Does anyone else suffer from leg, foot and toe cramps... - NRAS
Does anyone else suffer from leg, foot and toe cramps at night?
I used to get this a lot before the onset of my PsA, since then I have not suffered with it. Well until the other night when I woke up with it and I was so pleased as I thought medication working!
Anyway when I got it badly I found that the only way I could lessen it was by drinking over 1.5 litres of water per day, this is in addition to all the tea that I would drink. Plus each night before going to bed I would do stretching exercises. Stand facing a wall with arms not bent, fall to the wall with your arms that make your calves taught, then rock on your toes backwards and forwards a few times. It did help.
Thank you for your reply, I do drink a lot as I live in Dubai so drink loads of water all day. My consultant prescribed pills but when I read the side effects which included problems with the liver I decided to not take them as I am all ready on methotrexate which can affect the liver. I am trying large doses of Magnesium which someone told me might help and it does seemto have eased it a bit but Georje as you say sometimes the only way is to get of bed and stretch the muscles
Try eating Banannas and plain peanuts to boost your potassium. I suffered badly from cramps untill I read a leaflet in my GPs which explained about the effects of low potassium.
Anyway since adding these to my diet the cramps have all but disappeared so give it a try, it sure beats suffering as I once did.
Tony.
Yes - really badly. I keep forgetting to mention it to my Rheumatologist or GP. I do drink lots of water by choice, always have & I eat a banana & muesli with nuts in most days but nothing stops it. I started getting cramp badly, especially at night well before RA was diagnosed so I don't believe the drugs are to blame.
One thing that makes it go through the roof is red wine - even two glasses are enough to give me cramp (or the threat of cramp ...... when feet start to twitch slightly and the slightest movement might lead to a sudden full-on spasm) all night long. I have had some wretched nights with this.
I've now virtually given up alcohol and have not had a really crampy night for some weeks. But I have had a couple of spasms. Getting up and forcing myself to walk for a few minutes has been enough to sort out these isolated cramps. I do think as much exercise as possible probably helps.
Luce x
I have logged everything i have eaten and drank for years trying to figure out what was causing my cramps. (I was horribly sleep deprived,)
I'm not sure why but I am from the south and have drank Ice tea all my life. I could not wrap my brain around my beloved ice tea was the culprit. And don't even get me started on wine I'm afraid to get near it. ( i do cook with it with no problem) but i cant drink even 1 glass red or white. Sometime i will start going into spasm before the glass is drank.
Good luck to you. I have been spasm free for going on a year after 20 yrs of spending thousands of dollars at every Dr and naturalist I could find.
have done I HAVE QUININE SULPHATE
Large doses of magnesium may not be such a good idea - there is a very delicate balance between calcium, magnesium, and I think potassium is the third one, and if you take more than you need of one then it can replace and deplete one of the others in your body. apologies for the less than technical explanation there. Lack of potassium does seem to cause cramps sometimes, so I would wonder if the excess magnesium means that you are now low on potassium. As magnesium is a supplement that hasn't been prescribed, I'd suggest that you try stopping, or reducing that to start with and see what happens.
The other thing is that in very hot countries, drinking plain water isn't always the best for keeping you hydrated. It needs to have something in it to make it a bit "denser" (technical term is isotonic solution - means that it is the same "density" as body fluids) so that it stays in your body better and prevents dehydration. Too much plain water can also have the effect of "washing through" minerals in your body. In extreme cases people can get dangerously low in sodium. I have heard of stories of long distance cyclists collapsing because of sodium deficiency from a combination of heat, sweating and only drinking plain water. I wouldn't say you are quite in this position, but it could be a mild version of mineral depletion. The way I used to make a good dehydration drink was to take a litre bottle of water, put a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and a squeeze of lemon in. You don't taste the salt really. The other strategy is instead of drinking water all the time, you have perhaps one glass of soda water a day (puts a bit of extra sodium back).
Please discuss with your consultant the fact that you decided not to take the pills prescribed. He did that for a reason. If you are concerned about your liver, make sure he knows what else you are taking, and does regular liver function tests, but just be aware that lots of things including paracetamol or alcohol can also affect your liver - the warnings aren't to stop people taking those meds - they are just about weighing up the positive and negative of it, and making sure it is monitored. Your consultant might have thought that the benefits of the meds were far greater than the risks and even though you thought you had made the right decision by not taking them, you could be opening yourself up to more problems. Your consultant does need to explain his reasons to you before you make the decision to go against what they have suggested though.
I find wearing bed socks makes all the difference, whatever the temperature!!!! Sounds daft I know, but it works for me - I used to get cramp in my toes and feet every night, but not any more?
I totally agree with Marmaduke - bed socks are the answer. Once I am in bed and the foot/leg area has warmed up, I take them off - it seems to work. I used to get the most terrible awful leg/feet/toe cramps but keeping my feet warm all the time seems to do the trick.
Thanks everyone for the replies. Earthwitch I do drink a mixture of water and isotonic drinks as thats one of the first things you learn over. I had had the levels of both my potassium and magnesium checked and they are both fine, my consultant did that check when I mentioned the cramps. I have spoken with her today concerning not taking the Quinine Sulphate and she says that if I am not happy to take them then that is fine. I had not thought about red wine, I dont drink much but when I do red wine is my choice. I will have to check to see next time I have a glass if I get the night cramps thanks Wolly.
Hi lesley
This may sound a really silly question but when you get the cramp, does it go down your shin into your foot and twist your foot inward?
If it does start date on an ice pack or something cold and it will ease within 2-3 minutes! Honest it sounds weird but it works, I suffer with it and if my feet get warm in bed it sets the cramps off.
It means that your arch in your instep is falling which is twisting the bones in your foot and trapping the nerves causing it to cramp up.
I see a chiropractor every 6 weeks and she resets the bones and I have only had cramp 3 times in 14 months!
Hope it helps
Take care, Angel blessings and strength to you
I drink lots of water, take potassium, eat bananas, etc. But I would get horrible cramps and night. It would feel like all the muscles and tendons were tightening and my feet would pull in. Lately, I have been drinking a glass of red wine at bedtime. The cramps have quit! Seriously, I have not had a cramp in 2 weeks.
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