Contortions and spasms

Do you take magnesium? When I was magnesium deficient years ago I had awful cramping in legs, arms and even in the belly muscles - very frightening when they occur there.

In the last year or so, feet and hand cramps have started again even though I still take magnesium. The new cramping coincided with the start of Morton's Neuroma in feet and trigger finger in one hand, so I'm not sure of the cause of the new cramping.

Prednisone causes changes in magnesium levels, reducing its absorption and making our bodies excrete more of it. Has your doctor done blood tests for electrolytes? A magnesium supplement might be all you need. It was amazing how fast magnesium supplements (without vitamin B6 added) sorted out my severe cramping years ago.

Thanks megz.

Yes, I do take magnesium glycinate and have done for a long time. But I don't think it's that (I may be wrong) because my muscles don't just cramp up. It's a bit like restless leg syndrome but quite severe affecting my ankles and toes as well and doing the same thing in my upper extremeties (lflexing, contracting and twisting) and my thoracic area too. But it hurts too when it makes me contort all over. Then, for a while it eases off until it kicks in again. When it first started in my hands it was if my fingers were playing on piano keys without any imput from me. Now I seem to be like a one-man-band playing multiple instruments at once. Even relaxing on the sofa a couple of evenings ago I just couldn't get anything to relax.

I've had the simple electrolyte blood tests done many times and they've always been OK. That's assuming serum blood tests tell the while story.

When I first started on prednisone of course I was told to limit salt consumption but I don't think that will have thrown out the balance of electrolytes in my system. It's going to be interesting when the weather gets hot here because one of the first issues I had when I first started feeling unwell was excessive perspiration. My t-shirts would be marked with a lot of salt residue which obviously meant I was losing too much salt.

It might be joint and tendon problems but why would it be everywhere at the same time and then disappear for a while before coming back with a vengeance?

My rhumatologist says it's neurological and my neurologist says it isn't.

It sounds like your specialists aren't being too helpful. Yes, I know about the white salt stains around the necks of dark coloured t-shirts and on sheets when perspiration is bad. It's a reminder to increase fluids and add a bit of salt to the diet. I hope you find out what's going on and can resolve it. Maybe your medications need looking at and reviewing.

@megz which Magnesium supplement are you taking?

I take Bioglan active magnesium 1000.

I previously took Cenovis magnesium for years, till a blood test showed dangerously high levels of vitamin B6 caused by the 60mg of B6 included in the Cenovis magnesium capsules. Too much B6 can cause peripheral neuropathy, which came as a warning on my pathology report. They said the most common source of excessive B6 intake is from supplements or sports drinks. We only need 1 - 3mg of B6 a day and most people get that through diet. So I switched brands and the B6 level is now normal.

@frenchfrank51 you may find this discussion helpful.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/b-6-vitamin-danger/

Thanks megz for the link about B6.

I don't take any pharmaceutical meds apart from prednisone.

The supplements I take, which are nothing more than omega-3 fish oil, saw palmetto for prostate care, vitamin d and k2 don't contain B6 according to the ingredient lists and the magnesium glycinate I take does not include B6 either. So I think it isn't an issue in my case.

Thanks for information though. It's always best to be well informed so that we can take any necessary precautions.

Yes. Maybe I'm a pessimist, but I do think it pays to keep ahead of things that might go wrong. That's my policy anyway. 🙂

I had a problem with spasm/ contortion of fingers/ thumb. I blamed it on the statin I was taking. When I quit taking the statin , it stopped.

I have had spasms in my torso, thighs, calves, feet, hands, and forearms off and on for the past 3 or 4 years. Seems as if the larger muscle groups are more affected in the evenings, while my hands/fingers are mostly during the daytime.

I quit the statin almost 12 months ago. Checked all my labs and everything was good. I was thinking it might be due to severe degenerative spinal problems. Oh, and I've tried potassium, and/or magnesium supplements, and various home remedies for cramps such as pickle juice, or club soda.