Soap Under the Sheets for RLS, Leg Cramps

I read about this home remedy in the newspaper. I have indeed suffered from RLS basically all of my life, and I am over 50! My mother always told me I had "growing pains" -- HA!
When I read this, I thought it was the silliest thing I had ever heard of. I truly believe in home remedies, but just sleeping with a bar of soap?!?! Well, let me assure any and everyone! It WORKS. I have now had 5 nights of sleep - in my own bed - no walking around, no moving from one place to another just to find comfort -just pure wonderful sleep. TRY IT!!!

I tried it, I cut the end out of a sock, put the bar of soap under my knee and secrued it in place by pulling the sock over it. I also found out that taking SAM E a supplement was a part of the cramping problem. I sopped the SAM E. 4/28/07

I have been using Vanilla/Lavender By Bath and Body works, only because it has been advertised for sleep relaxation. I will try the soap.
Thanks

I have taken "quinine", for leg cramps for years........Dont know what I will do with out it.....Am going to try the Ivory
to-day....Will post again in a couple of days and tell you the results.....

Joe Smith

Landis N.C.

After the pharmacist explained he could no longer fill my quinine sulfate prescription, another shopper in the pharmacy came up to me and said not to question her why, but that I should try putting a bar of soap under the sheet. That was nearly three months ago. What happened to the RLS? Washed away? How can that bar of soap work on the old formerly-cramped legs? It seems to have worked for me!

I saw an article in our local newspaper about 6 months ago about putting soap under the sheets for RLS and tried it immediately. Since that time I have not had a single leg cramp. I use Caress.

I went on a trip recently and had my bar of soap with me. I was staying at a B&B and when I got back that evening my soap was gone! I called the proprietor of the B&B and asked him where the devil my soap was. He told me he thought it was in the bed by mistake and had thrown it away. When I told him why I needed it he said that he would go through the garbage and find it--which he did. He also told me that he, too, has leg cramps and was going to try this remedy.

My doctor just gave me this mystified look and said "whatever." He was the one raising such Sam Hill about me taking potassium!

What a wonderful, really inexpensive treatment that stops RLS.

I tried the Ivory......didnt work.....took "Quinine" the next nite and slept......I have ordered another "leg cramp" medicine from Homeopathic Labs......
If the results are good I will let you know....

Joe in Landis

I keep reading about how they cure RLS with a bar of soap. Well, it did not work for me. And another comment: Does RLS cause leg cramps? That's not the way I understnd RLS. It does cause some almost indescribable symptoms, but not muscle cramps in the legs.

I have tried the soap and it did not work for me. I have tried several prescriptions used to treat Parkinson's disease to no avail. I currently use tramadol - one 50 mg. tab about an hour before going to bed. It works well for me. Tramadol is a prescription med so you'll have to talk your doctor into writing a Rx.

I have suffered from severe leg cramps for years. I read about the Ivory soap, tried it and I have not had a leg cramp since. What makes it work, does anybody know?

I have severe Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD). Have used Sinemet and Mirapex over the last 8 years, but stopped each due to side effects. Currently unmedicated and miserable with the leg movements at night, waiting on test results and the docs to decide next line of defense. Someone mentioned the Ivory soap. Well, I tried it in a wrap around my ankles and under my feet in a double socks, but what seems the best is I have four bars across my lower bed so that no matter where I move my feet, one is near. If a movement wakes me, I move my foot to touch the soap, and fall right back asleep. Hasn't been a cure, but certainly has made it more tolerable and less sleep robbing. Can't begin to understand it. The most logical theory I've read is one wondering if the leg movements are like electrical currents, maybe the composition/density of the soap absorbs the brunt of the charge. (Like rubber and lightning.) Would love to understand why, but just having a degree of relief is good enough for me.

I used to suffer with leg cramps at night, particularly after walking, which is my main form of exercise. Ever since placing a bar of soap (Caress) beneath my top sheet at the foot of the bed, cramping has been nonexistent!! Thanks so much.

My experience with nighttime leg cramps is lifelong. When quinine pills were no longer available, a Nursing professor at the University where I worked recommended I drink tonic water with quinine in it. I found that Schweppes Tonic Water works best for me. I will, however, try putting soap under my sheet.

I know this is just anecdotal information, but I was having a lot of problems with leg cramps, because of a tumor in my knee. I thought why not try this and it worked! I never had any more leg cramps after the night I put that dumb bar of soap between the sheets next to my feet. It has been over a year now and still no leg cramps!

I have tried several kinds of bar soap for leg cramps. First being Ivory..I learned that I need to change the soap about every 3-4 months. I buy them at the 99 cent store. 3 bars for for 99 cents is the best investment for a good nights sleep.It took 3 nights before it worked ,but that was 2 years ago and no leg cramps for me now. I use the cheap nylon anklets or cut the foot off old panty hose to slip the soap into, that seems to help keep it in place. I use two bars under the bottom sheet,one on each side near my feet. THANK YOU DR. GOTT for listening to your readers and passing along their health tips. Also I did ask my DR. about Vicks for toenail fungus ,he said it couldn't hurt ( after over the counter meds, and two very expensive prescriptions that DIDN'T work ) After twice daily use, for about 4 months the fungus started to go away. Now it is gone and from time to time I apply Vicks to all my toenails just to make them look & feel better and hopefully keep the fungus from coming back. No one knows why it works and I don't care.I just know it works for me.

I have had leg cramps for years. I have taken potassium pills and eaten a banana every day, but still had cramps. My doctor told me to try tonic water because quinine pills could be dangerous. Well it worked, but the ivory soap is more convenient. Please tell me how it works and why. Also, do most people unwrap it first? How often should it be replaced? I called the Ivory soap number and they told me they have no idea what I was talking about. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.

We too read about putting an unwrapped bar of soap under the fitted sheet . My husband has been having severe cramping in his legs for years. I have several herniated disc bulges and Fibromyalgia and my legs hurt all the time. First night we tried the only bar of soap in the house which was irish spring. (we use liquid soap to bathe). We are both RN's and we do not know why but it did work . We put a bar of Ivory under both sides of our bedsheets as well , my leg pain went away last night and he has not had cramps for 2 nights now. Nothing else had been helping him, not prescriptions , not anything and he has had 2 great nights of sleep so far.

Yes, this remedy does work. I haven't had leg cramps since I put the bar of soap in my bed. I have told others who thought I was crazy until they had the same results.

Thanks for you great column

I will try this for sure after walking or exercising the leg muscles (that is when I get leg/calf cramps); BUT - I wish so much that I'd known about this 5 or more yrs ago when my son would wake up in the night (often) with severe leg cramps. I only thought it was growing pains for him & doctors had no idea what to say. I will pass this along & use the soap too !
Thank you so much.

I have been suffering from leg cramps since starting statins for high cholesterol! I hesitated about putting the soap under the sheets......my husband laughed....but it works!!! Thank you so much. I also carry a small "hotel" type bar in my pocket.

It makes me crazy not to know why the soap thing works, but I use the soap anyway. It doesn't matter what kind of soap, or how big a bar. Just as long as it's under the sheet in my bed. Ever since my neighbor told me this cockamamy soap rememdy about 9 months ago, I've used it. I used to get the most excrutiating leg cramps that run along the inside of my thigh, and in these past nine months I've only had the cramp twice - one time was after our cleaning service changed our sheets and took out the soap, and the other time was last night after I fell asleep on the couch. Ouch!! I actually hobbled to my bed in agony, looking for the soap. I pressed it all along the cramp and felt relief much sooner than in the past. I have no idea if it's psychosomatic, but I don't care. My husband thinks I'm nuts - but all I care about is getting rid of that God-awful pain! I need to thank my neighbor for telling me about this remedy, and I wish you all restful nights of pain-free sleep.

"Suffered" with restless legs (RLS) since last year. Presently on Miraprex which seems to help. I tried the Ivory soap last year with no effect, so I'm willing to give it another try using the method prescribed here.
Kathy
Oak Island

I read your newspaper article about the soap and, feeling a little silly, I thought what the heck, but I won't tell my husband! I don't like to take any medication so maybe this is the answer for the severe cramps in my lower legs. Well, it does work and I have been putting Ivory soap under the bottom sheet for many, many months with complete success! I need a fresh bar every 3 months or so. Bought the larger sized bars and cut one in half. Works just as well for about $.07/month!

My husband, a very analytical type, said: "There's no way that putting a bar of soap under the sheet can work" but he did try it for his leg cramps (he's a Diabetic Type II). The next morning he said: "There's no way that can work - but it DID!" We have had TWO bars of soap under our sheet ever since and no more leg cramps for either of us. I also rest my foot where I have Morton's Neuroma on the bar of soap when it aches and the ache goes away.

I have suffered from RLS for 50 years, I am 75, and it is getting worse, even with medication. I am taking clonazepam 2 mg. I still walk most of the night. Than after foot surgery the doctor gave me Requip. I took them three nights, and did not sleep one second for all three days and night. I almost fainted in the pharmacy, trying to get back on my old prescription. If this soap remedy works I will thank the good Lord on my knees. Sure is worth a try.
Thanks for the tip.
Rose Taylor Charleston,SC.

When I first heard about the soap in the bed, I laughed and said no way. I suffer from leg cramps and thought I would try it. I did not have any Caress, but I did have Tropical Zest. It worked. I had the best sleep ever. I found the article online and e-mailed it to everyone I know.

I will use it forever!

concerning a soap bar under sheets.....Per my friend Sheila.
Thanks ao much. It worked great the first night but I have a major problem. My Dog and cat who have arthritis get to bed before I do and they have been laying on it every night!! Now I have no bed for me. Animals don't lie! so it must work!

i finally fell asleep last night then woke back up an hour and a half later... i just started getting cramps in my legs and the creapy crawly feeling in my legs... i know people who have RLS so i decided to look it up and see if there was anything i could do... im at the computer right now with a bar of soap under each leg and it seems to be working!!! i thought it was crazy but i figured what do i have to lose? i m going to go try to lay back down and see if i cant fall back asleep. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! try it!!!!

i finally fell asleep last night then woke back up an hour and a half later... i just started getting cramps in my legs and the creapy crawly feeling in my legs... i know people who have RLS so i decided to look it up and see if there was anything i could do... im at the computer right now with a bar of soap under each leg and it seems to be working!!! i thought it was crazy but i figured what do i have to lose? i m going to go try to lay back down and see if i cant fall back asleep. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! try it!!!!

My brother told me about this cure. He had heard it from a friend and was very skeptical. He tried it and it worked wonders for him. After reading the other personal experiences you have here, I'm going to add it to my aging dogs' bed to see if it helps her arthiritis. Will let you know. Thanks.. Mary

Another reason for painful leg cramps and a remedy.
Statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) can cause leg cramps by preventing optimum oxygenation of the muscles. Before I learned this I had been using magnesium, 100 mg a day, per my doctor and it cut the leg cramps by half. Instead of jumping out of bed in pain 7 times each night, I only had about 3 episodes.
An excellent health food store owner told me about the side effect of Red Yeast Rice (a natural statin)I had been taking. The leg cramps started then. He suggested 100 mg of Coenzyme Q-10 at night along with the magnesium. The Q-10 improves oxygen circulation. It is working. I only occasionally get a foot cramp. But will try the soap if I stop the Q-10. It can't hurt and is cheaper.

I read in the newspaper column that the bar of soap under the sheet must be unwrapped and could not be Dial or Dove.

Darn! I've been using a wrapped bar of Dial for over 6 months under my sheet and the leg cramps are gone!

Im just wondering how this works? I have tried everything under the sun to get rid of my restless legs, and today i found this. I don't like taking prescription medication because of the side affects. I will try this trick and let you know if it works. Is there any special kind of soap, or do they all work?

Soap not only works for me on leg cramps but for hand and foot cramps, too. Also, I have costochondritis, an inflamation of the chest wall, and soap will stop the pain almost immediately. I've gotten so I keep small hotel size bars of soap in my car and purse so I always have one close by.

I previously wrote about the effect of statins causing leg cramps and said I would give up the co enzyme Q 10 and magnesium for a few nights and try the bar of soap. Well---it didn't work. After three nights I was in agony. As soon as I went back to the supplements, the leg cramps disappeared.

I'm sure the bar of soap works for some, but not for someone taking statins, even if mine is red yeast rice, also a supplement.

This was mentioned by one of my clients a few weeks ago and I decided to try it since I frequently experience foot and leg cramps at night. Works well. I even tried it for menstrual cramps and definitely experienced muscle relaxation. Safer than Midol!

I have been suffering from leg cramps for 4 years now. I was prescribed Requip last year. Sometimes it worked. Last night the cramps were terrible. Went online to find a remedy and came across this site. I will try the soap. I really need a good nights sleep. So if the soap works, I will pass the word on to everyone I know. I will keep you posted.

I have had GREAT success with a few bars of soap under our bottom sheet for a couple of years now. A few weeks ago, the restless leg started again (not charlie horses, but restless leg). I thought back to what was "different", (in daily routine, food, etc.) that might have caused the restless leg to start up again. THEN I remembered that I had not changed my 2 bars of Irish Spring in a long while; I had gotten used to being RESTLESS leg symptom-free for so long a time that I just forgot about the soap.(I also have used other brands, but prefer Irish spring). I changed the soap bars and gradually the restless leg symptoms faded away to nothingness!!!

I noticed that the symptoms GRADUALLY went away when I began using the soap remedy the first time, and they GRADUALLY began again when the soap began to lose its effectiveness. I thought that it might work in reverse and take a few nights for the new soap to start working again. Yep. It was about three, maybe four nights before I noticed that I did not have symptoms any more.

My hubby did not believe me (at first) about the soap "cure"; one night he was having a really bad CHARLIE HORSE; I told him I was going to get my bar of soap from under the sheet. He asked me (between moans of pain) why I would get a bar of soap? and I told him that it works on charlie horses, also. He just laughed, as he moaned in pain. I asked him where it hurt the most and I shoved the bar of Irish Spring under his leg RIGHT where he told me the worst part of the pain was. IF I had tried counting to 10 , I would not have reached it before he stopped moaning and told me that the charlie horse had stopped! Now, HE tells his friends about the soap remedy/cure for charlie horses and restless leg syndrom.

I think it works because the ingredients in the soap have a positive charge. (I am making a guess that the potassium and magnesium and other ingredients in the soap have the positive charge.) I am also guessing that pain and other disturbances create a negative charge (not hocus pocus), but really do create some sort of negative charge, just like our body carries a negative charge, I was told.I think that touching or being near the positively charged bar of soap cancels out the negatively charged pain, etc.

Sheila Henderson, Branson, MO

I tried the Ivory soap after reading about it here. and after less than a week my leg cramps stopped!! The Tonic water with quinine helps but not as completely as SOAP:)

Don't care why. Relief.

A few years ago I purchased an over-the-counter drug called Legatrin (by Dr. Scholl's). My husband has for years had severe leg cramps, mostly at night, so he tried one tablet when he went to bed. (It called for two as a dose.) A couple hours later I pulled back the sheets and saw that he had red spots all over his body, head to toe. I thought it was an allergy to something. A few months later, he worked hard one day in construction and expected to have the leg cramps, so I gave him another dose. Again, a couple hours later I discovered he had red spots all over his body, and, he felt bad.

Seeing the doctor the next day, they were alarmed, put him in the hospital for four days, because they suspected cancer, leukemia, any number of possibilities. They said that he was bleeding into his skin and also that meant he was bleeding into other organs including his brain, lungs, etc. due to an extremely low platelet count. Every test was done, and the result was that it was none of the illnesses they suspected, but possibly a reaction to the quinine in that little tablet that caused the symptom.

He came home, his blood became normal again, and the bleeding hasn't happened since. We are now going to try the "soap between the sheets" remedy.

My son found this article about a month ago, and read it to me. I was certainly very skeptical about the results of placing the Ivory soap between the mattress and bottom fitted sheet. I have had the new fresh bar of soap in place for 3 plus weeks now.My restless legs are near 90% cured. The doctor (a rheumatologist) gave me a prescription for "Requip" in January, but I was fearful of interactions with my other pills. I honestly take about 14 prescriptions a day. I am 91 years old and I am thankful that I am getting relief from RLS. I also have fibromyalgia. I appreciate this forum on the internet where I can be educated on matters of my interest.
Thanks, Pauline

Incredible! I can't believe this! I am up right now at 1 AM because I can't sleep. i am going to the market RIGHT NOW to get some of this soap treatment. THANKS SO MUCH!!! I hope it works!

I learned about the soap under the sheet a year ago. I have had the soap there since and it works great for RLS. I didn't hear that it should be a specific kind. I use Lever and it works great. I just thought, I am gonna try it when I am sitting in my lounge chair and get restless legs. Hope it works there too.

I am 58 years old and have had RLS for quite a few years, now. (I didn't really know there was an actual medical name for it, or that anyone else had this "weird, indescribable" sensation in their legs until a drug ad came on TV a year or so ago and described it.) I would never take meds for something like this, but it can be really annoying. I am not plaqued by cramping, just this "creepy-crawly, fidgety" leg sensation.

Sometimes, in the evening, even before I lay down to sleep, I can tell that the RLS is present, and as soon as I lay down and place one ankle, foot or leg on the bar of Ivory that's tucked under the bottom sheet, the sensation goes away. I've used the Ivory for about 1 month. I am amazed, can't explain it...but it works for me!

Yes I came across an article stating to put a bar of soap in the bed for RLS. IT WORKS. I had spent many nites up walking off RLS not getting a good nite of sleep so I tried it it really works.

I had severe leg cramps and got no help from my pysician. Went online and found the soap cure, tried it and it didn't work. Went on the quinne pills and they did work. But now they are off the market so back to the soap, only this time I cut off the feet of an old pair of socks, pulled them on and put the soap in them right at the muscle above the ankle. Works like a charm! I guess my legs weren't near enough to the soap the first time I tried it. Darned if I know how it works but it does for me and I'm grateful and not dreading bedtime anymore.

Like so many others, I went through a sleep disorder clinic and was diagnosed with
RLS, restless leg syndrome, as
the cause of interrupted sleep
and given a RX for Requip.I
took it for over a month, and
I must admit, it did help.
Then I read about the bar of
soap under the bottom fitted
sheet, and I said "what do I have to lose.
That was more than 2 months
ago. IT WORKS!!!!! I don't know why, but I no longer take
Requip and I'll be cancelling
my Sept appointment with the sleep study Doctor.

More than 2 years ago, after reading about the bar of soap for RLS, at the end of the bed, I tried it. It worked. I'd used it for several months before we went to Australia for 3 weeks. I didn't think about taking the soap with me, and by the end of the trip, I was having leg movement. It went away as soon as I got home to my bed with the soap in it. I talked to my family doctor about the RLS and told him about the soap. He said it sounded like a pretty cheap and uninvasive treatment and if it worked, "Go ahead and use it."
Today, the only problem I have with RLS is in the evening when I sit and relax while watching TV. I mentioned this to my chiropractor and he suggested taking Horse Chestnut Seed. It's taken a couple of weeks, but that helps in the evening before I go to bed.

I,too have been taking RX for RLS. Sometimes 1 pill sometimes 2. I would wake up in the mornings stiff and tried even with the RX. My friend told me about the IVORY soap under the sheet. I thought she was crazy, but hey how much does a bar of soap cost and the sheets smell good. It has been about two weeks now. Not only is the RLS gone but the stiffness I felt in my hips and the cramping in my feet also have gone.

Yes, this soap under the sheet remedy totally eliminated my 3-4 times per night cramps!
When I went away for a week, and forgot to put the soap under my sheet, the awful cramps reminded me. The hotel travel soap worked fine.
After 6 months, the soap stops working and I have to replace it. The old soap can still be used for bathing..
Thanks.

My best friend told me about this soap claim about a week ago. She had been told 'anything but Ivory'. I thought maybe it was because it was 'too pure & natural'........though I've been reading a lot of Ivory testimonials, so I don't know what to believe. I laughed at the whole idea, but figured anything was worth a try, especially if it didn't need a prescription or have to be ingested. Also, it's about as cheap & harmless as you can get.

After suffering from RLS for the last 2 1/2 years AND I take Red Yeast Rice (statin) 3X a day, I immediately went to the store to purchase a bar of soap, decided on Lever 2000 w/fresh aloe scent.....smells wonderful & is smooth & oval (no sharp edges). It truly has been a miracle cure! I don't care how it works or why......it just WORKS! Anyone with RLS will agree that that's what counts.

I am 42 years old, and own a successful business. I have suffered from RLS since the age of 14. I have tried many different remedies, even resorting to beating on my thighs at night until they were numb so I might sleep. Nothing has worked with the exception of some minor relief from Hylands "Leg Cramps With Quinine" pills, of which I take many.

Last night I drifted off to sleep around 10:30 pm. I awoke suddenly at 11:30 pm, and had my typical terrible antsy feeling in my legs. I sat up in bed immediately, ready to get up and walk around, when out of frustration I grabbed my notebook and fired it up. I searched RLS, and found references to soap.

I was willing to try anything, but highly suspicious of the soap claim. My wife brought me a new bar of Zest, I opened it, rubbed it directly on my thighs, and tossed it in bed with me.

I then waited for the RLS to return with a vengeance. It did not return!!!!! This is no joke. Try it: you have nothing to lose but your RLS.

I later got up and put the soap under the bottom sheet, on top of the mattress pad, where it remains.

I have been suffering with leg and foot pain for several years. I was homing in on a sciatic problem, but never could understand all the fatigue in my feet and legs--just accepted that this was part of it. My leg muscles constantly twitch and flutter, and I have spent a small fortune seeking some relief.

Finally, fed up the other night due to lack of sleep, I typed in twitchy leg muscles as a search on the computer, and all the RLS links popped up. Every symptom fits for me! I cannot believe that a doctor has NEVER even suggested that as a possibility, although I have been seeking help from an orthopedist.

To make a long story short, silly as I felt, I ran out and bought several bars of Ivory soap. The first night I sat and rubbed a bar on my pulsing legs while watching TV. I felt a little relief, but was convinced that I had only wished it better! Then I placed 3 bars across the bottom of the mattress, and still had a lot of energy in my legs, but not drawing and throbbing. I got through the first night without midnight stretches and pressure point relief. Last night, I was giddy as I climbed in bed with my Ivory, and had a relatively pain-free night.

Tonight is night three, and I am AMAZED and soooooo grateful. I will pass this remedy on to everyone I know!!!!! I could own a chunk of Ivory stock with all the money I have spent on trying to find a pain cure....SOAP??????

A bar of soap? I didn't believe it. I suffered with leg and rib cramps so debilitating that I was often only able to crawl to the bathtub, where a VERY HOT epsom-salts soak would help.

After reading your column, though, I thought, "Try it, what do you have to lose?" I put the soap at the bottom of my bed, and I also put two 'hotel' sized ones in the area of my upper rib cage. I even put small used pieces in my bra.

Today is day 37. NOT ONE CRAMP, LEG OR RIBCAGE! I am a true believer.

I cannot attest to the efficacy of the bar of soap method, but can for selenium supplementation. It helps every time.

I have leg cramps seldom, but do have a problem with hand cramps, especially while driving. The cramps take place in my fingers & thumb. They are difficult to work out. Will the soap help these cramps ?

My husband told me about the soap; I didn't believe it, but when I had a cramp in the middle of the night I went and fished a new bar of soap out of the drawer. (He had heard you could use anything except Dial and Dove.) Mine was Lever 100. Worked instantly. I am dumbfounded, but thrilled.

I read an article about putting soap under the bottom sheet to cure leg cramps. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. When I told my wife I intended to try it, she thought I'd lost my mind.
I am in my 50's and have been suffering severe leg cramps during the night. The only thing that relieves them is to get up and walk them out.

I put a bar of soap under the bottom sheet on my bed. It didn't prevent leg cramps, but may have reduced the frequency. When I did get a leg cramp, I positioned my leg over the bar of soap, and within a few minutes the cramp was gone. I have done this again and again and it works every time. I am truly amazed. I've got to find out WHY this works. Thanks for helping me sleep at night.

A BAR OF SOAP FOR NIGHT LEG CRAMPS

IT WORKS! IT WORKS!
It was so nice last night not having been jolted awake by that sudden leg cramp!

WHY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
During World War II, drafted inductees, who did not want to serve in the military, would put a bar of soap under each arm before they were examined by the service doctor. This would raise their temperature giving a false reading indicating they had a fever. So apparently the skin ingests some substance of the soap causing the blood vessels to dilate allowing more blood, heat and nourishment to the leg muscles. Or possibly, the Potassium in the soap is ingested directly to the muscle. Potassium is important in nerve function and in influencing osmotic balance between cells and the interstitiual fluid.

osmotic pressure…the pressure exerted by a solvent passing through a semipermeable membrane [skin] osmosis.

WE KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT OURSELVES!
Ps:139:14: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

I have occasionally had RLS and have successfully cured it by exercising on a regular basis. Sometimes I have leg cramps too and suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia.... I will try the soap, I am so excited. Thanks to all who took the time to write....

I laughed when my brother told me about the soap for leg cramps. I was getting leg cramps (charley horses) & foot cramps really bad; up & down all night. Only had A new bar of Dove, put it under my sheet , haven't had a cramp in a month.

I had hesitated to try the bar of soap for my leg cramps, but finally two newspaper doctor columns (yours was one of them) mentioned it the very same day.
So I decided to give it a try, but not tell anyone, because I just knew it wouldn't work.
Surprise! It worked! Until one night it didn't, but the next morning I discovered the bar had slipped down to the side of the bed without my knowing. This sort of proved to me that it wasn't all in my head. The bar of soap really works! At home I use my regular Irish Spring, and by the time the bar in the shower needs replacing, I take the bar that's been in the bed, move it to the shower and put a new bar in the bed.
When travelling I find that the small hotel bars also work.
I've even gotten up the nerve to tell other people about it.

I have been doing the bar of soap trick for over two years. No more neck pain.

Senior from Salem, S. C.

My back has given me problems for many years, and for the past 2-3 months, I've awakened every morning with pain and muscle cramps (or spasms?) in my lower back, sometimes so bad that I had real difficulty rolling over and getting out of bed. I keep my Advil very handy, and have been taking 4 Advil every single morning just so that I could function. After listing to Joe and Terry talk about the soap trick so many times, I decided to try it, thinking that if it would help leg muscle cramps, why not back muscle cramps? Three days of sleeping with the soap = three days of no back pain, and no Advil! Crazy, but it seems to work.

I read about the soap for leg cramps on your website yesterday. Last night I tried it for the first time. I have sciatica and my left leg and foot pain seems more like nerve pain than muscle pain. I felt it twitching, put the soap directly on my leg, and it stopped. No getting up and walking around until the cramping stopped. AMAZING! I used an old bar of Zest and Dial right from my shower. Tonight it goes under the bottom sheet for additional testing.

I suffered from horrible leg cramps for a long time. After reading about the soap, I tried it, and IT WORKED GREAT!!! No leg cramps for me anymore. I tell everyone I can about this remedy.

I have been using 2 bars of Ivory soap every night for the past two years. At first my husband laughed at me, but after noticing that I wasn't waking him up as much he quieted down. =)

I have terrible cramps due to my arthritis and fibromyalgia. I find that if I have a bout and I rub the bar over the cramp, it's gone in minutes. So much better than dealing with the cramp for sometimes days.

I use two bars, as one always finds the other side of bed, end of bed or falls off the edge of bed at least one night a week. (I put mine right against me--not under another layer of sheets.) I have two in the nightstand for the nights that I have several cramps in different parts of my body--shin, knee, arm and back. I also have two bars at work to help if I have a cramp. (I go to the bathroom, if I can walk, to use them, or sneak it under my pant leg, or wrap it with an ace wrap.) =)

What a relief! This silly trick with the soap seems to be working! It's been about a month since my last agonizing, have-to-walk-it-off foot/leg cramp. Offering a thought as to why it works--it seems the soap slides around a bit down there, so when I sense a cramp coming on, I have to locate that bar and manuever it into position. That little game of footsy with the soap provides the relief, and I find the fragrance released by the soap is relaxing. Right now, I'm using Camay. I look forward to trying a lavender-scented brand next! Thanks!

An unwrapped bar of Ivory soap under the bottom sheet near the feet. AMAZING! I think it works. I have suffered in agony for years. Leaping out of bed on rigid, pointed toes 7 and 8 times or more some nights. I have fallen in the dark and hit my head, because I couldn't get my feet flat on the floor. I have fallen asleep standing up, bent over my bed. The cramps get so bad it feels like a dog has it's teeth clenched into my thighs and calves. Drinking vinegar solution used to help. But lately, even that horrible mixture hasn't worked. I've done the quinine thing. Clonazipam. Sleeping meds. Soma. Prescription anti-spasmodics. Every vitamin, mineral and homeopathic remedy imaginable. I was about to go totally crazy. I had tried the soap thing to no avail. But my neighbor insisted I try Ivory bar soap, and give it more than one night. I HAVE SLEPT WITHOUT CRAMPING FOR 3 NIGHTS NOW. Can't wait to go to bed and see if it's a fluke, or if I really am getting relief. Stay tuned.

I tried your remedy of putting a bar of soap under my sheet. That night I had no severe leg cramps, but had to quit using it, because it gave me an allergic reaction with severe petechiae on both lower legs. (I had not used anything or taken any new medications.) I used the same soap I bathe with, but I do have sensitivity to some soaps. It did nothing for my RLS which I have all day, not just a night. Is there a specific brand I should use? By the way, I am also a retired RN, who does believe in alternative treatments.

I wake up with cramps on both legs, but my main problem is the irritating prickling sensations on both feet, for which I take "gabapentin 800mg" with some relief. Gabapentin does not help the cramping on my legs. Will try the Ivory Soap suggestion.

Will let you know.

I told my sister that she had been drinking too much, but I was told that this really works. My wife suffers from RLS and this will be her next trial remedy.

You folks are ridiculous, superstitious and ignorant.

Soap. You should be renewing your subscriptions to Weekly World News and readers digest.

It's no dumber than supply side economics or our current foreign policy though.

God help us all.

I read with interest the pros and cons from readers that tossed the idea about of soap under the sheet. My husband, a brittle diabetic and a cancer survivor with many arthritis problems, decided to try our Irish Spring soap under our sheet and even when we traveled. Why? It works! His restless legs ease off and he is able to sleep without the leg pain. I was a harder sell, but it did actually work for me also.

I am interested in the comment I read with regard to arthritic animals... I bet it does work for them also... being as we humans have domesticated them so much. I shall tell my daughter about it for her aged dog.

Thank you for the "gem" of information that has given us many better nights of rest! And yes, it does work! So far I have not found a doctor that can tell me why, but I sure tell everyone to read about it in your column. Thanks!

I have fibromyalgia and am having a bad night. So, surfing the web to keep my mind occupied, and ended up here. I don't have RLS, tho do get charley horse. ANYWAY, was reading about the soap. I have severe lower back pain, one thing that's keeping me awake right now. I thought, what the heck, maybe it will help my back. I tucked a bar of Irish Spring, the only bar soap I have right now, between the band of my PJ bottoms and the aching place on my back. I feel better!! Honestly!! Of course I cannot lie down with it tucked there, but I will sit here and surf a bit longer, then remove it and try to sleep again. I'm really not making this up. I am going to report this to my FM group in the AM if it continues to work.
This is so strange. Thanks for the 'inspiration'.

I think that the person who wrote in that "You folks are ridiculous, superstitious and ignorant" is a hypocrite. Superstitious is "a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge". The comment was obviously made without practical experience or knowledge, so it is a superstition that simple remedies can't work.

Just because the science is not yet known does not mean it doesn't work.

Thanks for the ivory soap recommendation. I have been using an olive oil-based soap for years, and it works. I buy the homemade soap, but if ivory does it too, I will try that.

Great article, people laugh but it does work.

I am 44 yrs old & have been having nightly leg cramps now for 5-6 months. Sunday night was so bad, I barely slept. I went to the Dr. on Monday & he suggested stretching & drinking more water. I read this web site Monday night & put a bar of Lever 1000 soap in my bed. Have not had a single leg cramp in 2 nights. Thanks everyone for posting here. Very helpful suggestions.

Soap under the sheet worked for me. Maybe it is in the mind, but I have no more aches. Told doctor, requested he not laugh. He didn't. Stated the mind is a marvelous thing. Thank you for a good night of sleep for the past 2 months.

I tried the bar of soap and it seemed to work, but it was like a big lump in the bed and sometimes I hit my ankle bone on it.

I found a product called CrampArrest Pouch online for about 12 dollars total at www.cramparrest.com. Same concept, I guess, but only a small flat packet that I don't even notice under the bottom sheet anymore. Lasts me about 5 or 6 months. Even comes in scents with essential oils that can help with other things like arthritis, gout or insomnia.

I love it and would never go back to using the lump of soap in the bed!

Over a period of 2 or 3 years I went from a leg cramp every month or so to 3 or 4 times a week. My wife and I had read about the soap idea and she suggested that maybe it was the lump that was the "cure". She made a small pillow for me (about 16in. long, 6in. wide and 2in. thick) and I make sure it is under my knees when I get into bed. I haven't had a leg cramp in over two years except for the one time we vacationed without the pillow and on the third night I got a cramp. This may be an alternate solution for some people.

As a nurse, I scoffed at the idea of soap under the sheets for leg pain. My pain is mostly foot pain after working. I would moan in agony with my feet. I had read the articles in the paper and laughed.

Then an 83-year-old patient told me she used soap under the sheets and it works. So I thought, "What do I have to lose trying?". I went home that night, slipped a bar of Zest under the sheet and have not removed it since.

Did it work? Something did as my feet no longer hurt when I hit the bed. By the way, my cat now sleeps very close to the spot where the soap is located. Perhaps she is receiving some benefit from it too.

When I told a doctor at the hospital where I work about the soap, he laughed and said something critical and medical. Maybe he won't like the idea of someone not seeing a doctor and not taking un-needed medicine?

Quinine is readily available in the grocery store--tonic water contains it, and solves my leg cramps. When I mentioned that to my doctor, she said, "Some of my patients are having trouble getting quinine--I'll tell them about tonic water, because you're right--quinine is there."

I have suffered from RLS for a few years. I have taken several different types of RXs for this dreaded disorder. Since I hate taking medication, I am going to give the soap a try. I stopped taking the medication because I didn't care for the various side effects it was having on my body. So, as most of you may know, the RLS is back and worse than ever before. I will let you know if this helps.

I've had RLS for years and get total relief by rubbing Vicks on the bottom of my feet at bedtime. This has worked for 6 mos. with only 1 relapse.

I read the column on the bar of soap to cure leg cramps and thought well, why not--I have the soap, there's no drug interaction, and if it doesn't work I can put the bar back in the bath. Well, hurray! After jumping out of bed in the middle of the night with cramps in my legs and the top of my feet all the time, and tonic with quinine had not worked, low and behold--it worked--I've not had cramps in my feet and legs for the 4 months since I did it. If I start feeling one coming I reach for the soap under my feet and move it around until my foot rests on it--then I go back to sleep. Thank you so much!

I don't believe in copper bracelets and such but I keep a bar of soap (Dove) in a sock under my pillow and when I feel the need I put it between my knees and I don't kick my wife out of bed. It's a great remedy to a lifetime problem.

My husband does a lot of walking and got bad leg cramps every night when he went to bed. I read an article in the newspaper about putting a bar of soap at the foot of the bed for relief of leg cramps. I told my husband about it and he thought it was nuts, but just the same I put the bar of soap at the foot of the bed, and it has remained there ever since.

My husband has not had a leg cramp since, we do not know why this works but it has. I have read several articles concerning this remedy and the doctors have no explanation. And the lady that said she controls her leg cramps and thinks the soap is just a matter of suggestion is incorrect in my opinion due to my husband's pessimism when I put the soap in the bed. Bet my husband would not consider my removing the soap now. He has not had a leg cramp for 2 years now.

I have been using the soap for leg cramps for a year and can't believe the relief. Heard about it from a family member who heard it from a nurse.

My husband laughs and scoffs, but he doesn't have me waking him to rub my calves anymore either.

My husband's jerking movements have kept me awake for years. Whenever I need a good night's sleep I ask him to sleep in the guest room. We have tried this remedy for 2 nights and it seems to work (for both of us). Thanks to all who wrote about their experiences, Without your comments I would not have even tried it because it sounds so silly.

My wife is trying it right now. I'll let you know how it works. She gets cramps in her legs. Is that the same as restless legs??

Okay, I admit I was a skeptic on this one. I'm all for natural remedies whenever possible, but soap under the sheets? No way. Well, consider me a changed woman. I've had off and on bouts of RLS for awhile and two nights ago I had a particularly troublesome bout. Then I thought, what about the soap remedy... what do I have to lose? So, out came a bar I'd gotten during a recent hotel stay. I popped it under the sheet just as is and within 5 minutes, no more problem. I went right back to sleep. I don't think it was a fluke because my episodes usually last for quite a bit. This was almost immediate. Thank you, Graedons!

I think I have RLS. My legs cramp up in the shin, toes, calf--EVERYWHERE! I get the little movements in the legs and then I know they are coming. I won't sleep much. I've tried the tonic water, vitamins and the soap once. I think I will try another bar or two! Epsom salt bath seem to help alot.

I have gone to my dr. who has only offered me some horrible sleeping pills--I tried them once and woke up feeling like a zombie for another 4 hours! I have had bloodwork and all is normal. I am ready to go back and ask for more tests. I seem to get the onset of attacks when I exercise. I do very high intensity work-outs usually two hours almost daily. The only way to get them to stop is to not work out for a week or so.

Sometimes they go away for a while but always return!

Please help!!

My little dog's legs jerk at night. She is on medication and her legs are getting worse. Would Ivory soap do the same for her as humans? Let me know. la

This is the most amazing remedy I have ever used. My son is taking a medication, benztropine, for pacing. For two years he has paced through our apartment at least 200, yes! 200, times a day! After reading this and trying it my son immediately stopped! I ws sitting at the computer still reading info on this site and realized he hadn't been up to "just walk". He also had a problem with RLS while sleeping, to the point where he flings himself off the bed! It really, really WORKS! Thanks so much for this site!

I will try this when I get some soap. I just put my last bar in the shower. My mom tried it last night & it worked for her.

I have suffered from leg cramps and rls since 1998. I have taken quinine and many Dr. remedies. I tried the dial blue with a wonderful fragrance, and I have not had leg cramps or rls in three months. The other night I started to cramp in my toes and when I checked, my soap was on the floor after my husband changed the sheets. I replaced it and the cramps are gone. Thank God and who ever thought of this.

I just found out that I was having a baby. And I went to my DR. and told him I was having really bad leg cramps, but before I found out that I was having a baby, they were still there. So I will try it. Hope it works. I am really tired.=)

I too have RLS, and use the soap under the sheets. I have found that Ivory soap does not usually work. I am not sure why, but I can use other soaps, and they work just fine.

I suffered from severe leg cramps and used the soap under the sheet to relieve the cramps. I mentioned this to my doctor, who recommended taking a 600 Mg. Calcium Plus D daily. Guess what? I have not had a leg cramp for over 6 months.

I was suffering from RLS for the last two years. Whenever I used to go for sleep, the cramps started to creep in my legs like anything. I tried all the supplements like cal., Mg., vitamin E and whatnot, but there was no relief as such. Then one day I just opened this site and read about the bar of soap. I told everyone at home but all laughed at me saying how could one soap cure RLS. But I did not listen to anyone and just opened one white soap and kept it under the sheet of my bed, and BELIEVE me that was the first night I could sleep without cramps. Thanks a lot once again. And for those who are just thinking to try this miracle medicine.... GO AHEAD... and TRY IT NOW.

I am a 27-year-old who was recently diagnosed with RLS. Funny, my 85-year-old grandmother mentioned she had read something about soap and muscle cramps in the paper--we all thought she was senile! I should know better than to doubt Gran, right?!

I'll be trying this tonight for sure *fingers crossed.*

Also--I suffer from cramps in my feet and legs, but the sensation I have is best described as a small "pulse" or "twitch" all over my legs from knee to foot. Mostly the back of my legs. The sensation is inconsistent and "pops up" all over my legs, but is persistent throughout the night. Sometimes if I touch my leg, I can actually feel it on my hand. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Best,
Christina

I had terrible foot cramps, especially at night. My friend suggested that I put a bar of soap in a sock and put the sock on my foot so the bar of soap was on the bottom of my foot. IT WORKS! Yes, I was also a skeptic but it really does work!

I have PLMD and restless legs and have had them for years. I tried the bar of soap technique, and it did not work for me. What works best for me is taking 250mg of magnesium at bedtime.

I am 83 yrs old. I have been using soap under my sheet for my leg cramps for about 2 years since I read about it in your column in the Senior Spectrum. Works great. I started having pains in my right thumb to my elbow (too much computer usage) and started holding a small bar of hotel soap and find relief there too. I put the soap under my upper arm area when I go to bed, too. Works for me.

I was talking to a lady at the grocery store a couple of months ago and mentioned I had not slept well because of RLS. I had this horrible feeling in my legs that made me feel like I had to continually move them to find a comfortable positon for them. I was also having leg cramps at night in the calves of my legs that hurt so bad I had to get up and walk them out. In the morning my legs would be so sore from the night cramps.

I thought the soap story was a little far-fetched, but decided to give it a try. Didn't feel good after taking Requip. Since then I have tried Ivory and Irish Spring, and both have worked wonderfully. I don't care how it works, I just know it does. A couple of nights when my soap had fallen down beside the bed into the floor I had the restless legs back again. I just toss them under my covers and it works almost immediately for me. I'll always have a bar of soap in my bed and I tell everyone that complains of RLS about this extremely cheap remedy. It's great!!!

I have tried many home remedies, and this is the first that is absolutely effective! I have always experienced moderate to severe leg and feet cramps, more recently RLS. I read your Ivory soap remedy, have used it for nearly two years and have had only a few cramps which lasted only a minute or two until I got the soap on my leg/foot and NO RLS! This is an amazing home remedy....no exaggeration, no kidding!!!!

I read in a newspaper column about the soap under the bottom sheet for legs cramps. At the time I was taking Quinine capsules every night that took care of the cramps. When I could no longer get the Quinine, I tried the soap (Dial) and it works great!! Now my husband has a bar in his bed because he had been getting bad leg cramps since before we were married, over 45 years ago. We both swear by it but have no idea why it works. It just does, and that is all that matters to us.

I did the experiment with Ivory soap and the microwave with my students today. I'm going to use the fluff that resulted from it and put it under my bottom sheet in a mesh bag. I too have leg cramps and can't wait to see if it works.

It's a placebo, it only will work if you believe it will. My mother-in-law told my wife to try it, and I told my wife it's just a placebo, if she wants to try it, wait until I'm not expecting it. She waited a few weeks (I had forgotten all about it), slipped it in there, and I still suffered from leg cramps.

But I guess if you don't believe in it, it won't work either.

I read this article and went home and told my spouse about the remedy. He had vey bad leg cramps that would get him out of the bed screaming at night. I put the soap in the bed even though he stated you believe everything you read. Well, it made a believer out of him. It has been about seven weeks, and he has only had one episode, and he put his foot on the soap, and he stated that the pain went away much faster. He now tells everyone about the soap in the bed.

Well let me tell you the soap works great.If I stay over night somewhere else I take my soap. Now let me tell you, my 14 year old dog took over my soap. Yep she did. So now I have 3 bars across my bed. If it helps her as it did me. I am so happy.

I have had leg cramps at night for many years. I read about soap in my local paper. I tried it, and I have not had any cramps since. I don't know why but it works. I no longer jump out of bed with severe leg cramps.

I am amazed, albeit skeptical, about the soap for RLS. But I have it and so does my 4 year old son. He has had it since he was 6 months old. I have taken him to many doctors including a pediatric neurologist who wants to put him on those Parkinson’s meds! But they are all untested on kids so I said no way… but we have nights where he is screaming all night begging me “mommy please make my legs stop!” It is heart breaking that there is nothing I can do. NOW I will try the soap method! I have zero to lose, right?!! Can’t be any safe method for a 4 year old, that is for sure! I would love to know the physiological and chemical reasons WHY it works….
Thx!

Like so many others, I also laughed at the thought of a bar of soap relieving leg cramps! !A sister insisted I at least try it without scoffing. To humor her, I put a bar of Tone soap under my sheet. She was right!!!!! Soap really works and I too push it around to touch where the cramps are worse. Never again will I be without my "Bed-buddy", and I keep a bar of some soap in my suitcase for traveling. Such a relief, and peace at night!!!

I just had the worst night of my life with leg cramps and will try the soap. Anything is better than that pain.

I am also an insulin dependent diabetic and that creates problems with taking some herbal remedies. One light in the tunnel.

My cardiologist has sent a prescription for quinine to a Canadian pharmacy for me. That has always worked in the past, but since they took it off the market the cramps are back. Hopefully that will arrive soon and with the soap, I'll finally get some sleep.

I just started having calf cramps at night and my friend Heidi turned me on to this remedy. I laughed at her at first, but when I was jolted up from sleep at 4a.m. with a cramp, I decide to use the soap the following night. It worked!! Don't ask me how, but I've had restful nights since!

I am 7 months pregnant and been plauged with leg cramps at night. I tried everything that was suggested, more water, more fruits and veggies with potassium, sitting down more, standing up more, stretching. Nothing was working. Then I read to put the bar of soap under my sheets. IT WAS A MIRACLE! I have not had a muscle cramp since. If my calves start to feel like they are tightening, I just put my leg directly on the bar of soap, and they relax. I don't know what it is but it WORKS. I have gotten a full nights sleep everynight since! Thank you for the remedy!

This really does work! My mom used to take valium to sleep but now she's all soap :) However, soap doesn't cut it for me, even in my sock, I use menthol gel.

I had surgery on my right foot. Since then I have pain at night when I overdo during the day. It hurt so bad I had to get up out of bed and walk around for a few minutes, sometimes the pain went away some times not. I read about the soap treatment and had some Irish Spring in the house. It works great, when the pain starts at night I put the soap on my foot and instant relief. I don't know if it is in your mind or not, but it sure works. Thank you so much.

We have been using a bar of soap for 3 or 4 years. I have told many people about it. My stepson came in from hunting with a terrible leg cramp; I gave him a bar of soap and told him to put it over the cramp,. His comment as the cramp went away,'I"ll be damned!' Thank God for home remedies!

I too was a skeptic, but my toes were cramping almost every night. I put a bar of ivory soap under the bottom sheet...and I'm telling you the truth! It works!! Don't know how it works, but at this point, I don't care how, but it just does. What have you got to loose? You loose those night cramps, that's what you loose!

I have a muscle condition and arthritis, with a lot of leg & lower back pain. I tried the Ivory soap. It HELPS!! It can't hurt to try it!

In reviewing posts, it is evident that soap doesn't work for everyone and some have to use it in different ways for maximum effectiveness. If it DOES work, you may want to play around with different options to determine your minimum cure requirements.

I was awakened nearly every night with creepy-crawlies, twitches or itching in my legs. Tried the soap thing, and it worked for me.

With time and experimentation, I learned that I don't need a full size bar of soap (love those flat hotel soaps!), that wrapped is fine, that my feet don't need to directly touch the soap, and that the soap's effectiveness wears off after a few months.

And every month my cleaning lady takes my bar of soap off the mattress and lays it on the nightstand when she makes my bed. I'm sure she thinks I'm nuts!

My mom told me to put a bar of soap under my sheets about 15 years ago when I was pregnant and having leg cramps. I laughed and thought she was crazy for suggesting such a thing! For the past year or so, I've had RLS. My mother-in-law gave me your book, and it also suggested to use a bar of soap for either RLS or leg cramps. I'm the crazy one here, I should have tried it 15 years ago! It has stopped all of my symptoms of these syndromes! It was a little hard to get used to that lump of soap in the bed, but once you realize what it is, you won't be bothered by it and you will definately miss it when it slips out of the bed by mistake! I urge everyone to try it. Really....what have you got to lose? Once it wears out of the healing properties (2-3 months) it is still very usable as just plain old soap. You can still come clean with it. Good luck to everyone that gives it a try!

I have suffered from RLS and cramps behind my knees that cause my legs to twist at night for the last 7-8 years. I was told 27 days ago about the soap remedy. The RLS and cramps stopped immediatly when I put an Irish Spring bar at the foot of my bed. It also has helped my 13 yr old dog's stiff joints--she has her own bar. I have myelodysplastic syndrome and severe anemia so I assumed I would have to just live with the leg problems. Why does this work and who discovered it?

I saw your program on PBS and tried the soap. I used a small piece of soap about the size of a business card and thick as a pencil. It worked great!

I use the soap for restless legs. I don't put it under the sheet, but hold it in my hand. If I wake up during the night and don't have my soap, I find it and go back to sleep or put it under my pillow. While traveling, I picked up the small size soaps and wrapped them in Saran Wrap so as to avoid getting the soap smell on my hands. It works!

Rather severe leg cramps most nights that seem to come in waves, starting as soon as I got in bed. Soap thing absolutely useless, unless using a bar to massage the muscle/tendon out. Doubt any property in the soap, however. I will have to go the route of eliminating a lot of the niacin I got from supplements, back to tea rather than coffee, more calcium. AND, if all else fails, tell my nerologist I need to up my dosage of Neurontin/gabapentin from 1,500 mg daily (only 300 mg before bed) to another 300 mg unless/until I get this under control some other way. (I am on the Rx as I have tortocollis, totally relieved once on gabapentin 11 years ago... bless you Dr. George Paulson of Ohio State Medical Center).

I have MS and recently had two back surgeries within three weeks. The pain of the muscles and nerves healing, in addition to the MS, is causing severe leg cramps, especially at night. My family doctor told me to try the soap under the sheets; he has other patients that swear by it. The only explanation he could give as to why it works - you're moving that bar every time your feet touch it, even though you are asleep and not aware of it. This gentle movement keeps the blood flowing in your legs and prevents the cramps. His only other suggestion was to pick a bar that smelled good! Well, I tried it - it works! Sometimes the simplest remedies are the best!!

Sorry guys..

I tried this. In fact I was so excited that I could stop with the Mirapex I went out and bought every brand of soap mentioned.

night 1 - 1 bar of Dove didnt work. Back to Mirapex

night 2 - 2 bars of soap. 2 different brands. Didnt work. Mirapex again

every night since - placed 1/2 dozen bars of soap down there...Nothing...still taking mirapex

I read somewhere that leg cramps are caused by magnesium deficiency. I started taking 400 mg magnesium citrate every night before bed, and the leg cramps disappeared. I also slept better and didn't feel as achy when I woke up. Magnesium is cheap and safe, but apparently will give you diarrhea if you take a lot at once. Because of this, it is advised that you take the citrate and gluconate forms instead of the elemental form, because they're more easily absorbed so you don't have to take as much. I really hope this helps someome.

I suffer from RLS. I was taking requip, however, after a few days it interfered with my sleep. i could not sleep. i have read your comments on the bar of soap, so I put a bar in my bed. I am so sleep deprived, I can't stand it. I am willing to try anything. This can drive you nuts with that creepy crawling feeling and I think it is trying to spread to my arms. So wish me luck, I will let you know how it works. Thanks!!!!!

I am using the bar of soap and it has stopped leg cramps.
I am 84.one never knows what makes miracles

I work in a physical therapy clinic and recently discussed my RLS symptoms with a PT here. He explained HOW the bar of soap works: If you are laying on any hard bump inder your legs, it is putting pressure on the muscles/nerves in and around the back of your knee. This blocks the neurotransmitters from telling your muscles to contract, thus eliminating the urge to move. It could be anything hard that is about the size of a bar of soap, such as a 1 pound weight. Beyond that, look up the word "psychosomatic".

A pregnant friend said her doctor said her leg cramps were from a lack of potassium and to eat a banana a day.

I found that soap under the sheet helped somewhat, but since having a banana a day, I've only had mild leg cramps once in the past 2 weeks. Previously I had them several times a night.

Yesterday morning at 4:30 a.m., I turned to the internet to try to find a solution to the problem that was causing me to spend my days sleep deprived. I had been having severe leg cramps (charley horses, really) for more than a week.

This wasn't happening just once per night, but more like once every hour after the first deep hour or two of sleep. Some I could stretch out by just jumping out of bed and pushing my heels down while leaning over. Others required stretching and then walking, before they'd calm back down enough for me to not have to actively work to control them.

I was in pain, exhausted and my borderline high blood pressure was high. I came across this website and figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. It didn't make any sense, but I was desperate. I put a couple bars of soap under the sheet and went back to bed. I slept for 1.5 hours and when I woke up, it wasn't with a painful charley horse. I thought it was interesting, but wasn't convinced it was anything but coincidence. Last night I left the soap under the sheet and put some small bars inside my knee socks. I slept better than I have in a very long time.

I did feel the beginning of a cramp in one leg, so I put another bar in the sock near the cramping muscle. It never developed into a full fledged charley horse. As an added benefit, my blood pressure is in the normal range this morning. Most mornings, I can see erratic twitches all over my calf muscles. That isn't happening this morning. I don't normally post on websites, but as a long time sufferer, I wanted to let others know that this whacky cure seems to have worked for me.

What a surprise to read your column in the Asbury Press on August 5th. I have suffered from RLs and leg cramps for years. I was taking something but quinine and it helped.

2 years ago I was attending a workshop on homeopathic medicine and asked whether there was a homeopathic remedy. The person giving the workshop had no remedy, but someone attending the workshop had just read an article about putting a bar of soap under the bedsheet. no one there ( a mix of health care professionals ) had ever heard of this approach, but the woman who spoke up also said that she had been using it for a month and it stopped her cramping.

We were staying in a hotel for a series of workshops and a convention. The only soap that was available was the bar of hotel soap, which I put in the bed that night. It worked.

for 2 years I have slept with a bar of soap. It doesn't seem to matter what brand. I do change it periodically. I have never been able to find anyone else who ever heard of this remedy until now. I have recommended it to friends who have tried it and it has worked for some and not others. some have said it is a placebo effect.

I don't care because my sleepness and uncomfortable nights have stopped. Does anyone have any idea WHY it works???? I was so delighted to read your column and all the testimonials, just because it affirms something I have been doing with success.
Thanks and if anyone has an explanation, I would be interested to hear it.
Sincerely
Cathie S.

I had foot surgery and my foot and legs would get terrible cramps.I found your site and bought 2 bars of Irish spring soap.I do not know how it works but I have not had cramps since using the soap treatment. I just told my granddaughter about this when she started to complain about leg cramps. The best part is you can use the soap in the bathroom when you replace it every couple of months, how is that for recycling.

I heard it had to be zest and that is what I am using to get rid of terrible ankle, foot and leg cramps. I have been cramp free for almost 2 months thanks to zest.

A terrible sensation in the legs that my mother describes as fidgety. I describe it as sleepless nights of torture.There is only one bit of relief for me (although it does not seem to work for my 82 year old mother} & that is the bar of soap.

My wife slipped a bar under the sheets without my knowledge & you know the rest of the story.
The brand does not seem to matter but it does need refreshed every few months.

Every once in a while I will awake with the "fidgety" legs & realize that MY Bar OF Soap has slipped from under my sheets & onto the floor. Find it, put it back & good-night.
Thank-you Soapmakers

I have fibromyalgia and RLS, but even worse than the RLS was the constant foot, calf & thigh cramps. They were excrutiating and the only thing that helped at all was hobbling to the shower in the middle of the night and spraying water as hot as I could stand it for about 5-10 minutes.

Tried the potassium and other supposed helps but nothing worked. So,when a friend told me about the "soap in the bed" thing I thought it was the craziest thing I'd ever heard. But desperation won out over my jaded view of anything so simple and cheap and so that very night I tried it...not 1 cramp.

I felt it was just a fluke and that surely the 2nd night the cramps would return. Well, it's been over 2 weeks and NOT 1 CRAMP ANYWHERE! I am still in shock that this really works....doesn't just help alleviate cramps...it virtually eliminates them entirely. It's been such a novelty thatit took me a whole week before I realized I also had not had 1 bout of RLS.

Two for one...all with 1 little bar of soap! Moral of story..it pays to keep an open mind even when you are inclined to be very skeptical.
S. Kittoe

I to have leg cramps in my left leg and was told about the soap. I placed it unopened under my sheets and have had no cramps since.

In desperation I tried the soap under my sheets, it really works for me. I use Ivory soap and when my legs start to get restless I replace the bar. A bar usually last 2 or 3 months. I was drinking tonic water before that and while it did help it was never as good as this. I also had hip pain when I started the soap, which the Dr said was sciatica, and it no longer bothers me.

I am a 42 year old male.
I took a fall from the top of a truck two years ago. LOTS of LEG PAIN for 2 years. My mother in law told me about putting IVORY soap in the bed.
NO MORE LEG PAIN!!! I can not say enough about this.
TRY IT !

For quite a while my legs had an uncomfortable feeling, didn't hurt, but I felt I had to keep moving them. I put a bar of Caress under my sheet and it worked wonderfully. The last month every evening when I sat in my recliner to watch TV the inside of my right leg would have a tingling, burning sensation. After I went to bed, with my soap, it quit and would not start again until the next evening. Thanks for passing this wonderful cheap answer along.

I was having leg cramps with increasing frequency and attributed it to the statins I was taking to reduce cholesterol, although my doctor said "no." I went on a cruise and was getting the cramps more frequently, probably because of the restricted bed area.

A fellow traveler told me he had read about the soap cure (a bar under the bottom sheet) in a medical column in Florida. Sounded crazy, but I said, "Why not?" Tried it, and the frequency of the cramps was reduced. When I got home I continued to try it and now after a week, I haven't had a single episode.

I suffered from the Restless Leg also and it drove me crazy. A friend of mine told me about the soap but to put it in my socks and I tried it after several nights of this and it worked. If I hadn't tried it I wouldn't have believed it either. Try it what do you have to lose?

I jump out of bed at about 3am each morning with excruciating leg cramps. I tried the quinine route, the tonic water, etc. to no avail. I heard about the soap remedy a few days ago. I tried it (Dial) one night. Didn't work. Will try Ivory and give it a few nights more.
I'll try ANYTHING at this point.

My arthritis made me sleep in a recliner, so I couldn't use my soap for cramps any more. I tried rubbing a dry bar of ivory on my dry legs after showering, and found it effective. I have also had trouble, sometimes debilitating, with neck muscle cramps, so I rubbed them too. No more cramps! People laugh and tell me it's placebo effect. I say "Who cares? It works!" Thanks for the tips. --H Miller

I have suffered from RLS since my teens. I have tried Requip and clonazepam. Both helped, but I felt doped after waking. Now I take Horse Chestnut extract and have had great results.

75 years old
For years I have had leg cramps. I also have developed a urinary problem (4-5 times a night).
Finally one night I couldn't straighten up my legs to walk to the bathroom. Accident.
I found out about the People's Pharmacy and the bar of soap. In over a year I have only had about 5 mild cramp.
THANKS

My husband has suffered from rls for years and in the last year it has been constant day and night. Whenever he would sit or lie down the rls would start and he would start pacing the floor. He has tried all the medications available. Early on they helped but eventually stopped. I had heard about taking magnesium but since we had been to numerous doctors and specialist never tried it.

Last week I gave him some as a last resort as he had been up for days and was crying out of frustration. I had a bottle of magnesium citrate I had bought for $1.25 at the dollar store. He slept from 2am till 4pm the next day. That was 8 days ago. I have been giving him about 2 tsp. 2x aday. It's a miracle. Magnesium is a laxative so experiment with dosage. I have read that many people are magnesium deficient and that blood work does not tell if you are deficient on the cellular level. I hope this works for others as I know the torture my husband has lived through. Good luck and God Bless.

Unfortunately I can't find the original article that all these comments are referring to, but obviously it's not too difficult to get the gist of the idea of how to do this "soap remedy".

I don't have RLS, and don't *routinely* get leg cramps, but I do get either mild cramps (if I'm lucky) or possibly a charlie horse once or twice a month.

Rather than having a big lump or two under my sheets, I'm thinking this should work as well if I whittle off a bunch of soap shavings, put them in a pillow case, and put the pillow case under the bedsheet. I'll give it a try.

Also, just an interesting bit of information: about five years ago someone (I don't even remember who it was, at this point)told me that if I got a toe cramp or a foot cramp, I could make it go away by pinching my upper lip. That does, in fact work! It helps, to a lesser degree, with calf and thigh cramps as well. I have no idea why ("reflex point"? "acupressure point:??), but it will indeed make a toe or foot cramp disappear in about 30 seconds. But for those killer calf and thigh cramps, I'd much rather just not get them at all, so I'll try the soap!

I've been suffering with leg cramps in the calves for about 6 months and have been diagnosed with RLS. Mirapex helped for awhile then went to a vascular specialist and he thought maybe I have varicose veins. Suggested compression stockings. No help at all so tried the Ivory soap under the sheets for 3 nights now. First night didn't work, 2nd and 3rd. night slept like a baby. Can't believe this but it really worked. My husband thought it was crazy but if it keeps me from wandering around every night I'm game!

Such an odd thing, but it really works! My husband periodically gets excrutiating leg cramps in the middle of the night. He had been taking muscle relaxers for them, but when it was time to pay for a new prescription, I came across this article. I thought, 'what the heck', and I got him to try it.

Worked so well on preventing/eliminating his cramps! Similarly, I began getting cramps in my left foot. Just the other night, it was so painful and lasted for about 20 minutes. I actually felt silly reaching for that bar of soap, even though it helped my husband, but I grabbed it anyway and placed it against the sole of my foot. Waited for the cramps to return, but they vanished. If I was slightly skeptical before, I am not now! Don't poo-poo this remedy until you have tried it!

I heard about the bar of soap and wondered if it would work for me also. Whether it is due to ingredients or psychological leanings, I don't care. It helps alleviate my symptoms. I am also on Requip medication and there is now an FDA approved generic drug called Ropinirole which is manufactured by 3 pharmaceutical companies. It has cut my cost immensely. Some people may not be aware it is available in generic form as it only became available this past spring.

I had heard about a year ago about putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet to help leg cramps. I was on various medications for leg cramps which did not help. As a long time hospital/long term care administrator I was dubious. I tried the soap and have not had any cramps for over a year!

Unfortunately I keep reading about leg cramps and not true RLS. I think the name of this article needs to be changed to leg cramps. I have a severe case of RLS and the soap which I have used to several months now doesn't work. Again, people here seem to be suffering more of leg cramps than RLS which is two very different things.

I have been troubled by leg cramps at night for years. After hearing on your program about the soap, I tried it. It works! After using this remedy for over a year, I won't go to bed without a small bar of soap under the sheets. Thank you!

I was having severe leg and foot cramps, to the point where it would jolt me out of bed. I would have to forcefully push my foot down while in terrible pain. Quinine and heat weren't working, and one day my young coordinator at work said that her grandmother swore by a bar of soap betwen the sheets. All I had was a bar of fancy French soap, but I put it in between the sheets as directed. I haven't had a cramp since, but if I feel one starting, I put my foot on the soap, and it disappears. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but hey, if it works, I don't care.

I have cramps all over my body when I try to get one out it moved to another part of my body.. I would like to know if the soap would help. I'm suffering really bad.

Ok; I give up. LOL (from the relief of pain and feeling stupid with a bar of soap in mysocks) I woke screaming from leg cramps in both legs. This happens about once every other month. Been taking all the chemical remedies. Being it does not happen that often, it's hard to tell what works. I read here that in some cases people reported rubbing the soap after the fact relieved some of the after pain.

My left leg recovered enough to bear weight in 10 min or so. Right leg was so so sore. Rubbing and stretching was not helping as I sat here reading all this. So got the soap out. Lightly rubbed it on my sore right calf. In like a couple min it was good enough to walk. And now it’s a bit sore but nothing like it was. It was one of those where you're so shocked you try to make the pain come back. Unbelievable….Next to the sheets…thanks.

I am a nurse and I have used soap "secretly" under patients sheets who struggle with RLS. They all tell me the only nights they get sleep/rest is when I am there. The other nights they are miserable and their medications don't work. I use soap under my sheets at home too, and I don't wake up with charlie horses or pain any more like I used to. I don't know why or how it works, I'm just glad it works for me.

Soap...who would believe that could work for leg cramps?

I was downright skeptical, but I decided to give it a try, a bar of soap could not have any bad side effects, therefore it was worth a try. So I tried it for a week, and surprise no leg cramps this past week!
I can't hardly believe it, and wonder if I'm just having a good week without cramps?

That seems unlikely since this had become a nightly event. All I keep thinking is,
"A BAR OF SOAP?" "A BAR OF SOAP?"
Sounds silly, even somewhat impossible, but my cramps have not visited me for the week with my bar of "Dove" wrapped up in a foot sock, and placed between my sheets. Thank you to who ever found this treatment, it could not have been a drug company! Good luck to all who also decided to try it.

This may sound silly but it works for me. I have used the bar soap remedy for years. I found out that liquid dish soap works almost instantly to stop cramps. About 5 years ago I was standing in the kitchen and got A severe leg cramp. I grabbed A bottle of liquid detergent and rubbed it on the back of my leg. In less than a minute the pain was gone.This has worked for me and some of my friends many times. I walk 4 miles every day and carry a small bottle of soap in case I get a cramp. It works for me.

Thank you for your response. I will try the Ivory soap remedy and let you know how it works for me.

RLS is Not Leg Cramps. Soap may work for leg cramps but it does not work for RLS.

I used the soap remedy and, not only did it IMMEDIATELY stop my severe leg cramps, I had just begun experiencing intermittent erectile dysfunction. After the first night with a bar of Ivory soap under the bottom sheet - about knee level - the cramps stopped, and so did the ED symptoms. I checked out the ingredients of Ivory soap and found that it contains magnesium sulfate, which is used by paramedics to treat aspects of heart attack, asthma attacks, etc. because it relaxes smooth muscle fibers (like those surrounding blood vessels and G.I. tract). It also slows deep tendon reflexes. Apparently magnesium sulfate is absorbed from the soap through the skin of the legs and feet increasing blood flow and relaxing deep tendon response. Works for me!

Soap between the sheets works for my husband, who is on dialysis and can't take potassium. His cramps were getting worse and worse and disrupting both of our night's sleep. We started using the soap a few months ago and he got immediate results. We both sleep much better now.

The leg cramps start back up if the soap falls off the side of the mattress. Last night a cramp started but he swears it stopped instantly when he rolled over and his knee touched the soap. We've shared the soap trick with other families who have a member on dialysis. It's worked for them, too, even if they don't like to admit it.

The previous comment mentioned arthritic dogs and cats. Our 13-year-old cat will sleep on top of the bar of soap. We should probably add another bar just for her.

I had RLS symptoms and tried the soap, etc. I had read that anemia could cause it but I dismissed it because I had never been anemic...well, sure enough, I was. Started taking ferrous sulfate and had relief in under 48 hours. I still have it sometimes, but nothing like before.

i read all these soap confessions and tried it although i have no leg cramps but i have severe backache, my doctor said my spine is messed up, i can't bend backwards and i always wake up with backache. Now, i don't have backache anymore and i can bend backwards like a ballet dancer. My question is did the soap corrected my spinal column? I don't feel the pain anymore, i feel i'm back in my younger years...btw i'm only 40.

I have had leg cramps and will try the soap tonight.

Question..does it matter what kind of soap you use? I see many mention Ivory soap.

on using soap for leg cramps. Only use white soap except Dove or Ivory. I use Dial white with great results.