I have asthma/bronchitesis,sleep apnoea,degenerative lumbar spondylosis stenosis/osteoarthritis,bursitis and loss of hearing. Can anyone please advise how I can stop having excruciating cramp in my thighs, most nights I wake up in dreadful pain and trying to swing my legs over the bed whilst they are in cramp is so painful, I rub my thighs but as soon as I lay down again the pain starts, have tried drinking tonic water, tap water, rubbing Vick on my thighs, eating grapefruit,banana, I cannot eat anything with fibre in, so that is a drawback, but I would welcome all comments as the pain in my thighs is getting me down. Have asked GP but does not know the answer and has said to put heat or ice on it but when it happens at about 3.00am and I can hardly get me legs out of the bed , no way could I get to my fridge or bathroom to do what the GP advised. So I would like to thank you all in advance for your help. I am an OAP.
Take care all of you.
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Didgeydo
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When my cramps were really bad in my calf muscle I tried all the things you mention. I was then prescribe quinine tablets which I took regularly for several years. These did help and pre Covid I realised I hadn’t had severe cramp for a while. I stopped taking the tablets and cramps have not returned. If they do I will have no hesitation in asking for prescription again. And yes you are right the pain is excruciating, so hope you get appropriate treatment soon and gp stops fobbing you off!!
You have a lot to deal with without the addition of cramp. I hope that someone will come along with tried and tested remedies but I was once told by a sufferer that putting corks at the bottom of the bed between the covers helped. I honestly don't know if this is a genuine remedy but thought I'd mention it. I do hope you get some relief soon, you must be exhausted.
I get bad cramp in my calfs. I spray them with Dead Sea magnesium oil and it does seem to relieve it very quickly. I also drink water at the same time. The only thing that has worked for me.
I have had horrific cramps for over 30 years now. Particularly, shins, thighs, feet and occassionally calf. Ive had cramp in hands, stomach and throat. Over years have tried everything nown to man, nothing really works. Ive been told its probably dehydration but i drink lots of water. I have been able to get out of them quite quickly by sitting out of bed with feet on floor, i open my book and try and read, it seems to relax me quicker and so muscles relax. The cramps usually last 30 mins, but doing this it can be as littke as 5 mins.
Cramp for some if us is really painful, my heart rate goes up to 160. Drs cannot explain it.
I am in too much pain to walk or rub anything onto limbs.
I have heard a few things, over the years, from elderly people who had cramp. One was about cork, however she told me I had to put them in my socks overnight, I never tried it, as could not imagine leaping out of bed for urgent toilet visits, with corks in my socks!! The one a lot of people said did work was the Quinine, which Bevvy mentioned, so might be worth a try. My husband used to get cramp in his calf muscles, it was linked to the amount of walking he had done during his work day, he would never try anything other than getting out of bed and walking around (swearing a lot) until it passed.
I’m sorry to hear about your cramps, as if you haven’t got enough to deal with! Just a couple of things I would suggest. Firstly, I don’t know what position you sleep in but if it’s on your back, have you tried popping a pillow under your knees? That would take a bit of the strain off your lower back, which sounds like it’s in a spot of bother anyway.
The other thing I would suggest might be worth a try is a magnesium supplement called MegaMag Muscleze, made by Nutri Advanced. It’s a powder that you make up into a drink but it contains an easily absorbed form of magnesium that’s gentle on the stomach. I’ve found it very good myself and the reviews suggest others have, too. Mind you, it’s not cheap! I don’t know what medications you’re on, of course, so you must check with your Doctor/pharmacist first if you’re on meds and you fancy trying it.
As for your hot/cold therapy option, what about putting a cold pack in the freezer before bed, then popping it in one of those insulated bags you can use to keep your shopping cool and having that by your bed in case of need. Or you could do the same with a hot water bottle if you make it up just before you go to bed - not in the same bag though😀 The insulation should keep them at the right temperature to still be effective when you need them.
I do hope you find something that helps you. Take care, TC
Whenever I have cramp I start taking liquid magnesium at night before bed. I also sometimes rub magnesium butter from Sweet bee organic on the soles of my feet and calves.Good luck!😊
Like littlepom, when my cramps were bad, I used magnesium spray which did go some way to relieving it. I also eat potassium rich foods when I’m back on steroids. I hope you get a bit more help from your GP, cramps are very painful and disruptive when you have more than enough to deal with and sleep is very precious
I had really bad cramp in my calves until my doctor prescribed quinine and it’s much better. However the cramp in my thighs still happens and it’s much more painful than that in the calf. The only thing that works for me is to put my hands on the wall by my bed and stretch the offending leg as far back as I can. It takes some time before I can manage to to get back into bed without the cramp returning.
Hi Didgeydo I also get cramps ,have you been put on new inhailer lately, my cramps are only mild now to what they were ,some great time ago I had to stop using simbercort because the cramp was so server, my GP told me the beta agonist in the inhailerswas the cause, I still get some cramp ,but not enough to bother me ,hope you can get it sorted good luck
I really feel for you 😟. I too suffer from cramps in the night, in my feet and legs/shins. The quinine tablets didn’t really work for me, but taking magnesium supplements usually sorts it out. Floradix liquid magnesium is the best, but pretty expensive if you’re needing it every single day. Boots do a much cheaper magnesium liquid, that’s also quite good, just tastes a bit nasty. But, my regular tablets that keep it at bay are by Solgar - calcium, magnesium plus zinc. I take one three times a day. I also realised that if I eat anything sugary in the evening, I almost always get cramp in the night. Hope that helps in some way.
Magnesium is supposed to be good for cramps, also be careful with grapefruit it interacts with some meds. I take magnesium supplement of a night, definitely helped. Hope you find something that helps.
My response to your post may sound a bit bonkers, but I'm just throwing it in as you never know...!
My sister-in-law started waking in the night with legs that itched so much she couldn't sleep and she was becoming totally exhausted (as I guess you must be too!). This went on for a very long time and, having tried every cream available over the counter and also wrapping her legs in cling film (advised by a doctor!), she was desperate for some relief.
Around the same time, she started to notice that she was getting a bad reaction after eating certain foods so she kept a food diary for a few weeks and finally pinned it down to dairy. She went back to her GP who got some tests done and it was decided as a result that she should cut lactose out of her diet.
She followed this advice and soon realised that, not only did she feel better generally, but her legs had stopped itching and she was sleeping again at night. She then saw dietician for advice on maintaining a balanced diet and, particularly, maintaining healthy levels of calcium and is now SO much better. She's in her 70s and had never had any problem with lactose in the past.
I'm just wondering if there could be a dietary cause for your awful leg cramps. I'm not suggesting that you go down the lactose free route necessarily as that may not be the thing that's causing your problem, but it might be worth looking closely at your diet - maybe try writing everything down - to see if you have made any changes that could be linked to the cramps.
I know how agonising cramp can be and I sincerely hope you can find some relief soon.
Hi Didgeydo, I suffered terribly from cramp when I was first diagnosed with Bronch and the doctor gave me quinine tablets. The side effects where awful so he told me to drink tonic water with quinine and two bananas per day. This keeps the cramps away. When I go on holiday and forget the regime I soon notice the cramp comes back at night. So give it a try. The tonic water doesn't need to be expensive the cheaper supermarkets sell their own and as long as you check quinine is included it should work fine. Good luck and take care, Maximonkey
You could try a magnesium or Epsom salts bath, which is great at easing muscles and relaxing the body. Big bags that last 2 or 3 baths can be bought at cheaper shops like the Pound Shop and Homefare. Do you have sufficient salt and potassium (coffee, plant based foods) in your diet?
I have cramps, not just at night in my legs/feet but during the day in my chest, back & also in my tum - they usually last 20 mins but can rapidly switch from one to another, it's just now something I have to live with - have asked various consultants & they have all said it's 'cos of where you have been cut up - your muscles/nerves - so having asked so many times just live with it - but it is so very painful at times - I have tried to put them down to what I eat/drink/do but nothing it just happens at any time during the day or night - I now take magnesium before I go to bed, some nights are good others I can be woken up 4/5 times, same during the day - if any one else has a solution please let me know.
Hi, I would just like to thank you for bringing up this problem. I have never had this problem but last week during the heatwave I had cramp in both thighs. Excruciating pain. I remembered your blog and followed the advice. I must have been very dehydrated but after drinking a large bottle of Indian tonic water and other fluids I woke up the next day with pain free legs. I shall keep on drinking the tonic and hopeful I will never have that pain again. Maximonkey
I get cramps in my feet and calves quite often. A nutritionist who I was seeing for my asthma advised buying Magnesium Sulphate salts and putting a mug or two of them in a nighttime bath and soak for 20 mins. Magnesium is absorbed through the skin The nutritionist said to buy the salts from a garden centre as it works out far less expensive. The salts come in various sizes.
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