diabetes and leg cramps

[lar bear]

sometimes I have sever leg cramps during the night.  I am now trying to get my blood/sugar in control with insulin.  I was only on pills but a sinus infection drove my readings up in the high 300s and the pills seemed to no longer work.  any ideas or will the leg cramps cease after the sugar is under control?
Thanks you very much

[JDRF-Team-gg]

Hi lar bear!  We are not medical professionals here, just volunteers with experience in dealing with type 1 diabetes. I can't say for sure that your higher than normal bg's are the cause of your leg cramps, only your physician can determine this.  There could be many different medical reasons why a person experiences leg cramps during the night.  It could be something as simple as a difficiency of a vitamin to something as serious as peripheral vascular disease.  You really need to seek your physician's advice.  I hope you find an answer soon and are feeling better soon also!

[JDRF Team SGG]

I agree with JDRF-Team-gg that only your physician can determine the cause of the leg cramps. If your glucose levels have been high for several weeks while you were ill, some of your body's chemical balances may have been upset and you probably are deficient in some minerals. A blood test may help your doctor determine how to treat the leg cramps. As an aside, leg cramps are not really a typical symptom of high glucose.

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello,
I'm another volunteer, also not a medical professional.  I agree with both GG & SGG.  

You can expect your doctor to evaluate things like potassium, magnesium & calcium levels in your blood because low levels can be a cause.  Sometimes meds or other conditions can cause changes in levels, as has been pointed out already.  Your doc may also do some testing of your kidney functioning to be sure that organ is properly processing wastes and minerals.

Any physical symptom taht starts or appears when we we're sick and/or experiencing elevated blood sugars can also be "just" a response to the physical stress of those imbalances.  

Even tho' it's sort of a "holiday weekend" here in the US, it's worth a call to your doc (or his/her on-call support) to discuss specifics.  No need to spend too many sleepless nights due to cramps or worry about them.

Good luck and please do let us know what you find out.