My Vacation From Supplements for Fibromyalgia
It's not unusual, with fibromyalgia (FMS) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS), to develop new symptoms. When you take multiple supplements, though, how do you know when you're experiencing side effects instead of symptoms?
I wrestled with that question recently when I was having some persistent (and rather unpleasant) digestive symptoms. Was I developing IBS? Was it a new FMS symptom? Or was it a side effect?
To find out, I took a "vacation" from all my supplements. I stopped taking them all for a week, then gradually re-introduced things, starting with the most recent additions, since those were the most likely to be causing my new issues.
What I discovered was that malic acid, which I'd been taking for muscle aches, was causing my problems. (It seemed to be causing some symptoms directly, and others indirectly by increasing magnesium absorption.) I was able to re-introduce everything else without any problems, but I eliminated a couple because I didn't feel like they were doing anything, or because a newer one seemed to be more effective.
Note: If you're considering a drug vacation, be sure to work closely with your doctor on how to safely wean off of your medications, if necessary, and what you should not discontinue.
Have you ever taken a supplement (or drug) vacation? What was your experience? Did it help you weed out the cause of side effects, or improve your symptom management? Have you had a bad experience with this kind of thing? Share your experience here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome community forum (under Newsletter & Blog Topics).
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Comments
Years ago I took magnesium malate (magnesium & malic acid) for Fibrolmyalgia. For a short time it did help with my muscle pain. Recently I tried it again, but unfortunately I broke out in an awful case of hives. I don’t think it was caused by the magnesium malate as my symptoms started the day before I took the first one, but I have not started taking them again.
In my research I did read that malic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid and the substance causes intestinal cramps and diarrhea in those patients who are prone to intestinal problems. The irritation may be due to an irritation of the intestinal lining by the alpha-hydroxy acids. It is recommended that patients suffering from irritable bowl syndrome should not take magnesium malate.
So much of Fibromyalgia management is trial and error. Glad you figured out what was causing your symptoms.