Nocturnal Leg Cramps - Help!

Quinine

I am in my 80s and have nocturnal nighttime cramps and have had them for over ten years. Doctors, research, AI, etc have not done any good. I have tried everything under the sun and track it in spreadsheets to no avail. I exercise regularly. Electrolytes, water, stretching, physical therapists are not much help. My internist think it is physical, prescribed muscle relaxants and I had cramps anyway. I also tried spinal stenosis stretches, calf stretches, you name it. What makes my cramps different is I have double leg calf cramps and some nights have more than one of these and many single leg calf cramps. Lately I have been getting them on the right leg side of calf, very painful and standing does not release them as calf stretches do. Any thoughts, anyone have double leg cramps at night?

Try a muscle massager for those cramps that can’t be stretched out. They are miserable. I have chronic nighttime muscle cramps and the ones in my shins, ankles and side of knee cannot be stretched out. I have a generic muscle massager similar to the thumper muscle massager and running that over the cramp at top speed for a couple minutes does the trick for the night. I’m thinking about trying the Bob and Brad mini muscle massager that says it’s quiet because mine is so loud and I live in a condo. When I run that in the middle of the night it’s like running a blender or vacuum. I’m not sure if the smaller version will work. You might try the massager on your calves before bed as a preventive measure. Check Amazon. Best of luck.

I realized it might be Amlodipine, a drug I increased the dosage about the time my twin leg cramps and multiple nighttime cramps started. I have tried massage but not right at bedtime. If it is meds, I doubt much will help other than cutting them back or out. I spend a lot of time with AI on this but nothing has helped.

I am in my 80s and have nocturnal nighttime cramps and have had them for over ten years. Doctors, research, AI, etc have not done any good. I have tried everything under the sun and track it in spreadsheets to no avail. I exercise regularly. Electrolytes, water, stretching, physical therapists are not much help. My internist think it is physical, prescribed muscle relaxants and I had cramps anyway. I also tried spinal stenosis stretches, calf stretches, you name it. What makes my cramps different is I have double leg calf cramps and some nights have more than one of these and many single leg calf cramps. Lately I have been getting them on the right leg side of calf, very painful and standing does not release them as calf stretches do. Any thoughts, anyone have double leg cramps at night?

Can your Dr refer you to a physical therapist to see if there is some help possible from physical therapy?

Yes, been there and done that, so to speak. In fact, saw a Physical Therapist last week. I know the stretches, I know the supplements like magnesium, electrolytes and even wild stuff like pickel juice, soap in bed, etc. My plan after being on some websites is to reduce dosages of my Amlodipine and statins safely and see what happens.

I am in my 80s and have nocturnal nighttime cramps and have had them for over ten years. Doctors, research, AI, etc have not done any good. I have tried everything under the sun and track it in spreadsheets to no avail. I exercise regularly. Electrolytes, water, stretching, physical therapists are not much help. My internist think it is physical, prescribed muscle relaxants and I had cramps anyway. I also tried spinal stenosis stretches, calf stretches, you name it. What makes my cramps different is I have double leg calf cramps and some nights have more than one of these and many single leg calf cramps. Lately I have been getting them on the right leg side of calf, very painful and standing does not release them as calf stretches do. Any thoughts, anyone have double leg cramps at night?