Does Intake Of Magnesium Citrate Help In Curing Constipation?

Posted on Fri, 24 Jun 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 24 Jun 2016 Answered on

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello,
About 2 weeks ago my podiatrist prescribed Bactrin to treat toe infection.
After a week he added additional antibiotic Levequin. Next day I had upset
stomach and I stopped Levequin. Next visit week later doctor switched Levequin
to Cipro 2x daily. Stomach discomfort improved some but not totally.
Now about three days later I stopped having bowel movement and found myself
constipated for last four days.
Would it be save to use liquid magnesium citrate to relieve constipation or should
I use something gentler like Dulcolax?.

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (54 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You can use Magnesium salts

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Welcome and thanks for your query.
Magnesium salts are good to relieve constipation and are safe.
You should space it two hours after your antibiotic.
It would be good for you to take probiotics as the antibiotics would have reduced the friendly bacteria in the gut and this could be the cause of your constipation. In addition take plenty of fluids , fruits and vegetables unless these are restricted for you.
Do get back to me if you have further queries.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar