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Q. I have suffered from charley horse leg cramps as well as cramps in my feet, hands, rib cage or arms for years. At one time, I took quinine capsules, but they have been banned and are no longer available.After reading about putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet, I've recently tried this with a bar of Ivory for several weeks. I have NOT received the kind of relief that I was hoping to get.
Is there anything else I can do? There are days when the pain after a cramp is so bad that my legs and thighs are still tender in the morning and it hurts to walk.
A. Although many people have found soap helpful against nighttime cramps, it does not work for everyone. We have also heard that a swig of pickle juice or a spoonful of yellow mustard may work to banish muscle cramps.We are sending you our Guide to Leg Pain with a wealth of affordable home remedies for cramps.
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Try drinking a glass of tonic water, with lime juice in it. Tonic water contains quinine and doctors used to prescribe quinine for muscle cramps but no longer can do this. Drink one glass a day. This has worked for me.
I also suffered leg cramps at night only, so severe I was groaning loudly.
What helps me is l tablet magnesium 500 mg and 4 tablets chelated potassium 99mg, daily, without fail, if I want to remain pain free! My toes cramp but it soon passes. The leg cramps are horrible! Soap under the sheets didn't help. I hope this info helps others.
Dove and mild soaps did not help my leg cramps, harsher soaps (ie Irish Spring) did, and I shave them occasionally to keep them working.
I've suffered from night leg cramps too. I find that as long as I'm adequately hydrated and have eaten something containing potassium every so often, I don't have any leg cramps.
For leg and foot cramps i have had success with Vitamin E capsules, oil based. I take two at a time. Some edible oils increase the body's need for vitamin E. My primary care doctor suggested stretching exercises at bedtime for feet and legs. Find a health care provider that can SHOW you exercises to do.
Magnesium should help the relaxation response, as Angela reported. Add 2000 mg of calcium and you ought to see additional results. Anyone know why potassium would be effective? Could it be related to too much salt, which would create potassium/sodium imbalance?
I've occasionally had nervous twitches while trying to get to sleep and I now realize that it could be a drug interaction, ibuprofen plus night-time cough syrup. Add alcohol to that mix, in an attempt to "relax" and I am twitching for several hours and unable to sleep. Anyone share this experience or have a clue why?
I used to cramp up when playing tennis even when I was young. I tried stretching exercises and water but that didn't help. A sports doctor recommended calcium supplements and that got rid of the problem almost immediately. I checked to make sure and went off of calcium and sure enough the cramps came back. Did a test again during the start of the next tennis season and with the same results so for me this worked wonders.
I am always interested in cramp remedies, because I have had rib and hand and foot cramps for years, and more recently leg cramps. The bar of soap fix didn't work for me, but a friend said that cramping is often a sign of dehydration, and the fix was to drink more water and particularly to drink water before bed. I drink a lot of water anyway, but I thought it was worth a try.
This seems counterintuitive, since mostly we are told to avoid drinking water before bedtime to cut down those nighttime bathroom trips, but I've found that drinking a whole glass of water with the pills I take at bedtime (probiotics, aspirin and melatonin) have cut the leg cramps dramatically, and without increasing the trips down the hall.
I do keep a bottle of Hyland's leg cramp pills by the bed for the times when the water hasn't been enough to ward off the cramps, but use them seldom now. They do contain quinine.
Lynn
I tried tonic water and for a while it worked. So far, only the magnesium and chelated potassium work now.
thanks for your note.:)
My dad gets leg cramps quite often- he drinks a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in water and within a few minuets the pain is completely gone- I think that is why pickle juice or mustard might also work. It'll make you pucker, but your leg will feel better!
I used to suffer from leg cramps in bed, usually when waking up in the morning. Read about magnesium and take a 250 mg capsule daily. No more cramps.
I have suffered from similar cramps but discovered that they come from supplemental vitamins and minerals. If I don't take them, I am cramp-free.
I have the bad leg cramps, but worse are cramps that make my toes curl up, I can't walk them off. Sometimes I think I will go crazy they hurt so much!
Jergen Soap worked for me for a couple of weeks. Cramps returned. I bought some new bars. They are cheap enough. I did not think of shaving the bars. I will try shaving the bars. I tried Tonic water which helped some. So far Jergens soap has been the best solution for a very painful problem.
Try a package (2 tablets) of Alka-Seltzer dissolved in water - temporary relief but very effective and a quick-fix for the middle of the night.