Re: HELP!!! Terrible leg muscle cramping :(

[Guest guest]

,

Does Joe take a statin?

Not an MD

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 4:35 AM, stacy <waljs@...> wrote:

> Hello RA friends...

> I am wondering if any of you have tips or information on leg cramping.  My

husband (42) was dx at age 29 with RA.  Lately he has been getting such terrible

leg cramps that wake him up and the pain is horrible.  He does take the calcium,

mag, folic acid, mtx, prednisone, a host if vitamins, the injection Simponii,

(pain pills: vicodin, kadian), gee...I cant even name them all.  He just had a

cortisone shot in his elbow n wrist because they actually LOCK up...his elbow

was locked in a 45’ last week.

> Anyway----do any of you get these and if so, can you offer ideas on what

helps.  It wakes him from a sleep!  The cramping can be in the calves, inner

thigh area, feet.....

> Thanks for any information you can share.

> (and Joe in PA)

[Guest guest]

Hi :

Does your husband have circulation problems? Diabetes? Peripheral Vascular

Disease? These are some causes of leg cramping, as well as lack of calcium.

I hope it goes away, those can be sooo painful.

OKD

[Guest guest]

I also have some serious leg cramping at night, and here's what I've learned:

Potassium may be low; calcium may be low. Both can cause cramping.

But here's an easy one to try: my nutritionist told me that the most common

cause of such cramping (and also, headaches) is a simple lack of water. Be sure

you drink LOTS of water, to hydrate your muscles. I didn't really believe her,

but started consciously drinking what seemed like gallons, and it did help,

tremendously. Give it a shot!

Marsha

>

> Hello RA friends...

> I am wondering if any of you have tips or information on leg cramping. My

husband (42) was dx at age 29 with RA. Lately he has been getting such terrible

leg cramps that wake him up and the pain is horrible. He does take the calcium,

mag, folic acid, mtx, prednisone, a host if vitamins, the injection Simponii,

(pain pills: vicodin, kadian), gee...I cant even name them all. He just had a

cortisone shot in his elbow n wrist because they actually LOCK up...his elbow

was locked in a 45’ last week.

> Anyway----do any of you get these and if so, can you offer ideas on what

helps. It wakes him from a sleep! The cramping can be in the calves, inner

thigh area, feet.....

> Thanks for any information you can share.

> (and Joe in PA)

>

> .

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

The most common reason for muscle cramps is low potassium, this happened to my

father once so he started eating one banana week for the rest of his life.

Bananas are rich in potassium but he could also try a supplement. My father was

nuts but he did prove the importance of a healthy diet.

Stan

Seattle, Cloudy.

(I hung this on 's response because I couldn't find the original post. Now

she's gonna make me read one of her studies or simethin')

Re: [ ] HELP!!! Terrible leg muscle cramping

,

Does Joe take a statin?

Not an MD

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 4:35 AM, stacy <waljs@...> wrote:

> Hello RA friends...

> I am wondering if any of you have tips or information on leg cramping.  My

husband (42) was dx at age 29 with RA.  Lately he has been getting such

terrible leg cramps that wake him up and the pain is horrible.  He does take

the calcium, mag, folic acid, mtx, prednisone, a host if vitamins, the injection

Simponii, (pain pills: vicodin, kadian), gee...I cant even name them all.  He

just had a cortisone shot in his elbow n wrist because they actually LOCK

up...his elbow was locked in a 45’ last week.

> Anyway----do any of you get these and if so, can you offer ideas on what

helps.  It wakes him from a sleep!  The cramping can be in the calves, inner

thigh area, feet.....

> Thanks for any information you can share.

> (and Joe in PA)

[Guest guest]

Stan,

I won't make you read any of " my " studies, but I am going to ask IBM

to send over to read you a few.

Not an MD

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 12:21 PM, <stanpfister@...> wrote:

>

>

> The most common reason for muscle cramps is low potassium, this happened to my

father once so he started eating one banana week for the rest of his life.

Bananas are rich in potassium but he could also try a supplement. My father was

nuts but he did prove the importance of a healthy diet.

>

>

>

> Stan

>

> Seattle, Cloudy.

>

> (I hung this on 's response because I couldn't find the original post. Now

she's gonna make me read one of her studies or simethin')

[Guest guest]

, , ! I've spent the entire morning preparing for our new

masters. My mother was very upset with me because she felt I was rooting for

" that stupid machine " . First of all I don't think is stupid but I do know

he has a hell of a lot of information stored on his hard drives. I think the

real break through was how fast he could access the information and the fact

that he could actually understand language so well, even when it is presented

sort of backwards as in the case of a Jeopardy question. In any case

she absolutely convinced it was rigged and was cheating. On the other

hand she told me she's never seen 'em play Jeopardy with multiple choice

questions. By that, I have to assume she meant the categories, which kind of

makes me laugh because that's always been the way the game is played.  As for

me, I'm actually rooting for science.

Stan

Re: [ ] HELP!!! Terrible leg muscle cramping

Stan,

I won't make you read any of " my " studies, but I am going to ask IBM

to send over to read you a few.

Not an MD

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 12:21 PM,  <stanpfister@...> wrote:

>

>

> The most common reason for muscle cramps is low potassium, this happened to my

father once so he started eating one banana week for the rest of his life.

Bananas are rich in potassium but he could also try a supplement. My father was

nuts but he did prove the importance of a healthy diet.

>

>

>

> Stan

>

> Seattle, Cloudy.

>

> (I hung this on 's response because I couldn't find the original post. Now

she's gonna make me read one of her studies or simethin')

[Guest guest]

I'm afraid to take potassium supplements because I've been told that

it can be dangerous. I can't remember why it's supposed to be

dangerous, though. I bought some by mistake, but then was afraid to

take it.

Sue

> On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 12:21 PM, <stanpfister@...> wrote:

>>

>> The most common reason for muscle cramps is low potassium, this

>> happened to my father once so he started eating one banana week for

>> the rest of his life. Bananas are rich in potassium but he could

>> also try a supplement. My father was nuts but he did prove the

>> importance of a healthy diet.

[Guest guest]

>

> I'm afraid to take potassium supplements because I've been told that

> it can be dangerous. I can't remember why it's supposed to be

> dangerous, though. I bought some by mistake, but then was afraid to

> take it.

>

> Sue

>

I am new here, not a health Professional, but have been taking a small ammount

of Potassium for some time. My health professional takes blood tests every 4

months to be sure it is at a safe level. People who are taking diuretics will

loose potassium , magnesia and other needed nutrients which are very necessary

to their life. If one is not able to get enough Potassium rich food for some

reason, (do a search) then the supplement is a good idea. I would not just go

and get an OTC unless having been tested and advised by my health pro.

Best to you, Lee

[Guest guest]

Muscle cramps are caused by low potassium levels. Due to my other health

condition, my body does not hold on to potassium. I am on a large dose

prescription strength potassium supplement and still get low potassium symptoms

including muscle cramps.

Too high blood potassium can be just as dangerous as too low blood

potassium....but over the counter potassium supplements should not be enough to

increase your potassium levels to dangerous, unless you're taking a huge amount

of them. But potassium supplements is harsh on the stomach, so take with food.

Ideally though, its much better to get your potassium from diet.

Bananas are high in potassium, but not the highest actually, they're just the

one most people know about. I am allergic to bananas, so had to learn what other

foods are high in potassium. Dried apricots are one of the highest, raisins are

a good source as well. Most leafy green vegetables, cataloupe and avocados have

potassium. Milk has a decent amount if you can handle drinking 12-16 ounces at a

time. Another option is V8 juice, or the Naked fruit smoothies have a large

amount as well. Also Ralphs/Pavillions has the carb master yogurts that has a

decent amount of potassium but you need two of them.

A lot of our society with the invention of fast food and junk food, does not get

enough potassium in our diets. Just making sure you have plenty of fruits and

veggies will ensure you have enough potassium.

And if his leg cramps don't improve in a couple of days with some increased

potassium in his diet, then you should definitely check with his doctor. Too low

potassium can cause an irregular heart beat (happens to me often), temporary

paralysis and even heart attack if it really dips. A simple blood test will tell

what his potassium level is at.

Jen

singlemomx2@...

> >

> > I'm afraid to take potassium supplements because I've been told that

> > it can be dangerous. I can't remember why it's supposed to be

> > dangerous, though. I bought some by mistake, but then was afraid to

> > take it.

> >

> > Sue

> >

>

> I am new here, not a health Professional, but have been taking a small ammount

of Potassium for some time. My health professional takes blood tests every 4

months to be sure it is at a safe level. People who are taking diuretics will

loose potassium , magnesia and other needed nutrients which are very necessary

to their life. If one is not able to get enough Potassium rich food for some

reason, (do a search) then the supplement is a good idea. I would not just go

and get an OTC unless having been tested and advised by my health pro.

>

> Best to you, Lee

>