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Cramps in legs

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R

Raymond

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all,

For the past couple of months I've been getting terrible cramps in my feet and calves. Not a night goes by that I'm not woken with this and it's really getting to me. This started just a short while before I was diagnosed with T2 for which I am now on tablets. I visited my GP who prescribed quinine,which had no effect at all, then Tramadol painkillers which had equally no effect. I can't help feeling its too much of a coincidence that only a couple of weeks later I discover I have T2. I told the GP my concerns but he just told me to come off Simvastatin as this is a side effect. However, the cramps continue. Has anyone heard of this connected to T2 or do you think it's unrelated?

Thanks

Raymond
 
Hi Raymond,
Was going to mention if you were on statins but see from what you said you were,has the GP not mentioned maybe trying another statin?, I had terrible aches and cramps with simvastatin but im now on atorvastatin and im fine.
 
No Steff, he just took me off them altogether which would lead me to believe my cholesterol is still too high. The cramps were there before I was put on them though. I read somewhere that it can be a kidney related problem but my blood tests came back only last week with my kidneys functioning normally. At my wits end with it.

R
 
I was going to suggest low potassium but you have already said your kidney function is fine. Have you had your liver function checked as well ? Could it be any other medication you might be on ? Has the GP advised on any exercises through the day to help alleviate it ? I suffered badly a few months back but it was part and parcel of hypothyroidism and my kidneys were struggling. On the mend now and cramps have gone.
Hope you find some relief soon 🙂
 
I'm on 320g Gliclazide and 1000g Metformin per day but I cant see this causing it. Thats the only meds I'm on. GP didn't suggest exercises but a friend suggested stretching exercises but to no avail. It just made my muscles sore!!
 
Hi Raymond, I think it is fairly common to have cramps in the first few weeks and months after diagnosis. I suffered them too, and I have read many accounts from others who report the same thing. Stopping the simvastatin may take a little while to take effect if they were the cause. I think that, as you start treatment and your blood sugar levels begin to come down, this change can trigger them and hopefully it will be a temporary thing. Mine went after about 4 months or so. I was also on simvastatin initially, but stopped them a couple of weeks before the cramps stopped. I occasionally get cramps now if my levels have been higher than usual.

Hope they stop for you soon. Do you know what your cholesterol level was? It may be that it is not bad at all and the doctor was just automatically putting you on them as they are also supposed to have other benefits besides lowering cholesterol.
 
Hi Raymond,

Hope this doesnt sound daft, but could the cramps be triggered by restless leg syndrome?

Could also be a caused by a lack of salt.

Heidi
xx🙂
 
Funnily enough I'm relieved to hear that it may be connected to my BG being too high as at least there is an end in sight. My GP didn't tell me my cholesterol level, just that it was high even for someone without diabetes. I always related high cholesterol with people who are heavier than they should be for their height? It just shows that I have alot to learn.

I'll need to google restless leg syndrome! Doesn't sound very good at all!
 
Try a glass of diet tonic water!

This has quinin in it, which can help with cramps..

My husbands did suffer from cramps, legs and hands but since he started having a glass of tonic water (full tumbler) with a dash of sugar free squash in it, the other week he ran out so didn't get anymore for a couple of days and the cramps in his fingers were back..

Worth a try and does no harm if it fails..

Me I would be putting a dash of gin in mine🙄
 
I have suffered from cramps at night too.

My GP did say that quinnine isn't the panacea it's cracked up to be (my words not his), but it can't harm to try it and if it works, who's to argue!

If you still get no improvement, try reducing your caffeine intake. I now drink exclusively (well, mostly) decaff coffee and haven't suffered any problems for quite a while now. But, it may just have been a coincidence.

The problem with cramps is that I think it can be due to all sorts of things. High bgs, low bgs, too much exercise, too little, to much salt, too little ..... and so on!

Andy 🙂
 
Hi - my Mam suffered terrible night cramps and was prescribed quinine, but long term useage left her with reduced hearing

However, on stopping the prescribed meds her hearing came back
 
My husband was told about the tonic water by one the doctors that came to see one of the residents due to cramp (Les is a care supervisor) according to the doctor, his first advise is the tonic water rather than quinin tables, as the tonic has no side effects unless you add gin to it off cause, where the tablets did..

But it's one of those things that you can try without any harm though
 
Raymond,

Just to say I had the exact same thing when I was first diagnosed but it went away as soon as my levels got down to 'normal' range. I got it again really badly earlier this year when I went up to stupidly high levels for a while, but once again they have gone now I'm back down to where I should be. Hopefully it will be the same for you. XXXXX
 
When my BG's were very high for a long period of time I used to get severe cramps in both my feet and my calves almost every night and also during the day. When I started on insulin and my BG's gradually decreased the cramps became less frequent until they stopped altogether.

Now I only get cramps in my feet and occasionally in my calves if I go high for a while. You'll probably find they will diminish as your BG's become more stable.
 
Think it can also signify a deficiency of summat - ??? is it magnesium?
 
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