how to check level of magnesium

[madlen]

I had ocasional arrhythmia (palpitation) for many years. It would come and go for a relatively short time, and I have been told that this is not serious conditoins, and do not require medical intervention. Than  it occured  more  often,   run for longer time, sometimes with symotoms such a dizziness,  fatigue.and headack .    
I have seen doctor in cardio centre.The Holter ECG and the stress ECG has been done . I was put on Bisoprolol.
I am taking 0.25 mg,when an arrhytmia started and It helped to stop it.
I have sleeping problems, but can not tolerate the sleeping peels. I do not feel rested, but very week and depressed @ the morning,  .
.So, I was looking for any alternative, and  have found, that magnesium 307 mg,.as a natural supplement (anti-stress drink) is helping for  sleeping disorder,arrhytmia, weekness,etc. My questions are, would  it interfere with  Bisoprolol ?,  Needed to check  the level of magnesium  before I start to take it?  And  how?  

[allaflutter1213]

an Exatest is the best to gauge intracelluar levels for Mg.
Although I personally don't think it necessary, most people can take Mg up to "bowel tolerance" as one of the only few side effects of Mg toxicity is diarrhea.
I too use the Natural Calm in the PM as well as take Albion Chelated Mg glycinate 3 times daily.
Please note that I am not a Dr and these are just my personal experiences.

[ott70]

I believe there is also a magnesium load test that is a better test than the standard serum test. I think the load test requires urine samples and most standard labs should be able to do it. However, I brought up it to my cardiologist not too long ago and she just stared at me.

[itdood]

There are 2 ways to check your mag level.  One is a blood test for serum levels.  

From what I've read, and all seems to be purely anecdotal, this is not accurate.  To paint an accurate intra-cellular levels should be checked which requires a more advanced test.  Not too many labs are equipped to do this, and the test is controversial.

[Yvette BG]

You also might want to try music--the Delta Sleep System (CD) by Dr. Jeffery Thompson. It targets the brain waves involved in sleep and at least for my husband and myself, it helps us fall asleep and stay asleep (we play it all night long.) It even calms down our one dog that has anxiety during thunderstorms. Good luck.

[BobRBob]

To my knowledge, the magnesium will not interfere with the Bisoprolol and is a good thing for heart arrhythmias. I don't believe there is a need to check your blood level prior to taking it; I take 250 mg daily of Mg. There are other posts on the subject in the archives.

I'm not clear from your post whether you are taking the Bisoprolol every day or just as required when your arrhythmia occurs. Are you suffering from Afib? Bisoprolol is a beta blocker used to control the heart rate but brings with it the potential of side effects including fatique and insomnia. I was on the same drug before being switched to Sotalol, and it had the same effect on me. If you take the drug every day, it will help to prevent episodes of arrhythmia and you may also become more used to the drug and suffer less from the side effects than when taking it only as required. What dosage does your doctor recommend - as needed or daily?