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Question · Anxiety & worry

Does magnesium help with anxiety?

Reports are mixed, going by Reddit owner reports: 43 of 67 rated comments from people who describe anxiety or constant worry describe a good experience with Magnesium, and 19 describe a poor one. That is self-reported experience, not proof that it works, and results vary from person to person.

Magnesium, Anxiety & worry	Owner comments
Rated comments in this context	67
Positive	43 (64%)
Negative	19 (28%)
Describe an unwanted effect	8
Context rating (small samples pulled to the average)	3.3

Magnesium (form not stated) overall: 4.1 from 438 owner comments in Reddit anxiety, stress and supplement communities, May 2026 to October 2026.

What the research says

Magnesium is a mineral the body uses in hundreds of enzyme reactions. Supplements come in many forms (oxide, citrate, glycinate and others) that differ in how much magnesium they contain and how well it is absorbed.^{[NIH Office of Dietary Supplements]}
A 2017 systematic review found the evidence on magnesium and subjective anxiety suggestive but of poor quality.^[PubMed]

Safety

The NIH upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day for adults; higher doses commonly cause diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramping.^{[NIH Office of Dietary Supplements]}
Magnesium can reduce the absorption of some antibiotics (tetracyclines, quinolones) and bisphosphonates, so the NIH advises spacing the doses apart.^{[NIH Office of Dietary Supplements]}

Good experiences

4/5
“I've had anxiety tremors for years, but I soon as I start taking magnesium they are greatly reduced.”

owner comment via r/Anxiety · 2026-10-04 · 13 upvotes

4/5 Calming effectSide effects
“I used to have severe health anxiety and deal with stress daily, tried alot of stuff, Taurine in the morning and magnesium before bed helped mostly, I noticed less brain fog and more calm and focus during the day, idk is it directly…”

owner comment via r/Supplements · 2026-07-13 · 9 upvotes

4/5 Side effects
“i felt crazy because everyone said magnesium helps anxiety, but i was laying awake having heart palpitations and anxiety whenever i took it.”

owner comment via r/Supplements · 2026-09-10 · 8 upvotes

Poor experiences

2/5
“I take magnesium daily and have for 10-plus years for my restless leg syndrome, but it doesn't do anything for my anxiety.”

owner comment via r/Anxiety · 2026-09-03 · 8 upvotes

2/5
“You could be having an adverse reaction to the magnesium OR the glycine.”

owner comment via r/Supplements · 2026-06-01 · 2 upvotes

How reports compare in other contexts

Context	Rated comments	Positive	Negative
Everyday stress	50	41	4
Low mood	32	21	10
Panic attacks	15	6	8
Physical tension	11	6	4

More on Magnesium

Talk to a doctor about new, severe or lasting symptoms, and to a pharmacist before combining supplements with medicines.