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I Am Having Severe Muscle Cramps From Upper Legs To
Question: I am having severe muscle cramps from upper legs to my ankles mostly at night. It starts after I go to bed. They are so painful I get nauseated. Usually one leg sometimes both. When I finally get relief from the cramps my leg is so weak I can barely stand.
I am having severe muscle cramps from upper legs to my ankles mostly at night. It starts after I go to bed. They are so painful I get nauseated. Usually one leg sometimes both. When I finally get relief from the cramps my leg is so weak I can barely stand.
Brief Answer:
Nocturnal cramps that need workup
Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon and I'm so very sorry that you are experiencing such troubles with your legs.
You're in a rather LARGE crowd of folks >60 years of age that experience leg cramping and mainly at night. Nearly 1/3 of folks in the U.S. >60 years experience painful and debilitating cramps at least on weekly. Over 40% of those people have them up to several times weekly. And similarly to you they are so exhausted and drained that many don't have the energy in the legs to properly stand or walk until they've recovered in bed.
As opposed to simple muscle cramps that can happen sporadically and are usually very episodic (i.e. few and far between) nocturnal cramps happen frequently, primarily at night and usually signal some type of neurological underpinning or metabolic involvement which usually translates into some type of nutritional deficiency. Magnesium replenishment USUALLY DOES NOT WORK unless one can show a clear and present low status with that particular electrolyte and even then, magnesium replacement is usually best used in simple episodic muscle cramps as opposed nocturnal cramps which seem to occur in people who are not only MAGNESIUM deficient but also deficient in a number of other nutritional aspects. Therefore, just correcting magnesium itself is virtually a waste of time and money and no wonder as a solo treatment almost never works.
BTW, eating bananas ain't gonna be the answer either since most of the time people aren't potassium deficient to the point of causing such cramps...and even if they were, by the time patients are having those types of severe cramps at night, they'd more likely be in the hospital for heart trouble or arrhythmias. The heart is so ridiculously sensitive to the smallest changes of potassium outside normal limits that the calves and thighs won't start twitching until the heart is practically laid out on the ground panting. So please don't let anybody sell you a case of bananas unless you just love eating breakfast cereal or making milk shakes! LOL....
Quinine is also a treatment that has seen its day and so please avoid this as a treatment if proposed (even if by a professional). Some folks who haven't been keeping up with the latest information may actually believe this to still be a viable treatment. It used to be considered first line therapy but no longer and especially in anybody with a history of heart trouble so take that off the list of possibilities as a treatment.
So now let's take a step back from what NOT to treat these cramps with...I guess I got a little carried away since I just threw all that out assuming that you heard of most of this stuff and that you thought maybe any of these options would clear up your problem.
Let's try and figure out WHY you're having the problem to begin with....
FIRST THINGS FIRST! Is my patient taking ANY medication or medication(s) that could cause cramping as a drug induced side effect? Is there a medication that is new to your regimen in the past few months that you'd forgotten about and if so, COULD this be the one either responsible for or interacting with another medication you may have already been on to cause cramping. This is a HUGE underrecognized reason for leg cramps.
As I said, usually nocturnal cramping, especially if it's chronic and active usually spells out something going on in the nervous system. Therefore, if I were your neurologist with this sort of problem I would first be sending out to get an MRI of the lumbar spine (not necessarily with contrast...unless I had a suspicion that there was a COMPRESSIVE MASS or something else causing PRESSURE on your lumbosacral plexus or nerves. Just a plain old MRI to see if there is evidence of nerves, spinal cord sections, or anything else being SQUEEZED, PINCHED, or otherwise CHOKED off leading to the cramping phenomenon.
NOTE: iF YOU DO NOT SUFFER FROM SIGNIFICANT BACK PAIN or radiating pains, numbness, or tingling sensations that travel down the legs like electric shocks or just aches and soreness then, the utility of doing an MRI on the back...or even something "cheaper for the insurance company" such as a CT scan is going to be very very small. The study will likely not show anything more than the expected arthritic or degenerative state of your spinal column simply based upon your VERY YOUNG age of 63....but still it's 63 dear...so you WILL have some changes...it's just that without the back pain and other symptoms mentioned, any "DJD" or 'DDD' is not likely to be the cause of your problems.
I would definitely do screening blood work for things in general such as a CBC with differential, thyroid hormones, vitamins B12, B6, folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and D since a deficiency in any one of these (let alone multiple ones) can definitely lead to crampy legs. I would only check the liver and kidney enzymes to make sure you're not suffering from any organ deficiency that has gone undetected.
Poor or significantly reduced circulation can also be a cause of leg cramps and should be looked into with proper studies by experts as the treatment in that case could be a relatively simple surgical procedure to either open up the obstructing to the leg or legs...or BYPASS, if the block is permanent. Poorly controlled diabetes (or even MILD cases of diabetes) are a big risk factor for nocturnal cramping in the legs.
Of course, let's not forget DEHYDRATION. You might say that you're never thirsty or that you have always been a person that drank tons of water per day. Now's your REAL chance to prove your point. In nocturnal cramps I always tell patients that no matter how much water they claim they drink daily I want them to increase their intake by at least 50%..and that's if they think they drink plenty! HA! If they themselves don't believe they drink well enough during the day....then, they need to ingest 100% over and above what they usually do.
And so there you have it young lady....a laundry list of possibilities and in some cases suggestions as to what to do for this COMMON and truly PAIN IN THE LEG problem as to why your lower extremities are cramping on you at bedtime (isn't it truly amazing that your ARMS never really do what your LEGS do when it comes to cramping....I find that fascinating!
Your job dear is find a doctor willing to go through the rigor to try and determine the cause of your cramps followed by a DIRECTED course of action. And will you look at that? According to the map where you are located....Interstate is right in YOUR BACKYARD the same as it is in mine and I'm all the way up yonder in XXXXXXX OH! Isn't that funny? And it even looks like on the map that I-77 actually has a terminal point right there in your neighborhood.....That's funny! I thought that highway went straight down to XXXXXXX Beach practically.....Had no idea it just stopped right there! HAHA! Or maybe that's where it STARTS? The other terminal point for I-77 if you care to know? XXXXXXX OHIO! LOL....How cool is that....well...
I hope you can get something going on this to figure out exactly what's happening...there are other things to consider but this should get you at least a RUNNING START (no pun intended!)....Be well my dear!
If I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you feel it is deserving? I am definitely interested in getting updated information if you'd care to drop me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi as to how you're feeling down the road and how things turned out.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns and given you a better direction as to which way a conversation would best be had with your doctor if you feel a discussion needs to take place based on what I've written.
Cheers Miss XXXXXXX ...wishin' you the best in my birth state of NJ.
This query required 70 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Nocturnal cramps that need workup
Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon and I'm so very sorry that you are experiencing such troubles with your legs.
You're in a rather LARGE crowd of folks >60 years of age that experience leg cramping and mainly at night. Nearly 1/3 of folks in the U.S. >60 years experience painful and debilitating cramps at least on weekly. Over 40% of those people have them up to several times weekly. And similarly to you they are so exhausted and drained that many don't have the energy in the legs to properly stand or walk until they've recovered in bed.
As opposed to simple muscle cramps that can happen sporadically and are usually very episodic (i.e. few and far between) nocturnal cramps happen frequently, primarily at night and usually signal some type of neurological underpinning or metabolic involvement which usually translates into some type of nutritional deficiency. Magnesium replenishment USUALLY DOES NOT WORK unless one can show a clear and present low status with that particular electrolyte and even then, magnesium replacement is usually best used in simple episodic muscle cramps as opposed nocturnal cramps which seem to occur in people who are not only MAGNESIUM deficient but also deficient in a number of other nutritional aspects. Therefore, just correcting magnesium itself is virtually a waste of time and money and no wonder as a solo treatment almost never works.
BTW, eating bananas ain't gonna be the answer either since most of the time people aren't potassium deficient to the point of causing such cramps...and even if they were, by the time patients are having those types of severe cramps at night, they'd more likely be in the hospital for heart trouble or arrhythmias. The heart is so ridiculously sensitive to the smallest changes of potassium outside normal limits that the calves and thighs won't start twitching until the heart is practically laid out on the ground panting. So please don't let anybody sell you a case of bananas unless you just love eating breakfast cereal or making milk shakes! LOL....
Quinine is also a treatment that has seen its day and so please avoid this as a treatment if proposed (even if by a professional). Some folks who haven't been keeping up with the latest information may actually believe this to still be a viable treatment. It used to be considered first line therapy but no longer and especially in anybody with a history of heart trouble so take that off the list of possibilities as a treatment.
So now let's take a step back from what NOT to treat these cramps with...I guess I got a little carried away since I just threw all that out assuming that you heard of most of this stuff and that you thought maybe any of these options would clear up your problem.
Let's try and figure out WHY you're having the problem to begin with....
FIRST THINGS FIRST! Is my patient taking ANY medication or medication(s) that could cause cramping as a drug induced side effect? Is there a medication that is new to your regimen in the past few months that you'd forgotten about and if so, COULD this be the one either responsible for or interacting with another medication you may have already been on to cause cramping. This is a HUGE underrecognized reason for leg cramps.
As I said, usually nocturnal cramping, especially if it's chronic and active usually spells out something going on in the nervous system. Therefore, if I were your neurologist with this sort of problem I would first be sending out to get an MRI of the lumbar spine (not necessarily with contrast...unless I had a suspicion that there was a COMPRESSIVE MASS or something else causing PRESSURE on your lumbosacral plexus or nerves. Just a plain old MRI to see if there is evidence of nerves, spinal cord sections, or anything else being SQUEEZED, PINCHED, or otherwise CHOKED off leading to the cramping phenomenon.
NOTE: iF YOU DO NOT SUFFER FROM SIGNIFICANT BACK PAIN or radiating pains, numbness, or tingling sensations that travel down the legs like electric shocks or just aches and soreness then, the utility of doing an MRI on the back...or even something "cheaper for the insurance company" such as a CT scan is going to be very very small. The study will likely not show anything more than the expected arthritic or degenerative state of your spinal column simply based upon your VERY YOUNG age of 63....but still it's 63 dear...so you WILL have some changes...it's just that without the back pain and other symptoms mentioned, any "DJD" or 'DDD' is not likely to be the cause of your problems.
I would definitely do screening blood work for things in general such as a CBC with differential, thyroid hormones, vitamins B12, B6, folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and D since a deficiency in any one of these (let alone multiple ones) can definitely lead to crampy legs. I would only check the liver and kidney enzymes to make sure you're not suffering from any organ deficiency that has gone undetected.
Poor or significantly reduced circulation can also be a cause of leg cramps and should be looked into with proper studies by experts as the treatment in that case could be a relatively simple surgical procedure to either open up the obstructing to the leg or legs...or BYPASS, if the block is permanent. Poorly controlled diabetes (or even MILD cases of diabetes) are a big risk factor for nocturnal cramping in the legs.
Of course, let's not forget DEHYDRATION. You might say that you're never thirsty or that you have always been a person that drank tons of water per day. Now's your REAL chance to prove your point. In nocturnal cramps I always tell patients that no matter how much water they claim they drink daily I want them to increase their intake by at least 50%..and that's if they think they drink plenty! HA! If they themselves don't believe they drink well enough during the day....then, they need to ingest 100% over and above what they usually do.
And so there you have it young lady....a laundry list of possibilities and in some cases suggestions as to what to do for this COMMON and truly PAIN IN THE LEG problem as to why your lower extremities are cramping on you at bedtime (isn't it truly amazing that your ARMS never really do what your LEGS do when it comes to cramping....I find that fascinating!
Your job dear is find a doctor willing to go through the rigor to try and determine the cause of your cramps followed by a DIRECTED course of action. And will you look at that? According to the map where you are located....Interstate is right in YOUR BACKYARD the same as it is in mine and I'm all the way up yonder in XXXXXXX OH! Isn't that funny? And it even looks like on the map that I-77 actually has a terminal point right there in your neighborhood.....That's funny! I thought that highway went straight down to XXXXXXX Beach practically.....Had no idea it just stopped right there! HAHA! Or maybe that's where it STARTS? The other terminal point for I-77 if you care to know? XXXXXXX OHIO! LOL....How cool is that....well...
I hope you can get something going on this to figure out exactly what's happening...there are other things to consider but this should get you at least a RUNNING START (no pun intended!)....Be well my dear!
If I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you feel it is deserving? I am definitely interested in getting updated information if you'd care to drop me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi as to how you're feeling down the road and how things turned out.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns and given you a better direction as to which way a conversation would best be had with your doctor if you feel a discussion needs to take place based on what I've written.
Cheers Miss XXXXXXX ...wishin' you the best in my birth state of NJ.
This query required 70 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Brief Answer:
Nocturnal cramps that need workup
Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon and I'm so very sorry that you are experiencing such troubles with your legs.
You're in a rather LARGE crowd of folks >60 years of age that experience leg cramping and mainly at night. Nearly 1/3 of folks in the U.S. >60 years experience painful and debilitating cramps at least on weekly. Over 40% of those people have them up to several times weekly. And similarly to you they are so exhausted and drained that many don't have the energy in the legs to properly stand or walk until they've recovered in bed.
As opposed to simple muscle cramps that can happen sporadically and are usually very episodic (i.e. few and far between) nocturnal cramps happen frequently, primarily at night and usually signal some type of neurological underpinning or metabolic involvement which usually translates into some type of nutritional deficiency. Magnesium replenishment USUALLY DOES NOT WORK unless one can show a clear and present low status with that particular electrolyte and even then, magnesium replacement is usually best used in simple episodic muscle cramps as opposed nocturnal cramps which seem to occur in people who are not only MAGNESIUM deficient but also deficient in a number of other nutritional aspects. Therefore, just correcting magnesium itself is virtually a waste of time and money and no wonder as a solo treatment almost never works.
BTW, eating bananas ain't gonna be the answer either since most of the time people aren't potassium deficient to the point of causing such cramps...and even if they were, by the time patients are having those types of severe cramps at night, they'd more likely be in the hospital for heart trouble or arrhythmias. The heart is so ridiculously sensitive to the smallest changes of potassium outside normal limits that the calves and thighs won't start twitching until the heart is practically laid out on the ground panting. So please don't let anybody sell you a case of bananas unless you just love eating breakfast cereal or making milk shakes! LOL....
Quinine is also a treatment that has seen its day and so please avoid this as a treatment if proposed (even if by a professional). Some folks who haven't been keeping up with the latest information may actually believe this to still be a viable treatment. It used to be considered first line therapy but no longer and especially in anybody with a history of heart trouble so take that off the list of possibilities as a treatment.
So now let's take a step back from what NOT to treat these cramps with...I guess I got a little carried away since I just threw all that out assuming that you heard of most of this stuff and that you thought maybe any of these options would clear up your problem.
Let's try and figure out WHY you're having the problem to begin with....
FIRST THINGS FIRST! Is my patient taking ANY medication or medication(s) that could cause cramping as a drug induced side effect? Is there a medication that is new to your regimen in the past few months that you'd forgotten about and if so, COULD this be the one either responsible for or interacting with another medication you may have already been on to cause cramping. This is a HUGE underrecognized reason for leg cramps.
As I said, usually nocturnal cramping, especially if it's chronic and active usually spells out something going on in the nervous system. Therefore, if I were your neurologist with this sort of problem I would first be sending out to get an MRI of the lumbar spine (not necessarily with contrast...unless I had a suspicion that there was a COMPRESSIVE MASS or something else causing PRESSURE on your lumbosacral plexus or nerves. Just a plain old MRI to see if there is evidence of nerves, spinal cord sections, or anything else being SQUEEZED, PINCHED, or otherwise CHOKED off leading to the cramping phenomenon.
NOTE: iF YOU DO NOT SUFFER FROM SIGNIFICANT BACK PAIN or radiating pains, numbness, or tingling sensations that travel down the legs like electric shocks or just aches and soreness then, the utility of doing an MRI on the back...or even something "cheaper for the insurance company" such as a CT scan is going to be very very small. The study will likely not show anything more than the expected arthritic or degenerative state of your spinal column simply based upon your VERY YOUNG age of 63....but still it's 63 dear...so you WILL have some changes...it's just that without the back pain and other symptoms mentioned, any "DJD" or 'DDD' is not likely to be the cause of your problems.
I would definitely do screening blood work for things in general such as a CBC with differential, thyroid hormones, vitamins B12, B6, folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and D since a deficiency in any one of these (let alone multiple ones) can definitely lead to crampy legs. I would only check the liver and kidney enzymes to make sure you're not suffering from any organ deficiency that has gone undetected.
Poor or significantly reduced circulation can also be a cause of leg cramps and should be looked into with proper studies by experts as the treatment in that case could be a relatively simple surgical procedure to either open up the obstructing to the leg or legs...or BYPASS, if the block is permanent. Poorly controlled diabetes (or even MILD cases of diabetes) are a big risk factor for nocturnal cramping in the legs.
Of course, let's not forget DEHYDRATION. You might say that you're never thirsty or that you have always been a person that drank tons of water per day. Now's your REAL chance to prove your point. In nocturnal cramps I always tell patients that no matter how much water they claim they drink daily I want them to increase their intake by at least 50%..and that's if they think they drink plenty! HA! If they themselves don't believe they drink well enough during the day....then, they need to ingest 100% over and above what they usually do.
And so there you have it young lady....a laundry list of possibilities and in some cases suggestions as to what to do for this COMMON and truly PAIN IN THE LEG problem as to why your lower extremities are cramping on you at bedtime (isn't it truly amazing that your ARMS never really do what your LEGS do when it comes to cramping....I find that fascinating!
Your job dear is find a doctor willing to go through the rigor to try and determine the cause of your cramps followed by a DIRECTED course of action. And will you look at that? According to the map where you are located....Interstate is right in YOUR BACKYARD the same as it is in mine and I'm all the way up yonder in XXXXXXX OH! Isn't that funny? And it even looks like on the map that I-77 actually has a terminal point right there in your neighborhood.....That's funny! I thought that highway went straight down to XXXXXXX Beach practically.....Had no idea it just stopped right there! HAHA! Or maybe that's where it STARTS? The other terminal point for I-77 if you care to know? XXXXXXX OHIO! LOL....How cool is that....well...
I hope you can get something going on this to figure out exactly what's happening...there are other things to consider but this should get you at least a RUNNING START (no pun intended!)....Be well my dear!
If I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you feel it is deserving? I am definitely interested in getting updated information if you'd care to drop me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi as to how you're feeling down the road and how things turned out.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns and given you a better direction as to which way a conversation would best be had with your doctor if you feel a discussion needs to take place based on what I've written.
Cheers Miss XXXXXXX ...wishin' you the best in my birth state of NJ.
This query required 70 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Nocturnal cramps that need workup
Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon and I'm so very sorry that you are experiencing such troubles with your legs.
You're in a rather LARGE crowd of folks >60 years of age that experience leg cramping and mainly at night. Nearly 1/3 of folks in the U.S. >60 years experience painful and debilitating cramps at least on weekly. Over 40% of those people have them up to several times weekly. And similarly to you they are so exhausted and drained that many don't have the energy in the legs to properly stand or walk until they've recovered in bed.
As opposed to simple muscle cramps that can happen sporadically and are usually very episodic (i.e. few and far between) nocturnal cramps happen frequently, primarily at night and usually signal some type of neurological underpinning or metabolic involvement which usually translates into some type of nutritional deficiency. Magnesium replenishment USUALLY DOES NOT WORK unless one can show a clear and present low status with that particular electrolyte and even then, magnesium replacement is usually best used in simple episodic muscle cramps as opposed nocturnal cramps which seem to occur in people who are not only MAGNESIUM deficient but also deficient in a number of other nutritional aspects. Therefore, just correcting magnesium itself is virtually a waste of time and money and no wonder as a solo treatment almost never works.
BTW, eating bananas ain't gonna be the answer either since most of the time people aren't potassium deficient to the point of causing such cramps...and even if they were, by the time patients are having those types of severe cramps at night, they'd more likely be in the hospital for heart trouble or arrhythmias. The heart is so ridiculously sensitive to the smallest changes of potassium outside normal limits that the calves and thighs won't start twitching until the heart is practically laid out on the ground panting. So please don't let anybody sell you a case of bananas unless you just love eating breakfast cereal or making milk shakes! LOL....
Quinine is also a treatment that has seen its day and so please avoid this as a treatment if proposed (even if by a professional). Some folks who haven't been keeping up with the latest information may actually believe this to still be a viable treatment. It used to be considered first line therapy but no longer and especially in anybody with a history of heart trouble so take that off the list of possibilities as a treatment.
So now let's take a step back from what NOT to treat these cramps with...I guess I got a little carried away since I just threw all that out assuming that you heard of most of this stuff and that you thought maybe any of these options would clear up your problem.
Let's try and figure out WHY you're having the problem to begin with....
FIRST THINGS FIRST! Is my patient taking ANY medication or medication(s) that could cause cramping as a drug induced side effect? Is there a medication that is new to your regimen in the past few months that you'd forgotten about and if so, COULD this be the one either responsible for or interacting with another medication you may have already been on to cause cramping. This is a HUGE underrecognized reason for leg cramps.
As I said, usually nocturnal cramping, especially if it's chronic and active usually spells out something going on in the nervous system. Therefore, if I were your neurologist with this sort of problem I would first be sending out to get an MRI of the lumbar spine (not necessarily with contrast...unless I had a suspicion that there was a COMPRESSIVE MASS or something else causing PRESSURE on your lumbosacral plexus or nerves. Just a plain old MRI to see if there is evidence of nerves, spinal cord sections, or anything else being SQUEEZED, PINCHED, or otherwise CHOKED off leading to the cramping phenomenon.
NOTE: iF YOU DO NOT SUFFER FROM SIGNIFICANT BACK PAIN or radiating pains, numbness, or tingling sensations that travel down the legs like electric shocks or just aches and soreness then, the utility of doing an MRI on the back...or even something "cheaper for the insurance company" such as a CT scan is going to be very very small. The study will likely not show anything more than the expected arthritic or degenerative state of your spinal column simply based upon your VERY YOUNG age of 63....but still it's 63 dear...so you WILL have some changes...it's just that without the back pain and other symptoms mentioned, any "DJD" or 'DDD' is not likely to be the cause of your problems.
I would definitely do screening blood work for things in general such as a CBC with differential, thyroid hormones, vitamins B12, B6, folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and D since a deficiency in any one of these (let alone multiple ones) can definitely lead to crampy legs. I would only check the liver and kidney enzymes to make sure you're not suffering from any organ deficiency that has gone undetected.
Poor or significantly reduced circulation can also be a cause of leg cramps and should be looked into with proper studies by experts as the treatment in that case could be a relatively simple surgical procedure to either open up the obstructing to the leg or legs...or BYPASS, if the block is permanent. Poorly controlled diabetes (or even MILD cases of diabetes) are a big risk factor for nocturnal cramping in the legs.
Of course, let's not forget DEHYDRATION. You might say that you're never thirsty or that you have always been a person that drank tons of water per day. Now's your REAL chance to prove your point. In nocturnal cramps I always tell patients that no matter how much water they claim they drink daily I want them to increase their intake by at least 50%..and that's if they think they drink plenty! HA! If they themselves don't believe they drink well enough during the day....then, they need to ingest 100% over and above what they usually do.
And so there you have it young lady....a laundry list of possibilities and in some cases suggestions as to what to do for this COMMON and truly PAIN IN THE LEG problem as to why your lower extremities are cramping on you at bedtime (isn't it truly amazing that your ARMS never really do what your LEGS do when it comes to cramping....I find that fascinating!
Your job dear is find a doctor willing to go through the rigor to try and determine the cause of your cramps followed by a DIRECTED course of action. And will you look at that? According to the map where you are located....Interstate is right in YOUR BACKYARD the same as it is in mine and I'm all the way up yonder in XXXXXXX OH! Isn't that funny? And it even looks like on the map that I-77 actually has a terminal point right there in your neighborhood.....That's funny! I thought that highway went straight down to XXXXXXX Beach practically.....Had no idea it just stopped right there! HAHA! Or maybe that's where it STARTS? The other terminal point for I-77 if you care to know? XXXXXXX OHIO! LOL....How cool is that....well...
I hope you can get something going on this to figure out exactly what's happening...there are other things to consider but this should get you at least a RUNNING START (no pun intended!)....Be well my dear!
If I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you feel it is deserving? I am definitely interested in getting updated information if you'd care to drop me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi as to how you're feeling down the road and how things turned out.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns and given you a better direction as to which way a conversation would best be had with your doctor if you feel a discussion needs to take place based on what I've written.
Cheers Miss XXXXXXX ...wishin' you the best in my birth state of NJ.
This query required 70 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I take Ropiniral could that be a cause since I take it at night. There is never a night that I don't have them
I take Ropiniral could that be a cause since I take it at night. There is never a night that I don't have them
Brief Answer:
Not a significantly RECOGNIZED side effect of ropinirole BUTTTTTT
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the clarification on taking ropinirole.
Nocturnal cramping is not a highly reported side effect in the literature of ropinirole. However, my approach to dealing with the question of side effects of drugs in my patients is that we perform a quick analysis of the situation using the following outline:
STEP 1. Was the patient suffering from this alleged side effect symptom BEFORE or AFTER the start of the medication.....obviously, if BEFORE then, the drug is definitely NOT the cause of the symptom (although it could certainly make things worse). If after, then, I want to know next...HOW LONG AFTER the medication was started did this symptom start to appear and were there any other drugs added to the regimen at a later date since DRUG TO DRUG interactions may certainly be in the picture and this is a slightly different problem to deal with than just a simple SIDE EFFECT by a single agent, make sense?
STEP 2. Is there a TEMPORAL (time) relationship between taking a medication & the alleged side effect? Usually there should be no more than a few hours between taking a medication and the appearance of the symptom(s) of concern. In some cases a delay in appearance of symptoms can be as long as 4 hrs. but almost never longer.
STEP 3. Does the side effect occur EACH AND EVERY TIME the medication is taken? In order to draw some conclusions about this item patients must be sure that they are always taking their medications under the same circumstances such as with or without food and also, NOTHING else should be taken at the same time or within 2 hrs. of the suspected drug.....including food or drink as these will alter the chemical environment of the stomach/gut and could impact the appearance or not of adverse reactions. Document how often the alleged side effect is occurring vs. number of times it doesn't occur.
Typically, if a suspected side effect in conjunction with a medication dose only happens on a 50/50 basis or less then, it cannot and should not be considered to be causing the problem. In fact, in my clinic and office setting I want to see very nearly an 80-90% association of the suspected symptoms with a particular dose of the medication before I seriously consider taking the drug away on the basis of causing a likely side effect.
So, in your case young lady....if in fact, you can point to the onset of your cramps as being clearly and definitely at a time which is clearly after you started taking this drug and that the drug had actually reached a sufficient concentration in your bloodstream to start producing symptoms (usually between a few days to weeks...rarely longer than that unless dosages are being shifted and escalated or other drugs are being brought on board, etc.) AND if you can say that virtually each and every time that you take the medication muscle cramps shortly follow....THEN, I think you would have a reasonable argument and case to present to your doctor so that he could possibly (and at his/her discretion) retire or taper down the drug and see if the side effects cease following a washout period...which again, could take several days to weeks.
If on the other hand your doctor is treating you for possible PARKINSON'S DISEASE then, the presence of cramps is known to be an unfortunate feature of the disease process. If you're being treated for RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME then, the fulminant and nightly spasming or cramping of muscles in the legs is NOT KNOWN to occur as a featured characteristic so then, there should be a reassessment of things as to why you are taking this medication in the first place as well as what else could be going on to prompt the use of ropinirole.
Once again, young lady, if I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you're feeling particularly Easter Rabbit Like! Would love to hear how things go and what the final verdict is on all of this discomfort you are having if you'd care to shoot me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi to share labs, diagnostic study reports, or anything else.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns.
This query required 113 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Not a significantly RECOGNIZED side effect of ropinirole BUTTTTTT
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the clarification on taking ropinirole.
Nocturnal cramping is not a highly reported side effect in the literature of ropinirole. However, my approach to dealing with the question of side effects of drugs in my patients is that we perform a quick analysis of the situation using the following outline:
STEP 1. Was the patient suffering from this alleged side effect symptom BEFORE or AFTER the start of the medication.....obviously, if BEFORE then, the drug is definitely NOT the cause of the symptom (although it could certainly make things worse). If after, then, I want to know next...HOW LONG AFTER the medication was started did this symptom start to appear and were there any other drugs added to the regimen at a later date since DRUG TO DRUG interactions may certainly be in the picture and this is a slightly different problem to deal with than just a simple SIDE EFFECT by a single agent, make sense?
STEP 2. Is there a TEMPORAL (time) relationship between taking a medication & the alleged side effect? Usually there should be no more than a few hours between taking a medication and the appearance of the symptom(s) of concern. In some cases a delay in appearance of symptoms can be as long as 4 hrs. but almost never longer.
STEP 3. Does the side effect occur EACH AND EVERY TIME the medication is taken? In order to draw some conclusions about this item patients must be sure that they are always taking their medications under the same circumstances such as with or without food and also, NOTHING else should be taken at the same time or within 2 hrs. of the suspected drug.....including food or drink as these will alter the chemical environment of the stomach/gut and could impact the appearance or not of adverse reactions. Document how often the alleged side effect is occurring vs. number of times it doesn't occur.
Typically, if a suspected side effect in conjunction with a medication dose only happens on a 50/50 basis or less then, it cannot and should not be considered to be causing the problem. In fact, in my clinic and office setting I want to see very nearly an 80-90% association of the suspected symptoms with a particular dose of the medication before I seriously consider taking the drug away on the basis of causing a likely side effect.
So, in your case young lady....if in fact, you can point to the onset of your cramps as being clearly and definitely at a time which is clearly after you started taking this drug and that the drug had actually reached a sufficient concentration in your bloodstream to start producing symptoms (usually between a few days to weeks...rarely longer than that unless dosages are being shifted and escalated or other drugs are being brought on board, etc.) AND if you can say that virtually each and every time that you take the medication muscle cramps shortly follow....THEN, I think you would have a reasonable argument and case to present to your doctor so that he could possibly (and at his/her discretion) retire or taper down the drug and see if the side effects cease following a washout period...which again, could take several days to weeks.
If on the other hand your doctor is treating you for possible PARKINSON'S DISEASE then, the presence of cramps is known to be an unfortunate feature of the disease process. If you're being treated for RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME then, the fulminant and nightly spasming or cramping of muscles in the legs is NOT KNOWN to occur as a featured characteristic so then, there should be a reassessment of things as to why you are taking this medication in the first place as well as what else could be going on to prompt the use of ropinirole.
Once again, young lady, if I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you're feeling particularly Easter Rabbit Like! Would love to hear how things go and what the final verdict is on all of this discomfort you are having if you'd care to shoot me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi to share labs, diagnostic study reports, or anything else.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns.
This query required 113 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Brief Answer:
Not a significantly RECOGNIZED side effect of ropinirole BUTTTTTT
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the clarification on taking ropinirole.
Nocturnal cramping is not a highly reported side effect in the literature of ropinirole. However, my approach to dealing with the question of side effects of drugs in my patients is that we perform a quick analysis of the situation using the following outline:
STEP 1. Was the patient suffering from this alleged side effect symptom BEFORE or AFTER the start of the medication.....obviously, if BEFORE then, the drug is definitely NOT the cause of the symptom (although it could certainly make things worse). If after, then, I want to know next...HOW LONG AFTER the medication was started did this symptom start to appear and were there any other drugs added to the regimen at a later date since DRUG TO DRUG interactions may certainly be in the picture and this is a slightly different problem to deal with than just a simple SIDE EFFECT by a single agent, make sense?
STEP 2. Is there a TEMPORAL (time) relationship between taking a medication & the alleged side effect? Usually there should be no more than a few hours between taking a medication and the appearance of the symptom(s) of concern. In some cases a delay in appearance of symptoms can be as long as 4 hrs. but almost never longer.
STEP 3. Does the side effect occur EACH AND EVERY TIME the medication is taken? In order to draw some conclusions about this item patients must be sure that they are always taking their medications under the same circumstances such as with or without food and also, NOTHING else should be taken at the same time or within 2 hrs. of the suspected drug.....including food or drink as these will alter the chemical environment of the stomach/gut and could impact the appearance or not of adverse reactions. Document how often the alleged side effect is occurring vs. number of times it doesn't occur.
Typically, if a suspected side effect in conjunction with a medication dose only happens on a 50/50 basis or less then, it cannot and should not be considered to be causing the problem. In fact, in my clinic and office setting I want to see very nearly an 80-90% association of the suspected symptoms with a particular dose of the medication before I seriously consider taking the drug away on the basis of causing a likely side effect.
So, in your case young lady....if in fact, you can point to the onset of your cramps as being clearly and definitely at a time which is clearly after you started taking this drug and that the drug had actually reached a sufficient concentration in your bloodstream to start producing symptoms (usually between a few days to weeks...rarely longer than that unless dosages are being shifted and escalated or other drugs are being brought on board, etc.) AND if you can say that virtually each and every time that you take the medication muscle cramps shortly follow....THEN, I think you would have a reasonable argument and case to present to your doctor so that he could possibly (and at his/her discretion) retire or taper down the drug and see if the side effects cease following a washout period...which again, could take several days to weeks.
If on the other hand your doctor is treating you for possible PARKINSON'S DISEASE then, the presence of cramps is known to be an unfortunate feature of the disease process. If you're being treated for RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME then, the fulminant and nightly spasming or cramping of muscles in the legs is NOT KNOWN to occur as a featured characteristic so then, there should be a reassessment of things as to why you are taking this medication in the first place as well as what else could be going on to prompt the use of ropinirole.
Once again, young lady, if I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you're feeling particularly Easter Rabbit Like! Would love to hear how things go and what the final verdict is on all of this discomfort you are having if you'd care to shoot me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi to share labs, diagnostic study reports, or anything else.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns.
This query required 113 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
Not a significantly RECOGNIZED side effect of ropinirole BUTTTTTT
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the clarification on taking ropinirole.
Nocturnal cramping is not a highly reported side effect in the literature of ropinirole. However, my approach to dealing with the question of side effects of drugs in my patients is that we perform a quick analysis of the situation using the following outline:
STEP 1. Was the patient suffering from this alleged side effect symptom BEFORE or AFTER the start of the medication.....obviously, if BEFORE then, the drug is definitely NOT the cause of the symptom (although it could certainly make things worse). If after, then, I want to know next...HOW LONG AFTER the medication was started did this symptom start to appear and were there any other drugs added to the regimen at a later date since DRUG TO DRUG interactions may certainly be in the picture and this is a slightly different problem to deal with than just a simple SIDE EFFECT by a single agent, make sense?
STEP 2. Is there a TEMPORAL (time) relationship between taking a medication & the alleged side effect? Usually there should be no more than a few hours between taking a medication and the appearance of the symptom(s) of concern. In some cases a delay in appearance of symptoms can be as long as 4 hrs. but almost never longer.
STEP 3. Does the side effect occur EACH AND EVERY TIME the medication is taken? In order to draw some conclusions about this item patients must be sure that they are always taking their medications under the same circumstances such as with or without food and also, NOTHING else should be taken at the same time or within 2 hrs. of the suspected drug.....including food or drink as these will alter the chemical environment of the stomach/gut and could impact the appearance or not of adverse reactions. Document how often the alleged side effect is occurring vs. number of times it doesn't occur.
Typically, if a suspected side effect in conjunction with a medication dose only happens on a 50/50 basis or less then, it cannot and should not be considered to be causing the problem. In fact, in my clinic and office setting I want to see very nearly an 80-90% association of the suspected symptoms with a particular dose of the medication before I seriously consider taking the drug away on the basis of causing a likely side effect.
So, in your case young lady....if in fact, you can point to the onset of your cramps as being clearly and definitely at a time which is clearly after you started taking this drug and that the drug had actually reached a sufficient concentration in your bloodstream to start producing symptoms (usually between a few days to weeks...rarely longer than that unless dosages are being shifted and escalated or other drugs are being brought on board, etc.) AND if you can say that virtually each and every time that you take the medication muscle cramps shortly follow....THEN, I think you would have a reasonable argument and case to present to your doctor so that he could possibly (and at his/her discretion) retire or taper down the drug and see if the side effects cease following a washout period...which again, could take several days to weeks.
If on the other hand your doctor is treating you for possible PARKINSON'S DISEASE then, the presence of cramps is known to be an unfortunate feature of the disease process. If you're being treated for RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME then, the fulminant and nightly spasming or cramping of muscles in the legs is NOT KNOWN to occur as a featured characteristic so then, there should be a reassessment of things as to why you are taking this medication in the first place as well as what else could be going on to prompt the use of ropinirole.
Once again, young lady, if I've provided useful or helpful information to your questions could you do me the utmost of favors in CLOSING THE QUERY along with a few positive words of feedback and maybe even a 5-star rating if you're feeling particularly Easter Rabbit Like! Would love to hear how things go and what the final verdict is on all of this discomfort you are having if you'd care to shoot me a line at www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi to share labs, diagnostic study reports, or anything else.
You can always reach me at the above address for this and other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope our discussion has aided in your understanding of a few concepts related to your concerns.
This query required 113 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and file a response.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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