What Are the Potential Side Effects of Magnesium Sulfate?
For the Mother About half of the women who receive magnesium sulfate have some side effects. Potential side effects include flushing, feeling uncomfortably warm, headache, dry mouth, nausea, and blurred vision. Women often say they feel wiped out, as though they have the flu. These side effects can be uncomfortable, but they are not dangerous. When given in high doses, magnesium sulfate can cause cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. Fortunately, women can be monitored for increases in the magnesium blood levels. If the levels become too high, the dose can be lowered. One of the most common signs that doctors watch for is the loss of the knee-jerk reflex (a jerk that usually occurs when your leg is tapped just below the knee). If for some reason the levels get too high, another medication, called calcium gluconate, can help reverse the effects of magnesium sulfate. For the Baby Since magnesium sulfate relaxes most muscles, babies who have been exposed to magnesium for an extended per
