Liquid I.V. vs Magna: Sodium and Sugar or Magnesium? What Each Does to You

Short answer: Liquid I.V. is built to replace sweat and fluid losses, with more sodium, potassium and sugar. Magna is a zero-sugar mix whose main ingredient is magnesium, with a moderate dose of sodium and potassium. Pick Liquid I.V. when you are losing salt and water, and Magna when you want magnesium and a milder, sugar-free drink.

Side-by-side numbers

	Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier	Magna
Mixed into	16 oz	At least 16 oz
Sodium	500–570 mg	300 mg
Potassium	370 mg	150 mg
Magnesium	None listed	210 mg
Sugar	11 g added	0 g sugar, 2 g carbs
Vitamins	C, B3, B5, B6, B12	D, B6, B12, amounts not shown
Price per stick	about $1.50	about $1.70 1eca0ee4 5e74 11f0 b2b3 67db8da8df2b +11

Sodium: what each dose does for you

Liquid I.V. carries 22–25% of the daily sodium value, and its product pages caution people on low-sodium diets. Magna’s 300 mg is about 13% of the daily value. Average sweat contains roughly 900 mg of sodium per liter, so by my arithmetic Liquid I.V. replaces about 55–65% of an hour’s loss at one liter per hour, while Magna replaces about a third. Magna’s own marketing argues that most people don’t need 1,000 mg of sodium unless they sweat heavily every day, which describes its audience well.

At the minimum 16 oz of water, Magna’s sodium works out to roughly 40–50% less concentrated than Liquid I.V.’s, so it should taste less salty. Its sodium-to-potassium ratio is 2:1, against about 1.4:1 for Liquid I.V.

Potassium: both need caution in some cases

Liquid I.V.’s 370 mg is 8% of the daily value and more than double Magna’s 150 mg. If you take an ACE inhibitor, an ARB, or a potassium-sparing diuretic, or have kidney disease, ask your doctor about either product.

Sugar: Liquid I.V.’s glucose does a job

Liquid I.V. has 11 g of added sugar, 22% of the daily value, from cane sugar and dextrose. Its sodium and glucose are meant to work together across the gut wall to speed fluid uptake. That helps when you are sweating hard or recovering from illness, but it is just sugar if you are sitting at a desk. Magna has no sugar and only 2 g of carbohydrate, and the brand calls it keto-friendly. Without glucose and with modest sodium, I wouldn’t treat Magna as a stomach-bug rehydration drink. That is my inference, not a Magna claim. Liquid I.V. also sells a sugar-free line, but I haven’t checked its panel.

Magnesium: Magna’s main ingredient and its main caution

Magna contains 210 mg of magnesium per stick, which the brand counts as 50% of the daily value. It suggests two sticks a day, which totals 420 mg. The upper limit for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg a day, because larger doses commonly cause diarrhea. So the brand’s own twice-daily suggestion exceeds that limit. Treat one stick as your starting point, especially if you also take a magnesium capsule or have kidney disease. One reviewer says the panel’s sub-lines add up to 710 mg of magnesium compounds. I couldn’t reconcile that with the brand’s 210 mg headline, so read the label on your box.

Magnesium also binds some medicines, such as levothyroxine and certain antibiotics, so take those several hours apart. The launch formula used magnesium threonate, while current packs list gluconate, malate, and glycinate. One tech writer pointed out that the brand’s focus claims don’t make it a stimulant or a nootropic.

Vitamins and sweeteners

Liquid I.V.’s B vitamins land at 130–280% of the daily value, with 62–73 mg of vitamin C. The B vitamins are water-soluble and mainly matter if you are low in them. Magna adds vitamins D, B6, and B12 without showing amounts in the listings I found, so factor in a separate vitamin D supplement. Both sweeten with stevia, and one Liquid I.V. reviewer reports being sensitive to its taste. Magna’s colors come from turmeric and spirulina.

Taste

Reviewers of Liquid I.V. often describe it as overly sweet and sometimes salty, with a thick mouthfeel and some grit. Some dilute it or use half a packet. Lemon-lime and passion fruit are frequent favorites, and one buyer switched to DripDrop for the less salty taste.

Magna’s reviews are positive overall but split on flavor consistency. Buyers praise Blood Orange, Watermelon Lime, and Apple Juice, and note an occasional lingering aftertaste, uneven dissolving, and stomach sensitivity on an empty stomach. Another reviewer found it not too salty.

Price

At Target, Liquid I.V. runs about $14.99 for 10 sticks, though other listings reach $15.89 or $18.99. Magna is $16.99 for 10 at Target, about $1.70 per stick, and $18.39 for the Apple Juice flavor. At launch it sold direct for $55 for 30 sticks, which may have changed.

Per milligram of sodium, Liquid I.V. is cheaper at roughly $3 per 1,000 mg, against about $5.67 for Magna. Magna is the only one that supplies magnesium, so there is nothing to compare on that. Following each brand’s suggested use, Liquid I.V. costs about $1.50 a day at one stick, while Magna’s two sticks cost about $3.40.

Which fits you

• Heavy sweat or illness fluid loss: Liquid I.V., for its higher sodium and glucose.
• Sodium limit: Magna’s 300 mg is lower, but ask your doctor first.
• Sugar tracking or keto: Magna.
• Wanting magnesium: Magna, one stick a day.
• Kidney disease: neither without medical approval.
• Budget: Liquid I.V.
• Dislike of sweetness: Magna.

Bottom line: Choose by what you are replacing. Liquid I.V. replaces sweat and fluid, and Magna adds magnesium to a lighter hydration drink.