The Benefits of Magnesium for Seizures

The ion that actually conducts across the receptor and kind of mediates its action is, can you guess? Calcium. And so it's not surprisingly magnesium is blocking calcium flow through an NMDA and that blocks the neuroexcitation that leads to seizures. In severe hypermagnesemia, like levels in a 8, 10, 12 miliquivalence per liter zone, patients can get flaccid paralysis and apneic respiratory failure along with cardiac toxicities such as complete heart block. So pushing IV calcium can temperize these really true emergencies, life threatening emergencies while you're doing other things to bring the magnesium level down.