Severe Thigh Cramps

[Lynn178]

I am a 49 year old lady in meanopause.  Rather than have hormone replacement my doctor has put me on a mild anti-depressant.  He clearly is unable to stop the hot flashes but he feels we can control them and other symptoms by taking a mild dose of  Citalopram.  I have been getting SEVERE!! thigh cramps.  Most times in the night but I have also had them hit me out of the blue while sitting.  I feel like I have been kicked by a horse as it hurts so bad and continues to be sore for weeks afterwards.  I fear these cramps so much that if I feel the slightest hint of it coming on I fly out of bed and stand on that leg (not easy to do..lol)  For someone who has never had a thigh cramp...it paralyzes you.  The pain is intense and my husband bless him...gets up with me and tries to soothe me.  I scream and cry until it passes.  With the hot summer days here I drink as much as I can due to the heat and the hot flashes to try and replenish my fluid.  If I drink much more I will float away and as it is, I am up 4-5 times a night to empty my bladder.  In hind-sight, drinking the amount of fluids I am it cannot be related to dehydration...any help or suggestions would be appreciated.  I find I am holding myself in a tense manner for fear another thigh cramp will hit me.  I get them in my toes too when I retire for the night.

I am tired and emotional with this menopause and just want to not have these THIGH CRAMPS!!!

So...what do you think?

[swissbird]

I have searched for "severe leg cramps" before and never found anything until I added "severe inner thigh cramps" and found all these interesting tips on this page. It made me realize I've been having these for about the same length of time I've been on triamterine! I now have new ammunition when I return to my doctor. She didn't have a clue when I explained the symptoms (same as Lynn and Penmarko). I will certainly keep a bottle of potassium on hand and hopefully this will help. The cramps seem to be increasing (formerly maybe once a year, now up to 4-5 times a year....and once I have one, it's easy to get another and another over 2-3 days, and the pain afterwards is pretty bad, too. Thanks to all of you for your answers (and symptoms....I thought I was the only one!)....and I hope all your pain goes away.

[penmarko]

I suffer from Charley Horse cramps as well.  They are always in the inner thigh and at night.  The pain is so severe I have to walk for sometimes 15 minutes around the house and after the pain subsides, the aftermath of the pain remains in the thigh for sometimes a couple weeks.  Last year I was told that my blood pressure was slightly high and the test said my potassium level was very low.  I was put on a medication called triamterene 37.5MG/Hctz 25 MG.  I too had to urinate 5 to 6 time a night and the doctor said I was urinating all my potassium out and that this pill would keep the potassium from leaving my system.  When I take the medication right, I do not have Charlie Horses as often.  So to the lady that has to urinate all night, you might be urinating all your potassium out and need some kind of supplement, if not medication.  The medication is not expensive, aroung 14.00 a month.

[Best59]

Hi,
You may have LOW Potassium in your system.

If you have frequent and severe leg cramps at night, talk to your doctor. Treatment results vary. But the most effective treatments based on current research are:
? Vitamin B-12
? Gabapentin

If you do get a leg cramp, you may be able to make it go away by:
? Walking on the affected leg
? Massaging the affected muscle
? Straightening your leg and flexing your foot toward your knee until you feel the calf muscles stretch
? Applying a cold pack to the affected muscle
? Taking a hot bath
To help prevent night leg cramps:
? Drink plenty of fluids during the day.
? Stretch your leg muscles before bedtime.
? Get adequate potassium in your diet.

Do not take:
? Certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications
? Alcohol use

[Lynn178]

I wanted to say thanks to all of you for taking the time to give me your thoughts.  I am going to go to the doctor and see what he can do for me.  It is 11:05 and I am afraid to go to bed for fear of a cramp in my thigh..lol.  It is already so very sore.  Thanks again and I will let you know what my doc says.  Thankfully he has a good sense of humor..lol

[chookey]

Hi l all suffer leg cramps l bite my bottum lip gently it seems to help just dont bite to hard and yes l walk for 30 minutes a day helps with the hot flashes and mood swings all the best

[loralai]

Your pain sounds awful! It must be worse not getting a proper nights sleep on top of it all. I used to get charlie horse in middle of night in my calves all the time and too would be woken up out of bed sensing it coming on. Yours sounds even worse. Have you tried stretching? I was having bad back pain and started some light exercise and it actually helped. Also, I always try the heat pad. This is not easy when you have hot flashes too but it helped my back pain also. I hope this goes away for you soon and you get some good ZZzzz's. Be well! Sorry...my advice seems lame but you never know!