magnesium and leg cramps

[Chuck in Indiana]

To whoever mentioned it.. Dorcia says it has helped. A lot. Thanks..

[ITSec]

The other thing, of course, is potassium (bananas are an excellent natural source). Also helps keep muscle cramps from cropping up...

[balvenie]

Wasn't me Chuck but I too, get leg cramps and also take magnesium. FWIW be aware that the level of salt in Dorcia's system should be checked with blood tests but you can check for side effects on the web. Cramps have left me with permanent knots in the calves which I treat with a form of backyard/cheap, massage which reduces the need for daily medication. Again, YMMV and good luck

[RinkRat II]

 A nutritionist friend of ours reccommended  Super B Complex as an alternative to potassium and magnesium for my leg cramps three years ago. His rational was that your system may store unnecessary amounts of potassium and magnesium and it's not good on your blood system. If you only use them once in a while then no big deal but if their part of a daily regiment he advised Super B, your body gets rid of what it doesn't need. No more cramping for me..
     My $.02

          Paul B

[Bonaventure]

When taking magnesium, the form of it you take matters.  Common magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed.  One of *the* best forms I've ever taken I'm taking now, it is magnesium malate.  Highly absorbable, no stomach upset (magnesium citrate has laxative effect if too much...)  The malate is a form of plant something or another that is essential to our cells producing energy. 

If not already trying magnesium malate, you should give it a shot.  Baked potato has three times the potassium as bananas.  Morton makes a table salt substitute that is potassium based, another great way to cut sodium and increase potassium. 

[pete roper]

I think it was me on Cheese Chuck.

Pete

[organfixsing]

It must be dependent on the person. I complained of leg cramps to my doctor. Get magnesium, he said. Did that.
Two weeks later, no abatement of the cramps. Told the doctor who said to double the dose.
One week later, I started getting pains in the kidney area. Stopped the magnesium.
When I had a cramp (usually in bed) of the calf muscle, I took a salt tablet and rubbed the muscle with a liniment. Cure very quickly.
Did this over another few weeks with success. I decided to determine whether it was the liniment or the salt.
No more liniment. Result the same. So I timed it. Two minutes to get rid of the cramp.
Having had a series of cramps and using the salt tablets, now I haven't had a cramp for months and consequently no salt tablets.
I will have to use salt again in the near future.
Perhaps 'Different strokes for different folks'.
Cheers
Brian

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Drink apple cider vinegar, I've had success with it for years.  My cousins wife,(a nurse in a cardiac clinic)
 told me about it.

[Groover]

Soaking in Epson Salts (bath) can also help without all the side effects. Also, be sure there aren't underlying causes for the deficiency.

[John A]

Drink apple cider vinegar, I've had success with it for years.  My cousins wife,(a nurse in a cardiac clinic)
 told me about it.

That's what I use, and it works very well. With ms they call it spasticity but it's muscle cramps that twist me up in knots otherwise. When we were kids we would call someone spastic as a derogatory term. So now I'm one of those spastic ( censored)'s

[Park Ridge Phil]

 Bananas are good but I keep a bottle of tonic water in the fridge. As soon as a cramp comes on, it takes less than 10 minutes for it to go away once I start slamming the tonic water down. I keep a big bottle at home as well as in my fifth wheel. 😎

[Rough Edge racing]

 Although some have genetic problems.... My opinion is a proper diet of vegetables, seed and nuts,a little fruit, limited sugar and carbo junk in a box, moderate amounts of unprocessed meats and moderate exercise is all that's needed.

[Lannis]

Bananas are good but I keep a bottle of tonic water in the fridge. As soon as a cramp comes on, it takes less than 10 minutes for it to go away once I start slamming the tonic water down. I keep a big bottle at home as well as in my fifth wheel. 😎

My wife's occasional nighttime leg cramps, or so says her doctor, are due to a bit of dehydration, not drinking enough water (coffee, tea etc doesn't count) during the day.   When she DOES pay attention to drinking enough water, then she doesn't cramp up.   

So maybe it's the "water" part of the "tonic water" ... ?

Lannis

[Nic in Western NYS]

Tonic Water - active ingredient is quinine and is not highly dose dependent

[bigbikerrick]

This may sound a little weird, but my wife used to suffer from terrible leg cramps ,that would make her jump out of bed, and try to stretch the cramped muscles. My wife works at a bank, and talks to alot of people, someone told her of an "Old wives" remedy for nocturnal leg cramps.....simply place a bar of soap, an brand( wife uses Irish spring cause it smells good) under the sheets down near the feet somewhere, and voila, no more leg cramps!  I have no idea how it works, but after 20 years doing this , can attest that it does work.
Rick/

[not-fishing]

Over the last 3 decades of Construction the only thing that's really helped me with back spasms and muscle cramps is a big buxom blond masseuse, young one with enough strength to "take the meat off the bones".

small asians and guys just don't seem to get the job done

Mark

[oldbike54]

 Studies have shown that the placebo effect is very real , one wonders is some cures might be related to that . Nothing wrong with it , what ever works 

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks for the replies. I'll pass this info on to her..

[Huzo]

Very rarely when at home do I get leg cramps but relatively often when away on the bike.
If I have my leg/s straight and then bend them back at the knee against a small resistance, it's odds on that I'll cramp around the calf or hamstring.
Is this possibly a dehydration or trace element deficiency as described ?
Rather enlightening...

[groundhog105]

I've found dehydration to be my cause of cramps, mainly leg cramps.  A sure cure that knocks the cramps in a matter of seconds is Hylands leg cramp pills. 

[Huzo]

I've found dehydration to be my cause of cramps, mainly leg cramps.  A sure cure that knocks the cramps in a matter of seconds is Hylands leg cramp pills.

Thanks mate.
Noted.

[wrbix]

Ooh, ooh....I know, I know :
Total body Mg deficiency, which is often not reflected in serum Mg levels, is often associated with  Potassium deficiency that is refractory to repletion until the Mg deficiency is corrected. The hypokalemia is primarily responsible for the tendency to muscle cramps.
Common cause of Mg deficiency is diuretic use.

[Huzo]

Ooh, ooh....I know, I know :
Total body Mg deficiency, which is often not reflected in serum Mg levels, is often associated with  Potassium deficiency that is refractory to repletion until the Mg deficiency is corrected. The hypokalemia is primarily responsible for the tendency to muscle cramps.
Common cause of Mg deficiency is diuretic use.

Diuretic eh...?
Would excessive tea/coffee contribute to that ? I'd heard it's a diuretic, ie, you wee out more fluid than the amount you ingest.

[John A]

I  was just reading about apple cider vinager and how harmful it can be. I mix it with water to reduce the harmful effects on the teeth, it eats the enamel off them. What I didn't know was how hard it is on the kidneys. One of the main things for health as we age is to protect the kidneys, if we loose them it's game over. So I'm going back to cal - mag or potassium  for cramps not related to hydration

[rbond]

Nothing to do with cramps,( I get them too at night) Groover, how are your Vespa's doing? I used to be a mechanic for a Vespa dealer in the early 80's, sure miss them, lots of fun.

[Groover]

Nothing to do with cramps,( I get them too at night) Groover, how are your Vespa's doing? I used to be a mechanic for a Vespa dealer in the early 80's, sure miss them, lots of fun.

They are doing great, thanks for asking! I haven't ridden them much lately (haven't this year in general), but they seem to start right up and go when I do need them. My preferred transportation for short runs when I want to 2-wheel it. The floor boards and the hook under the seat are perfect for a grocery-getter.

[wymple]

I use tonic water, and very little of it at that. Relief is quick. I recommended it to a friend a couple weeks ago and he said it worked in 20 minutes.  I take about 4 ounces twice a day if I have cramping, and after a couple of days I'm good for 6 months.

[Sasquatch Jim]

I  was just reading about apple cider vinager and how harmful it can be. I mix it with water to reduce the harmful effects on the teeth, it eats the enamel off them. What I didn't know was how hard it is on the kidneys. One of the main things for health as we age is to protect the kidneys, if we loose them it's game over. So I'm going back to cal - mag or potassium  for cramps not related to hydration

Big Pharm does not want you to use vinegar cause they don't profit from anything that actually works without that they get money from it.  So they publish these things saying it is bad for you.
 I pour a shot of it into cranberry juice and drink it.

[Vagrant]

Very rarely when at home do I get leg cramps but relatively often when away on the bike.
If I have my leg/s straight and then bend them back at the knee against a small resistance, it's odds on that I'll cramp around the calf or hamstring.
Is this possibly a dehydration or trace element deficiency as described ?
Rather enlightening...

this cramp crap runs in my family. I've fought it for years with everything you've read here. A. they didn't work and B. I only have one kidney thanks to cancer so the experiments ended then.
first pour down twice as much water as you think you need. especially on bike trips.
you need magnesium as in oxide. they are not all equal. CVS brand doesn't work for me. natures bounty does. start with 500 mg and cut that in 1/2 when all symptoms end.  It is CRITICAL that you take it before bed time. It has a short life in the body and that is when most of my cramps happen.
That is my 2 cents on the subject other than it seems to have cured the other members of the family that suffered the problem too.

[Sasquatch Jim]

 I just had a hamstring cramp bite me in the left thigh.  I quickly swallowed a huge slug of yellow mustard and washed it down with a shot of vinegar in cranberry juice.  No more cramp.  Nuff about that.