Leg cramps hurt like hell. They can wake you up out of a sound sleep and make you scream in agony. The pain can bring tears to the most stoic individual.
What causes such cramps remains mysterious. And doctors have very little to offer as treatment. They used to prescribe quinine, an anti-malarial drug derived from the bark of a South American tree. But earlier this year the FDA banned the use of quinine for leg cramps. Quinine can sometimes cause life-threatening blood disorders as well as serious allergic reactions or heart rhythm disturbances.
Without quinine, physicians have no approved drugs for patients in pain from leg cramps. Some doctors prescribe Valium (diazepam) or anti-seizure drugs like Tegretol (carbamazepine) or Dilantin (phenytoin). Such medicines have side effects, however, and none have been approved by the FDA for this purpose.
So, what’s a patient to do? For years, we have been telling people about the power of putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet of the bed in the neighborhood of the legs. It makes no sense, but hundreds of readers tell us it works.
Recently we were taken to task: “You folks are ridiculous, superstitious and ignorant. How can you recommend a bar of soap under the bottom sheet for leg cramps? It's just plain dumb. Please spare us such silliness.”
At first we felt chastised. But then our readers came to the rescue: “The individual who complained about the silliness of soap under the bed sheet to prevent leg cramps has never had them—especially on the inside of the thighs!
“When I read about this remedy in your column, I too was a doubter. But my niece who is a nurse said, ‘You will laugh, but I hurt so bad I would try anything.’ She was amazed to find out it works wonders.
“I tried it too and have been without leg cramps. I also get cramps in my hands and find that holding a bar of soap between them makes the cramps disappear.”
Another reader won her husband over: “One night my husband was having a really bad leg cramp. I offered the extra bar of soap that I keep on my side of the bed on my nightstand. He asked me why I would offer SOAP during his PAIN!
“I asked him where the pain hurt worst, slipped the bar of soap under that spot and in seconds, mere seconds, he stopped his moaning and said, ‘WOW.’
“I keep two bars under the bottom sheet at all times to help prevent restless leg syndrome. After a while they lose their effect. Just replace them for a dollar or so. Many brands work. I have used hotel soaps while traveling.”
Some people prefer different home remedies, such as yellow mustard or low-sodium V-8 juice. Like soap, none of these approaches has been scientifically proven, but neither have medications other than quinine.
We have collected the most popular remedies, from stretching exercises to tonic water or baking soda, in our Guide to Leg Pain. It can be downloaded for $2 from this Website. Go to “Buy In Depth Guides.”
