Magnesium deficiency: A cause of tremors?

Can magnesium deficiency cause tremors?

- Jeri / California

Answer

Magnesium deficiency (hypomagnesemia) may cause involuntary shaking (tremors) of the tongue, arms and legs. Other signs and symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:

• Sudden, involuntary muscle twitches or jerks (myoclonus)
• Muscle weakness
• Sudden sensations of spinning (vertigo)
• Fatigue
• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia)

Magnesium deficiency is rare. Its potential causes include:

• Malnutrition
• Alcoholism
• Malabsorption disorders, such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease
• Poorly controlled diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Certain medications, such as the chemotherapy drug cisplatin (Platinol) and some diuretics and antibiotics
• Removal of the parathyroid glands
• Acute pancreatitis

Your doctor will probably treat magnesium deficiency by giving you a magnesium supplement as a pill or an injection. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency, including tremors, should stop after treatment.