ZMA and Heart Issues

[anaconda]

Random question, and I figured this was the best place to ask. Has anyone ever experienced any irregular heart issues while taking ZMA?

The reason I ask is that recently I started up on ZMA again. I found that before it would not be very useful with one or two pills, so I upped it to four or sometimes five (primaforce brand). (I'm about 230 lbs, usually I take 4)

The first time I started doing this, after a week or so I started to sometimes get an irregular heartbeat or palpitations. Very strange feeling. Feels like sometimes my heart will skip a beat.

I stopped because I went on vacation and forgot to take it with me. I came back and started training hard again, which reminded me to take it. The same thing has started happening again. Very very strange.

Anyone have any insight or info? Only thing I can think of is that maybe its the magnesium? However everything I have searched has shown magnesium as a solution to heart palpitations.

Thanks in advance.

 

[PatrikX]

Go too a doctor and ask these serious questions. It's always the best idea.

 

[Vedic]

Go to a doc man. That is very weird however. Is it strictly zma, or a certain brand?

 

[Sinister]

I wouldn't expect this from just a ZMA alone. The zinc shouldn't be effecting your heart, nor should the magnesium. Some companies blend things in there, for instance Pro Performance ZMA also has B vitamins, copper, as well as a bit of hops and valerian. Not that any of those would cause this specific problem that I know of...but that doesn't mean you couldn't have an adverse reaction.

Can you find the nutritional information chart of the brand you take? If I see it I might be able to make a hypothesis. A Doctor might be able to detect if you're really having the heart palpitation or if it's something that feels like it...but they might not be able to say if one element or another is causing it.

 

[anaconda]

Thanks guys. If I really felt concerned I would go to a doc, but I also have to consider the fact that I don't currently have health insurance lol.

Like KK said, I'm not even sure it is an arryhthmia or any kind of palpitations, or if it just feels that way. Its a very strange feeling though.

It is the Primaforce ZMA; here is the nutrition info:

180 Capsules
Serving Size3Vegetarian Capsules
Servings Per Container60

Amount Per Serving % DV

Zinc (As Monomethionine And Aspartate) 30mg 200%
Magnesium (As Aspartate) 450mg 113%
Vitamin B6 (As Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 10.5mg 525%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Other Ingredients
Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose, Magnesium Stearate, Silicon Dioxide.

On one site, I did see this as a possible side effect of magnesium overdose: "Disordered cardiac rhythm (cardiac arrhythmias)"

That is the only thing that makes sense. The only other supps I am taking now are fish oil, vit d, and multi. My multi is the NOW Adam;

60 Tablets
Serving Size2Tablets
Servings Per Container30
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
Beta Carotene(as Pro-Vitamin A 6mg) 10,000IU 200%
Vitamin C(from Calcium Ascorbate) 350mg 580%
Vitamin D(as Ergocalciferol) 400IU 100%
Vitamin E(from D-Alpha Tocopheryl Succinate) 200IU 670%
Vitamin K(as Phytonadione) 50mcg 60%
Thiamin(Vit. B-1)(from Thiamine HCL) 25mg 1,670%
Riboflavin(Vitamin B2) 25mg 1,470%
Niacin(Vitamin B3)(from Niacinamide And Inositol Hexanicotinate) 50mg 250%
Vitamin B6[from Pyridoxine HCL And Pyridoxal5-Phosphate(P-5-P)] 25mg 1,250%
Folate(as Folic Acid) 800mcg 200%
Vitamin B12(as Methylcobalamin) 250mcg 4,170%
Biotin 300mcg 100%
Pantothenic Acid(Vitamin B5)(Calcium D-Pantothenate) 100mg 1,000%
Calcium(from Calcium Carbonate And Calcium Ascorbate) 350mg 35%
Iodine(from Kelp) 225mcg 150%
Magnesium(from Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Citrate And ZMA

 

[Vedic]

From a fasting or at least IF perspective, caffeine and vitamins etc seem to have a much stronger effect than when normal. I saw a discussion on it, let me see if I can find it.

 

[anaconda]

From a fasting or at least IF perspective, caffeine and vitamins etc seem to have a much stronger effect than when normal. I saw a discussion on it, let me see if I can find it.

that could definitely be it then...I will stop then until fasting is over, and try it again and see.

thanks

 

[MikeMartial]

Anyone have any insight or info? Only thing I can think of is that maybe its the magnesium? However everything I have searched has shown magnesium as a solution to heart palpitations.

Props on finding out that magnesium is indeed an antiarrhythmic; it's use it pretty limited to Torsades and refractory V-tach. Totally off topic, since I'm 100% sure that's NOT what's happening, and it's not some weird paradoxidal reaction.

It's usually a case of electrolyte deficiency that would cause tachyarrhythmias and palpitations in otherwise healthy individuals; the dose of ZMA you're taking is pretty standard, and the multi looks fine.

One this that dose stand out is your dose of B6, pyridoxine. In total, you're taking 35mg, some of which is P5P; now this is WAY below the upper limit of safety, but perhaps for some unknown reason you're hypersensitive to it---and the "palpitations" are actually the manifestation of a neuropathy.

Gotta ask a few questions though:

• When is this occurring? During training? After training? At rest?
• How long dose it last? Just a skipped beat? Sustained palpitations?
• Any other symptoms? Dizziness? Headache? Blurred vision? Shortness of breath?
• What's your caffeine/stimulant intake like? This would be the most obvious cause of true palpitations and cardiac rhythm disturbances, but I'm sure you've looked at this.

I know you said you don't have coverage, but I'd encourage you to get this checked out.

 

[anaconda]

Props on finding out that magnesium is indeed an antiarrhythmic; it's use it pretty limited to Torsades and refractory V-tach. Totally off topic, since I'm 100% sure that's NOT what's happening, and it's not some weird paradoxidal reaction.

It's usually a case of electrolyte deficiency that would cause tachyarrhythmias and palpitations in otherwise healthy individuals; the dose of ZMA you're taking is pretty standard, and the multi looks fine.

One this that dose stand out is your dose of B6, pyridoxine. In total, you're taking 35mg, some of which is P5P; now this is WAY below the upper limit of safety, but perhaps for some unknown reason you're hypersensitive to it---and the "palpitations" are actually the manifestation of a neuropathy.

Gotta ask a few questions though:

• When is this occurring? During training? After training? At rest?
• How long dose it last? Just a skipped beat? Sustained palpitations?
• Any other symptoms? Dizziness? Headache? Blurred vision? Shortness of breath?
• What's your caffeine/stimulant intake like? This would be the most obvious cause of true palpitations and cardiac rhythm disturbances, but I'm sure you've looked at this.

I know you said you don't have coverage, but I'd encourage you to get this checked out.

Thanks Mike. As mentioned, I later found out that magnesium overdose could cause arrhythmia, but like you said I doubt I am taking that much (unless like Vedic suggested the IF is basically making it more potent). Still, I think there is a simpler explanation.

For the questions:

[*]When is this occurring? During training? After training? At rest?

Honestly it just happens randomly. It has happened before and after training, and on days I haven't trained.

[*]How long dose it last? Just a skipped beat? Sustained palpitations?

It feels like my heart is hiccuping, or like it stops beating for a couple of beats. It has happened where it does it a couple of times, then goes back to normal and I forget about it. There are other times when it happened several times over the course of a few minutes.

[*]Any other symptoms? Dizziness? Headache? Blurred vision? Shortness of breath?

Nothing else. Although my memory and thinking has been a bit fuzzy lately. The more I think about it, it may just be too much magnesium.

[*]What's your caffeine/stimulant intake like? This would be the most obvious cause of true palpitations and cardiac rhythm disturbances, but I'm sure you've looked at this.

Yeah the first thing I thought of was either stimulants or my asthma meds. However I'm not taking anything but albuterol now, and that is only as needed (rarely) or one puff before training. Since I am fasting and only eating at night, I have not been having any stimulants at all really.

I guess if it continues I will just suck it up and go to the dr. I stopped taking the ZMA as of yesterday, and so far so good.

 

[Sinister]

Yeah in looking at the ingredients of that multi, plus the ZMA, plus the magnesium stearate binding, it does make one wonder. And is it just me, or is it odd that ZMA is mentioned multiple times on that Adam list? That's kind of unusual.

 

[bobbylight**]

Yeah in looking at the ingredients of that multi, plus the ZMA, plus the magnesium stearate binding, it does make one wonder. And is it just me, or is it odd that ZMA is mentioned multiple times on that Adam list? That's kind of unusual.

I think that ZMA is on that list a few times because they list Magnesium and Zinc separately, and then state that a source of those are from ZMA. I am not positive, but I think that is why its on there 3 times.

 

[Sinister]

Most labels don't do that though, or at least they shouldn't. It's unnecessarily confusing. Especially considering that each listing has separate numbers by them.

 

[anaconda]

Most labels don't do that though, or at least they shouldn't. It's unnecessarily confusing. Especially considering that each listing has separate numbers by them.

yeah its weird, but i guess they just want to be as up front as possible (which is a good thing).

as an update, I stopped the zma and except for a tiny hiccup yesterday, I haven't had any issues. I also havent trained for a few days though so who knows. I will train tonight and see how I feel.