1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Polymyalgia Rheumatica and GCA

Polymalgia Rheumatica and feet cramping

Posted , 13 users are following.

gail2910-US-MI
gail2910-US-MI

I am experiencing my feet cramping daily. Not debilitating but painful at times. I know I have read about this and it seems like Magnesium was the answer offered. I get some mag in Calcium tab I take (500 Cal., 80 magnesium, 800 Vit D) Is this enough and am I even remembering this right?  i have had PMR 2 years and am at 5.5mg. Pred. Is the cramping a result of the disorder or from Prednisone? Thank you.

1 like, 26 replies

26 Replies

Next
  • Oregonjohn-UK
    Oregonjohn-UK gail2910-US-MI

    Posted

    i believe it's the preds as I to had cramps and took magnesium but now I'm at 6 mg I have dropped them as I don't seem to suffer with it anymore - sorry.
  • ptolemy
    ptolemy gail2910-US-MI

    Posted

    I get foot and leg cramp, probably from the pred, I blame pred for everything, my side effects, the weather, the government! My GP gave me quinine sulphate for the cramp, it works a treat. 
    • linda17563
      linda17563 ptolemy

      Posted

      I`m not the only one then, that blames everything on pred....even the foot cramps...especially the goverment!
    • sh33na
      sh33na linda17563

      Posted

      When the govt comes to get us, we won't be able to run away quickly enough!

      I woke up last night with my foot cramping. Standing and walking on it didn't help, so I took some potassium pills. It finally went away. My doctor told me that by the time I'm cramping, my potassium is very, very low. (I take diuretics occasionally, but not for several weeks.)

      I just got out of the hospital and they gave me all kinds of antibiotics and fluids. Thankfully, I didn't blow up like a big puffbug. I have been eating a lot of protein.

      That's all I know.

    • linda17563
      linda17563 sh33na

      Posted

      Thanks for that, it`s over a year ago I posted about cramps, but I still get them all the time!  I can`t tolerate medication or natural remedies, so take as little as possible, obviously still on pred (10mg droppping VERY slowly) getting bad side affects from dropping and cramps are another annoyance, could do witthout.

        Hope you are recovering ok from that hospital stay!  It`s not always restful being in hospital! 

  • Mrs.Mac-Canada
    Mrs.Mac-Canada gail2910-US-MI

    Posted

    Hi Gail,

    Since I doubled the my Calcium tablets (same as yours with the mag. and Vit D) I don't have the leg cramps but do still occasionally have foot cramps. I thought they might be from wearing nothing but flip-flops but I'm good with blaming it on the pred to😋.

    Apparently tonic helps as well.

    Cheers,  Diana🌸

    • ptolemy
      ptolemy Mrs.Mac-Canada

      Posted

      Tonic has quinine in it, I think it used to be called quinine water at some point. 
    • gail2910-US-MI
      gail2910-US-MI Mrs.Mac-Canada

      Posted

      Yes, foot wear does seem relevant. When I have on my trainers with custom orthotics, I am at my best. However, I can't wear them to work and when I have less supportive shoes, the cramping is more noticeable. I notice it mostly at night and sometimes in the a.m. before I "move into" my day. Thanks for your thoughts.
    • lodgerUK_NE
      lodgerUK_NE gail2910-US-MI

      Posted

      I snapped a tendon and had a major op which worked so my foot stopped turning out to 45 degrees and saved me froma wheelchair.

      Ortho surgeon put me on to Hotter Shoes.

    • faye______00403
      faye______00403 Mrs.Mac-Canada

      Posted

      Be careful with amount of calcium you take.....

      I  was laying in bed one a.m. and thought I'd have a good stretch....

      well, that didn't work out well.....cramped almost everywhere.

      Jumped right out of bed and ran around till worked some of them out.

      Feet seemed to be the worst..

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey gail2910-US-MI

    Posted

    I developed foot and leg cramping during my steroid days, mostly at night time.  The only time I seemed to experience it during the day was if I stretched up high to reach something - that doesn't happen any more now post-stroids.  However, my night-time cramp still comes and goes.  I did ask the GP for magnesium and potassium blood tests to see if a deficiency was the cause but they came back normal.  One GP showed me how to do press-ups against the wall, stretching the calf before bed-time and that does help......when I remember to do it!
    • gail2910-US-MI
      gail2910-US-MI MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Good suggestion to stretch calves. I have sort of forgotten about that and although my cramping has been the arches and toes, not legs, it is, as we have all learned all connected!! I appreciate your thots here.
    • linda17563
      linda17563 gail2910-US-MI

      Posted

      On "trust me I`m a doctor" on TV this week...they said nothing really works for cramp...only stretching the muscle!!.....
    • EileenH
      EileenH linda17563

      Posted

      Funny - the whole of mainland Europe uses magnesium, very often very successfully! I had cramps due to the PMR - nothing to do with pred for me as I wasn't taking it then. I also had to wear heavy-duty walking shoes for comfort. I had to give up wearing sandals for walking. But it does improve - I now walk miles in my hiking sandals.

      But don't ever increase the amount of calcium you take to above about 1200mg/day to get more of other things. Use single content tablets so you can adjust each separately. Too much calclium can cause problems.

    • karren61208
      karren61208 EileenH

      Posted

      I also had foot and calf cramps prior to taking prednisone mid June. So the increase of leg-foot cramping (over the healthy years I would have an occasional cramp) has to be blamed on the PMR.

      Thanks, Eileen, for mentioning that overdoing calcium supplements can also be a problem. My doctor says not all calcium tablets are good. To test them one should be dropped in water to see how quickly it disperses into the water. I forget how quickly this should happen--maybe someone knows this?--but any tablet that just sits there is not going to get into your system well.

    • sh33na
      sh33na karren61208

      Posted

      I use the powder form of calcium citrate that comes in a can. It dissolves immediately. I toss a scoop full in my mouth and add water. There's a little red scopper that comes with the calicium. It also has a small amount of Vid D, which I need since DS surgery. UpCal D.

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.