I remember why I stopped seretide 2 years ago now, leg cramps!!
I stopped and moved to flixotide and oxis, the cramps stopped but the oxis gave me gastrointestinal problems so had to take domperidone to counteract them. If its not one thing its another!!
It's probably low potassium. Salmeterol lowers it, and low potassium can cause muscle cramps. Try eating more potassium rich stuff - bananas are the obvious one but jacket spuds are even better. I've also switched to lo-salt, which is 2/3 potassium chloride.
Thank you, I have to be in the mood for a banana, but love jacket tatties (especially with marmite :-p)
I sympathise, I just had cramp in my left foot while driving.
I think most fruit and veg are good sources of potassium, but bananas particularly so as C says, as well as fish and white chocolate, hooray. A potatoes potassium is mainly in the skins I think. Also, you can get a sports electrolyte drink.
Its horrible isn't it ;-(
The skins are the best bit on jackets potatoes, and I leave the skin on if I'm making my own oven chips, so that is good.i dont really like much fish or white choc, but dark choc is good isnt it, and i love that! I guess its just making sure I get enough daily to prevent being deficient. It did cross my mind if lucozade or something would be something I could try, I'll give that a try too.
Tanks for your advice xxx
Yeah, it's not nice, but I don't get it too often now. The worst/most embarrassing thing was when I'd pick up a jug of milk or teapot at work and immediately get cramp in my hand and have to half put down half drop the jug back down.
Yes, skins are the best bit, but I'll have to side with white chocolate i'm afraid (even though it's not really chocolate). Not sure if standard lucazade has much potassium in it, but any rehydrating/hydrating sports drink will.
I'm on quinine for the cramps, but also eat 2 bananas a day plus lots of other fruit and veg to try to keep my potassium up - it drops easily and supplements are horrible! I am finding seretide not so bad as symbicort for cramps, even though I am also on bambuterol which I was told would make them worse - it doesn't, it just makes me shake like I have a drink problem!
I hate having shakes, it was worse when I had a thyroid infection last year too, its embarrassing as that's whet everyone thinks isn't it, that you're an alcoholic.I don't think I could manage 2 bananas a day, but I will try to eat more of them, and I think I'll try a sports drin regularly and see if it helps. I will mention it to the gp when I'm there next too. Are there other vitamins/minerals the inhalers could cause deficiency in?
I keep a bottle of bootstrap molassas handy. Aside from being good for making ginger snaps, it is another good source of potassium. If I get cramps, I take a tablespoon of it and that pretty much solves the problem for me.
Ooo, tell me more, good for ginger snaps AND cramp cure lol, where do I find it? What is it?
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