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Might magnesium supplement have caused low blood sugar in the night?

Rosie9876

Well-Known Member
Messages
290
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
After a long stint in hospital, my blood sugar control went haywire, even when I returned to the low carb regime which had worked previously. Also, I was sleeping poorly, waking up several times and unable to get back to sleep. So I began taking a modest magnesium supplement (375 mg). My BG went down, in fact sharply at night. My CGM was recording hypos almost every night, one lasting 3 hours, and in the times they woke me up, I felt unwell - very woozy. At first I didn't connect it with the magnesium supplement, but after 2 weeks of it worsening, it occurred to me, and I stopped it. Et voilà! My BG began to go up, out of control again, with highs lasting a long time after a low carb meal. No more night time hypos, but also poorer sleep. I don't want to consult my GP, who will just increase my medication, and anyway, I've been relegated to the pharmacist and a request for a brief meeting with an assistant. So any suggestions?
 
I wouldn’t say seeing the pharmacist is a relegation, especially if you want to talk about medication and supplements. In your position I’d accept the appt. with the pharmacist. I’ve had my last three diabetes reviews with our surgery pharmacist and he was very interested in how I control things even to the point of seeking my permission to view my Dexcom data.
As a side note I take magnesium for cramps and haven’t suffered night time hypos since I started it.
 
I wouldn’t say seeing the pharmacist is a relegation, especially if you want to talk about medication and supplements. In your position I’d accept the appt. with the pharmacist. I’ve had my last three diabetes reviews with our surgery pharmacist and he was very interested in how I control things even to the point of seeking my permission to view my Dexcom data.
As a side note I take magnesium for cramps and haven’t suffered night time hypos since I started it.
I stopped taking the magnesium and my blood sugar shot up, and with poor sleep. The low episodes stopped altogether, after experiencing them nightly for increasing duration. I've begun taking it again - not every evening, - and BS is calming down a bit. I'm not saying it's causal, but it sure is curious. Still a poor night's sleep. My fasting glucose this morning 5.8, better but not as good as I'd got.
 
I have taken a magnesium supplement for years. It doesn't appear to affect my BG.
I started the magnesium to help with my sleep. Poor sleep does affect BG, so in that sense there could be a connection. But when my BG plummeted at night, I stopped the magnesium and my BG shot up. I'm just making an observation of what's happened to me. I'm back on the magnesium. So far, it hasn't helped my sleep, but early days.
 
It’s possible that the magnesium could be affecting your blood sugar @Rosie9876, though personally I’ve not experienced hypos I do see a slight difference in my fasting numbers, not by much though. I am prescribed magnesium for another condition not related to diabetes






Edited to remove a link
 
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