Low Magnesium Symptoms- Short-Term and Mild or Long-Term

Magnesium deficiency is an electrolyte disturbance in which there is a low level of magnesium in the body. It can result in multiple symptoms.

Symptoms include tremor, poor coordination, muscle spasms, loss of appetite, personality changes, and nystagmus.

Complications may include seizures or cardiac arrest such as from torsade de pointes. Those with low magnesium often have low potassium.

Magnesium is an essential mineral vital for regulating your heart rhythm; muscle, nerve, and brain functions; and energy levels. Low magnesium can occur when you don’t get enough magnesium in your diet, your body doesn’t absorb it well, or you excrete too much.

People with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and alcohol use disorders, as well as older adults are at higher risk of deficiency. While you may not have symptoms initially, early symptoms include:

This article reviews low magnesium symptoms, how they progress over time, the daily requirements of magnesium, how to know if you are getting enough, and what to do if you need more magnesium.

An adult body stores about 25 grams (g) of magnesium—60% in your bones and 40% in your cells. Less than 1% of magnesium in the body stays in the serum (liquid portion of the blood).

Low magnesium may not cause symptoms initially because your bloodstream borrows excess magnesium from your cells or bones. Your body can perform vital functions until the cells and bones run out of extra magnesium. Symptoms arise when there is nothing left to tap into.

The timing and severity of symptoms depend on the degree and rate of magnesium depletion. You or a healthcare provider may overlook a magnesium deficiency, delaying a diagnosis because of subtle symptoms like fatigue. Here are some examples of low magnesium symptoms: