Q&A: Relief for leg cramps?

I frequently wake up during the night with cramps in my calf. My doctor says he can’t find the cause. Can anything help me? —L.E., Franklin, Mich. 

For immediate relief, promptly break the cramp by using your hands to pull your foot toward your knee. Measures to prevent the problem depend on the cause, which is usually not found. One culprit may be either too much or too little exercise during the day, so adjusting your activity level and stretching your calf muscles regularly may help. Less often, the cramps can be a side effect of certain drugs, including the osteoporosis drug raloxifene (Evista) and several cardiovascular medications, including atorvastatin (Lipitor), fenofibrate (Tricor and generic), furosemide (Lasix and generic), hydrochlorothiazide (Esidrix and generic), and nifedipine (Procardia and generic). In rare cases, leg cramps may indicate an underlying disorder, such as diabetes, kidney failure, thyroid problems, or peripheral vascular disease, so ask if your doctor has ruled those out.

Find out what makes you more likely to get leg cramps, and if you suffer with frequent leg cramps, take a look at our comparison of treatments (subscribers only). 

Comments

[Calgary9]

I sleep in a really cool room and found I prevented leg cramps by having a heating pad on low (on timer) down by my feet. If I can keep the calf warm until I am in deep sleep then no problems.

[Patricia]

Sometimes the culprit is something as simple as having a low potassium level which can be corrected by taking a supplement or eating bananas.

[Dennis Faulkner]

I have always had problems with leg and foot cramps, even as a child. I did find out I have a tendon that is too short in my leg. I used to be on Quinine Sulfate, a really old drug that worked well, which was recently taken off the market. I now use Hyland's Leg Cramp Formula with Quinine (it has only a small bit of Quinine, in a different form, I understand), and this works well for me. I take one when leg cramps start to develop, and take it for 1 to 3 days normally, then don't take it again until I start having problems with foot cramps again.

[Pete]

When I started taking simvastatin I experienced leg cramps and did some online research where some reports indicated that CoQ10 would be helpful so I have been taking that at bedtime with the simvastatin and the cramps are now rare.