My HWP exercises regularly (boxing, walking, pickleball), but lately is experiencing frequent cramps after any/all of these. He has had to cut walks short because he finds them too painful and the cramps are occurring immediately after exercise and again at night.
Any more suggestions? He is taking magnesium citrate (I think), and has added lots if mustard to sandwiches as per one suggestion. He's been on B-1 since being dx 5 years ago and c/l 3x/ day. No balance issues. Just pain and cramps. (and the usual chronic battle with constipation).
Just curious: he always had high energy but this disease is exhausting so he tends to snack on carbs, ice cream, sugary treats. Weight is fine but could these be culprits?
Thanks
Written by
bibsie
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Pain and cramping can be a form of dystonia - muscle tightness - a symptom of Parkinson's. This can be relieved by levodopa medication if other ideas do not work.
Cramps and constipation can be caused by too much or too little levodopa. You could try slightly increasing or decreasing to see if either is better.
Use a c/l tablet and cut into quarters so you can add a tiny bit at a time. Or you could try adding another 1/4 or 1/2 before bed if the last one is in the afternoon.
electrolyte drinks are sometimes helpful for leg cramps but not sure if they would help for someone who has Parkinson's and I do not know if they would conflict with medication
I had the same exact issues as your husband. Tried everything over the counter, magnesium (including the spray), electrolytes, stretching, cbd, nothing worked. I finally took an extra c/l one night as I could no longer stand the pain it was so intense and within 20 minutes the pain was gone. It was Dystonia. I needed more medication. I contacted my neurologist after this experience and increased the 'frequency' of when I take the c/l. I take 1 25/100 every 3-4 hours round the clock. And 3 Rytary a day for extended relief. You could experiment and when he starts to cramp give him an extra c/l and see if it relieves the pain. If it does, contact his neurologist to discuss further. Good Luck to you both!
Hi Divii, I think you are asking bibsie ? As for me, it's been some time ago but my medication regimen has changed. No more Rytary, the off episodes were more severe with this medication so I stopped. My neurologist now has me on 2 25/100 of sinement every 4 hours. But I take only 1 1/2 in the morning on an empty stomach and that begins to work within 30 minutes. I take another 1 1/2 before lunch. Later in the afternoon I take 2 full tabs, another 2 full tabs in the evening. I therefore have 1 full tab saved in case I wake up in the middle of the night/early morning and start to cramp. I wake up and take my full saved 25/100 and within 20 minutes the cramps are gone and I go right back to sleep. It helps with sleep as well. Calming my mind/body. Hope this update helps.
I highly recommend you getting these two things: 1) a vibration plate machine... Under $400 at Amazon or shop Craigslist... I use mine daily for 10 minutes and it helps my leg cramping a LOT!... 2) Also from Amazon or craigslist... I bought a foot and calf massager ($75 used) that I position under my kitchen table so I can't forget to use it... It's really GREAT to reduce my foot cramps.
I stand on it daily for 10 minutes. I bought mine over 10 years ago for $1000 when they were pretty expensive. There are a lot better deals on Amazon now. Around $400
When I was first diagnosed I had leg cramps and toe cramps that I assumed were dystonia. My doctor did hair analysis and found I was low on both sodium and potassium. She recommended supplementation levels and immediately, the cramps were gone. If I miss a couple of days of either supplement, the cramps come back. Good luck.
Could you share what type of sodium and potassium? And what brand or names of your v please? And what is the proportion, like mg? Capsules/tablets? Thanks
Hi TL500. I feel uncomfortable recommending specifics as it seems like one should only supplement these kinds of minerals with a doctor's advice, based on hair and/or blood test results. I can say that my doc recommended the cheapest and easiest form of potassium, which is NuSalt or NoSalt, which are salt alternatives recommended for people with high blood pressure, available from a grocery store. It mixes easily with water and is simply potassium chloride. I take 1/2 tsp in water every day and it raised by potassium levels in my hair by 9 points over 1 year. I had almost zero potassium on my first hair test. For sodium they recommended "SALT, SALT, SALT" or, just dump lots of salt on all of my food. Luckily, I have low blood pressure and like salty foods!
Regarding any foot cramps, I apply kinesiotape (K-Tape) to the base of my feet and this resolves the problem. You can go online to find videos ie utube for instructions on how to apply the tape. Hope this helps!
hi Bibsie. Im also trying to figure out the pain in my leg so no much advice there.
in terms of sugar, has he tried to create treats such as oats with seeds and stevia? Or hot cocoa and stevia, or sweet potato and cinnamon? These are much healthier and easier on the parkys system and quite comforting too!
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