This morning at 5am I leapt out of bed with an agonising cramp in my right calf. It is still sore 5 hours later. I am really upset about this as I have been taking a low dose of pravastatin for about 5 weeks and I thought I would be OK.
Husband suggests it could have been an active evening of swimming followed by an inactive evening of knitting last night. I am going to try a higher dose of Q10 as I have been a bit lax about taking it lately.
I don't want to give up on the pravastatin just yet. Another complication is that we are going to America on holiday in July, so don't want to invalidate insurance, but I presume if you are under medical care that's OK.
Written by
Aliwally
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
We are going to America in July too! I was worried about my insurance but they asked if I am taking any meds for FH and I said no. It did put my insurance up by £60 pa though by having FH. I got fed up with trying to get an official diagnosis, so just told them to put it down as definite.
I am not taking statins at the moment, but I did try some Q10 when I was and it made me feel sick. Hope your prob isnt the statins.
I've had a lot of trouble with statins since I had my heart attack exactly six years ago to the day. The first lot I had in hospital gave me flu-like symptoms and then I tried various other types, including Simvastatin and I've ended up on Pravastatin which seems to be the one with the least side-effects, including muscle cramps. I sometimes get cramp in my feet and intense cramps in my stomach. Can be really uncomfortable.I was recommened by someone at a chemist who reviewed my meds, that I try Colpermin, which is actually peppermint oil in capsule form. I now have it on prescription, so I don't need to pay, thankfully, as they are quite expensive, but as they work, or seem to, I'd give them a try. Ask your doctor if you can have it on prescription, but I'd suggest buying a packet and see if they work for you, as a lot of things don't work for everyone.
My husband (72) gets cramp all the time. He says it is very painful and takes a long while to go.
He is not on any medication and only takes cod liver oil. He eats a healthy diet and does a lot of exercise. Golf 3 times a week and swimming once a week. He does get very tired and sleeps when he relaxes but doesn't sleep long at night. 4 hours or so.
My husband was on a high level of blood pressure tablets and got severe cramp at night in his calves. When the Dr decided that enough was enough and took him off his medication and ran some tests he found that he had a low iron count and therefore we had to change his diet to red meat, liver and lots of dark green veg, after being told to eat only chicken and fish because of the blood pressure levels. He is now back on low strength blood pressure meds. and his levels are good. He was also advised to take quinine for the cramps. He has had very few cramps since, and if he does he takes a quinine tablet that seems to help. He also has regular blood tests and if the levels wobble a bit below 12 for the iron he takes the occasional iron tablet to keep on par.
He too, has difficulty sleeping and goes to bed about 9.30 p.m. and sleeps until 4 a.m. or so. He can also fall asleep at the drop of a hat in the chair in the evening which I think is the problem. I can also do that and find that I am still awake at midnight. I try very hard not to fall asleep in the evening and am finding that if I fight it and go to be at about 10.30 and read for a bit I fall asleep and sleep longer.
A friend of mine, who also suffered from cramp and falling asleep in the evening has started to go for a gentle stroll in the evening around "the block" about 7 p.m. for half and hour or so then has a warm bath and goes to bed with a book. She has found that now she can get between 7 and 8 hours sleep and wakes refreshed. Worth a try I thought!
Like you i jumped out of bed in the middle of the night with a really bad cramp in my left calf.that was three days ago and it still feels sore.I am off my atorvastatin for four weeks and wonder how long before substance is out of the system.Ive started having a small glass of tonic water to try to combat the cramps.
I have since learnt that drinking fizzy drinks, particularly Lucozade and other similar sports drinks helps to relieve stomach cramps. I think it was in hospital and chatting to a nurse or consultant that I discovered this. It does work, so give it a try if these cramps start up, or there are signs of it starting. I'm not sure why it works, but it's good to know there is a simple solution.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Muscle pains 
Memory & muscle recovery time post Statin medication
Cholesterol Medication Muscle Pain
Statins and muscle pain or weakness.
2 weeks off statins but still sore muscles and feeling so tired.