Discharge Instructions for Hypomagnesemia

You have been diagnosed with hypomagnesemia. This means you don't have enough magnesium in your blood. Magnesium is a mineral. It helps your body work normally. It helps you form bones. It helps muscles and nerves work. And it helps enzymes and hormones work. A very low magnesium level can be serious and lead to seizures and abnormal heart rhythms. And it can lead to a heart attack. Other symptoms can include: 

• Nausea or vomiting

• Sleepiness

• Weakness

• Personality changes

• Muscle spasms or tremors

• Loss of appetite

Diet changes

You will need to eat more foods that contain magnesium. These include:

• Dark green leafy vegetables, such as salad greens, spinach, kale, chard, and collards

• All nuts and nut butters, including peanuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, peanut butter, and almond butter

• Sunflower seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Milk, chocolate milk (prepared from powder mix), and eggnog

• Soy products, including tofu, soybeans, and soy milk

• Beans

• Halibut

• Baked potatoes (with skin)

• Millet, including puffed millet cereal

• Brown rice, including brown rice cakes

• Avocado, including guacamole

• Dried apricots

• Bananas

• Oatmeal

• Bran cereals

• Chocolate and cocoa powder

• Meal replacement bars and drinks 

Other home care

• Take a magnesium supplement as advised.

• Have your magnesium levels checked as often as advised. This is important if you are taking a diuretic. This medicine helps flush water from the body.

• Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines and herbal supplements you take. This includes prescribed and over-the-counter medicines. Some of them can lower your magnesium levels.

• Take all medicines as directed.

• Take your pulse as often as advised. Call your healthcare provider if your pulse rate is higher than 100 beats per minute, or as directed.

• Ask if you need to take a calcium supplement. If your magnesium level is low, you may be low in calcium.

Follow-up

Follow up with your healthcare provider, or as advised. Your healthcare provider will need to watch your condition closely. You may need extra care if you have a health condition that causes your hypomagnesemia.

When to call your healthcare provider

Call your provider right away or go to the emergency room if you have any of the following:

• Muscle twitching, spasms, or cramps

• Fatigue

• Confusion

• Loss of consciousness or fainting

• Dizziness

• Irregular or fast heartbeat

• Chest pain or shortness of breath