Acid-activated magnesium oxide, in a capsule you take before bed. Magnesium oxide is the form that stays in your gut instead of being absorbed into your blood — about 96% of it — so it can hold water where it's actually needed. The citric acid is in there so the mineral doesn't have to rely on your own stomach acid to convert.

Two likely reasons. First, the form: glycinate and citrate are built to be absorbed into your bloodstream — that's what makes glycinate good for sleep and useless for this. Magnesium oxide absorbs about 4%. It stays. Second, conversion: magnesium oxide isn't soluble on its own and needs stomach acid to switch on. If you're past 45, on a daily acid reducer, or on a GLP-1, you may not have much. A drugstore oxide is usually a low-dose pressed tablet with nothing in the formula to help with that.

Two capsules before bed with a full glass of water. That's the whole routine — nothing to remember during the day, nothing to carry.

Take it at least two hours apart from any prescription medication. One bottle is 30 days.

Then take one. The effective dose for magnesium oxide varies a lot from person to person, and every capsule here holds a real dose rather than a fraction of one — so you can go down as easily as you can stay put. Your dose is whatever gives you a soft, formed result without loosening things more than you want.

Stimulant laxatives like senna and bisacodyl act directly on the nerves and muscle of the bowel wall to force contraction — that's the mechanism behind going from two tablets to four. Osmotic minerals don't act on nerve or muscle at all. There's no equivalent escalation mechanism. That said, if you've been on daily laxatives for years, talk to your doctor about how you come off them.

It isn't a stimulant, so it doesn't force your muscles to squeeze against anything. Cramping with senna or Dulcolax comes from exactly that — soft tissue gripping something hard and dry. Magnesium doesn't act on nerve or muscle at all. If two capsules loosen things more than you'd like, drop to one and stay there.

Some people notice within a couple of days. Plenty of people get nothing in week one and are still finding their dose — that's the most common reason someone quits too early. Give it a week before you judge it, and two months before you decide it isn't for you.

Space it at least two hours from other oral medication. Magnesium can interfere with the absorption of some, including certain antibiotics and thyroid medication. If you're on a daily prescription, check with your pharmacist first — they'll know your list.

Anyone with reduced kidney function, heart disease, an electrolyte disorder, or taking diuretics should speak with a doctor before starting — magnesium clearance depends on your kidneys. Not for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding without medical advice. And persistent constipation, blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, or a sudden change in bowel habits should be looked at by a physician, not managed with a supplement.

Take it for 90 days. If your mornings haven't changed, email us and send the bottles back — used, empty, doesn't matter. Every dollar back. We'd rather refund you than have you add another bottle to the shoebox.