Cramps/ muscle spasms????

[Duckiller]

I have leg cramps that are unbelieveablely painful. Dr. gave medecine that helps and works fast. He also suggest Quinine. Evidently pills are no longer available, state laws may vary, or Quinine water, ie tonic. You may or may not want to add gin to your tonic water.

[abunaitoo]

I think I used to have the same thing you have.
Was so bad, I almost couldn't drive.
It would hit anytime of the day or night.
When it did, I almost couldn't breath. Back just locked up.
Nothing helped. Drugs, physical therapy, acupuncture, even those glass suction ball things.
Doctors were no help at all.
When I changed jobs, it went away.
Stresssssss
Are you under more stress than before????
Doctors won't even consider stress as a cause.

[gandydancer]

have you been on any long term meds?? drink a lot of diet soda??

[firefly1957]

With a sudden on set like that a doctor is a good choice to see, I have had cramps my whole life a doctor told me when i was about 30 years old to take a daily calcium supplement it helps a lot. I still get them if i get dehydrated high sugar levels can cause them also but a good doctor would have checked that.

[gunoil]

tonic water, yep. Go get it now. I have em to on right lower leg and they last exactly 1 min. Didnt start till a few years ago, whats that about. Have nother blood test next week from my doc. Last month when i renewed my class A, nurse said sugar was lil' high. So, yesterday, doc ordered blood test of some nature. I give em blood 3 or 4 times a year. My doc is a wizard, wish he was a gunsmith. Nah, i might die.

[tomme boy]

I also have type 2 diabetes. I do drink a lot of diet pop. I asked about aspartame poisoning, but never got a answer. I had a talk with a retired nurse friend an he was thinking it might be a caffeine overdose. He thinks that since we are not getting any younger, it takes a lot longer for your body to get rid of it. I have 5-6 diet Cokes every day. I don't drink coffee.

Monday I'm calling out to the University and see if I can get into someone else.

[Swamp Man]

Have you been tested for R.A. ? I have a bad case of R.A. and use to have bad leg and hip cramps until I got put on a new med a few years back that has my R.A. under control.

[Oreo]

For electrolytes drink Pedialyte. Its meant for young children who can quickly become dangerously dehydrated from diarea. A sports drink it ain't. Sold in the child care isle of most grocery stores.

[quilbilly]

When I get muscle cramps, it is ALWAYS because I am not drinking enough water!!

I know this sounds simple, but.......

Bob

I had the same problem. I would wake up with cramps that wouldn't go away for days and even made it hard to breath. It was always due to dehydration. Once I was forced to drink lots of water due to blood pressure meds (diuretics), no more cramps. Drink a full pint of warm water every morning as soon as you get up and at mid-day and see if that helps.

[uscra112]

Had constant neck cramps a few years ago. So badly that I was missing work. No doctor could do anything, ditto chiropractors, but for some reason drinking a lot of tomato juice stopped it.

Doctors haven't a clue how/why it might work, but now whenever I get cramps I drink 8 oz. of V-8 juice every 4-6 hours and they go away.

I'm not one for "magic potion" cures, never been kidnapped by aliens, and I believe Elvis really is dead. But it works for me. Can't hurt you.

I'm also an advanced Type 2, taking a lot of meds for it, also very strict low-carb diet. Don't know if it's related to the diabetes meds, but Aspartame now gives me killer headaches. Only artificial sweetener I survive is Sweet Leaf, (stevia extract). (Not Truvia, which is mostly aspartame!)

[Gliden07]

Bananas add potassium. The wife gets leg cramps when she is short on potassium.

Try drinking more water and eating a banana or two each day.

Bill

When I was doing a lot of weight lifting I would get Muscle Cramps that would wake me up!! I talked to a trainer and he suggested more water and Bananas for the potassium within 15 min of the end of my workout. It did the trick for me? It sounds like you have nerve problems though? My mother has similar pains to what your describing and has been diagnosed with Sciatica.

[dagunnut]

There are several possible causes for these issues. Some are easily fixed and some require medical intervention.

Dehydration, over hydration, potasium shortage, salt shortage, vitamin shortage, kidney stones, gall stones, caffeine overdose, check for medicine contra-indications or reactions to multiple meds, MS, brain and spine issues-hemmorages, lesions, tumors, spinal compresion, nerve impingment/damage, and many many more.

Start with the simple things first and work your way up from there, I would personally look at the meds for side effects or drug interactions, and talk to your pharmacist. At the same time decrease your soda intake and get salt/sodium and potasium intake increased, start a multi-vitamin regiment.

What was the onset, what changed-medications, did you lift something heavy, stoop or twist, lift off center, did you have a fall, suffer a head injury, suffer a spine injury, spend a lot of time on your feet, drink more or less water, coffee, soda, did your diet change, do you have an unquenchable thirst. What kind of pain are you having sharp, stabbing, throbbing, shooting, constricting like someone is squeezing you, or dull. Does the pain move migrate to other areas, is the pain constant, is there a time in the day that the pain is worse, what positions give you comfort. These are the questions that your doctor and nurses should be asking you.

Get a good doctor, check your lab work up-blood, urine, etc., did you have an x-ray, MRI, stress test, nerve conduction study, get a second and third opinion, and see a chiropractor. Not necessarily in that order.

I wish you the best, and hope your pain goes away or you find a simple solution. I am not a medical professional but was at one time an EMT, first responder, and combat life saver. I have some medical knowledge but do not know everything. I just hope that some of this input helps you out.

Mario
dagunnut

[square butte]

Tons and tons of anecdotal evidence out there regarding negative effects of aspartame. Start with a simple google search and see if any of what you see makes sense to you. If it does - Drop the diet soda. Simple and cheap try at a fix. What do you have to loose?

[bob208]

i have type 2 also. i dropped the diet soda about 3 years ago. now all i sweeten with is stevia. it is a plant all natural. instead of soda i drink sobe life water and zero cal. vitamin water.

[walltube]

Pain in the back working around the right side towards the Urethra is classic kidney stone description.
Unfortunately it's also a symptom of Diverticulitis.
The first can be checked with a X-Ray after you drink a not so terrible contrast solution. The second requires a cleansing and an 18" bore scope.

tommeboy,
Given the symptoms you describe and your drinking those Cola\soft drink\pop stuff, I agree with BOSMAN's "stones" offering here. Been there often enough to offer an experienced opinion. Calcium carbonate 'stones' can often escape detection by x-ray and MRI.

The stones need not be walnut size in making their presence known as they make their way out the bladder to the urethra. Most are very tiny, but with jagged, sharp surfaces. Minute traces of blood in the urine are the telltale. Perhaps a consultaion with a urologist may be in order? In my humble opinion.

Wishing you well and a speedy recovery,
Wt.

[uscra112]

{snip} nerve conduction study....{snip} dagunnut

Nerve conduction testing would be an excellent way to interrogate prisoners. I know.

Trouble with doctors is that they don't know everything either. Not being harsh on them - they're only human. But as I said in my earlier post, I had those cramps for a couple of years. While I lived where there were excellent doctors, (Ann Arbor, MI.), all they accomplished was to drain a lot of money out of my insurance plan. In the end a fellow sufferer on the Internet gave me what seems to be the fix.

Phil

[abunaitoo]

Lots of great suggestions here. To bad one dosen't fit all.
Soft drinks are bad for you the older you get.
I almost never drink soft drinks anymore. Maybe one every two weeks.
Ice water all through the day. Got one of those big 54oz Bubba Mugs. I drink at least three mugs a day.
Due to gout, I don't drink coffee anymore. Anything with caffeine is out also.
Caffeine will dehydrate you.
Most common cause of cramps is dehydration. I've also found long term stress can do it to.
If you stand up almost all day, it could be your shoes.
I have flat, wide feet. Hard to find shoes that fit.
Hard to find a good, honest doctor. Money corrupts even the best of them.
Keep looking for one who will actually listen to you.
Keep trying different things. Everyone is different.
Good luck to you.

[Boyscout]

I second the supplements as I have suffered severe cramps in my calfs since college. I find 1-3 suplemental Potassium Glucomate tablets help a lot. That is only 3% of daily recommended daily requriement per tablet. Bananas and orange juice are good for you but they are inconsistant in their levels due due variations in growing conditions.

I asked my electro-cardiologist if it was ok to take them as there are warnings all over the bottles. He said they are worried about people who like to take mega-doses of vitamins; extreme potasium intake can stop your heart forever. High calcium foods will help too. Sometimes I get a little warning that I will be getting cramps later. Usually some twitching or some spasms in my fingers. If a little potassium and proper hydration don't work get checked out with your doctor.

[monge]

I have had the same problem try more water and Gatorade remember the body reacts slowly give it some time before you go to saw bones and he or she gives you another script. God bless feel better! JOE

[longhorn]

Which " blood pressure" med was added last? Side effect or interaction could be the culprit, seems a bit unlikely, but worth looking into--PM me if you like....