Muscle Cramps

[Bazile]

Her indoors woke up the other night with terrible leg muscle cramps / contractions / spasms . ( she was in tears )

This happens from time to time .

Any suggestions ?

[Sqad]

No...sorry.

Bloody awful pain to suffer.

Just make sure that she is well hydrated before she goes to bed.

Underactive thyroid is a cause......but uncommonly.

[sandyRoe]

I experienced cramps for the first time in my life soon after starting to take statins. I'm not saying there's a link...

[Bazile]

//Bloody awful pain to suffer//

Indeed sqad - i've had it myself (midly) and even so , it is terrible .

thanks

[Hypognosis]

@Sqad

Can Sodium/Potassium balance problem cause cramp?

[Sqad]

Hypo.......indeed they can, but K+and Na+ loss is almost always secondary to some obvious underlying disorder..e.g severe dehydration and i would have said an unusual cause of cramps.

[jno]

take a Crampex pill before bed (available from chemists); works for me. Of course you don't know when you're going to have an attack but after she's had one she could try a tablet a night for a week maybe.

[Bazile]

thanks for that jno

[atalanta]

I used to have these, and did some research on nutrition. There were suggestions about what I might be lacking, and I was delighted to discover that whatever it was, it was abundant in plain chocolate and almonds. I now have the perfect excuse to eat chocolate marzipan and hardly ever get leg-cramps.
Doctors may well not take that seriously, but it certainly suits me !

[stewey]

Mrs stewey has the same pains. She always has a can of tonic water nearby; a few swallows of this and the pain is gone. Something to do with the quinine in it I think. Anyway, it works.

[McMouse]

I take quinine tablets and they seem to do the trick.

[woofgang]

I use calmagzinc tablets. which sort it nicely

[Postdog]

My twopennorth and I get them bad, believe me. The only relief I get is where there is no skin contact between the legs (jammies or jogging bottoms) and pressure on the legs with flight socks or elasticated knee supports.

[ladyalex]

I think tonic water helps....I certainly get more cramp when I haven't been drinking it.
I do sympathise as the pain is dreadful, then there is that awful period afterwards when you are terrififed to move in case it comes back.

[Giggsie]

Hubby drinks a glass of tonic water before bed .....helps him. Also been told if you grip your top lip between finger and thumb cramp stops.

[woofgang]

Giggsie, it doesn't.

[Baby_Sham]

Sounds daft but I asked this question and someone said take a glass of tonic water to bed with you (no gin!), and it really does work :)

[jamesnan]

My husband finds that his cramps get worse when he stops eating bananas. I try to get him to eat one a day, and he is usually ok but when he stops for a while, back come the crams. Is it due to potassium perhaps?

[Giggsie]

Never tried it myself woofgang it is hubby who is often bothered with cramp but he always has his tonic water.

[DaisyNonna]

Tonic water works for me. Found the cramps are worse if I have not had a decent walk during the day or become dehydrated.