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Suggest Treatment For Leg Cramps In An Elderly Person
Posted on
Sat, 3 Dec 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sat, 3 Dec 2016
Answered on
Fri, 23 Dec 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : My mom is 80 and is a diabetic she has been suffering with cramps in her legs I really think its going to kill her to much for her it last all night yes she's been to the doctor and they put her on Gabapentin 400mg and take more if needed well its doesn't work can you help please
Brief Answer:
a couple suggestions
Detailed Answer:
hello and thanks for looking out for your mom,
There are many causes of leg cramps. Two very common ones are a relative dehydration and a lack of appropriate vitamins or minerals.
First make sure that she is drinking plenty of water during the day and avoiding dehydrating drinks like coffee, tea, sodas or alcohol. Many older people do not drink water before bed because they do not want to have to get up and go to the bathroom. This can cause the leg cramping if they get too dehydrated.
A good multivitamin/multimineral supplement would also be helpful.
If these things do not work there are two other things to consider. One is that she actually has restless leg syndrome and not just cramps. If that is the case she would need a sleep study to make the diagnosis and different medications for treatment.
The next thing would be a very low dose of a muscle relaxant. Sometimes muscle relaxants are hard on older people making them dizzy or confused but sometimes a low dose is needed to treat severe cramping.
I hope this helps
Dr. Robinson
a couple suggestions
Detailed Answer:
hello and thanks for looking out for your mom,
There are many causes of leg cramps. Two very common ones are a relative dehydration and a lack of appropriate vitamins or minerals.
First make sure that she is drinking plenty of water during the day and avoiding dehydrating drinks like coffee, tea, sodas or alcohol. Many older people do not drink water before bed because they do not want to have to get up and go to the bathroom. This can cause the leg cramping if they get too dehydrated.
A good multivitamin/multimineral supplement would also be helpful.
If these things do not work there are two other things to consider. One is that she actually has restless leg syndrome and not just cramps. If that is the case she would need a sleep study to make the diagnosis and different medications for treatment.
The next thing would be a very low dose of a muscle relaxant. Sometimes muscle relaxants are hard on older people making them dizzy or confused but sometimes a low dose is needed to treat severe cramping.
I hope this helps
Dr. Robinson
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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