Since starting the HRT (8 months ago), I've occasionally had leg cramps. I was told it has to do with dehydration. I try to drink lots of water, which sometimes works. How much water should I be taking in? And are there drinks better than water that help better with dehydration.
I don't think it's blood clots -- my tests come back okay for that. Although, I'm going in on the 28th to see my GP again for the standard blood tests and I'll ask him about it again as well. I'm not seeing an endro because he refused my GP and psychiatrists referral because I need to see a certain psychiatrist in another city -- the gatekeeper -- before I can actually see the endro. It's frustrating. The wait list to see the gatekeeper psych-doc is about a year and a half, I've been waiting 8 months so far. Sometimes I worry -- I trust my GP and he seems good, but at the same time I worry about these leg cramps and not knowing what they are for sure, especially when the blood tests come back fine.
I know the spiro that I'm on is supposed to cause dehydration. I'm not on lots of spiro (I'm on a pretty low dose of everything, actually).
At first I though it was because I stand a lot at work, but now that I'm not working they cramps continue. Several people I know in town suggested that it's dehydration and so did my doc once, so since then I've been drinking lots more. Other symptoms I get are dry mouth/throat, not peeing much (or when I do, it's very dark), and so on. So, it seems like it's the problem. But, since I've been drinking lots it really hasn't changed much -- I keep drinking and still feel dehydrated and thirsty no matter what. It's like the water just goes through me (and it does, peeing constantly), but doesn't seem to hydrate my body at all. I've also tried stretching and moving around and so on, too. Still get the cramps, feeling constantly thirsty even with drinking tons of water, and feeling tried lots. *Sigh* it sux.
Anyway, any suggestions on something better than water, or maybe changing my diet, or something would be helpful. And I can try that until I see my doc on the 28th and see what he suggests.
Thnx for your help,
--natalie :)
PS my diet is pretty good, I eat lots of veggies and fruits -- mostly a non-strict vegetarian diet. I don't exercise as much as I should, although.
Hello Natalie.
You also need to monitor your potassium intake as well. Spiro increases potassium levels so if you are eating food high in potassium such as bananas, oranges/orange juice this may be a contributing factor as well.
Just something to check out - remember I am no a Doctor.
Steph
Liquid is liquid, as long as you do not take in too much of the sugary stuff.
How much is a lot? Do you keep a food diary? How often do you eat? Do you spread your water intake across the entire day? How much do you sleep? Multi-vitamin? Low dose aspirin?
Be sure that your doc checks for diabetes as well, if that has not already been done, the next time you go.
Sipro is a potassium sparing diuretic it will deplete your hydrolysis very quickly, a rule of thumb drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water, take me for example im 130lbs half is 65 so I need to drink 65 ounces of water everyday to stay hydrated. OH ya and banana's are good for releaving leg cramps
Quote from: gothique11 on April 09, 2007, 06:32:45 PM
Since starting the HRT (8 months ago), I've occasionally had leg cramps... Other symptoms I get are dry mouth/throat, not peeing much (or when I do, it's very dark), and so on. So, it seems like it's the problem. But, since I've been drinking lots it really hasn't changed much -- I keep drinking and still feel dehydrated and thirsty no matter what. It's like the water just goes through me (and it does, peeing constantly), but doesn't seem to hydrate my body at all. I've also tried stretching and moving around and so on, too. Still get the cramps, feeling constantly thirsty even with drinking tons of water, and feeling tried lots. *Sigh* it sux.
--natalie :)
Natalie,
FWIW, these were precisely my symptoms last fall when I discovered I was a diabetic. I let it go too long and I very nearly died. Please, Please, Please ask your doc about this.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fganjataz.com%2F01smileys%2Fimages%2Fsmileys%2FloopyBlonde-blinking.gif&hash=4545ddf8251cf9c32ae6074d56e48bc34a755857)Kristi
A good article on Spironolactone:
http://www.medicinenet.com/spironolactone-oral/article.htm
Steph
I agree with Steph... it could be too much potassium in your system... I work in the sun and I used to take potassium suplements to off set for all I was setting out and to keep from getting cramps all over... I started getting cramps anyways one day and found out that too much potassium in your system could be a factor so I dropped my suppliment intake in half and they went away.... granted this was all before HRT... I havnt touched a supliment pill in like 2 or 3 years LoL.
Deffinatly follow everyones sugestions here and have your GP check for everything listed... its allways better to be safe rather than sorry.
Thanks for the info, I'll bring up the information with my GP when I see him in a couple weeks (he's on holidays now).
Yeah, I should probably avoid eating too much sugar. My roommates and I had our own easter day egg hunt thing, so I've been eating chocolate lots more than usual. :P But, I usually try to avoid eating too much sugar most of the time. I should probably exercise more, too -- especially with all of the easter chocolate. :)
Leg cramps were something i had as a teenager but not so much now. I was told to eat bananas - apparently i lack potassium or something...
When I was in boot camp (yes, i was a Marine) I had terrible leg cramps that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I was also drinking enough water to drown fish because we were made to do so. What was happening is that i had low sodium and so i increased my salt intake a little and the cramps went away.
Just another thought in the pot.
Quote from: Judge Yourself on May 25, 2007, 11:19:00 AM
Leg cramps were something i had as a teenager but not so much now. I was told to eat bananas - apparently i lack potassium or something...
EEEK! NOT IF YOU'RE ON SPIRO!!!
Spiro flushes out salt and fluids, leaves potassium behind, so it can build up if you're not careful.... and kill you.
~Kate~
Quote from: Kate on May 25, 2007, 01:47:59 PM
Quote from: Judge Yourself on May 25, 2007, 11:19:00 AM
Leg cramps were something i had as a teenager but not so much now. I was told to eat bananas - apparently i lack potassium or something...
EEEK! NOT IF YOU'RE ON SPIRO!!!
Spiro flushes out salt and fluids, leaves potassium behind, so it can build up if you're not careful.... and kill you.
~Kate~
That goes back to my boot camp salt theory.
Quote from: Renae.Lupini on May 25, 2007, 01:57:11 PM
That goes back to my boot camp salt theory.
I'd agree... I eat salt like a crazy woman, and yet my sodium level is STILL low. Within bounds, but barely.
I get leg cramps when dehydrated, overly-caffeined, and/or super-tired.
~Kate~
Premarin has been known to cause serious blood clots as well, so it may not be just the sprio. If you are on premarin it could be a more serious issue.
Back when I was on a stack of premarin I got leg cramps, I switched to 17b estradiol and they went away.
Well, as for water intake, if urine is clear then you have enough water. In fact, drinking lots of water is good for losing about 8ibs on average. ;)
As for leg cramps, revaluate what you ate, the other ladies got it right. I they continue you probably should consider asking your doctor about it.
Hope this helps. ^^
I'm not getting them anymore, I switched to Estrace. The Doc said it wasn't clots or anything, but probably my salt balance... Switching form premarine (Yay, horse pee!) to estrace has been pretty good for me so far.
I occasionally get leg cramps at night in bed. I've been on hormones and anti - androgens for 7 years. I do a lot of excercise everyday so I'm surprised I get them. I have been pushing myself lately with jogging,tennis and general excercises.
If your on hormones it's best to try and keep fit and active and eat a healthy diet.
Bear in mind that spiro is a diuretic, aside from the patasium sparing part. That means it sucks water out of your system, sending you to the bathroom frequently. Also remember that estrogen can cause constipation. Between the two of those that means drink!
There are a number of other vitamins and minerals involved in leg cramps. Make sure you are getting enough calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and B complex vitamins. The reason is the muscle spasms that cause cramps operate through the Calcium Channel, a secondary channel for firing nerves.
I had one of the worst charley horse leg cramps last week. I woke up in the middle of the night with my calf contracting and it stayed that way for about 20-30 minutes. I was screaming in agony. Fortunately Rashelle was there to help massage it out. Plus I drank a bunch of water, which helped. I had drank some alcohol and ate a bunch of potato chips before going to sleep, so I'm sure mine was caused by dehydration. Now I'm reticent to even drink alcohol at night.
Quote from: Melissa on July 03, 2007, 11:45:01 AM
I had one of the worst charley horse leg cramps last week. I woke up in the middle of the night with my calf contracting and it stayed that way for about 20-30 minutes. I was screaming in agony. Fortunately Rashelle was there to help massage it out. Plus I drank a bunch of water, which helped. I had drank some alcohol and ate a bunch of potato chips before going to sleep, so I'm sure mine was caused by dehydration. Now I'm reticent to even drink alcohol at night.
Walking on it helps more than anything. I've had those stupid things ever since I started college. It got so I would sleep with my feet flat against the wall. The last time I was in the hospital, more than a year ago, I got them in both calves at the same time. The nurse packed them in hot towls, and that really helped.
Super old topic but I preferred reviving it instead of opening a new one. I've been getting cramps for 2 nights in a row. Both times it happened because I stretched my legs while sleeping, and it was extremely painful. I can still feel a bit of pain from last night. Is this normal? I was afraid my E dosage had something to do with it but apparently this is normal and there are other reasons for it?
multiple things .. for me it's due to low B12 and/or not drinking enough water.
I can get the cramping as I stretch my legs or feet; not on hrt.
Quote from: Another Nikki on July 12, 2018, 11:25:47 AM
I can get the cramping as I stretch my legs or feet; not on hrt.
Painful cramps?
The majority of cramps in the legs and feet are most likely related to not drinking enough water and other liquids... Dehydration has other health issues related to it so make sure
that you drink enough.(but not adult beverages!!! ;)
If you you are on HRT, many of the meds can delete water and salt and perhaps potassium in your system.
Spriro is a T-blocker as well as a potassium sparing diuretic so be careful that your potassium doesn't get too high per the results of your frequent blood tests.... if it does, go a little easy on bananas, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, etc. Your doctor can give you the correct advice on this.
One the best home remedies for me is to eat enough salty foods... salt helps your body to retain water... and thus, less cramps.
Many transitioners report a penchant for Dill Picklles... and a craving for salt including potato chips, fritos, etc.
A quick solution for me if I have cramps in the middle of the night is to drink a few ounces of dill pickle juice, or even a spoonful or two of yellow mustard. The salt contents of the dill pickle juice and of the mustard ... (mustard also contains Tumeric... another good anti-cramp item) ..... can help solve the cramping withing several minutes.
I usually eat several dill pickles a day, I crave them, and as a "pre-emptive strike" right before bed time I drink some dill pickle juice...
It is not as bad as it sounds, try it before rejecting the thought... in fact I rather like the taste of it given my craving for salty things.
As a side note, if you look at my open dill pickle jar in my refrigerator, the juice is usually all but gone!!!! I usually go through a large jar of dill pickles weekly!!!
Hugs and well wishes,
Danielle
Quote from: Alaskan Danielle on July 12, 2018, 01:08:59 PM
The majority of cramps in the legs and feet are most likely related to not drinking enough water and other liquids... Dehydration has other health issues related to it so make sure
that you drink enough.(but not adult beverages!!! ;)
If you you are on HRT, many of the meds can delete water and salt and perhaps potassium in your system.
Spriro is a T-blocker as well as a potassium sparing diuretic so be careful that your potassium doesn't get too high per the results of your frequent blood tests.... if it does, go a little easy on bananas, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, etc. Your doctor can give you the correct advice on this.
One the best home remedies for me is to eat enough salty foods... salt helps your body to retain water... and thus, less cramps.
Many transitioners report a penchant for Dill Picklles... and a craving for salt including potato chips, fritos, etc.
A quick solution for me if I have cramps in the middle of the night is to drink a few ounces of dill pickle juice, or even a spoonful or two of yellow mustard. The salt contents of the dill pickle juice and of the mustard ... (mustard also contains Tumeric... another good anti-cramp item) ..... can help solve the cramping withing several minutes.
I usually eat several dill pickles a day, I crave them, and as a "pre-emptive strike" right before bed time I drink some dill pickle juice...
It is not as bad as it sounds, try it before rejecting the thought... in fact I rather like the taste of it given my craving for salty things.
As a side note, if you look at my open dill pickle jar in my refrigerator, the juice is usually all but gone!!!! I usually go through a large jar of dill pickles weekly!!!
Hugs and well wishes,
Danielle
I do think it is very common. You have gotten some good advice.
Additionally, Danielle, I need to thank you. I thought I was going nuts. I have been doing that with pickles, pickle juice and olives(for martinis and I don't even drink martinis). Two of my daughters like the same pickles too so I can just blame it on them to my spouse ;)
Warmly,
Jacqui
Quote from: Jacqueline on July 12, 2018, 01:35:08 PM
I do think it is very common. You have gotten some good advice.
Additionally, Danielle, I need to thank you. I thought I was going nuts. I have been doing that with pickles, pickle juice and olives(for martinis and I don't even drink martinis). Two of my daughters like the same pickles too so I can just blame it on them to my spouse ;)
Warmly,
Jacqui
@Jacqueline Dear Jaqui: Yes, very correct... I have given this advice to others here on Susan's many times previously and have always heard of positive results...
Oh, and yeah.... I can't keep the green olives in my house, the juice is not as "tasty" to me as the dill pickle juice but it works also.... I get the big jars of green olives at Costco or WalMart.... even more saltier than dill pickles. I love them all.... dill pickles, yellow mustard, green olives.... chips, etc.
Hugs,
Danielle
Quote from: Alaskan Danielle on July 12, 2018, 01:08:59 PM
I usually go through a large jar of dill pickles weekly!!!
I have been buying dill pickles in the gallon jar. A jar last about 3 months as there is somewhere around 80-100 slices per jar. I
hope the large jar your talking about isn't the same one I'm talking about!
Quote from: Dena on July 12, 2018, 04:48:12 PM
I have been buying dill pickles in the gallon jar. A jar last about 3 months as there is somewhere around 80-100 slices per jar. I hope the large jar your talking about isn't the same one I'm talking about!
@Dena Dear Dena... I do indeed go through a lot of dill pickles... I just looked, my "large jar" is 46 fl oz. A gallon jar would be 128 fl oz ..... so three of my jars equals a little more than one of yours.
We can easily calculate that I go through many more pickles than you .... probably a 46 fl oz jar every week or so.... At the rate I mentioned I would go through a gallon jar in a month or less... more like 3 weeks!!!!!
Hugs,
Danielle
I'm not on spiro (had the orchi 3 months ago) so I thought dehydration wasn't possible in my case, but I guess it is.
Quote from: Charlie Nicki on July 12, 2018, 04:57:29 PM
I'm not on spiro (had the orchi 3 months ago) so I thought dehydration wasn't possible in my case, but I guess it is.
@Charlie Nicki:Well, it is worth a try to see if you can get some relief from your leg cramps. If it works for you it is a fairly cheap solution... and you just may grow very fond of dill pickles, dill pickle juice, green olives and yellow mustard.
Please report back with your hopefully good results.
Hugs,
Danielle
The very good news about dill pickles....
>very few calories
>no fat
>very little carbs....
---> now, Olives on the other hand are loaded with fat.... but they are so very good!!!!
Hugs,
Danielle
Quote from: Charlie Nicki on July 12, 2018, 04:57:29 PM
I'm not on spiro (had the orchi 3 months ago) so I thought dehydration wasn't possible in my case, but I guess it is.
You can get dehydrated on the ice caps and here in Arizona it's possible to drink 2 gallons of water during the day and never need to pee. If your urine is any darker than a pale yellow, your probably not drinking enough water and you need to make an effort to drink more.
Table salt or potassium chloride both will control leg craps however as mentioned above, some medications like spiro cause you to retain potassium chloride so you can only use table salt for leg cramps. As I am only on estradiol, I consume orange juice and a banana each day and that does a pretty good job of preventing the occasional cramp.
Quote from: Dena on July 12, 2018, 06:13:40 PM
You can get dehydrated on the ice caps and here in Arizona it's possible to drink 2 gallons of water during the day and never need to pee. If your urine is any darker than a pale yellow, your probably not drinking enough water and you need to make an effort to drink more.
Table salt or potassium chloride both will control leg craps however as mentioned above, some medications like spiro cause you to retain potassium chloride so you can only use table salt for leg cramps. As I am only on estradiol, I consume orange juice and a banana each day and that does a pretty good job of preventing the occasional cramp.
Oh ok so I'll increase my potassium intake.
Not related but I love black olives that are a bit dried but juicy [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] soo good..
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Quote from: Allison S on July 13, 2018, 11:24:41 AM
Not related but I love black olives that are a bit dried but juicy [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] soo good..
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@Allison SDear Allison: YES indeed, black olives are terrific as well... I know it might sound gross to some, but I drink the olive juice... NO CRAMPS !!!!!
Thanks for your comment and for following my thread.
Hugs,
Danielle