Hiya everybody,

I have had MVP for a long time. When I was on the Birth control pill, my heart would hurt the placebo week. It would start 1 hour after I took my calcium pill and last for several hours. I'm lactose intolerant and drink no milk.

I talked to my Gyno then and he said that estrogen does play a big part in calcium absorbtion so it makes sense that I might have trouble the placebo week cus there's no estrogen in those pills.

After I had my Tubal Ligation in 2000 and went off the Pill, the heart pain of course got more frequent. But I get NO pain if I skip the daily calcium pill. If I add magnesium daily...I get no pain but I get severe diarrhea and horrendous cramps and I have tried a half dozen different Mag pills:)

Now, I am noticing that after I take a calcium pill- my heart AND my varicose veins in my left leg both start to hurt LOL!

So I'm wondering if any of you know what exactly it is that calcium does inside the body that could explain my MVP and varicose veins hurting after I take it. Both are valves of a sort- would the calcium make the valves more floppy that they are and thus cause pain?


Thank you,
Lori

Here's some tips on the magnesium. Your reaction to it is completely normal. I had the same reaction at first. Try taking a small dose to begin with, like 100mg/day. When your body gets used to this dose, ie. no bowel disturbance, then you can increase the dose by a little, so up to 200mg/day. I found that as long as I worked up the dose slowly, my body would adjust. If the bowel disturbance returns, cut your dose for a day or two.

I was taking magnesium for muscle issues - internal vibration, buzzing, twitching, etc. caused by peri. Magnesium works well, and I was up to 1000mg/day at the peak, but absolutely got there the way I described above.

I have never heard of a connection between calcium and the pain you are describing. Perhaps a cardiologist would know if there is a connection.

Lori,

Is it possible the heart pain you describe is actually heartburn? It can feel much the same. I know when I started to have heartburn before I was diagnosed with GERD, I thought it was my heart. I did find this info that is a little scary though. It is about calcium supplements possibly raising heart risks in postmeno women.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_60061.html



Stephanie

Thanks for the link Stephanie! That was good reading:)

No, it isn't heartburn. It's the same part of my heart that hurts when I take cold medicine w/pseudoephedrine or if I drink one of those fancy coffee drinks that have lotsa caffiene LOL! It's like the upper right region of my heart that aches if I have too much stimulants or calcium.

I have had heartburn though! I made a cranberry jalapeno jelly for Christmas gifts and couldn't stop eating it and boy oh boy- I had to take Zantac for several days to calm down the reflux and heartburn:)

I don't know how it's linked to estrogen though. I never have heart aches when my estrogen is high- like at the mid cycle peak and right before my menses. It's always my period week and right after ovulation when my heart gets achey and I have palps. I know estrogen is a vasodilator- because I'm always hot and have a red face at those times of the month. Maybe the calcium gets absorbed better when my blood is flowing through dilated veins?

And thanks Pixie- I will try the 100 mg Mag. and slowly work my way up. The Mag makes me feel wonderful...very warm and energetic and my heart has no aches when I take it. And it makes me breathe better too- less asthmatic and huppy/puffy sounding:)

Lori

Very interesting. I am not sure the whole connection with estrogen either. Hate that your have heart pains!

As far as Mag, I can't remember where but I read that certain types of Mag supplements cause diarrhea worse than others. I take Natures Way Magnesium Complex. I get it at the health food store and it doesn't cause me any diarrhea. The dose is 2 pills which would be 500 mgs. I only take one in the morning and if my heart seems to be skipping more than usual, I will take another one later in the day. I don't however, take more than that a day.

Take Care!

Stephanie