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Medicines and supplements

Can you take magnesium oxide with gabapentin?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Ask your pharmacist or doctor before combining. The gabapentin label says an antacid containing magnesium and aluminum hydroxides lowered the amount of gabapentin absorbed by about 20%. In a small study, 1 g of magnesium oxide taken with gabapentin lowered its absorption by about a third. Your pharmacist can tell you how to space them.1,2

Key facts

  • The gabapentin label lists an antacid made with magnesium and aluminum hydroxides in its drug interactions section.1
  • MedlinePlus tells people who take antacids to separate them from their gabapentin doses.3
  • In 13 healthy adults, magnesium oxide cut gabapentin bioavailability by 32%, while the acid reducer omeprazole left it unchanged.2
  • Magnesium oxide is itself sold as an antacid, at 241.3 mg of magnesium per 400 mg tablet.4

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

The gabapentin label says an antacid containing magnesium and aluminum hydroxides lowered the amount of gabapentin the body absorbed by about 20%. In a small study, 1 g of magnesium oxide taken with gabapentin lowered its absorption by about a third.1,2,3

On the medicine's label

What is documented

Gabapentin's prescribing information reports that taking it with an antacid made with magnesium and aluminum hydroxides reduced the gabapentin the body absorbed by about 20%, in a study of 16 people. The label treats this as a drug interaction and sets a spacing rule. MedlinePlus repeats that advice for antacids in plain language.1,3

A 2012 crossover study then tested magnesium oxide on its own. Thirteen healthy adults took a single gabapentin dose alone, with 1 g of magnesium oxide, or with omeprazole. Magnesium oxide lowered the gabapentin absorbed by 32% and its peak blood level by 33%. Omeprazole, which lowers stomach acid, had no such effect, so the drop does not seem to come only from reduced acid.2

Oxide, citrate, glycinate and other forms

Magnesium oxide is the form most directly covered. It is sold over the counter as an antacid, a 400 mg tablet supplies 241.3 mg of magnesium, and its own label warns that antacids may interact with certain prescription drugs.4

We found no study of gabapentin with magnesium citrate, glycinate, malate or L-threonate. That gap is not evidence that those forms are free of the effect; the sources simply do not test them. Ask your pharmacist about the form you use.

Why it matters

Gabapentin is used for nerve pain and seizures. When less of a dose is absorbed, less reaches the blood, and the label considers the antacid effect large enough to set a spacing rule for it.1

Magnesium also turns up in antacids and laxatives in much larger amounts than in a supplement. Milk of magnesia, which is magnesium hydroxide, provides 500 mg of magnesium per tablespoon.5

What to ask your pharmacist

  • How far apart should I take gabapentin and my magnesium supplement?
  • Does the spacing differ for an antacid, a laxative or a supplement?
  • Does the form of magnesium I take change anything?
  • Should anything change if my gabapentin dose goes up?

Take the labels of your antacids, laxatives and supplements with you, so the pharmacist can see every source of magnesium in one place.

Questions people ask

Can I take magnesium glycinate with gabapentin?

The sources here tested an antacid made with magnesium hydroxide, and magnesium oxide, not glycinate. Ask your pharmacist whether to space them; the form may not change the advice.1,2

Is it the magnesium or the aluminum in the antacid?

The label does not say, because the antacid contained both. The 2012 study gave magnesium oxide alone and still found less gabapentin absorbed.1,2

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Sources

  1. Neurontin (gabapentin) capsules, tablets and oral solution: prescribing information (Viatris Specialty). DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Label effective May 12, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Yagi T, Naito T, Mino Y, Umemura K, Kawakami J. Impact of concomitant antacid administration on gabapentin plasma exposure and oral bioavailability in healthy adult subjects. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2012;27(2):248-254. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Gabapentin. MedlinePlus Drug Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Last revised May 15, 2020. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Magnesium Oxide 400 mg tablets, antacid: Drug Facts label (Westminster Pharmaceuticals). DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Label effective July 6, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated January 6, 2026. Opened 2026-10-06.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.