Shin cramps.

[derinoe]

Hi all, I have a question about leg cramps. For last week or so I have been experiencing cramps in my shin aria of the legs. It started infrequently and just uncomfortable. Now it is much more often with more pain and last for what seems like 10-20 min. It is worse at night. I have to massage it to get some realive and take alive or ibuprofen just to be some what comfortable. I do have lupus, but I have never experienced this type of pain with it before. Any advise on what I should do? Thank you all.

[OnMyWay2Thin]

Hi, Derinoe,

So sorry to hear this. I had been having cramps in my muscles and they determined through a blood test my potassium was low. I'm now on a potassium pill (my largest pill) and my cramps no longer occur. Just an idea to have that tested if the cramping continues.

Good luck,
Kelly

[derinoe]

Thank you very much Kelly, i have blood work coming up in a week or so. It is a full year post op work up, i will pay attention to the potassium levels.

[jpcello]

I get shin and leg cramps if I don't get enough water in, especially at night. How's your fluids?

[derinoe]

The fluids should be pretty good. I drink a lot of unsweetened ice tea and water with lemon. I usually get in at least 3 42oz. cups of liquid a day. I sip and sip all day, never leave the house without a drink too.

[caprice]

I have no idea if the two were related, but I began getting leg cramps that would wake me up at least once a night and I would have to get up out of bed and sort of walk them off. I had started taking potassium in an effort to address it, but hadn't gotten any relief yet, then was hospitalized for anemia ( hemoglobin got down to 4.2) and I got hefty iron infusions every day for 5 days in a row. I didn't realize it until after I was released, but I hadn't gotten any cramps after my first night in there, and I haven't gotten any leg cramps since. Again, I have no idea if it was connected, maybe the potassium just happened to kick in exactly then, but.... How are your iron levels?

[derinoe]

It has been OK on my Jan blood work, I am going to have next ones draw first week of June. Thank you again! You guys are giving me great suggestions, I really appreciate it. It will give me things to look out for.

[vivimolly]

I, too, suffer from terrible nighttime leg cramps. A couple of Magnesium Citrate capsules before bedtime generally ward them off. If I still get a cramp I just take another 1-2 right then. The capsules work pretty quickly and it keeps them at bay. Mag Citrate doesn't bring on potty issues, either, like Mag Oxide does.

[OnMyWay2Thin]

May 24, 2015 10:03:05 GMT -5 vivimolly said:

I, too, suffer from terrible nighttime leg cramps. A couple of Magnesium Citrate capsules before bedtime generally ward them off. If I still get a cramp I just take another 1-2 right then. The capsules work pretty quickly and it keeps them at bay. Mag Citrate doesn't bring on potty issues, either, like Mag Oxide does.

Very interesting you say that about the Mag Citrate because I was told that's the stronger of the Magnesium and will make you go to the bathroom easier. I actually have to take both every day for constipation issues and the Mag Citrate is taken at night because it is the one that supposedly kicks in and makes me go in the morning. I would just worry about someone who doesn't have a constipation issue taking them and then having to go even more (since some people have the opposite problem.) I've never heard of them being related to cramping but, you never know. I've always heard lack of water or potassium causes the cramping. You said taking one at the time of the cramping helps though, so it must work. Very interesting!

[Simba]

#1 reason people say is dehydration, umm no as with 24 hour urine, I intake about 3000mls. so then it was vit/mins, what I found out is for me it was magnesium, my blood work was normal, but for me when I dont take mg glycinate I get shin and foot cramps, strange but everytime.

And my blood work was normal all the time, so that is not always the answer either

[vivimolly]

Back before I had my surgery and when Vitalady was around all the time, the conventional wisdom was Mag Oxide for constipation (which seemed to make sense as it's more closely related to Mag Hydroxide which is the laxative ingredient in MOM) and Mag Citrate for cramps as it has a relaxing effect on the muscles.

I've always been confused by where the info stating the opposite came from. It seemed to pop up a couple of years ago and has been repeated often since then. But I have found that for me, the old Vitalady advice was right on the money and absolutely nothing gets rid of the leg cramps like Mag Citrate for me.

It's worth a try! Oh, and meant to say i have never had a constipation problem but the Mag Citrate taken for cramps never caused me the other problem either.

[citizenk9]

I get horrible toe and foot cramps in my sleep. I'm pretty sure it's due to dehydration. It is debated whether or not drinks with caffeine are hydrating or not. If you are mostly drinking iced tea, it might not be working.

[newyorkbitch]

Jul 2, 2015 21:44:10 GMT -5 citizenk9 said:

I get horrible toe and foot cramps in my sleep. I'm pretty sure it's due to dehydration. It is debated whether or not drinks with caffeine are hydrating or not. If you are mostly drinking iced tea, it might not be working.

Shin cramps - check your potassium level

[challie]

Low calcium can also cause muscle contractions.

[bboop]

I'm in the low potassium group. I had some blood work done for something other than the DS and it showed I had low potassium and I was getting nightly foot cramps. Took more potassium and away they went. That's been my experience.

[lmh1762]

Artificial sweeteners causes my cramps. I have to back off the crystal light when I start cramping.