nocturnal leg cramps treatment medication

In fact, the pickle juice preventive has become a staple among athletes who want to avoid being sidelined by cramps. Swallowing a teaspoon of mustard or an ounce of pickle juice before bedtime also has enthusiastic advocates. Despite scores of testimonials to its effectiveness in letters to news media and comments on websites, no one has offered a hypothesis for how soap might work. If you don't mind sharing the bed with a bar of soap, you might want to try securing one under the bottom sheet near where your legs usually rest. The following are low-risk and have enthusiastic proponents. In situations like nighttime leg cramps, where there are no widely accepted treatments, unproven remedies may be worth a try. The AAN found enough evidence to indicate that magnesium supplements and gabapentin (Neurontin) aren't likely to help. Evidence indicates that one calcium-channel blocker-diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR)-is possibly effective. There is some evidence that taking a daily capsule containing eight B vitamins-B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6, B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12-may prevent cramps.Ĭalcium-channel blockers. Although doctors can still prescribe quinine, it is recommended only when cramps are disabling and when the person can be carefully monitored for side effects. The FDA has issued repeated warnings against using quinine (which is approved only to treat certain types of malaria) to prevent or treat leg cramps because it may cause serious side effects, including bleeding and kidney damage. However, quinine is out-of-bounds for most people. There is solid evidence that quinine and quinine derivatives are effective in reducing the frequency of muscle cramps, although the magnitude of benefit is small. That doesn't mean that the exercises are ineffective or harmful, and doing them can help contribute to the flexibility of your legs. The AAN says that there are not enough data to say for sure that stretching helps reduce the frequency of muscle cramps. However, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has issued the following advice on common therapies, based on scientific evidence of effectiveness. Preventive Services Task Force hasn't issued guidelines for treating them.

There are no FDA-approved medications for leg cramps, and the U.S. What causes leg cramps? Preventing cramps

Among people over 60, almost half report having leg cramps, a third say they are awakened by cramps at night, and 15% report weekly episodes. Although they can strike people at any time of life, they become more common with age. If you have nocturnal leg cramps, you have lots of company. Despite the lack of a universally recognized therapy for nighttime leg cramps, a few approaches may be worth trying.įew things are more jarring to a night's sleep than shooting calf pains.

Nocturnal leg cramps treatment medication