Severe Muscle Cramps

[hiker53]

Last spring I got severe muscle cramps quite often at night in my feet and calves making sleep impossible. i worked on my sodium, potasssium, magnesium, and calcium balance and they went away.

Suddenly they are back and I cannot seem to get rid of them. Any ideas would be appreciated. I am a zombie at work for lack of sleep and pain of the cramps is not fun. Hiker53

[Curiouser]

If you come up with anything, please let me know. I'm dealing with the same thing in just my right leg. Supplementing with everything too and it's not working. I hesitate taking muscle relaxers because I don't like the idea of taking them and they make my brain fuzziner than it usually is.

This started when I was on Rocephin and the doc originally said it was part of my herx. Been off the Rocephin for almost 2 weeks now and still getting them so that's not it. Wondering if the Rocephin beat down the lyme enough so that bart could rear it's ugly head. I've read somewhere bart can cause leg cramping.

[cave76]

Hiker, I assume you've upped your calcium and magnesium? That's what always helps with me.

[Fin24]

balance electrolytes and TEST them--with Evan these days every 3-4 days we need to check potassium thanks to the darn CSF drug BUT thats why I know the lytes can change very fast so you cant guess

heat and stretches all day and before bed

heat while sleep

pre bed soak of epsom salts and warm water

thats all that I can think of

oh make sure its not PAD--periph artery diseas,maybe its not muscle spasms but artery/blood vessel spasms due to tuiny clots--Lymies get thick sloggy blood flow

try a blood test for INR/clotting--and if not good take something that thins it--garlic, etc

and if veins or vessel spasms I think horse chestnut MAY be good for that--but check--this is off top my head which is whirling thanks to Sam being off to Uganda this weekend AARRGGHH

F

[Cobwebby]

Upping magnesium helped me. I was also told to do stretching exercises before bed.

Fortunately leg cramps are not bothering me at this time.

I'm sure your legs are getting more fatigued with the return to work,too.

what about PAD-peripheral artery disease. I don't mean to scare you. And I don't have any real idea if there's a connection. But I heard from my new PCP today that a symptom of PAD would be severe leg cramping.

My level of exercise has not been tested yet on a day to day basis-but I go back to work on Monday ( ), she wants me to come back in two months for a report on how my stamina and muscle fatigue are holding up.
PS- she said testing for PAD was non invasive!

edited to add- I assume you are following the same protocal that you used last Spring and it's just not working now?

[LymeEnigma]

Moderate to severe dehydration can also cause cramps.

[lou]

I had severe muscle cramps as a precursor to major muscle wasting. Had been taking some Mg before that and upping the dose has helped prevent the cramps mostly. But if I get off the schedule of taking it several times a day, the cramps are back and I am walking the floor in the middle of the night. For me, at least, cramps were a sign of a change in the lyme disease progression.

[Cobwebby]

Hey Hiker- I ran out of magnesium the same time I returned to work- and my legs are aching all the time, but cramping only occassionally-I'm getting magnesium with my first paycheck.

[Yvonne]

I do have muscle cramps in the calf the past weeks,especially at night.

What is the best to use ?

Magnesium alone or Magnesium + Calcium ?

[Ali G]

I used to take 2 Calcium-Magnesium before bed when I was getting leg cramps.
It has always helped me. I don't believe that you are supposed to Calcium supplements
while on Rocephin(ceftriaxone) though.

Epsom salt baths let you absorb magnesium through the skin, I believe. Since you can
also absorb water through the skin, an Epsom Salt bath would also help if you're dehydrated.

I think Bart can mess up your Magnesium levels too.