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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Severe Leg Cramps At Night?

I have nightly leg cramps that usually start in the top of foot and go up my shin. This occurs several times a night and last about 15 minutes. I drink lots of water, stretch before sleeping and sometimes I do a foot massage before bed. My doctor has me on 5 mg cyclobenzaprine and 1 mg of generic Requip and said that I could increase the required dosage if needed but that doesn t seem to help. I also take Valsartan and Bystolic. Any ideas why cramps still persist or are any of the blood pressure mess causing this.
posted on Mon, 3 Jul 2017
Twitter Wed, 22 Aug 2018 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 27 Aug 2018 Last reviewed on
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General Surgeon,  's  Response
Hi,
Leg cramps are a common and usually harmless condition where the muscles in your leg suddenly become tight and painful.
It usually occurs in the calf muscles and in most cases there is no obvious cause of it If it happens sporadically then there is no need for any treatment or tests. But if this is common and affect your daily routine then some measures should be taken.

In some cases there may be predisposing conditions such can be seen in pregnancy, after exercise and certain types of medication, such as statins or in liver disease.
The best way to manage this is to stretch your muscles regularly.
In some cases magnesium or calcium supplements may help Have enough fluids and avoid long sitting, regulate body mass.
In cases of progression or if there wont be improvement, you need to see doctor, to rule out some nephropathy or vascular disorders which are much less common but should be considered if there wont be improvement on these measures that I have mentioned.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
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What Causes Severe Leg Cramps At Night?

Hi, Leg cramps are a common and usually harmless condition where the muscles in your leg suddenly become tight and painful. It usually occurs in the calf muscles and in most cases there is no obvious cause of it If it happens sporadically then there is no need for any treatment or tests. But if this is common and affect your daily routine then some measures should be taken. In some cases there may be predisposing conditions such can be seen in pregnancy, after exercise and certain types of medication, such as statins or in liver disease. The best way to manage this is to stretch your muscles regularly. In some cases magnesium or calcium supplements may help Have enough fluids and avoid long sitting, regulate body mass. In cases of progression or if there wont be improvement, you need to see doctor, to rule out some nephropathy or vascular disorders which are much less common but should be considered if there wont be improvement on these measures that I have mentioned. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.