a product in which either an increased dose is located or some other component is added. In this case, from a legal point of view, Magnelis B6 Forte is a completely different substance, albeit containing magnesium. This can lead to some confusion, and especially in pharmacies, when front desk workers may recommend a similar drug. The second small drawback, but also unpleasant, is the need to take a large number of pills daily, and each of them requires drinking water, and this should be done with meals. This is not convenient for everyone, and therefore it is possible to skip such a drug, since the patient's adherence to admission is far from ideal. It would be much better to select a dosage such that the drug is administered once or twice a day. Moreover, its price is quite high.

Magnesium Orotate: Magnerot (Magnemax)

Rating: 4.6

Magnerot

Orotic acid is somewhat similar in structure to a vitamin, and is quite often used as an organic radical in order to combine with various metals – with iron, calcium and magnesium. Any organic radical increases the bioavailability of the metal, and therefore magnesium orotate has the same right for medical use as lactate or asparaginate. One of the classic representatives of magnesium orotate is the dietary supplement Magnerot.

Each Magnerot tablet contains 500 mg of magnesium orotate. This drug is indicated mainly for cardiac patients. This is exactly what the instruction advises. Despite the fact that it could well be positioned as a means for the prevention and treatment of magnesium deficiency, manufacturers decided to occupy narrower niches. Therefore, Magnerot is indicated for patients with a heart attack, with ischemic heart disease, against the background of chronic heart failure and heart rhythm disturbances, with muscle pain, lipid metabolism disorders and atherosclerosis.

Thus, the manufacturers took the path of symptomatic indications. On the one hand, this is much easier and patients with angina pectoris will buy Magnerot much better, and doctors will prescribe it better. Magnerot is produced by the German company Mayerman, or the domestic PIK-Pharma, and one pack of 50 tablets will cost about 650 rubles. Magnerot is used 2 tablets 3 times a day, so this package will last for 8 days. This is a rather expensive drug, especially considering that a monthly course will require four packs, each costing 650 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

Magnerot, or magnesium orotate, has no significant advantages over other drugs. Yes, magnesium orotate has good bioavailability, but lactate also has good bioavailability, and it is even higher in chelate complexes. The cost of this drug is quite high, the contraindications are exactly the same, and since the manufacturers positioned it as a drug for cardiovascular pathology, they added cirrhosis of the liver, ascites, urolithiasis with a predisposition to the formation of magnesium, phosphate, calcium and ammonium stones in the list of contraindications. Thus, it is undesirable for patients with urolithiasis with almost any form of stones to use this drug, especially for long courses. Since the increase in the list of contraindications reduced the number of potential buyers, the price had to be increased to minimize planned losses.

Compliance, that is, adherence of patients to admission is not very high, since the drug should be used in a dose of 6 tablets for 7 days, and then – one tablet three times a day. Perhaps, if Magnerot had a cost of about 230-240 rubles, it would be quite competitive, but this is a conventional magnesium preparation with an inconvenient way of taking it at a fairly high price.

This concludes the review of magnesium preparations, which can be found in pharmacies in Russia at affordable prices. Of course, the list of supplements containing magnesium is not limited to the above preparations. So, the chelated form can contain magnesium glycinate, there are additives in the form of malate, that is, magnesium salts of malic acid. You can find rare magnesium taurinate. In online stores, you can see among the preparations of magnesium from seaweed, isolated from the salts of the Dead Sea. Sometimes an aqueous solution of magnesium chloride is used, which is applied to the skin and rubbed in. However, all of these nutritional supplements are quite expensive, and do not have significant advantages over the above-mentioned popular magnesium preparations.


Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

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