Hi has anyone had leg/foot cramp in bed at night? I have recently after some research increased my daily in take of vitaminD3 from 1000iu to 3000iu and have started to get leg/foot cramps as I'm waking up. I was wondering if anyone else experiences this and is it co-incidental or because of the vitD increase?
Many thanks
Wendy
I have cramps but controlled them with magnesium - it really made a difference. I didn't really find that the Vit D ( which I also supplement) increased cramps. Mind you I have not been taking anything like the levels of Vit D that you are!
Thanks ButterflyCallie for reply 
i also take 250mg magnesium as I read you need to take it with vitaminD. How much magnesium do you take? Do you feel it is magnesium that stops your cramps?
Hi Bad ramps are normally below range sodium ( U`s and E`s, kidney function) but can be calcium , although more likely to give shakes. If taking vit d , make sure , any way, that your corrected calcium is in range. D is hormonal and also makes the calcium go up. Over range corrected calcium, D has to be reduced ( no matter what), then stopped if still over range
Best wishes,
Jackie
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Thanks Jackie, results from vitD test came back 'Not Deficient' . I don't add salt to anything so maybe I should start?
Hi Good with the d, so commonly low. Too much salt also bad. If BP high, often salt makes it worse, if very low,often it is because salt too low. Best way is a blood test, ask GP, should not be a problem, cheap common test. Otherwise, just cook without it and add a little at the table. Also it is one of the 4 main electrolytes, heart and kidney, so important to be in range any way, other are corrected calcium, magnesium and Potassium. I have discovered from various people`s experience and my own , that there definitely seems to be a relationship with levels of FT3 and sodium. This is either taking it, or being treated with Levo, and the FT3 going up, as it should. Of course, worse at night as no food then.
Best wishes,
Jackie
thanks Jackie BP is normal. I had to test myself at home 2x daily for a week,( a month or so ago,) as Dr thought it was too high, but on average over the week it was classed as normal/ok! So that was good :-).
VitD came back 'not deficient' so again that is good.
iron was low but I am now on ferrous fumerate 210mg 3xdaily so that too should be well on the way to getting back to normal.
I take a few other vits/minerals that I have read are beneficial to hashimoto sufferers.
I use to eat about 3 or 4 bananas a day but thought, that much potassium was probably not a good idea!!! Maybe it was and why now I get cramp???
I am going to see an endo (when appointment arrives-only just been referred) to ask if I can try T3 as I have also read that is beneficial to hashi's.
I previously had a positive coeliac blood test and then negative biopsy and recently a borderline blood test.
I seem to be gluten/wheat intolerant! (So suspect I have absorption issues and not converting T4 properly to T3!)
I am going gluten free and if I accidentally ingest gluten I am poorly-yuck!
I am constantly tired/brain fogged and a host of other hypo symptoms and fed up with feeling like this for the past 10yrs so trying to be pro-active in aiding my recovery. Trial and error. This site and others are brilliant for information and support
Thank you for taking the time comment on my question
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Iron/ferritin commonly too low ith thyroid disease. Were you told to have a retest in 3 months, then if OK annually? It can take 3 months to optimise and should make a big difference then.My Edno years ago, said that the best mineral and vit tablet daily was important One banana a day a good idea unless diabetic. However, high Potassium in that amount, also same in Kiwi fruit, not a good idea. It can throw out all the other electrolytes, although it does also often cause high sodium too. I would definitely ask for U`s and E`s as that shows the Potassium ( ideally should be about 4) ad Sodium, should be low in range.Potassium too high cause renal failure and too low the most lethal form of cardiac arrests.The best first choice is T4 ( Levo) and T3, Tests for 3 thyrlod tests before treatment, re test 6 weeks after starting the T3, split the dose, 12 hours apart. Also good idea for first week to take half the prescribed dose to help with not getting the bad side effects from it. Normaly starting dose is 20mcg but only if FT3 under range. I like most people ( I have Hashi) need the FT3 near the top of range and T4 in top third.
It kiis becoming well known that the only true way to diagnose Caeliac ) autoimmune and hormonal) is by only having the Caeliac diet for 6 weeks. My Endo had a paper published on this last year.Gluten free is horrible, I had it for a while, now I find I just need to cut out lots of things eg bread.
If your bloods are right ,then you should feel fine, if you still feel ill with them OK, you need to look further Endo, Always ask for a print out of all blood tests with ranges ( differ), GP as receptionist, routine, hospital, consultant sec, make sure they give you the ranges as lots do not. If no FT3 test, you can use on line. Basically if T4 near top of range and FT3 not, you will need some T3.You need the other hormonal autoimmune tests too, Endo should do them at the first consultation. B12+ foliates ( needs to be quite high in range) Diabetes, both have similar symptoms to thyroid, to start with. Repeat tests annually.
10 years, you are doing well! I was 20 years being diagnosed, no TUK, WEB, on line tests etc, no computers!
Best wishes,
Jackie
...when taking VitD also take K2. Magnesium good too ! Hope the cramps go away soon. You should be dosing your Vit D according to your blood test. Check out grassrootshealth.com for guidance.
Thank you for the link Marz. I do supplement with magnesium but I'll research K2 too thank you
Hi I have magnesium on a script and weekly tests and always in its tiny range. It must always be as an electrolyte, so not a good idea to have supplements of it, unless on a script with weekly tests Fine in food, It also strongly effects Potassium, which is very dangerous, high renal failure, low cardiac arrests. I have had it for 4 years since my second cardiac arrest. My cramps only started recently, when my Sodium went below range.
Best wishes,
Jackie.
Yes, i get bad cramps in the calf of my legs through the night and every time i sleep i jump in my sleep and take some sort of convulsion don't know what that's about. But it wakes me up.
Do you use any vitamin/mineral supplements? Just started with extra vitD3 so I was wondering if the increase is the reason for the cramps! Hope you have a good night with no cramps tonight
@Wendy, the doctor advised me to buy vit D supplements as my vit d was very low think it was 7 at the time anyway after taking that for months as advised and after seeing an endo a couple of weeks ago it is still low so i am on a double dose of nhs calcium and vit d tablets and yes i had bought multi - vitamins from holland and barrett to reduce my fatigue - think they were called 'busy b' . But after taking all this i still have cramps in my legs and only last night once again i had convulsions during my sleep when i finally got to sleep that is.
Wendy,,, can i ask what your d level actually is please... Not deficient is merely a term used to say your not in the risk category but does not mean your optimal... The range goes from deficient to insufficient to sufficient... It could be that ok your not deficient but your around the insufficient area... Ideally you want at least 75nmol ,,,, also please ensure your taking your d at least 4 hours apart from thyroid meds and with a meal to aid absorption,, watch out for the bananas,,, v high carbs ,, one a day is more than enough. Best wishes,,
Hi Wendy.
I'm hypo and my thyroid is steadily getting worse. With me getting leg cramps is an early symptom that I'm heading towards a flare-up of symptoms and need a slightly higher dose of T4/ more T3 in my body.
For me, there appears to be a direct link between cramps/T4. Soon after increasing my dose of levo, my cramps ease and within six weeks, have gone completely - no diet changes in that time.
Everyone is different, and your cramps may have nothing to do with T4 - it's just a thought tho'.
I hope you get it sorted. Cramps are horrible.
I agree about bananas- I saw it recommended that they were eaten one half at a time and separate from other foods by a couple of hours to aid digestion.[maybe use smaller samples]
They are high in amino acid L.Tyrosine which produces T3 [I can't remember pathway].
There's a lot of Tyrosine in whey protein mixes ,too.
On the cramps it's usually salt/magnesium shortage and this may be due to the excess bananas- overdoing potassium.
Many people are low in Mg and Vit D in our modern diet, as standard.
Fortunately, electrolytes are usually on the blood test list.
I supplememted Mg for well over a year at the low level of 100mg Citrate daily and a subsequent test still had me only 1% above the minimum- but I had to ask for the Mg test.
It has been recommended to support Mg levels in Adrenal fatigue- prior to managing UAT successfully.[Dr D- Peatfield] - and over time I found this helpful, but can still get bad cramps if over exercising. I could probably do with more Mg.
Nobody mentioned Vit B6, B12 complex but this is also why you have leg cramps...not enough in the body will give anyone leg cramps, so please add this to your daily vitamin routine as this will eliminate the leg cramps and muscle twitches. I take this daily, along with 6000iu's of Vitamin D3, Vit. C+Zinc, Primrose Oil which also helps with hair loss...and of course a good multi vit for my age, 50+. Hope this helps.
I forgot to mention Selenium which I also take, but if you eat three Brazil nuts a day, this is also the same as taking it in the tablet form, helps all hypo issues.
Greetings - those foot and leg - lower calf - cramps nightly - and daily too. Am investigating the cause/reason.
G Coetzee
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