Bad leg cramp cure/help?

[Sentry18]

I feel obligated to point out that as I worked through finding out which type of magnesium and how much of it was right for me, I also discovered that different types of magnesium also have different secondary "benefits" as a laxative. Trust me, I only was at 500+ mg for a VERY short period of time before I cut back. ;D Eating keto may have intensified those effects, but maybe not.

 

[Country Living]

My RLS went away when I started using a CPAP machine (actually, an APAP). The neurologist, who was the sleep doctor, said RLS is a common side effect of sleep apnea.

I would get bad calf and foot cramps at night (do not confuse RLS with cramps). I've mitigated them by drinking a minimum of 60oz of water a day and about 20 ounces of Powerade Zero (for the electrolytes) and I still had occasional cramps. My quick night-time solution was to get ACE bandages for the ankle (for the foot cramps) and thigh wraps (can use on the thigh or the calf) and they stop the cramps. As soon as I felt a cramp starting, I wrapped the area. It definitely helps.

I tried potassium and magnesium without any luck.

However, I started taking ACV with Mother last week and have yet to have a long enough track record to see if it's the reason the cramps have quit. I'm taking it to (hopefully) dissolve a kidney stone before it decides to take the trip south.

 

[TBob]

Good thread. I have leg cramps that keep me up all night, and sleep apnea. I used to use my cpap, but stopped a couple years ago.
Tried the mustard for cramps, the pickle juice...nothing seems to help. Sometimes bananas and lots of water, but then I'm up 3 or 4 times for the bathroom..gah. Crazy

 

[Terri9630]

Magnesium Citrate is a great anti-cramp mineral, it's supposed to help keep the heart from cramping up, as in heart attack. There are other forms of Magnesium that are usable as well. If you take too much magnesium it can cause diarrhea, there is a happy medium. Epsom Salt, which can be used to soak achy body parts is a form of magnesium, I've read that by bathing in a solution of Epsom Salt and water, magnesium can be absorbed into the body. When I told a doctor that I was supplementing with magnesium he told me it helps to protect the heart. I recommend asking your doctor before using it because my recommendation may not apply to your needs, I only mention this because it has helped me to keep from bad muscle cramps.

That's what my youngest uses to "clean out" her innards when her intestines work even slower than they usually do. It can have an almost immediate "effect".

 

[Meerkat]

I've already went and got a bar out of the cabinet.

me too. I have big toe cramps this week. And thats after eating a few bananas too. So I'll try the exercise ,aspirin, and beets are suppose to be very good for blood circulation . So get those out of freezer.

 

[Meerkat]

Magnesium Citrate is a great anti-cramp mineral, it's supposed to help keep the heart from cramping up, as in heart attack. There are other forms of Magnesium that are usable as well. If you take too much magnesium it can cause diarrhea, there is a happy medium. Epsom Salt, which can be used to soak achy body parts is a form of magnesium, I've read that by bathing in a solution of Epsom Salt and water, magnesium can be absorbed into the body. When I told a doctor that I was supplementing with magnesium he told me it helps to protect the heart. I recommend asking your doctor before using it because my recommendation may not apply to your needs, I only mention this because it has helped me to keep from bad muscle cramps.

That Epsom salts was punishment for being sick. Nothing like a good does of salts to get you back on your feet. Now and then I take that terrible tasting crap maybe I need a does to stop toe cramps or better yet bathe in it.
I don't know which is worse Epsom salts or caster oil. Mama use to send us to the drug store soda fountain and the phamacist would 'fix us up '. That crap would float on ice atop of a ruined cherry or lime coke and the clerk or dr would make sure we drank it all.
Must have been some good stuff because we were never sick,lol. Anyone else here get ' the treatment'?

 

[Caribou]

I take 750 mg of chelated magnesium per day after dinner. Having food on your stomach helps. Start out with 200 mg or 250 mg and slowly work up till your stool is "comfortably loose."

Another way to get magnesium is by using epsom salts in a foot bath. Some nice warm water makes it into a relaxing time. You can even get the circulating foot bath for a bit more decadence. The feet absorb some things surprisingly well.

The magnesium helps relax your veins and yourself for better circulation and sleep.

I also take home made ACV which I really enjoy. I thought the taste would be terrible but I like it.

 

[Meerkat]

I take 750 mg of chelated magnesium per day after dinner. Having food on your stomach helps. Start out with 200 mg or 250 mg and slowly work up till your stool is "comfortably loose."

Another way to get magnesium is by using epsom salts in a foot bath. Some nice warm water makes it into a relaxing time. You can even get the circulating foot bath for a bit more decadence. The feet absorb some things surprisingly well.

The magnesium helps relax your veins and yourself for better circulation and sleep.

I also take home made ACV which I really enjoy. I thought the taste would be terrible but I like it.

I bet the foot bath would help with toe cramps ? Thanks Car.

 

[NannyPatty]

I don't know, but I do know that a bar of soap unwrapped, under your bed sheets so that it rests close to your legs is another aide. It helped my Jim for awhile

Gumps, Did the soap do anything for you? It was only temporary for the hubs...

 

[TBob]

Just a note, if you have diabetes, soaking your feet in epsom salts may make your foot problems worse. It's not recommended, or so I've heard

 

[The Innkeeper]

I don’t get leg cramps but have a couple of friends and family members who swear that a glass of tonic water in the evening works wonders. Apparently it’s the quinine

 

[gumpy]

My RLS went away when I started using a CPAP machine (actually, an APAP). The neurologist, who was the sleep doctor, said RLS is a common side effect of sleep apnea.

I would get bad calf and foot cramps at night (do not confuse RLS with cramps). I've mitigated them by drinking a minimum of 60oz of water a day and about 20 ounces of Powerade Zero (for the electrolytes) and I still had occasional cramps. My quick night-time solution was to get ACE bandages for the ankle (for the foot cramps) and thigh wraps (can use on the thigh or the calf) and they stop the cramps. As soon as I felt a cramp starting, I wrapped the area. It definitely helps.

I tried potassium and magnesium without any luck.

However, I started taking ACV with Mother last week and have yet to have a long enough track record to see if it's the reason the cramps have quit. I'm taking it to (hopefully) dissolve a kidney stone before it decides to take the trip south.

I started ACV with the mothers a while back. Can't tell any difference. My RSL was diagnosed from sleep studies, the leg cramps were self diagnosed! I'm laying here in bed not sleeping for leg cramps and another sciatica attack. This one is not to bad yet!

Gumps, Did the soap do anything for you? It was only temporary for the hubs...

My bed smells good! It didn't seem to address the leg cramps though.

 

[NannyPatty]

I started ACV with the mothers a while back. Can't tell any difference. My RSL was diagnosed from sleep studies, the leg cramps were self diagnosed! I'm laying here in bed not sleeping for leg cramps and another sciatica attack. This one is not to bad yet!


My bed smells good! It didn't seem to address the leg cramps though.

I'm sorry! BOB suggested tonic water, (which does contain quinine), might help. It's a very old remedy that I hadn't thought about in years. There might be some risks if taking too much with heart rhythm. I think only 2 or 3 oz daily at night. Have you tried Lyrica? It's prescription for leg cramps.

 

[kappydell]

magnesium does help protect the heart AND help with leg spasms. Just be sure the calcium-magnesium-phosphorus ratios are close to ideal, so the body can utilize them properly: 1 part calcium, half that amount (in mg) of magnesium, and no more than twice the phosphorus. Helped my leg cramps no end, and improved my bone density to boot! Don't forget vitamin D to help calcium get absorbed, too.

 

[Peanut]

I don’t get leg cramps but have a couple of friends and family members who swear that a glass of tonic water in the evening works wonders. Apparently it’s the quinine

Quinine grows wild here... Parthenium integrifolium.

I find it on the sides of gravel roads.

 

[TMT Tactical]

Where to find "HERE" and how would it be processed? Dried, chopped ? Inquiring minds would like to know.

 

[gumpy]

I'm sorry! BOB suggested tonic water, (which does contain quinine), might help. It's a very old remedy that I hadn't thought about in years. There might be some risks if taking too much with heart rhythm. I think only 2 or 3 oz daily at night. Have you tried Lyrica? It's prescription for leg cramps.

I tried Lyrica! After 2 pills I was suicidal! No kiddin'!

magnesium does help protect the heart AND help with leg spasms. Just be sure the calcium-magnesium-phosphorus ratios are close to ideal, so the body can utilize them properly: 1 part calcium, half that amount (in mg) of magnesium, and no more than twice the phosphorus. Helped my leg cramps no end, and improved my bone density to boot! Don't forget vitamin D to help calcium get absorbed, too.

I haven't tried phosphorus with them. I'll try it! I take d3 once a day. Is that the same as vitamin d?

 

[Caribou]

I tried Lyrica! After 2 pills I was suicidal! No kiddin'!


I haven't tried phosphorus with them. I'll try it! I take d3 once a day. Is that the same as vitamin d?

Vitamin D comes in different forms. D3 is the best form to take. I take 5000 units/day. I had a prescription for 50,000 units per day when I got sick once.

 

[gumpy]

Vitamin D comes in different forms. D3 is the best form to take. I take 5000 units/day. I had a prescription for 50,000 units per day when I got sick once.

Wow! I got something right!

 

[Sonya_6]

Have you tried elminating caffeine to see if that makes a difference (caffeine causes vaso-constriction and the poor blood supply worsens restless leg syndrome or leg cramps).

Last night I jumped out of bed 4 times with leg cramps in BOTH legs/ankles, since that hadn't happened for at least a couple of years I googled food triggers as I suspected it was something I was eating. First answer that came up was caffeine, and it turned out I bought some instant coffee yesterday to combat asthma symptoms and had 3 cups of it yesterday evening. I don't think it is a coincidence that after overdosing on caffeine (I rarely drink coffee these days) I had a terrible episode after not noticing a problem for a long time.

Also high histamine levels can cause it too, so try to reduce overall inflamation. Maybe try an antihistamine before bed? Grapeseed oil is also used for RLS because it works as an anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory.

 

[Sonya_6]

Seems there are various wildly differing causes or at least theories (i.e. caffeine, histamines, iron deficiency, low dopamine levels, low potassium, dehydration, etc...) so trying a few things to see if you can narrow the cause down may help.

Link below from John Hopkins says low dopamine levels are a frequent cause for persistent RLS. You can buy dopamine supplements online (L-Dopa), though use with caution and don't take to much as it DOES alter your brain chemistry. I have taken it before and I noticed extremely vivid dreams immediately after starting on it so it does work effectively, haven't tried it for leg cramps though.

Marked improvement in RLS symptoms seen with drugs that stimulate the dopamine system and RLS-like symptoms produced with drug that block the dopamine system implicate the dopamine system in the pathogenesis of RLS.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neu...estless-legs-syndrome/what-is-rls/causes.html

 

[gumpy]

Have you tried elminating caffeine to see if that makes a difference (caffeine causes vaso-constriction and the poor blood supply worsens restless leg syndrome or leg cramps).

Last night I jumped out of bed 4 times with leg cramps in BOTH legs/ankles, since that hadn't happened for at least a couple of years I googled food triggers as I suspected it was something I was eating. First answer that came up was caffeine, and it turned out I bought some instant coffee yesterday to combat asthma symptoms and had 3 cups of it yesterday evening. I don't think it is a coincidence that after overdosing on caffeine (I rarely drink coffee these days) I had a terrible episode after not noticing a problem for a long time.

Also high histamine levels can cause it too, so try to reduce overall inflamation. Maybe try an antihistamine before bed? Grapeseed oil is also used for RLS because it works as an anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory.

Grape seed oil? That's a new one to me. Have to check it out. The only caffeine I have is a cup and a half of coffee in the mornings. No tea, sodas, etc.

 

[havasu]

I use to get severe leg cramps after my knees were replaced, and would wake me up in tears. Since then, every day, I have a banana for breakfast and have not had one leg cramp since being on this regiment for the last 4 years.

 

[Sonya_6]

Grape seed oil? That's a new one to me. Have to check it out. The only caffeine I have is a cup and a half of coffee in the mornings. No tea, sodas, etc.

If I were you I would rule out causes by category, and if treatments for one category don't help try the next one (instead of trying more for the first category, kwim?).

Caffeine can be ruled out, then there is potassium deficiency, iron deficiency is another big one (though not sure how common it is among males). If you go to the doctor regularly maybe get your iron checked.

If your iron is fine, and grapeseed oil doesn't work, maybe consider dopamine next
and I would just buy an OTC dopamine supplement (dopamine scripts from a doc will likely fall into the antidepressant category which opens up a whole other can of worms).

Just my non-medical opinion.

Here is a good article that covers the major causes in order, it was written for doctors but is still fairly easy to understand and has more indepth info on various causes than the typical articles written for the public:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/psb.875

 

[Marsing]

Have you ever tried peppermint oil?

 

[GrannyG]

Pickle juice helps me...also, there is a magnesium gel you can rub on your legs to help alleviate leg cramps