Suggest Treatment For Severe Body Cramps While On Medication For Depression

Posted on Thu, 21 Jul 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 Answered on

Wed, 10 Aug 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a 70 year old woman taking multiple drugs for depression (Ritalin, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, and trazedone for sleep), Protonix for reflux, Lyrica for Fibromyalgia, and Mobic for arthritic pain. I am active and love outdoor work and big time gardening. I am experiencing severe body cramps, mostly in leg muscles, but also in hands, and in my torso when I twist,. These are getting worse and occurring more frequently, day or night. My CBC counts are always OKAY, so my doctor offers no solutions. Can you lead me in a new direction to relieve my cramping? Marilyn Sargent

Answered by Dr. Dr. Chintan Solanki (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Vitamin B 12 and flupiritine maleate can help

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thanks for writing to us. I can understand your concern.

You are already taking lyrica which is helpful in such cramps. More problem in lower limbs suggests possibility of Vitamin B 12 deficiency. You should go for assessment of serum level of B 12 and then take supplement in form of injection.

When no specific diagnosis found out flupiritine maleate is a good muscle relaxant medicine for such cramps. You can ask your doctor for the same.

If you have history of diarrhea, vomiting or other dehydration ; low sodium level can also cause such cramps. In that case, serum sodium level should be done and if less should be corrected.

Hope I have answered your query, I will be happy to help further.

Regards,
Dr.Chintan Solanki

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar