Muscle cramps

This is my first post and I have been reading the other questions and haven't come across my problem. (By the way, I'm soo excited to be a part of this awsome discussion forum! You women ROCK!!)
Anyway, I have been riding daily for about 3 months. I started getting muscle cramps/charlie horses about 2 months ago in the evenings and at night, (I ride in the mornings). They started out just once in a while and in my calves and feet. They've progressed to the point to where I get them in my entire hamstrings, hands, fingers, pretty much everywhere. Last night I rode and the first mile my palms started cramping, then fingers, then L foot, leg and so on.

I drink water while riding and during the day, eat a banana a day, take potassium suppliments(595mg), multivamin w/ B and ginsing, and started a supplement for cramps that has calcium, magnesium phosphorus, w/ D and C in it. In addition, I stretch afterward, try to eat protein after ride (but not sure what or how much) and carbs.

I've always been active, but took 3 yrs off from back injury and am now 41. I have never had anything like this before. The only other thing is that I am living in the desert with intense, dry heat that I try to compensate by riding in the am.

Any suggestions would be soo appreciated, I'm getting desperate. Thanks Ladies

are you getting enough sodium?

Thanks for the reply. I don't know if I should be increasing it and by how much. I use the same amount as before (table salt on my food), although I have been craving salt in the form of tortilla chips and salsa almost every night for the past week.

I too suffered from similar cramps when I returned to riding four years ago. I an totally empathize with you for I feel your pain.

By chance are you taking birth control pills? Some BC will actually pull potassium from your system. When my doctor and I ruled out low potassium levels we came to the conclusion that my cramps were simply due to over excursion and she suggested I cut back on my mileage some. When the winter months arrived and I quit riding the cramps disappeared. When the new season started I started out with moderate mileage and simply increased my mileage by 10% each week. That seemed to do the trick.

I don't take birth control, but take two different type of estrogen (hrt). One thing I didn't think of is that I do have fibromyalgia and although it is for the most part in remission, I do fatigue easy.

My Dr. talked to my about taking Quinine. I've heard alot of controversal stuff about it, and I really want to do this the healthy way, however I'm just getting so frustrated that I think if I can't find a way to stop the severe muscle 'attacks' I would go ahead and try it rather than stop riding. They're getting so bad at nite that I'm getting 3-4 a nite that wake me out of dead sleep screaming and cant go back to sleep for good 30 min to hr.

How many miles are you riding each week?

Have you tried massage therapy?

If you are craving salt (the salsa and tortilla chips you mention), your body might be trying to tell you something.

Set yourself free for a couple days. Eat all the salty stuff you crave, whenever you crave it. Want fried spam for breakfast? Go for it!! Dill pickles at lunch? Oh, yeah!! Extra salsa and tortilla chips at night? Absolutely! Drink a robust glass of water with each salty extravaganza.

Feed the need!

After a couple days, see if it's had any effect. If it hasn't helped at all, well there's a good piece of info to give your doctor when you talk to her about it. If it does help, well there's a good piece of info to give your doctor!

There are a bazillion things that can cause muscle cramps. The longer I work in healthcare, the more convinced I am that our bodies usually send us out clues about the cause or solution we should be investigating.

I think you might need more calcium and magnesium. Double the calcium supplements (not the multi-vitamins) and eat more calcium rich foods. I think spinach and other dark green leafy stuff is good for that, if you don't want to eat a lot of dairy.

If you're not too keen on taking quinine in pill form, you could always trying drinking a tonic water. One of my Dad's friends gets terrible leg cramps and drinking a tonic water has the best thing for him. My Mom was getting them a lot as well and he turned her onto it. She seems to get some benefit without having to worry too much about the controversial tablets.

tonic water is horrible.
Take the pills.

My gyenocologist and I had a very similar conversation this week. She says that recent studies are showing that Vitamin D3 is becoming quite the talk for a lot of neuro-muscular troubles, and especially as an important possible treatment for fibromyalgia.

When I told her about my calves cramping all the time she suggested trying more Vitamin D3. The normal recommendation currently is 1000 units daily, but she suggested going as high as 2000. Toxic at 10,000 so don't overdo it!

Everyone else here made very good points, and if you are working out a lot the sodium will be very important to replace.

I have the same symptoms you do, and have tried all that you have.

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tonic water is horrible.

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ZEN: You are doing it wrong... add the gin and limes!:p

Good luck and let us know if you figure something out.
Jes

I don't typically have muscle cramping issues, but when I started increasing my mileage/saddle time, especially in the heat, I suddenly did. I've gotten into the habit now of dropping a Nuun tablet into my water when I ride. It doesn't have any extra sugar, and gives me the little bit of extra electrolyte boost (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) that I need when I'm riding. I find that normally the rest of the time I can just eat a normal healthy diet, and I'm fine. Once in a while I can feel that I'm craving, and I "pre-load" myself before the ride.

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Originally Posted by jesvetmed

My gyenocologist and I had a very similar conversation this week. She says that recent studies are showing that Vitamin D3 is becoming quite the talk for a lot of neuro-muscular troubles, and especially as an important possible treatment for fibromyalgia.

When I told her about my calves cramping all the time she suggested trying more Vitamin D3. The normal recommendation currently is 1000 units daily, but she suggested going as high as 2000. Toxic at 10,000 so don't overdo it!

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She's suggesting vitamin D because D helps you absorb calcium more efficiently. That's precisely why they add vitamin D to milk. The calcium may help your muscle cramps. So it can't hurt to take extra calcium supplements WITH your vitamin D. :o

Wow! I'm overwhelmed with the response. I have some questions and then definitly some things I will be trying.

First off, I've only been riding 3 months and I ride a mountain bike. It's completely wrong for me given I ride the road and I log in about 70 miles a week. That may not sound like much but I have no stabilization on my knees and hip pain also. I will be looking in the near future for a road or hybrid bike and asking opinions, but I'm getting off track, sorry. (See, you can tell I'm a newby!!)

As far as my worst disablility (muscle cramps) I'm curous what a Nunn tablet is. (From Stephanie, formerly Ima Bleeder, who I can relate since I am 'Crash'!) Also when you said you occasionally 'pre load', before a ride. Is that carbs, and what kind?

It looks like i need to increase my sodium, more milk and vitamin D and Calcium. I do wonder if I should do this all at once, or one at a time?

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Originally Posted by FreeBird

As far as my worst disablility (muscle cramps) I'm curous what a Nunn tablet is. (From Stephanie, formerly Ima Bleeder, who I can relate since I am 'Crash'!) Also when you said you occasionally 'pre load', before a ride. Is that carbs, and what kind?

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Nuun ( www.nuun.com ) is a tablet that you drop into your water. It dissolves and puts a little flavor and some electrolytes in there. It's got sodium, potassium, vitamin C, riboflavin, calcuim and magnesium. The cola flavor has some caffeine.

It does not have huge amounts of any of these, so you don't have to worry about overdosing yourself. It also does not have any sugar or carbs, so you're not getting a lot of calories along with your electrolytes.

Personally I like it more off the bike than on. While I certainly use it on the bike, I've never been a cramper. I do however get headaches if I drink a lot of plain water, so I like to add Nuun to some of what I drink to avoid that.