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Anyone experience with cramps especially during the night, I'm type 2. Thanks.

Hi @Jmann and welcome to the forum.
If you don’t mind, could you please tell us a bit more about your diabetes, such as any medication you are on and what type of diet you eat? It’ll help us to help you.
 
I used to have dreadful cramps, particularly when taking Metformin and Atorvastatin, but found it was because I needed water. I used to stagger off to the bathroom and down several half pint s of water - on some occasions it took three mugs and it would subside.
I tried all sorts of minerals to stop it before discovering it was down to needing water.
 
What are your blood sugar levels like when you get cramps?
Sometimes, I find cramp a symptom of high blood sugars.
 
Cramps can be due to a variety of things. A magnesium supplement has helped to significantly reduce mine. Dehydration can also be a factor.
 
T2D Metformin + diet

Yep really bad cramps.

Asked on here like you have, got told as I was LCHF, I might be lacking salt.
So began adding a tad to most meals,
Helped but not a cure.. for me anyway

but what did work was a magnesium spray.

A squirt on feet / calves before bed managed to ease the issue for me.

Hope you find something that works for you.
 
Used to get chronic cramps all night and both legs. Crippling.

Spoke to dr. Was advised to take prescribed quinine.. dreadful side effects. Then I tried magnesium capsules. I take taurate version of magnesium. Cramps gone.
I did also ask Gp for Doppler scan of legs and that proved ok.

Not a problem since supplementary magnesium. The pain all night previously was horrendous from the minute I laid down to the minute I got up. Horrendous.
 
I read to eat a banana and that really helped me but then I was diagnosed with T2 so no more banana. Now I try to make sure I eat stuff (spinach and such) which contains plenty of magnesium and potassium as I feel both influence restless leg syndrome, or at least for me they do.
 
I found increasing salt, or using Lo-salt for potassium, and taking magnesium citrate helps. Be ware the latter can cause loose bowels
 
donnellysdogs said:
Used to get chronic cramps all night and both legs. Crippling.

Spoke to dr. Was advised to take prescribed quinine.. dreadful side effects. Then I tried magnesium capsules. I take taurate version of magnesium. Cramps gone.
I did also ask Gp for Doppler scan of legs and that proved ok.

Not a problem since supplementary magnesium. The pain all night previously was horrendous from the minute I laid down to the minute I got up. Horrendous.
Click to expand...
So happy to see that you found a solution to your nocturnal lag cramps - one cannot over-exagerate just how painful they are especially if in both legs at the same time hips down to feet - can actually cause a state of unconsciousness! BUT I DO HOPE THAT THE DOCTOR WHO TOLD YOU TO TAKE QUININE SULPHATE DID SO MANY YEARS AGO. IF NOT, HE SHOULD BE DISBARRED. THE FDA TOOK QUNININE OFF OVER THE COUNTER SALES SOME 8-10 YEARS AGO BECAUSE IT FOUND THAT 90 DEATHS OF LONG-TERM USERS OF QUNINE FOR LEG CRAMPS (like myself) HAD DEFINITVELY DIED AS A RESULT. For those readers who are still suffering - keep a phial of granular salt by the bed and, at the onset of a cramp condition, wet one's finder and dip it into the salt and place upon the tongue. If taken quickly enough the symptoms should disperse within 3-5 minutes. There is a product that DOES work for the most serious cases it is called STOP LEG & FOOT CRAMPS IN ABOUT ONE MINUTE. It is a Caleb Treeze Organic Farm product (USA). It tastes foul (for me) but can stop the most evil of cramps in just over 3 minutes. It obvious contains pickle juice if that is of help. A good soul on this Forum helped me a good number of years ago telling me that she used Magnesium Citrate tabs - they have certainly prevented me from needing the Caleb product. The best version is by NOW Supplements but, again for me, unfortunately not available in Asia but the USA and UK.
 
Years ago I used to regularly suffer from regular agonizing leg cramps.when I was taking diuretics which were causing me to wee out a lot of fluid and with it vital minerals - potassium, etc. My go to solution then was a banana a day in addition to making sure I was drinking enough. After I was diagnosed with T2, I started getting occasional bad cramps again, generally if I was weeing a lot, which can be due to our kidneys working overtime to get rid of any excess sugar. As I'm eating a low carb diet my high carb bananas were no longer an option, but a bit of Googling told me many low carb veggies can be better sources of potassium (and magnesium) than bananas are, so I make sure that I eat these regularly now. and more recently have discovered water filters with added magnesium. Problem solved!:)
 
I know many years ago I used to suffer from leg cramps in the middle of the night quite a bit, I found out later that I had been unknowingly suffering from malnutrition (caused by undiagnosed gluten intolerance), so for me I think it was lack of nutrients as well (probably a selection of them)
 
I get cramps if I don’t get enough potassium. Some people find its magnesium, but for me its definitely potassium.
I supplement, somewhat sporadically, but it is amazing how well those night cramps act to remind me! :D
 
It’s an awful feeling, I tried tonic water-my Doctor prescribed Quinine tablets touch wood the are working fine.
 
Depending where the cramps are you may wish to speak to your dr as cramps can be a sign of clots and ask if you need a Doppler scan done... Can be a sign of peripheral artery disease.
You should be tested.

I had-to ask as I had years of crams but mine was salt and magnesium being less than optimal.my dr did arrange a Doppler scan of my legs though to check.
 
I awoke one night to the worse cramps I have ever experienced. I managed to get out of bed and I had to hold onto my chest of drawers as I was in such pain as I could not move. However, I guessed part of the reason was that I was dehydrated. I got downstairs eventually and drank loads of water, ate a banana and had three Brazil nuts (apparently three Brazil nuts give you all the magnesium one needs for the day. I keep some in the freezer. However, I have now got sick of Brazil nuts so I will think of using one of the suggestions above.
 
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