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Q. I have bad leg cramps that wake me up early in the morning. I read that a bar of soap placed between the sheets might help.
Where precisely do you place it? I can't take quinine because it interacts with tamoxifen I take to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer. The cramps are really painful.
A. Quinine is no longer available as a treatment for leg cramps, even if you weren’t on tamoxifen. The FDA banned its use for cramps a few years ago.
Although we are hard-pressed to explain why soap under the bottom sheet would be helpful against leg cramps, many readers insist that it works. Here is just one example:
“I have been keeping a bar of soap under my sheet for quite some time. It does work, but I was never sure it did.
“Last night I had toe cramps. Instead of getting up to walk them off, I curled my foot as close to the soap as possible. The cramps went away in about 5 seconds.
“At the same time the calf in my other leg cramped. Again I moved the soap around near my leg, and the cramp was gone. Weird? You bet. Would I change this? No way. Who knows how this works, but it does.”
Not everybody benefits from the soap trick. Others report success with yellow mustard, pickle juice or magnesium. For more details on soap and all these remedies, we are sending you our Guide to Leg Pain.
I tried the soap-under-the-sheet remedy for several months for my fairly severe "restless legs". It just didn't work for me. Eating a cracker with yellow mustard just before I go to bed helps pretty well, but I can stand eating mustard at 10:00 p.m. for just so long before I have to take a break from it.
I have been doing 200 "bicycles" just before retiring, for several weeks. It usually works.
I tried this last night for foot cramps and it worked quickly. Thank you
We did the soap under the sheets and it seemed to reduce the frequency of the cramps. My husband also found that the stainless steel spoon works to reduce cramps when they occur.
Twice I have had trouble with ongoing painful cramps in my feet : the first time, a naturopath told me it was because my thyroid medication had been increased. (I was also getting chest pain, & had been prescribed nitrolingual sprays for it.) On checking with my pharmacist, he confirmed this so I spoke to my doctor & she lowered the dose - the cramps & chest pain went away.
The second time the cramps were getting really bad, I noticed they went away when I stopped taking the re-formulated thyroid medication - along with a number of other problems!
So maybe talk to your pharmacist to see if any medications you may be taking could be causing the cramps.
Otherwise, my parents always kept a little dish of salt by their bedside; they were told cramps are caused by a salt deficiency & a little lick certainly seemed to help them...
I had leg cramps for many years. The Dr. put me on quinine and that caused a fever. Then another Dr. put me on potassium and that helped but didn't stop it. A friend gave me a vibrating foot massager and one night I noticed that my leg cramp went away when I used it. Now I haul out my trusty massager when my leg cramps and the cramp goes away within 5 minutes.
I cut the bar of soap into 4 quarters and put 1 piece in each of the socks I wear to hold it in place. After a couple of months when it starts to lose its effect. I start using the other pieces. Don't know how it works--but it DOES!!!!
Oh my, it's true it worked for me. I was stressed a lot over father in law's death. got cramps like crazy by my feet and calfs. a lady told me put one or two bars of new soap under the sheets, I was like ya right, well I was sick of the cramps they hurt so bad I was crying I even tried eating lots of bananas. well I tried it and oh my did it for a bit and they went away no more cramps wow
What kind of soap? Thank you...
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: REPORTEDLY, ANY KIND OF SOAP
re:soap under bottom bedsheet.
I have been "preaching" the wonders of soap-under-the-bottom-sheet for years now.
The soaps DO lose effect after a few months; I just add the new one to the others ( in a nylon net bag for delicates in the washer); I usually keep 3 because it takes that many for us (husband and I keep the netbag with the soaps between us about the leg- "calf-area";
Last week I had a charlie horse (Very rare for me, now, since using soaps); I painfully slid my leg over and touched the soaps-in-a-bag; usually the pain and cramps stop within 5 seconds; THIS time it was different: the pain went away in seconds but the cramp continued...Painfree!for maybe 15 seconds....but painfree!!
I am a type 2 diabetic and my feet would burn and hurt all night. I put two bars of Irish Spring soap under my sheets and have not had a problem since. To prove it to me I would get up and walk around and the burning would come back then I would get back in bed and the burning would go away. Some people may think it is just a hoax, but it sure works for me.
During my first pregnancy, I experienced severe leg cramps. Our family physician recommended eating one or two Tums. It worked, and now at 84 it continues to relieve my night cramps.
During my first pregnancy, I experienced severe leg cramps. Our family physician recommended eating one or two Tums. It worked, and now at 84 it continues to relieve my night cramps.
After Quinine medication was disallowed for patients, my doctor suggested placing a bar of Dove soap between the sheets on my bed. He also said to drink 6 ounces of Tonic water mixed with Cranberry or Grape juice. The combination works fine for me.
I tried the soap under the sheet and it didn't work for either me or my husband. I felt really silly in even thinking this might work, sure enough it did not.
I am a type 2 diabetic and have been suffering foot nerve pain in both feet for sometime including very bad leg cramps, where I would walk the night every 1/2 hour trying to release the pain, the soap under the sheet has worked heaps and when I rest my foot against the soap I can actually feel the nerves start to jumping and the tingling stop. Thank you all so much.
One night I woke up at 2 AM and again at 5 AM with severe leg cramps in my left calf. I frightened my husband & the two pooches (dogs) with my screeching in pain and felt very tired the next day at work. A few days later, when I mentioned to my sister, she suggested soap under the sheet. Sounded odd, but worth a try. Guess what?! It worked! It really did. I am thrilled.. Thank you.