What kind of magnesium supplements are you guys taking? I'm interested in trying it (I read it's great for muscle tension, stress, and even PMS), but the pills I looked at are HUGE. I heard there's a drink version, though... Natural Calm, I think it was called?
Do any of you get your magnesium through more natural means or fortified foods? Dark chocolate isn't an option for me anymore since I have acid reflux and it aggravates it. : (
Thanks! :D

Luka,
I'm taking a regular Supermarket brand with no additives in any form (300mg) per night.
These are not particularly big and are seriously helping me! I can just see the difference in my stools every day.
I get Magnesium through lots of green veg, broccoli, spinach, wholegrain breads & cereals, nuts but I do not eat all the same things every day (other than bread & cereals) so do not believe I get the RDA required every day. I also eat very healthily and I do not get bright yellow urine from taking these either! :)

I live in Vancouver, Canada, the nutritionist I saw told me to get magnesium, and this is what he recommended:
"Webber Naturals, Magnesium Citrate @150 mg per pill."
3 or 4 capsules a day. I think it really helps in keeping the bowels regular.

From the Mayo Clinic:
Magnesium is used as a dietary supplement for individuals who are deficient in magnesium. Although a balanced diet usually supplies all the magnesium a person needs, magnesium supplements may be needed by patients who have lost magnesium because of illness or treatment with certain medicines.
Lack of magnesium may lead to irritability, muscle weakness, and irregular heartbeat.
Injectable magnesium is given only by or under the supervision of a health care professional. Some oral magnesium preparations are available only with a prescription. Others are available without a prescription.
For good health, it is important that you eat a balanced and varied diet. Follow carefully any diet program your health care professional may recommend. For your specific dietary vitamin and/or mineral needs, ask your health care professional for a list of appropriate foods. If you think that you are not getting enough vitamins and/or minerals in your diet, you may choose to take a dietary supplement.
The best dietary sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables, nuts, peas, beans, and cereal grains in which the germ or outer layers have not been removed. Hard water has been found to contain more magnesium than soft water. A diet high in fat may cause less magnesium to be absorbed. Cooking may decrease the magnesium content of food.
The daily amount of magnesium needed is defined in several different ways.
For U.S.—
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to provide for adequate nutrition in most healthy persons. RDAs for a given nutrient may vary depending on a person's age, sex, and physical condition (e.g., pregnancy).
Daily Values (DVs) are used on food and dietary supplement labels to indicate the percent of the recommended daily amount of each nutrient that a serving provides. DV replaces the previous designation of United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDAs).
For Canada—
Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) are used to determine the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and protein needed to provide adequate nutrition and lessen the risk of chronic disease.
Normal daily recommended intakes in milligrams (mg) for magnesium are generally defined as follows:
Persons U.S.
(mg)
Canada
(mg)
Infants birth to 3 years of age 40 to 80 20–50
Children 4 to 6 years of age 120 65
Children 7 to 10 years of age 170 100–135
Adolescent and adult males 270–400 130–250
Adolescent and adult females 280–300 135–210
Pregnant females 320 195–245
Breast-feeding females 340–355 245–265
This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Capsule
Powder for Suspension
Liquid
Capsule, Liquid Filled
Tablet
Tablet, Enteric Coated
Tablet, Extended Release
Packet
Powder
Syrup

Magnesium is the same ingredient in milk of magnesia. In fact one of the side effects of magnesium is diarrhea. It's a very good supplement and if it works for you that's great, if you have any kidney problems it might not be a good choice though. Some people do well on miralax because it's easy to adjust up or down and some do well on milk of magnesia or magnesium, it's just a matter of what helps you. Suzy

I thought this would help in knowing the different forms of Magnesium better.... The excerpt is from the following website:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx

Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium
that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and
bioavailability and is typically considered ideal for those who are
trying to correct a deficiency
Magnesium chloride / Magnesium lactate contain only 12 percent
magnesium, but has better absorption than others, such as magnesium
oxide, which contains five times more magnesium
Magnesium carbonate, which has antacid properties,contains 45 percent magnesium
Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which has laxative properties
Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated type of magnesium, bound to an organic
acid or a fatty acid. Contains 60 percent magnesium, and has stool
softening properties
Magnesium sulfate / Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are typically used as a laxative. Be aware that it's easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed
Magnesium taurate contains a combination of magnesium and taurine, an
amino acid. Together, they tend to provide a calming effect on your body
and mind
Magnesium threonate is a newer, emerging type of magnesium supplement
that appears promising, primarily due to its superior ability to
penetrate the mitochondrial membrane, and may be the best
magnesium supplement on the market

Thank you so much mabs! That was SO helpful :D

Thanks for the info, everyone! Gonna try some smaller store-brand pills I saw the other day. We'll see how it goes!

Ok so I purchased magnesium oxide today, 250 mg. if I take it at bed time with half the dosage of Miralax would that be too much? I don't want diarreah. Should I just take the magnesium? Also, it says or helps to absorb calcium, isn't that counter productive since most of use calcium blockers for our muscle spasms?

What is your stool consistency at the moment on a bristol stool chart? If it is already 6 or 7, then stop miralax. Magnesium will not give you diarrhea, if you eat vegetables that bind the stools, like broccoli and carrots (both cooked). These are wonder vegetables and help you to have a complete bowel.
Yes, magnesium does help to absorb calcium. However, "while magnesium helps our body absorb and retain
calcium, too much calcium prevents magnesium from being absorbed .... Calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium helps them
relax" (website :http://www.mgwater.com/calmagab.shtml).
"Calcium should be taken during the day. Magnesium is best taken at
bedtime for better utilization and better sleep. The reason for this is
that calcium is antagonistic towards magnesium, as they act
biochemically to cancel each other out" (website : http://blog.seattlepi.com/naturalnotes/2009/09/01/magnesium-and-calcium-arent-always-the-best-of-friends/).
I think our body has too much calcium, because we are not able to relax our muscles effectively. Also, remember Magnesium oxide is not absorbed 100%. Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated type of magnesium, bound to an organic acid or a fatty acid. Contains only 60 percent magnesium (as posted in my previous article).
I quit taking Miralax completely before starting with the magnesium supplement. I don't know what advice to give, because you haven't tested your magnesium levels in your blood. I just hope, the above explanation (copied and pasted) from the websites, help you to make the right decision. Good Luck. I hope this works out fine for you as it did for me.