New to site and getting desperate

[crosspatch]

Just found this site and totally identified with the marlathome post. I am nearly 69 and have been probably on Levothyroxine for 20 years suffering a lot of cramp, cause unknown. The cramp is severe, particularly in my legs (can be all the muscles at once) and my legs become like stone. It takes a long time to subside I move in fear of it taking hold again. I also have developed a lot of joint pain and think I must be heading for arthritis. I feel I am in a vicious circle that the less sleep I have the more pain I get. But now it sounds as if it could be due to the Levothyroxine!

As a farmer I am very physically active (particularly feeding cattle in winter) and worry that I will be unable to continue my much loved way of life.

I asked the GP a year ago about cramp but she could not help. I have been taking Ibuprofen at night thinking it will relax me and keep off cramp!

Do not know what T3 is but maybe this would help. Any advice at all, dietary or alternative medication would be much appreciated.

[humanbean]

There are quite a few things that can increase the risk of cramp, twitching, or spasm of muscles. Some of the commonest problems are low vitamins and minerals.

Things which helped me to eliminate cramping were :

Magnesium (Mg) supplements : Low magnesium is incredibly common in the population as a whole. As long as your kidneys are in moderately good health (to get rid of excess Mg if you take too much) then you are likely to be safe when supplementing. Blood tests for Mg aren't reliable, so I would suggest just trying it and see if it helps. Mg can be taken internally or externally (sprayed on the skin or put into the bath as a soak, or taking powdered Mg in water or taking pills). For help on choosing a supplement google for "best and worst forms of magnesium" and see which ones appeal to you.

Iron supplements : Iron should only be supplemented after thorough testing shows it is necessary. Supplementing iron without a good reason is a very bad idea. You can ask your doctor to test your iron levels for you, but they usually only test ferritin which doesn't tell you enough. If you want to do private testing then you could order this finger-prick test from Medichecks, and once you have the results you could post them and ask for feedback.

medichecks.com/iron-tests/i...

If you want more help with ordering private tests without a doctor, then just ask.

Vitamin D : Low vitamin D is a classic cause of muscle and joint pain. Your doctor might test this for you if you ask, but it is an expensive test by NHS standards and the chances of getting fobbed off are high. There are private tests for vitamin D available with finger-prick samples, if you can't get your doctor to test.

Potassium : Low potassium can cause cramping and twitching, however, supplementing without need can cause problems with the heart rhythm, so this has to be a last resort. Some types of potassium supplements are also an irritant in the gut. I would suggest only considering this option if you've tried everything else and nothing has worked.

[crosspatch in reply to humanbean]

Hymanbean. Your advice is very helpful and gives hope. I will try magnesium and also get blood tests done. I am wary of stopping levothyroxine to see if the cramp goes away because when I first started down this road I had a huge weight gain which I have now got rid of.

Thanks for the wise words.

[humanbean in reply to crosspatch]

You're welcome.

[LAHs]

I cannot add much to humanbean's excellent advice but it would be a good idea to get some private blood testing done on your thyroid hormones (Free T4, FreeT3, TSH and antibodies for starters). Post the results here so that we can give you some ideas if needed. T3 will probably help a lot but boost your vitamins and minerals as HB suggests first - that might be all you need and it would be better than joining the T3 juggling people (I was one, it took a couple of years to get it right.)

[crosspatch in reply to LAHs]

Thank you for your suggestions which have certainly given me hope. It had never occurred to me that the cause might be because of mineral or vitamin deficiency. Doh!