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HANDS AND FEET are having spasms -any cures ?

Posted , 10 users are following.

Flutterbie57
Flutterbie57

I am recently diagnosed. Started on 20mg - dropped to 15mg after 2 weeks then a whole new set of weird things have started happening. Both hands and feet have stared going into spasm - this can involve my wrists and ankles too. Usually it involves both hands and feet at the same time. Dr did not have an answer. Has anyone else suffered this problem or come up with a solution for it ? Deap breathing has not worked for it.

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • gee013
    gee013 Flutterbie57

    Posted

    My father has had PMR for 5 years and he gets hand spasms when his control,is lost. His GP usually puts his steroids up and this seems to help but he has never managed to drop his steroids very well for any length of time. I have never read anything elsewhere about hand spasms. Would be interested to hear the views of the experienced sufferers...
    • jean05221
      jean05221 gee013

      Posted

      I have GCA & am on Pred - trying to reduce for the 5th time in 5 years. Currently on 45 mg slowly reducing from 60 in 1s!!

      Over the years I've experienced spasms/cramps in my hands & feet many times. 

      My hands often spasm whilst holding the iron, writing etc. It's just like cramp and goes away with gentle opening & closing of fingers (& toes). 

      I don't know if this fits your father's experience. I think my spasms are a side effect of the Pred and I've never increased my dose to get rid of them.

      I do hope that your dad gets some relief from this sooon - it's incredibly painful whist it's happening.

      Best wishes

    • Flutterbie57
      Flutterbie57 gee013

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply Gary. How wonderful you are looking after Dad. We have now got some ideas to try, and looks like we are not alone.
  • Sheilamac_Fife
    Sheilamac_Fife Flutterbie57

    Posted

    Is this something that magnesium would help do you think?
    • Flutterbie57
      Flutterbie57 Sheilamac_Fife

      Posted

      I will go back on magnesium - I had initially dropped all the extras as I did not know what I could take and what I shouldn't. Thanks
  • EileenH
    EileenH Flutterbie57

    Posted

    Like Sheilamac I'm wondering about magnesium. I had spasms in my thumbs especially just because of the PMR, definitely wasn't pred, but many people develop muscle cramps after they start on pred. Pred increases the amount of magnesium you lose in your urine so taking some extra helps. It is the standard first suggestion in mainland Europe by any doctor when a patient complains of muscle spasms or cramps. Only if that doesn't help do they then investigate further. It is so common that every supermarket has cheap magnesium supplements on the shelf! H&B or the chemist in the UK will have something to offer. You can get just magnesium - you don't need multivitamins with all the other stuff.

    Deep breathing over any length of time is more likely to worsen it I would have though - it is a symptom of hyperventilation.

    • Flutterbie57
      Flutterbie57 EileenH

      Posted

      I was wondering too about magnesium, but it sounds like it is safe to take with the Pred so I will go back on it. I found the deep breathing hint somewhere(long and slow) - idea was to get more ozygen through to the muscles, but by itself it did not bring relief. Thanks EileenH
  • pelham29972
    pelham29972 Flutterbie57

    Posted

    I get the foot and calf cramps when physically overstressed and am trying to pay attention to intaking more water.

    • Flutterbie57
      Flutterbie57 pelham29972

      Posted

      Thanks pelham. I will try everything all you wonderful people have suggested.
  • leonard12916
    leonard12916 Flutterbie57

    Posted

    When I started on Pred 2 years ago I experience spasms in hands an feet for awhile but not since.  I did take more magnesium and I think eating bananas helped.  At the time it was quite a problem but fortunatley hasn't been for a long time.  To my mind it was DEFINITELY because of the Pred.  Good luck!
    • EileenH
      EileenH leonard12916

      Posted

      Might have been low potassium if bananas helped - can also be messed up by taking pred.
    • Flutterbie57
      Flutterbie57 leonard12916

      Posted

      Thanks Leonard - that sounds positive. Definitely wasn't a prob before the Pred
  • gee013
    gee013 Flutterbie57

    Posted

    Thanks, I will suggest Magnesium and bananas to my father. He always assumed it was the PMR flaring up. And I think his GP had no better idea.
    • EileenH
      EileenH gee013

      Posted

      If your GP is putting his dose up every time this happens it isn't surprising that your father isn't getting to a lower dose for any length of time - once you get into a yoyo pattern with pred dose it becomes increasingly difficult to reduce the next time - don't know why but experience shows it.

      Strangely, I have problems with cramping hands when I wear rubber gloves - no problem otherwise. It gets me out of doing most dirty jobs (thank goodness for a dishwasher). Part of it is trying to maintain a sustained posiiton - the holding an iron someone mentioned for example - and the muscle isn't getting a good enough blood supply to hold the position in comfort. Keeping changing position helps - in PMR the pred is only part of managing the symptoms. If you take a high enough dose you could manage more without behavioural change - but behavioural change has no side-effects, high dose pred does. If you learn to adjust your activities to accommodate the PMR a lower dose of pred is enough - and better for you in the longer term.

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