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Do you get leg and foot cramps throughout the night?
Do you experience leg and foot cramps at night? Does it occur every night? Do particular things worsen it?
Many individuals with MG experience cramps, particularly in their legs and feet, especially at night. I am one of these individuals. It can be tricky to pinpoint their exact cause. Still, they can be attributed to several factors, including overexertion and muscle weakness during the day, which can lead to muscle fatigue, which might result in cramps at night. Low levels of potassium can contribute to cramping. Some medications used in the management of MG can cause muscle cramps as a side effect. Dehydration can worsen cramps, particularly during sleep.
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16 Replies
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I have experienced severe cramps in my calf and shin on many occasions since being diagnosed over 10 years ago, especially if I walk for more than about 10-15 minutes in the evening , then I would wake up with severe cramps in the middle of the night.
More recently I’ve started to experience a lot of painful cramps in my abdominal muscles, just under my ribcage, but am not certain if this is MG related – perhaps other have experienced similar?
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I do get leg muscle spasms usually frequent after Pheresis
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I had severe leg cramps in thighs, calves and ankles. Working with my neurologist, I stopped taking pyridostigmine bromide. It took a couple months but they have all subsided. I occasionally get thigh cramps sitting too long on a hard chair, but the overnight cramping is gone
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I still get them occasionally, and have to walk around a few minutes to relieve the pain. But they are rare if I don’t take pyridostigmine after about 3:00 pm.
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For me too it disappears as soon as I stop mestinon, and it was way worse with Mytelas
My doctor told me it happens when it’s overdosed
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I have had leg, feet, toe cramps, mostly in the evening fr as long as I can remember. But I believe I have had MG since I was in my teens, though I was only diagnosed 15 months ago. Recently, I have been awakened by cramps and have to get out of bed until they subside.
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I’m fortunate to have a mild version of MG, but I do have leg cramping – mostly at night. I’m on 240mg of Mestinon a day (not sure if that’s considered a high dose), but hesitate to change it since it fixed all my other symptoms.
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Yes absolutely! I am having them now as we speak😆. My potassium stays consistently low and it’s always a first sign that I need a big dose even though O take 40 Meqs daily. I have learned from all of you that I am not the only one who goes through this. When my potassium is good the cramps go away.
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YES to potassium! Also drink plenty of water; the kind with minerals added is best. Be careful of drinking “purified water” with no minerals. You need those added or included minerals.
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Depuis mon Diagnostic que je dis à ma neurologue que j’ai des crampes/ douleur/ Spams au jambes.. Elle me répète que la MG ne cause pas de douleur …
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I’ve started having calf and foot cramps in the evenings and a few times that wake me up at night. I mentioned it to my neurologist the last time I saw her. She looked at me and said “it’s the Mestinon“. And that was that. I’ll try increasing my potassium that could help potatoes also have a lot of potassium and are good for you if you don’t overload them with butter, sour cream, cheese, and all those things that add flavor – – and calories. I take a lot of Mestinon.– –2 60 mg tabletsfour times a day plus a bedtime extended release 180. That’s a lot, but it really is what I need.
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I agree . . . I also need to monitor my Mestinon consuption during the day. Taking too much can make sleeping difficult with foot cramps. The right amout of Mestinon ? I think it varies on a case-by-case basis, and the actual amount is based on experience and trial & error. Over time, your body will tell you what works and what doesn’t. 😎
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I was diagnosed with gMG in Spetember 2023. I would say my consition severity is 5 / 10. A year later I began to experience severe leg cramps during the night. My Neurologist prescribed Gabapentin for me and I now take it regulary . . . about an hour before bedtime. It’s helped quite a lot, and now I rarely wake up with leg cramps during the night.
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Yes my husband has leg cramps, toes and thighs sometimes. Staying hydrated and adding a potassium pill along with adding high potassium foods to meals helps too. Quinine,tonic water, to hydrate was recommended.
I’m curious, my husband has trouble sleeping with sleep apnea and the MG has exacerbated breathing at night so he was switched to a bipap machine. He’s on a low dose of Ambien with some success but it’s contraindicated long term. The extend release metinon, pyridostigmine, at night was that for sleep issues of just the need for a higher dose? Thanks
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I get severe cramps in both calves and both hamstrings. Muscle feels like there is a knot in it. Happens mostly at night and difficult to suppress.
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I have had this problem by decreasing the amount of pyridostigmine I can Eliminate the cramps
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