Over-the-counter medicine
Magnesium citrate
Magnesium citrate is an over-the-counter medicine. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $0.0066 per mL (Magnesium citrate solution) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- No generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the magnesium citrate FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 1, 2026); every magnesium citrate label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of September 1, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagerelieves occasional constipation (irregularity) generally produces bowel movement in 1/2 to 6 hours
Forms and strengths
- 0.059 g/ml
- 1.745 g/29.6ml
- 1.745 g/ml
Liquid; solution.
On the market
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 38 of which 0 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0066 per mL Magnesium citrate solution
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 1 since 2017 5 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest July 17, 2017; 14 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 6,104 through July 30, 2026
What is magnesium citrate used for?
From the label: indications and usagerelieves occasional constipation (irregularity) generally produces bowel movement in 1/2 to 6 hours
Conditions named in the indications of magnesium citrate's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other magnesium citrate labelsConstipation: Uses relieves occasional constipation (irregularity) generally produces bowel movement in 1/2 to 6 hours
Source: FDA drug label (OneLAX Saline Laxative), AKRON PHARMA INC, effective September 1, 2026 (SPL set 44c87bbc-2507-4b87-a74b-02f4acb30cf4), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for magnesium citrate?
No generic magnesium citrate is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for magnesium citrate?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0066 per mL (Magnesium citrate solution), up 6% from $0.0063 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Magnesium citrate solution (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ft magnesium citrate solution | Generic | $0.0066 per mL | n/a | +6% |
| Gnp magnesium citrate solution | Generic | $0.0066 per mL | n/a | +6% |
| Magnesium citrate solution | Generic | $0.0066 per mL | n/a | +6% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has magnesium citrate been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 15 recalls naming magnesium citrate since 2017: 5 Class I (the most serious), 10 Class II, 0 Class III; 7 still ongoing. 14 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of magnesium citrate and that hold no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2024 | Class II | Pharma Nobis LLC not a listed maker | Microbial Contamination of Non-Sterile Products - Presence of Acetobacter nitrogenifigens bacteria |
| December 21, 2023 | Class II | Pharma Nobis LLC not a listed maker | MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF NON-STERILE PRODUCTS - Presence of Acetobacter nitrogenifigens bacteria. |
| July 15, 2022 | Class I | Vi-Jon, LLC not a listed maker | Microbial contamination of non-sterile products. |
| July 15, 2022 | Class II | Vi-Jon, LLC not a listed maker | CGMP Deviations |
| July 17, 2017 | Class II | Vi-Jon, Inc. | Microbial contamination of non-sterile products: product was found to contain mold, identified as Rhinocladiella similis. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What do FAERS reports show for magnesium citrate?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 6,104 reports that list magnesium citrate among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,024 are coded as a death and 2,294 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as magnesium citrate?
15 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as magnesium citrate or labeled mainly for the same use (constipation), the same class first. Constipation lists all 20 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docusate | Constipation | none listed | $0.0276 per unit 100 mg softgel | No current entry |
| Sennosides | Constipation | none listed | $0.0258 per tablet 8.6 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Polyethylene glycol 3350 | Constipation | 73 labelers | $0.0286 per gram 3350 powd | No current entry |
| Bisacodyl | Constipation | none listed | $0.0441 per tablet 5 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Magnesium hydroxide | Constipation | none listed | $0.0095 per mL Milk of magnesia suspension | No current entry |
| Lubiprostone | Constipation | 10 labelers | $0.651 per capsule 24 mcg capsule | No current entry |
| Prucalopride | Constipation | 18 labelers | $0.639 per tablet 1 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Psyllium husk | Constipation | none listed | n/a | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as magnesium citrate
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does magnesium citrate compare with medicines for the same use?
8 side-by-side pages set magnesium citrate beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to magnesium citrate
- 15 medicines for the same use
- Magnesium citrate side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other