I have constant cramping in my legs, thighs, toes, hands, rib cage and arms. Lately, most of my cramping is happening at night when I go to bed. Both legs cramp up, and one of my feet twists to one side. These cramps are painful. I can turn over in the middle of the night and catch a cramp. I have had all types of blood work performed, and when my potassium was a little low, I was told to take a potassium pill. I cramped twice as much.

I have gone to internal-medicine doctors, rheumatologists, orthopedic specialists, family medical practitioners, OB-GYNs and cardiologists with no resolution.

I am currently taking Celebrex and magnesium oxide — specifically for cramping — which has helped, but not completely. I also take Singulair, Diovan, Prevacid, a garlic pill and Zocor at night only. In the past, I have taken some cramping medications, such as clonazepam, quinine tablets and others I can’t even remember the names of. Can you shed some light on my medical problem that might assist me with these awful cramps?

DEAR READER: You indicate you are in good health with the exception of your allergies. Let’s review your other medications. Celebrex is a prescription medication used to control the pain, stiffness and swelling of osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. Magnesium oxide and Prevacid are commonly used to relieve symptoms of acid indigestion. Diovan helps control hypertension and is sometimes prescribed for patients with heart failure who cannot take ACE inhibitor medications. Zocor is a statin drug designed to reduce bad cholesterol while increasing the good. Garlic is believed to help symptoms of arthritis and lower high-cholesterol and blood-pressure readings. And, when added to many foods, it simply tastes good. So it appears that you have arthritis, acid indigestion, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol).

Statins have a bad reputation for causing muscle pain, cramping, fatigue, and muscle tenderness and weakness in some people. You appear to be one of them. I cannot clearly state that this is the cause of your problem, but it’s a good place to start. Speak with your physician to determine whether you can take a different cholesterol-lowering medication that isn’t a statin. Perhaps an over-the-counter such as niacin or an OTC with plant stanols and sterols might be effective. Because of your history, my inclination is to have you refrain from red-yeast-rice products only because they include lovastatin-like substances. Try drinking pickle juice or eating dill pickles for relief from your cramps. Last but not least, place one bar of soap (or more) under your bedsheet near the part of your body that cramps for additional relief.

To provide related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Understanding Cholesterol” and “Compelling Home Remedies.” Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order for each report to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title(s) or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.

DEAR READER: Hawthorn berries contain antioxidant properties and improve blood flow to the heart. Readers have also indicated the supplement has helped with the muscle twitches and tremors associated with restless-legs syndrome, Parkinson’s and hypertension.

Check with your primary-care physician before using hawthorn berry, because some herbals can cause unwanted side effects if taken with other drugs. If you choose to continue, be sure to follow the packaging directions for recommended doses.

DEAR READER: There are several remedies that might help your granddaughter. One herbal recommendation is hawthorn berry available in most health-food stores. Nutritional supplements include supplemental vitamin E in the diet, calcium, magnesium and folic acid. Home remedies include an unwrapped bar of soap under the bottom sheet of her bed placed in the area of the lower legs. Smaller hotel bars of soap are ideal because of their size, but the large ones work equally well. Still another possible solution is an over-the-counter topical liniment containing cooling menthol rubbed onto the lower legs and feet before going to sleep.

I am a 57-year-old female. My height and weight are proportionate, and I am healthy overall. When I get fatigued, or just very tired at the end of the day, I am often bothered by RLS. It is annoying to say the least. Generally, I take an aspirin or two, which helps calm things down, but I already have thin blood and don’t like to take more than is necessary.

One night, I had both a hacking cough and RLS symptoms. I got out of bed and took a spoonful of honey to coat my throat. Minutes after I went back to bed, the RLS symptoms settled down. Just a fluke, I thought. Well, I have learned over time that taking a spoonful of honey has indeed helped the situation. I don’t need it every night, but when I do, it is nice to know that there is something in the house apart from medicine to help me. Oh, and the honey helped to quell my cough, too.

DEAR READER: Restless-legs syndrome is an annoying but harmless condition that causes the sufferer to experience odd sensations in the legs such as tingling, aching, burning, crawling, itching, pain and much more when sitting or lying down. It typically causes an urge to get up and move. In severe cases, these abnormal sensations may be experienced in the upper extremities as well.

Symptoms generally begin during extended periods of inactivity. They may worsen in the evening and throughout the night, causing the legs to twitch — a condition known as periodic limb movements of sleep. These sensations often cause sufferers to have trouble falling or staying asleep. Relief is often found by getting out of bed and moving around.

There is no one cause of RLS, and in many instances, no cause can be found. The current thought is that it may be the result of an imbalance of dopamine, the brain chemical that helps control muscle movement. There is a known hereditary link in approximately 50 percent of all cases. Pregnancy can cause temporary RLS symptoms, but most women experience relief shortly after delivery. Peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure and iron deficiency may also cause or worsen symptoms.

Now, before I am berated by my readers, I will mention sleep apnea. However, the various related departments of the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Mayo Clinic do not list sleep apnea as a cause of RLS. In fact, I cannot find any scientific studies that show the two conditions are related. However, this does not mean they aren’t. Perhaps researchers need to study this possible connection.

Honey as a remedy to RLS is new to me. Hawthorn berries, magnesium and calcium, soap under the sheets, pickle juice, electrolyte sports drinks and other remedies have helped some of my readers who suffer from RLS. Unfortunately, RLS is often difficult to treat, with few prescription options being available and home remedies being extremely beneficial for one and not at all for another. On occasion, I get a letter from a sufferer who is helped intermittently by one or more home remedies.

So, readers, here is another one to try. This option is admittedly better tasting than pickle juice, but does it work? Try it, and let me know your results. I will print a follow-up article once I receive enough results.

DEAR READER: Pharmacy shelves are lined with a number of topical ointments and alternatives designed to help painful muscles associated with arthritis, simple backache, sports injuries, strains, sprains — and for you, in treating RLS. Some people find relief from ointments containing the warming properties of capsaicin. Others use ointments with cooling properties or with petrolatum menthol salves. I have also received positive reports for symptoms of RLS and leg cramps being treated with pickle juice, hawthorn-berry extract and marjoram mixed with carrier oil, such as olive or castor oil. Then there’s the hot bath, ice pack, heating pad, massage and supplements for low levels of potassium, iron, folate and magnesium.

Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

DEAR READER:
As I have indicated numerous times in the past, almost every drug, even over-the-counter aspirin, carries side effects for some individuals. You don’t indicate what medications, other than your cholesterol-lowering drug, you may be on. Most major brands of cholesterol lowering medications can cause serious muscle pain and/or leg cramps.

Now we can approach the next issue. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is characterized as an uneasiness, fatiguing, twitching, and itching deep in the muscles of the lower part of the leg. It is accompanied by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, particularly when at rest. Massaging, muscle stretching or bicycling the legs while in bed provides some relief, but that relief is short lived. The overwhelming urge to move the extremities returns quickly and an individual so afflicted gets up from bed and walks the floors for countless hours for relief.

It is unknown what triggers RLS, but half of all reported cases are thought to have a hereditary connection.

Leg cramps from statin drugs feel like a charley horse, a painful contraction of the hamstring muscle marked by soreness and stiffness.

Did you have your condition prior to taking statin drugs? Did you strain, stress or tear a muscle that coincidentally occurred at the same time as initiating the new drug? Before a firm diagnosis can be made, you should return to your physician and provide a complete picture. In that way, he or she can differentiate between possible RLS and a drug reaction. Should it be the drug, your doctor might choose other possible methods of control for your high readings or adding co-enzyme Q10 to your daily regimen. Make an appointment promptly and get to the bottom of this troubling condition.

To give you related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Understanding Cholesterol” and “Compelling Home Remedies”. Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 for each report to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).

I took simvastatin for four years. After about two years, I started having a slight weakness and muscle pain in my left leg. I talked to my doctor about whether the statin was to blame and he said no. The pain got worse and I started having restless legs syndrome and cramps at night in my left leg. The weakness progressed to the point that I had to hold on to a railing to climb stairs. When it got to the point that I couldn’t depress the clutch pedal in my stick shift truck I stopped the simvastatin without my doctor’s approval. One month later the weakness, pain, cramps and restless legs syndrome were gone.

DEAR READER:
Restless legs syndrome is not a side effect of simvastatin; however, all of your other symptoms were.

I have received several letters about side effects from statin drugs and doctors claiming that the statin was not blame. I find this astonishing, especially considering all the publicity and manufacturer’s warnings about these potentially serious side effects.

I am glad that you discovered the source of your pain but urge you to return to your physician to discuss other cholesterol lowering options. A low fat diet combined with flax seed oil, omega 3, or niacin may be an appropriate option. Adequate exercise can also aid you in this aspect.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Understanding Cholesterol”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

DEAR READER:
The soap-under-the-sheets remedy was originally sent to me as a cure for night-time leg cramps but since then many RLS sufferers have also found relief using it. It does not work for everyone but it is worth a shot. Simply place a bar of soap under the bottom sheet of your bed near your legs. That is it. Many individuals have also found that if they have a problem while not in bed, putting soap in their socks or rubbing liquid soap directly onto their legs also reduces pain. Let me know if it works.

As an aside, I recently received a product in the mail called Wilcox Family Products Leg Cramp Relief. The manufacturer claims that after seeing first hand the benefits of soap-under-the-sheets, he wanted to know how it worked. He interviewed soap manufacturers and formulation specialists from across the country. He then began working with a specialized chemist (40 years experience in soap, cream and lotion). Together they isolated and concentrated the common soap ingredients found in the most beneficial brands.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the product or purchasing it should go online to www.WilcoxFamilyProducts.com. I will also say that I have no financial, personal or business interest in the company and was not paid in any way to promote it. I am simply mentioning it because I believe it may be of great interest and benefit to my readers.

To give you related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Dr. Gott’s Compelling Home Remedies” and “Stroke”. Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 (per report) to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).

DEAR READER:
This is one product I’ve never heard of, but I will pass it along for what it is worth.

Other aids for pain include Castiva in a warming or cooling form that contains capsaicin and is a topical ointment for arthritis relief, topical castor oil, Hawthorne berry, omega 3 oil, and purple grape juice and pectin. Thank you for your tip.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Dr. Gott’s Compelling Home Remedies”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.