‘magnesium citrate ...’
Are you talking about that bottled stuff?
It tastes horrible. Loaded with salt and weird flavorings. It works, but not as well as fresh orange juice.
No, just go to the vitamin section where they sell magnesium pills. I take one pill, sometimes two. I’ll never take three magnesiums again — too powerful. Some folks would only need half a pill. Best to do this after a meal. Drink down the pill with a glass of OJ.
It might take as long as three days if you are really backed up.
One more thing — too many irritants [such as standard laxatives or fiber] can eventually ‘sedate’ the digestive tract. The body will try to purge them out for a while. But sooner or later it simply gives up. And they only become part of the problem.
As for timing, it depends on how backed up you are.
The pills are 100mg.