I get terrible cramping in my legs, ankles, and feet when I am taking statin drugs. I've tried three different statin drugs now, and they all do that. Once I quit taking them for a month or so, I don't get the cramping.
Awe the glory of medicine. Bottom line.... The side effects can very well kill you before the disease.
UPDATE: Read about, and researched online, a product called MAG R & R by Salt Wrap. Like anything else, it doesn't help with foot/calf/leg nighttime cramps for everyone, but it sure has worked for me. In its Supplement Facts, it has Magnesium, 5mg Melatonin for sleep and few other necessary things for cramps. Taken just before bedtime. Dosage is 3 capsules, but only need to take 1 before bed. Been taking this for about a week now. Skipped one night and foot/calf cramps returned with a vengeance! Also, bought, on Amazon, Theraworx Relief Foam for daytime "Muscle, Cramp and Spasm Relief" (stated on the bottle). Haven't tried this yet, but when I/we do, I will update this. I've had foot/calf cramps hit me during the day sometimes as well as my wife has. So, now, hopefully, we've found something for those cramps that hit us during the day.
Cody I'm not sure pill formulated vitamin's work that good, when I have leg cramps, I eat bananas and they go away. I think we absorb more nutrient's in the process of food. They did a study on seniors who claim to live longer taking lots of vitamins, they didn't. I hope the cramps let up soon.
We are both Diabetic II and a regular banana has 14 grams of sugar in it. IOW, certain foods we can't eat due to the amount of sugar in them. I take a VA mediation for cholesterol, aka a statin that creates cramps. It is a must for me to have good cholesterol, so to combat the statin/cramps, I have to take something. As far as seniors living longer, we take vitamins and are almost in our mid 70's. Compared to some seniors, we don't take that many vitamins, but we do take them.
I understand the diabetes thing. I just do extra workout so I can eat the banana. But not sure how long that will work for me though. I know everyone can't do that.
@Cody Fousnaugh do you take CoQ10? Anyone on statins should take that supplements to prevent the possibility of your muscles being destroyed. THAT could be the cramps you are feeling and you VA provider should have made you aware to report any muscle cramping. Rhabdomyolysis is the "rare" side effect of statins that occurs quite often to those not taking the CoQ10 supplement.
After I started taking magnesium for my heart, the nighttime leg cramps pretty much stopped for me. The magnesium also helps me sleep at night; so I take 400-500 mg about a half hour before bedtime, along with my melatonin and other nighttime supplements (which also includes CoQ10). I generally go right to sleep and often don’t wake up at all during the night. An easy way to get magnesium os to soak your feet in hot Epsom salts water before bedtime. It will pull poisons out of your body and absorb the magnesium from the Epsom salts into your feet.
You can get it from Amazon. I get mine from Humana. They give me a $175 quarterly allowance for vitamins and other OTC products from the Humana catalog; so I get almost all of my vitamins from Humana. They have name brands and some that are off-brand; but we have been satisfied with everything we have gotten from them.
This is what I take, @Marie Mallery . (This is from Amazon.) I do not know that this brand is better than any other brand, or even as good; but it is the only one offered from my Humana catalog. Since it is free to me each month, this is what I get.