Magnesium Glycinate vs Magnesium Citrate

Glycinate. The glycine it is bound to is mildly calming and it has no laxative effect, so it sits better for an evening dose. Citrate works too but is more likely to loosen the stool.

Citrate. Its mild osmotic laxative effect is exactly what helps with regularity, whereas glycinate is chosen specifically because it does not do that.

The cheapest Magnesium Glycinate we track is $0.12 per serving; the cheapest Magnesium Citrate is $0.10 per serving — so Magnesium Citrate costs less per dose right now (July 2026).

By weight, Magnesium Glycinate is about 14% elemental magnesium (~140 mg per 1,000 mg) and Magnesium Citrate is about 16% (~160 mg per 1,000 mg). A higher elemental percentage isn't automatically better value — absorption differs by form, so weigh the "magnesium" line in the Supplement Facts panel against price and absorption, not the front-label number.

Many people prefer glycinate at night. It's magnesium bound to glycine, an amino acid some find calming, and it tends to be gentle on the gut, so it's less likely to cause an urgent bathroom trip overnight. Citrate has a mild laxative effect, so a late dose can occasionally disrupt sleep if it loosens stools. Glycinate usually costs a bit more per dose. There's no clear evidence that one form is meaningfully "better" for sleep itself, so for an evening supplement the choice often comes down to gut tolerance and price. This isn't medical advice.

Magnesium can reduce the absorption of certain medications, including some antibiotics (tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones), bisphosphonates used for bone density, and gabapentin, which is why they're generally spaced a few hours apart rather than taken at the same time. This applies to citrate as well, since it's the magnesium that drives the interaction, not the form. This isn't medical advice, so anyone on prescription medication should check timing and combinations with a pharmacist or clinician.

The main trade-off is cost: glycinate is usually one of the pricier forms per unit of elemental magnesium, which is exactly the gap we track at the dose level so you can see what you're actually paying. It's also a poor fit if your goal is relieving occasional constipation, since the gentleness that makes it easy on the stomach means it lacks citrate's laxative effect. And like any magnesium, large doses can still loosen stools, so more isn't automatically better. This isn't medical advice.

There's no inherent conflict in taking both, and some people use different forms for different goals, such as glycinate in the evening and citrate for digestive regularity. Keep in mind the doses add up toward the same daily magnesium total, so combining two products is usually the more expensive route. It's worth comparing cost-per-dose before doubling up rather than picking the single form that fits your goal. If you're unsure how much total magnesium is appropriate for you, that's a question for a clinician. This isn't medical advice.

RDAs depend on age and sex. Adult men need 400-420 mg; adult women need 310-320 mg. Pregnancy is 350-400 mg and lactation 310-360 mg. Children range from 80 mg (1-3 years) to 240 mg (9-13 years); infants have AIs of 30-75 mg. — per the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements; general information, not medical advice.

Yes. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg for adults. High supplement or medication doses can cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping. Very high doses cause toxicity: hypotension, vomiting, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, and cardiac arrest; fatal hypermagnesemia has occurred. — per the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements; general information, not medical advice.