Jeanie

[Jeanmh]

Hi Folks I Am a new GCA just wondered if any of you suffer with really bad cramps .I also am suffering with sciatica as well so both things are so painful.Any remedies for coming please

[piglette]

I had sciatica at the beginning of the year. You are right it is agonising! I had paracetamol which was useless and co-codamyl which was pretty useless. My GP offered me Naproxen plus a PPI, but I was a bit worried about mixing it with pred. I then went to a physio and that worked thank goodness.

[Ida-June128]

I started to have really bad cramps after using the pred. The GP gave me Quinine tablets which solved the problem. I find if I take them for a few weeks I can then leave them off until the cramps come back. I suggested G & T as I know there is Quinine in that but apparently I would need to drink a barrel of G& T every night to get the sufficient Quinine. Sometimes that sounds like a really good idea!

Happy Christmas to you all and a hopefully pain free 2017. xxx

[SheffieldJane]

Hi Jeanmh,

You need good levels of Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium in your diet, maybe supplements? A hot water bottle or heating pad applied to the cramping muscle may help. Also pressing on the point of pain with your fist should shorten the attack. Sciatica is miserable, like piano wires in the buttock to the thigh. Again rest and applied heat and a glass of egg nog ( for a morale raiser). Happy Christmas from another hop along.

[cdenoncourt]

If you are taking calcium supplements and the cramps you are referring to are muscle cramps, you may need some additional magnesium in your diet to balance the calcium intake. This can be done with supplements. The usual recommendation is to take an amount equal to about half the amount of calcium you take. Magnesium can have a laxative effect, so try a little and increase if ok. Another way to get magnesium is to soak in a bathtub of warm water to which a cup of Epsom salts has been added. The magnesium will be absorbed through the skin, and the warmth will also feel good.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Cramps when you are on pred can be due to low magnesium - pred makes you lose several different things through the kidneys including magnesium and potassium. They tend to be in similar foods (examples being dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, beans, whole grains, avocados, yogurt, bananas, dried fruit, dark chocolate). Here in mainland Europe if you tell the doctor you have muscle cramps they tell you to try magnesium supplements first. As has been said - you can also use Epsom salts as foot baths or in your bath. Don't take large amounts at a time orally though - it also works as a laxative, although that dose mean you can't overdose without knowing!

The sciatica is a common problem amongst PMR sufferers (and you can have PMR with GCA too). One common cause is myofascial pain syndrome which makes low back muscles spasm and irritate the sciatic nerve and another is piriformis syndrome where the sciatic nerve passes through the middle of the piriformis muscle and it spasms and causes the problem. Physiotherapy and massage can both be helpful in releasing the spasmed muscles. I (and others) have found Bowen therapy helpful although it doesn't work for everyone. I personally find techniques variously called needling, intramuscular stimulation or prolotherapy (all similar but slightly different) help greatly if you can find a practitioner who does them.

[TooSore]

I had terrible muscle cramps in my legs and feet at night when I was above 8 mg. following advise to raise potassium and magnesium I adjusted my diet. Mine seemed to be the magnesium so for lunch I eat a yogurt and munched on a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds with a few almond and dried cranberries thrown in. I made sure my salads were dark greens and ate avocado a time or two per week. Improved in a few days.

Physical Therapy helped with sciatica and piriformis syndrome, traction in particular, prior to PMR (car accident) and I still use the stretches they taught me when the hips get bad now.

I use a cranial-sacral therapist to help me feel better in general -

I hope you get some relief soon.