Comment · Thu, September 14, 2023 · ND Owner
Does this make any sense on magnesium threonate?
Original post in this thread
SebastianPatel · 6 points
If I take it before 2pm, it gives me GI uneasiness and more frequent trips to the loo. If taken after 3pm, I have no issue. I also handle it better without food than with food. It’s also the only form of magnesium that prevents my migraines at a very effective rate. What to do?
What they were answering
SebastianPatel · 2 points
Very interesting! Great info and you are clearly very knowledgeable. Are you part of the NootropicsDepot organization? With regards to the threonic acid, if that is the case, do u think maybe it’s not the magnesium that is preventing my headaches but rather the vitamin C? If so then perhaps I don’t need magnesium to prevent the headaches. This would be a very awesome development if true because I am sick of dealing with the magnesium GI agitation (even though I believe it that micromag may minimize it).
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
Yes, I own Nootropics Depot.
I think the magnesium is certainly part of it, but sometimes it's the combo of things where the magic happens. Magnesium needs to be at a good level, so it can sit in the NMDA channel and prevent calcium influx into cells. If you don't have enough magnesium, calcium can enter cells without AMPA/NMDA activation, which causes signaling cascades when the body doesn't want them. This can cause excitotoxicity.
Here is an image I made of a synapse at rest.
See how the magnesium is sitting in the NMDA channel, preventing calcium from entering the cell? That's good. That's what happens when you have enough magnesium for your body to keep the NMDA channels closed when not activated.
Here is an image I made of an activated synapse.
See how glutamate has bound to its receptors on the AMPA and NMDA receptors? This allows sodium to enter the cell, which depolarizes it, removing the magnesium from the NMDA channel. Then calcium is able to enter the cell and result in signaling cascades. This is fine when your receptors are activated, as that is what your body is signaling should happen.
Here is what it looks like without enough magnesium.
Glutamate and glycine are not bound to their receptors, so the channels should be closed. However, there is not enough magnesium in the body, so the channel is open without the receptors being bound to. This means calcium can enter the cell when the body doesn't want it to. This is what causes excitotoxicity. Excess calcium transmission through cells in the body. Excess calcium transmission can also cause headaches. This is why getting enough magnesium is a good thing, and likely part of why you are getting good effects. However, you want that magnesium in the brain, not in the GI tract pulling water into your colon causing GI upset. This is why taking a form like Micromag can help. The sucrosome actively shuttles the magnesium into the bloodstream, rather than letting it absorb passively through the ion channels in the GI tract. This prevents the osmotic effect from causing GI upset like other magnesium forms. The threonic acid from the Magtein is probably another part, as vitamin C has been shown to improve headaches, and vitamin C will metabolize into threonic acid.