{"entity":{"id":"magnesium-supplements","kind":"technology","name":"Magnesium supplements","aka":["Magnesium oxide","Magnesium citrate"],"tldr":"Some cancer drugs, notably cisplatin and the antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab, wash magnesium out of the body, and the team checks and replaces it. Beyond that, magnesium taken for hot flushes or general health has only small pilot studies behind it, and too much is dangerous for people with kidney or bowel problems.","summary":"Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs entry notes that true magnesium deficiency mostly occurs with critical illness, gastrointestinal and kidney conditions, alcohol misuse and certain drugs, including cisplatin-based chemotherapy, the EGFR antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab, calcineurin inhibitors and long-term proton pump inhibitors; with the antibodies low magnesium is frequent, electrolytes are monitored and treated, and suspected deficiency should be assessed by the treating doctor. For other uses the evidence is limited: a pilot study suggests magnesium reduces hot flushes in breast cancer patients; observational studies link adequate intake with lower colorectal cancer mortality and lower colorectal and lung cancer risk, while others find no link with cancer incidence or mortality. Excess magnesium, usually from laxatives or antacids in people with kidney or bowel problems, causes low blood pressure, slow heart rate and in case reports cardiac arrest, including toxicity after a single dose of magnesium citrate in a patient with extensive previous surgery for pancreatic cancer. Magnesium reduces absorption of quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics, itraconazole and bisphosphonates and adds to the effect of calcium channel blockers.","status":"phase-2","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"MSK About Herbs: Magnesium (page last updated 31 August 2023)","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/magnesium"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:insufficient"],"related":["calcium-supplements","zinc-supplements"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care","nutrition-lifestyle"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions","acupuncture-hot-flushes"],"targets":[],"drugs":["cisplatin","cetuximab","panitumumab"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-toxicity-qol"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Magnesium is a cofactor in energy metabolism and nerve and muscle conduction; cisplatin and EGFR antibodies impair its reabsorption in the kidney.","strengths":["Replacement of measured deficiency during cisplatin or EGFR antibody treatment is standard care","Pilot signal for hot flushes"],"limitations":["Only pilot evidence for symptom uses","Toxic in kidney failure and bowel obstruction","Many absorption interactions"]},"route":"/technologies/magnesium-supplements/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"acupuncture-hot-flushes","kind":"technology","name":"Acupuncture for hot flushes on endocrine therapy","route":"/technologies/acupuncture-hot-flushes/"},{"id":"calcium-supplements","kind":"technology","name":"Calcium supplements during and after cancer treatment","route":"/technologies/calcium-supplements/"},{"id":"dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions","kind":"technology","name":"Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms","route":"/technologies/dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"zinc-supplements","kind":"technology","name":"Zinc supplements for taste changes and mucositis","route":"/technologies/zinc-supplements/"}],"section":[{"id":"nutrition-lifestyle","kind":"section","name":"Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle","route":"/fronts/nutrition-lifestyle/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"drug":[{"id":"cetuximab","kind":"drug","name":"Cetuximab","route":"/drugs/cetuximab/"},{"id":"cisplatin","kind":"drug","name":"Cisplatin","route":"/drugs/cisplatin/"},{"id":"panitumumab","kind":"drug","name":"Panitumumab","route":"/drugs/panitumumab/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-toxicity-qol","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued","route":"/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/"}]}}