leg cramps

[frank]

I have been cramps in my calves during the night and it is bothersome. I have been getting a lot of exercise, walking, bending, etc. the weather here is hot for this area and the humidity is very high. I know from what I gleaned from the internet that it is because of some insufficient amounts of magnesium and, or potassium. I was wondering if anyone else here had this problem and what you did to help. a.e. bananas, gatorade, supplements. any ideas? thanks

frank

 

[MRG]

Banana and a couple of glasses of Gatoraid(G2). Some people add magnesium supplements too.

 

[Winemaker]

Can Muscle Cramps Be Avoided?

This recent video is a followup to a previous article about muscle cramps. A Nobel prize winning biologist, although he is hawking his product, feels that electrolyte imbalance is no longer the causation of muscle cramps. His theory is that cramps are a neurological issue in that nerves are lacking stimulation,( reason that one gets cramps while sleeping or resting). He suggests some spicy food intake would actually prevent cramps.

Some common quick methods of cramp treatments for atheletes; biting ones upper lip, ingesting packets of yellow mustard, pickle juice and sour cherries. (not all at same time!) These do contain electrolytes, but also stimulate ones nerves. I have not tried his methods since I only read about it this week.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Banana and a couple of glasses of Gatoraid(G2). Some people add magnesium supplements too.

yep

 

[audreyh1]

I've been taking magnesium at night to help sleep. I noticed I was having some mild foot cramps at night which reminded me that magnesium could help with both.

 

[latexman]

Coconut water works for me.

 

[donheff]

Ditto the magnesium recommendation. Worked for me. One caution is be careful of dose. I started with 500mg/day or maybe even 1000 mg. Can't quite remember. In any event, after a few weeks my GI track was disrupted - I will spare you the gross details. Google told me that magnesium might be the culprit. I scaled way back to 250 mg/day and have had no further GI problems and no leg cramps for a couple of years now.

 

[Lakedog]

Magnesium citrate (200 to 400 mg) works for me.

 

[btdt22]

Vitamin E has helped me with leg cramps

 

[eytonxav]

I take a magnesium supplement that I buy at Costco, I think its 400mg and is in the form of oxide.

 

[audreyh1]

Ditto the magnesium recommendation. Worked for me. One caution is be careful of dose. I started with 500mg/day or maybe even 1000 mg. Can't quite remember. In any event, after a few weeks my GI track was disrupted - I will spare you the gross details. Google told me that magnesium might be the culprit. I scaled way back to 250 mg/day and have had no further GI problems and no leg cramps for a couple of years now.

Magnesium glycinate form won't cause the loose stools that Magnesium citrate might. Mag citrate is what they give us high doses of as part of our colonoscopy prep!

My dose is only 120mg, but it seems to make a difference. Pure Encapsulations brand.

 

[donheff]

Magnesium glycinate form won't cause the loose stools that Magnesium citrate might. Mag citrate is what they give us high doses of as part of our colonoscopy prep!

My dose is only 120mg, but it seems to make a difference. Pure Encapsulations brand.

+1. Nice to know.

 

[KiraC]

I used to get these a lot when I ran. A potassium supplement or a glass of orange juice always made them go away with the hour.

 

[H2ODude]

Friend swears by quinine water; drinks a glass before bedtime every night. DW gets the leg cramps but cannot do the q water. I agree it's pretty bitter.

 

[Avalon]

Interesting thoughts on the magnesium supplements. I'll keep this in mind in the future. I recently experienced cramps or muscle spasms (not totally sure of the difference) at about 55 miles on a very hot and difficult bike ride. These were almost golf ball sized knots moving up and down my inner thighs, top to knee, one leg, then the other. It was close to paralyzing, and very painful.

I was staying hydrated with cold water, and had eaten a banana at a previous rest stop. Gatorade type drinks are something I wish I could drink, but on long rides they make me nauseous.
The only thing I had to get me to the next rest stop were two electrolyte gels which seems to calm things down to the 63 mile stop. They usually hand out 2.5 oz bottles of pickle juice on these rides (which I'd heard will instantly cure cramps/spasms), so I drank a bottle of that at the last rest stop, and finished the ride fine. I'll certainly have at least one bottle with me on all future rides in those conditions.

On a side note, one of the items I received in a 'goodie bag' was a packet of tablets called Sport Legs. I haven't had a chance to try them yet. A couple of the main ingredients are Magnesium Lactate, and Calcium Lactate.

 

[Marita40]

I don't get them often but when I do it is generally traceable to having eaten too much salt. I get up and drink a couple glasses of water, and that seems to do the trick. I do take magnesium citrate on a regular basis (it has completely stopped hot flashes).

 

[deskpilot]

I take 500mg Magnesium Oxide per day. It stopped years of nightly foot cramps. It also reduced the number of migraine auras that I get from 8/month to 1/month - a miraculous and totally unexpected side effect. Great stuff.

I started taking it when I read that Nexium causes low magnesium.

 

[golftrek]

I use to get leg cramps at night. I now eat a large spoonful of yellow mustard before bed and no more cramps.

 

[SoReady]

I would get leg cramps, but more often foot cramps at night. It turned out to be some of the symptoms of neuropathy. This is nerve issues with my feet. Essentially, my feet were getting numb, burning hot, and losing some feeling in the toes. I went to a neurologist to determine it is a mild case of neuropathy and now I'm on some medication (metanx & gabapentin). The cramps are very rare now, the pain associated with the numbness and burning pain has diminished as well.

Personally if you can find a method that doesn't involve drugs I would explore that first.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't get them often but when I do it is generally traceable to having eaten too much salt. I get up and drink a couple glasses of water, and that seems to do the trick. I do take magnesium citrate on a regular basis (it has completely stopped hot flashes).

Really? That's very interesting!

 

[Lsbcal]

My foot cramps went way down when I added some gentle stretching such as toe curls.

Has the OP tried any stretching? Less risky then supplements I think.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

magnesium oxide 400 mg tablet in the evening.............very rarely have cramps and I used to get them often before starting the magnesium.....even better is when i do get one, it is very easy to stretch and it goes away, before the magnesium stretching made the cramp worse.................I have noticed some have recommended potassium or bananas or OJ which contain potassium...............I would recommend against that if you are take a blood pressure med such as valsartan, which conserves potassium, as it is dangerous to have too much potassium

 

[mathjak107]

I would get leg cramps, but more often foot cramps at night. It turned out to be some of the symptoms of neuropathy. This is nerve issues with my feet. Essentially, my feet were getting numb, burning hot, and losing some feeling in the toes. I went to a neurologist to determine it is a mild case of neuropathy and now I'm on some medication (metanx & gabapentin). The cramps are very rare now, the pain associated with the numbness and burning pain has diminished as well.

Personally if you can find a method that doesn't involve drugs I would explore that first.

same here . turned out i was diabetic .

 

[FI by 2024]

I have been getting cramps in my calves during sleep since I was a child. It's a potassium issue for me. The best way to protect against them (for me) is a banana each day. Eat a banana, don't get cramps. Strawberries and sweet potatoes also work, though not as reliably as bananas. Plus bananas are portable, cheap, and easy to eat anywhere. If I stop eating potassium rich foods the cramps will return three days later like clockwork and will continue 1 to 3 times per night until I start eating potassium rich foods again. This is why I always carry bananas when I travel.

 

[frank]

I think bananas is the answere for me right now, If that doesn't take care of the problem, then I will look into supplements. I try to keep it simple and as FI by 2024 said "they are cheap and portable". what more could you want?