Re: night time leg cramps

[Guest guest]

Sandy wrote:

<<I've considered that I could be losing potassium from my blood

pressure meds >>

Isn't your doctor checking your electrolytes regularly? Insist that

he/she does that. (In other words, don't take potassium without proof

that you need it.) What b.p. med do you take?

Do the leg cramps hurt worse when you elevate your legs or dangle

them down? Worse when you stand up?

Are you drinking lots of fluids?

Susie

[Guest guest]

Have your doctor do some blood work to check your potassium and electrolytes

...that will cause leg cramps...in addition to Potassium, prescription...my

pharmacist told me that over the counter potassium was not the right

strength....but sometimes I use CalMax, also...I don't know if you can buy it in

the health food stores, I ordered my from a TV show a long time ago...that will

help with some leg problems, too...not neuropathy, though.

Eleanor

night time leg cramps

From the research I've done, I know that the awful leg cramping that wakes

me up at night is probably due to neuropathy. I've gotten leg cramps for

years, but these are different. Getting up and walking on them doesn't help

much, and they last much longer. I've considered that I could be losing

potassium from my blood pressure meds, so I take a daily potassium tab and

300 mg. of calcium with 150 of magnesium. I am taking measures to slow down

the neuropathy, but meanwhile, I have these cramps... any suggestions?

Best,

Sandy H.

[Guest guest]

>

> I take two 600 mg. calcium and 3 250 mg. magnesium. No more cramps

and

> works good for me. I take all before bed.

>

> Ask your Doc but mine says OK!

Hi, Jo... Thanks! Glad to know that works for you. I'm going to try

that, as I have only been taking 300 mg. a day, so obviously not

enough. My doctor wants me to take more calcium because of

osteoporis in my family anyway, and I take the tablet that combines

calcium and magnesium.

Sandy

[Guest guest]

Thanks to Duncan and others who posted on this subject. I think we

need more research and info sharing, as we have had different

possible explanations for the leg cramping, including needing

supplementation of magnesium, potassium and other items, and

dehydration.

Susie,

One more thing that helps me a lot... stretching. I sit on the right edge

of the bed, facing the head of the bed, with the left leg lying flat,

perpendicular to the head of the bed (left leg and head of bed form a T) and

parallel with the right edge of the bed, and the right foot is on the floor.

Bend forwards toward the left leg, to give the hamstring muscles in the left

leg a good stretch, and then I repeat it to the other side. That can also

be done on the floor with a mat, but I have a hard time getting down on the

floor and back up again, as my knees hurt too much :-)

Sandy

[Guest guest]

How much - is it based on body weight?

Kay

Re: night time leg cramps

Thanks to Duncan and others who posted on this subject. I think we

need more research and info sharing, as we have had different

possible explanations for the leg cramping, including needing

supplementation of magnesium, potassium and other items, and

dehydration.

Susie

[Guest guest]

When you have leg cramps the fastest thing to stop them is to drink some

pickle juice.....but NOT SWEET PICKLE juice.

I have never heard that! I'll sure try it, Tootie :-) That's a cure I'd

like... I have a big jar of Claussen garlic dills in my fridge right now :-)

Sandy

[Guest guest]

Those Devilish Cramps

As common as cramps are, no one knows exactly what causes them.

Here's a look at the latest theories, and the latest cures.

By " Biff "

" Biff " , PhD, ATC/L, is the Athletic Training Program

Director and an Assistant Professor in the School of Health, Physical

Education, and Leisure Services at the University of Northern Iowa.

Training & Conditioning, 10.9, December 2000,

http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/tc/tc1009/cramps.htm

Probably since the time a caveman first set off after a saber-toothed

tiger, and certainly through the history of organized sport, one

ailment has plagued physically active people above all others: muscle

cramps. Even today, athletic trainers spend a considerable amount of

their time treating and trying to prevent muscle cramps. Yet, little

remains known about what causes cramps, and, therefore, how to

prevent them.

Recently, the National Athletic Trainers' Association addressed the

issue in position statements on heat illness and fluid replacement

for athletes. While these statements provide information useful in

preventing muscle cramps, many athletes will continue to be afflicted

by cramps despite these preventive measures.

Perhaps that's why there was such a flurry of interest following

media reports of professional athletes using pickle juice or mustard

to prevent and treat exercise-associated muscle cramps. While these

homemade remedies show promise, there is now a danger of amateur

athletes thinking that they simply have to trade in their water

bottles for jars of pickles.

In this article, I will take a look at what muscle cramps are,

several theories that attempt to explain how they are caused, and

discuss prevention and treatment options. I will also explain the

role that pickle juice and mustard may play in preventing and

treating exercise-associated muscle cramps.

A Pain in the ___

Muscle cramping is a painful, spasmodic, involuntary muscle

contraction that regularly frustrates athletes and their athletic

trainers. Muscle cramps are defined by their cause, which can be

classified into three main categories: congenital abnormalities,

acquired medical diseases, and specific acquired skeletal muscle

cramp syndromes. When an athlete has a problem with muscle cramping,

each of these classifications must be considered to properly treat

the problem.

A congenital abnormality is a condition that has been passed on

through genetics. Common congenital abnormalities that cause muscle

cramping are metabolic disorders (such as glycogen storage diseases,

carnitine palmityl transferase deficiency, myoadenylate deaminase

deficiency, or other syndromes, such as an autosomal-dominant

cramping disease).

Once a congenital abnormality has been eliminated as the possible

cause of muscle cramping, acquired medical diseases need to be

investigated. These can be divided into six categories: 1)

neuromuscular diseases, such as nerve root compression, peripheral

neuropathy, and myotonic dystrophy; 2) endocrine diseases, like

diabetes mellitus or thyroid disease; 3) fluid and electrolyte

abnormalities, such as hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and hyperkalemia;

4) pharmaceutical agents, including nifedipine, ethanol,

penicillamine, and diuretics; 5) toxins, such as lead toxicity,

tetanus, or a black widow spider bite; and 6) other medical

conditions, including diarrhea, sarcoidosis, and cirrhosis of the

liver.

Far more common, though, are the acquired skeletal muscle cramp

syndromes. These are: 1) exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC),

which are the most common among athletes; 2) occupational cramps,

such as writer's cramp; 3) nocturnal calf muscle cramps—cramps that

occur at night, mostly to the elderly—and 4) pregnancy-associated

cramps.

Although it's important to keep all four types in mind when dealing

with cramping, EAMC are the most commonly seen by athletic trainers.

Although there are no specific epidemiological studies identifying

how many athletes suffer from muscle cramping, it is well known that

muscle cramping can severely affect performance in athletes.

There are several risk factors for EAMC, including older age, a long

history of running, a higher body mass index, poor stretching,

irregular stretching, and a family history of muscle cramping. In

most cases, the cramp occurs as a result of repetitive exercise. When

a muscle cramp occurs, the athlete will have extreme pain, the muscle

will be involuntarily contracting, and the athlete will not be able

to use the muscle group.

Causes

Although the cause of EAMC has been researched for the past 50 years,

there has yet to be one factor identified as the sole cause of the

involuntary contraction. However, there are currently four theories

that attempt to explain why this type of muscle cramping occurs: the

serum electrolyte theory, the dehydration theory, the environmental

theory, and t [rest of article missing]

[Guest guest]

Everyone that I know just takes a couple of big swigs. I don't suppose it

has anything to do with body weight or any particular amount. My mother's

doctor told her about it years ago. She had the worst leg cramps I have

ever seen. Anytime that I took her anywhere (we live out in the country a

long way from everything) we had a jar of pickle juice. Trust me, it works!

Oh, BTW,Mother no longer has to worry about leg cramps. She went to Heaven

to be with Daddy August 22 of this year.

Tootie

How much - is it based on body weight?

Kay

When you have leg cramps the fastest thing to stop them is to drink some

pickle juice.....but NOT SWEET PICKLE juice. Even the football coaches

are

having big jars of pickles available during practice and games. This is

a

fact! I went to a gospel singing a couple of months ago and the pianist

got

such bad cramps that she had to come down off the stage. My cousin told

her

about the pickle juice (as I had suggested) and they gave her some from

the

concession stand. Within 5 minutes she was back playing the piano

again.

Tootie

[Guest guest]

Sandy wrote:

<< drink (milk). My doctor suggested it >>

And A.J. wrote:

<< I wonder if the lo carb milk would work. That's only 3 grams per 8

oz. >>

I attribute some of our modern obesity problems to the notion that we

must eat foods ontaining vitamins and minerals rather than taking

those supplements. Milk had been recommended for its calcium and

magnesium content.

Daily Value for Calcium is 200 mg and 100 mg for Magnesium. One daily

Centrum Silver (or its generic equivalents, available at Wal-Mart and

K-Mart) contains 20% of Calcium and 25% of Magnesium.

I also take 1000 mg of magnesium daily, as an inexpensive supplement

(along with massive doses of the equivalent of Fosamax, via infusion,

to treat the bone cancer). Citracal, brand name of calcium citrate,

comes in 400 mg tablets.

One glass of milk contains 150 calories, 11 g carbs, 7.7 g fats,

including 5.1 g sat. fat, yet it contains only 291 mg calcium and

32.8 mg magnesium. Three daily glasses of regular milk, to get the

minimum recommended Magnesium, would add to our intake 450 calories,

plus 33 g carbs and 23 g fat (15.3 of that sat. fat).

Susie

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry for you, Tootie, but happy for your Mother. Aren't Mothers precious?

Mine has been

gone so long and didn't get to know my last two children and all my

grandchildren but I still think of

her every day! She was a paraplegic God Love Her!

I am going to try that pickle juice next time. I always have pickles in the

refrig. Just so my hubby doesn't

try to help and bring me the jar of Mt. Olive Bread and Butter Pickles sweetened

with Splenda (laughing hysterically).

I don't think those would work!

Kay

RE: Re: night time leg cramps

Everyone that I know just takes a couple of big swigs. I don't suppose it

has anything to do with body weight or any particular amount. My mother's

doctor told her about it years ago. She had the worst leg cramps I have

ever seen. Anytime that I took her anywhere (we live out in the country a

long way from everything) we had a jar of pickle juice. Trust me, it works!

Oh, BTW,Mother no longer has to worry about leg cramps. She went to Heaven

to be with Daddy August 22 of this year.

Tootie

How much - is it based on body weight?

Kay

When you have leg cramps the fastest thing to stop them is to drink some

pickle juice.....but NOT SWEET PICKLE juice. Even the football coaches

are

having big jars of pickles available during practice and games. This is

a

fact! I went to a gospel singing a couple of months ago and the pianist

got

such bad cramps that she had to come down off the stage. My cousin told

her

about the pickle juice (as I had suggested) and they gave her some from

the

concession stand. Within 5 minutes she was back playing the piano

again.

Tootie

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Susie! I have a friend who has refused arthritis medicine and takes 1/4

cup apple juice with

1 teaspoon of cider vinegar every morning faithfully every morning. So there

might be something to that

vinegar theory. You should see her run. She is a waitress and boy does she

ever pull in the tips. BTW, she

is in her 70's!

Kay

Re: night time leg cramps

Here's the rest of the article ...

Causes

Although the cause of EAMC has been researched for the past 50 years,

there has yet to be one factor identified as the sole cause of the

involuntary contraction. However, there are currently four theories

that attempt to explain why this type of muscle cramping occurs: the

serum electrolyte theory, the dehydration theory, the environmental

theory, and the sustained alpha motor neuron theory. Although none of

these theories fully explains the causes of EAMC, each has

contributed to our knowledge and to the formulation of preventive and

treatment options.

The serum electrolyte theory is based on observations that the

involuntary muscle contractions are occurring in individuals who have

a decreased concentration of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium,

magnesium, or calcium. Early research found differences in serum

electrolyte concentrations between muscles that had cramped and those

that had not.

However, the serum electrolyte imbalance would lead to general

skeletal muscle cramping instead of muscle cramping in specific

muscle groups involved in repetitive contractions, as is found with

EAMC. In addition, recent studies of marathon runners found that

there were no differences in serum electrolyte imbalances between pre-

race, post-race, and post-recovery measurements. So, presently, there

is insufficient evidence to fully support this theory of exercise-

associated muscle cramping.

The dehydration theory is one of the most common ones used for

explaining EAMC. This theory states that when an individual is

dehydrated, the decrease in body mass, blood volume, and plasma

volume leads to muscle cramping. Recent studies, however, have shown

that there are no differences in body mass, blood volume, and plasma

volume between subjects who suffered EAMC and those who did not.

Therefore, there is very little objective data supporting this theory.

The environmental theory is based on the fact that when athletes are

exposed to extreme environmental conditions, such as high heat and

humidity, they are more susceptible to cramps. With this condition,

athletes have lost a significant amount of fluid through sweat and

thus have an electrolyte imbalance (as in the serum electrolyte and

dehydration theories), which leads to muscle cramping. Evidence has

shown, however, that the athletes' core temperatures are not

significantly higher when they are cramping compared to when they are

not. Therefore, the environment cannot be said to cause an increase

in muscle temperature, which is the postulated cause of the muscle

cramp.

The most recent hypothesis for EAMC is offered by Drs. Schwellnus,

Derman, and Noakes, from the University of Cape Town Medical School

and the Bioenergetics of Exercise Research Unit of the Sports Science

Institute of South Africa. They postulate that cramping occurs due to

an abnormality of sustained alpha motor neuron activity, which

continues the stimulus to the muscle to contract. As the muscle

fatigues, an excitatory effect on the muscle spindle and an

inhibitory effect on the golgi tendon organ affect the activity of

the muscle, thus leading to the cramp. The mechanism of this

hypothesis is not well understood and warrants further investigation.

Prevention

As mentioned, even though each of the above theories of muscle

cramping are being challenged, they have all helped to devise

techniques that have been used successfully in preventing recurrent

EAMC. The most common of these include being properly conditioned,

stretching regularly, and maintaining adequate nutrition and

hydration.

Being properly conditioned is a key factor in preventing muscle

cramps. When a muscle is not properly conditioned, it will have an

earlier onset of fatigue. This may lead to the increased activity of

alpha motor neuron activity and thus lead to cramping.

Athletes who have poor stretching habits are at greater risk for

EAMC. When the muscle is not stretched sufficiently, an exaggerated

myotonic reflex may occur, thus increasing the muscle spindle

activity. The increased activity can lead to an increased fatigue

rate and, ultimately, to a muscle cramp. Studies have shown that

athletes with good stretching habits are less likely to have EAMC,

thus supporting the alpha motor neuron theory.

Although proper conditioning and stretching are very important in

minimizing the risk for muscle cramps, a proper diet and hydration

have been the most strongly emphasized preventative techniques found

in the literature. In order for an athlete to prevent muscle cramps,

he or she should have a well-balanced diet that provides enough

sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. A balanced diet

ensures that the athlete will take in enough nutrients so that he or

she will not be deficient in any of the electrolytes needed to

maintain normal muscle function. If the athlete is still cramping on

a balanced diet, he or she should be encouraged to eat more potassium-

rich foods and to lightly salt his or her food. Another approach that

has been highly effective is to have the athlete ingest a small

amount of pickle juice or mustard before each intense bout of

exercise (generally, it is only necessary before game situations;

see " The More Things Change, " below, and Sidebar, " A Shot A Day " ).

Treatment

Although prevention is truly the best medicine for muscle cramps, the

truth is that many athletes will not follow the above guidelines

fully or may follow them, yet cramp up anyway. Once an athlete has

begun to cramp, that individual will not be able to perform at his or

her optimum until the cramp has been treated. Common treatments for

acute EAMC are icing, stretching, massaging, and hydrating.

Ice is commonly used for decreasing muscle spasm and has been shown

to be an effective modality in treating muscle cramps. The cramping

muscle can be treated with a cold treatment placed directly on the

area until the cramp has subsided. Although icing the area is an

effective treatment, it usually needs to be combined with stretching.

Passively stretching the cramping muscle is an effective way to

manage a muscle cramp. Once the cramp has begun, the muscle should be

maintained in a stretched or lengthened position until the cramp

ceases and the muscle returns to a normal relaxed state. While the

muscle is being stretched, a constant grasp or massage of the muscle

will usually help it to relax sooner. With a combination of ice,

stretching, and massage, most muscle cramps go away in just a few

minutes.

While the acute muscle cramp is being treated, the athlete should

consume large amounts of water or sports drink to replenish the

fluids lost during competition. Maintaining hydration will make the

athlete less susceptible to a recurrence of cramping. However, once

cramping has begun during exercise, most athletes cannot consume

enough fluids to prevent further cramping. Newer trends in preventing

and treating muscle cramps, though, have allowed athletes to return

to competition without a recurrence of muscle cramping.

The More Things Change

Like most folk remedies, it's unclear how or when it was started, or

by whom, but pickle juice has been used to prevent and treat cramps

for decades, if not longer. It recently garnered increased attention

when the Philadelphia Eagles used it-among other strategies-in their

season-opener against Dallas. The Eagles won by a huge margin,

unexpectedly, in extremely hot Dallas conditions. But attentive

viewers of the pregame TV broadcast may have caught Terry Bradshaw

say that, because they were forecasting temperatures as high as 140

degrees on the field that day, the players ought to be drinking

pickle juice. Apparently, the Louisiana native regarded pickle juice

as a staple in preparing for particularly hot games.

While no claims were made afterward about pickle juice as some sort

of performance-enhancing drug, a flurry of media interest followed,

citing it as a miracle cure for the effects of playing in the heat-

namely, dehydration and cramping. A couple of months before that

game, I had given a brief oral presentation at the NATA's Annual

Meeting in Nashville on my experience treating one athlete's chronic

cramps with pickle juice. Up to that point, I had treated about 100

athletes prophylactically with pickle juice-without a single failure-

but this was one of the first athletes I had treated for acute cramps

(see Sidebar, " A Shot A Day " ).

I am by no means the only athletic trainer using pickle juice to

prevent and treat muscle cramps. The Eagles athletic trainers

reportedly heard about it from an athletic trainer at Iowa State and

had been using it throughout most of their training camp. I first

heard of the strategy about five years ago from a coach in El Paso,

Texas. Apparently, in many parts of Texas (and, perhaps, neighboring

Louisiana), they had been using it for years. It seems to be a well-

known cure there, but no one seems to know where it first originated.

Exactly how it works remains a mystery as well. But the key

ingredient seems to be the vinegar, because vinegar alone and mustard

have yielded results similar to pickle juice.

Dr. E. Agee of the Alabama Sports Medicine Institute treats

acute exercise-associated muscle cramps with mustard. An athlete who

begins to cramp is given one packet of mustard, washed down with

water, every two minutes until the muscle cramp is gone. Although no

formal research has been conducted to identify if, why, or how the

mustard is working, Agee has had great results getting his athletes

back into the game quickly.

Since the Philadelphia-Dallas game, I have received a flurry of calls

from athletic trainers wondering how to use pickle juice. Apparently,

other related parties, including pickle-maker Vlasic, have been

flooded by calls as well. This has created an atmosphere where

everyone from coaches to the athletes themselves have been tempted to

try using pickle juice as part of their daily regimen-without a clue

as to how to properly use it. The most important point to make is

that an athlete cannot simply expect to prepare for a game, or thwart

cramps, by downing a few gulps of pickle juice. How pickle juice is

used, how it should be used, and the precautions one should take when

using pickle juice are discussed in the Sidebar, " A Shot A Day " .

Although science has yet to pinpoint the cause of muscle cramps,

theory and experimentation have led to some reliable preventative

measures. And whether you employ old standbys as treatments for acute

cramps or newer methods, the emphasis should always be what is most

effective-and safe-for the athlete.

Sidebar - A Shot A Day

We have been using pickle juice to prevent and treat muscle cramps at

the University of Northern Iowa for the past three years. Primarily,

the athletic training staff has used it as a last resort in treating

or preventing exercise-associated muscle cramps. When all of the

previously mentioned preventive techniques-proper conditioning,

nutrition and hydration, and stretching-have been tried and have

failed, we add pickle juice to the athlete's pregame regimen. We have

found that by giving two ounces of pickle juice to the athlete 10

minutes before exercise, even the most chronic cramper can remain

cramp-free during high-intensity exercise.

Pickle juice also seems to effectively treat acute muscle cramps. We

first found this out when an athlete who was on a pickle-juice

regimen forgot to take his dose before a game. When he suffered

severe bilateral cramps in his gastrocnemius, he was taken out of the

game and given two ounces of pickle juice. The cramps were completely

gone within 30 seconds. We have tried this technique with other

athletes and found it to be universally effective, with the great

majority of cramps not recurring.

Usually, two ounces of pickle juice will treat and prevent any cramp.

There have been a few situations where the athlete was suffering from

muscle cramps in more than one area, or the cramp was in a large

muscle group, like the abdomen, and he or she was then given

additional pickle juice. It is imperative that the athletic trainer

advise the athlete to continue hydrating, keep a balanced diet, and

to take pickle juice in moderation.

Additionally, we have treated muscle cramps by giving two ounces of

straight vinegar to athletes who were experiencing an exercise-

associated muscle cramp. It was found that the involuntary

contraction went away in 15 to 30 seconds and did not recur. Although

the straight vinegar has worked, it is very difficult for athletes to

consume straight vinegar. Pickle juice is more palatable and has been

accepted better by the athletes.

Vinegar is the obvious common ingredient in both mustard (which is

used by some athletic trainers) and pickle juice. But, as yet, there

is no experimental research that has explained the mechanism of how

these treatments work.

[Guest guest]

Sandy wrote:

<< drink (milk). My doctor suggested it >>

Susie,

That wasn't me :-) As it happens, I agree with you... as much as I enjoy

milk, I have stopped drinking it and take calcium and magnesium supplements

instead.

Sandy

[Guest guest]

Sandy, it took some digging but I discovered that Sharp was

the listmate whose doctor had recommended milk.

Susie

[Guest guest]

Sandy, it took some digging but I discovered that Sharp was

the listmate whose doctor had recommended milk.

Susie... oh, you didn't have to go to all that trouble. I didn't care...

just wanted you to know I do agree with you :-)

Sandy

[Guest guest]

Here's the rest of the article ...

Susie,

Thanks for the great article! :-) It's going in my health file. I was

especially interested in the idea of icing a cramp. I hadn't heard of that

one. I would have thought the opposite... that heat would be the thing to

do. It does say it should be combined with stretching, though, and when I'm

in the middle of a cramp, I find that very difficult to do. I do try,

though.

Sandy

[Guest guest]

I think that potassium is a lot like insulin in that the proper

amount is critical. I almost died about 2 years ago because the

doctors had let my potassium become depleted. Maybe they were doing

the best they could. They ended up putting a catheter in my heart

and putting potassium directly into the heart. Now I know to watch

it, get tested regularly and take potassium. Also, I believe from

information I have researched that if you need potassium supplements

the over the counter drugs don't help.

Betty

>

> <<I've considered that I could be losing potassium from my blood

> pressure meds >>

>

> Isn't your doctor checking your electrolytes regularly? Insist that

> he/she does that. (In other words, don't take potassium without

proof

> that you need it.) What b.p. med do you take?

>

> Do the leg cramps hurt worse when you elevate your legs or dangle

> them down? Worse when you stand up?

>

> Are you drinking lots of fluids?

>

> Susie

[Guest guest]

> >

> > >

> > > I take two 600 mg. calcium and 3 250 mg. magnesium. No more

> cramps

> > and

> > > works good for me. I take all before bed.

> > >

> > > Ask your Doc but mine says OK!

> >

> > Hi, Jo... Thanks! Glad to know that works for you. I'm going to

try

> > that, as I have only been taking 300 mg. a day, so obviously not

> > enough. My doctor wants me to take more calcium because of

> > osteoporis in my family anyway, and I take the tablet that

combines

> > calcium and magnesium.

> >

> > Sandy

[Guest guest]

My doctor wants me to have 1500 in supplements and of course there is

some in the food I eat.

Besides helping with leg cramps -- I haven't had any, since I started

taking more calcium and magnesium -- I also sleep much better.

Sandy

[Guest guest]

I believe from

information I have researched that if you need potassium supplements

the over the counter drugs don't help.

I don't know... that's what I take -- an over the counter supplement, as

one of my blood pressure pills is a diuretic, so it depletes my body of

potassium. I take the pill, and it works well. Do you get a prescription

for it? Maybe you need more than I do...

Sandy

[Guest guest]

I have to take prescribed Potassium twice a day, when I was in the hospital, I

had to take it four times per day...the pharmacist and my doctor has told me

that there is no way that I could eat enought of the foods that contain

Potassium, to get the amount that I need. They both, told me that there are no

over the counter supplements to replace the Potassium that diuretics remove from

the system....I can really tell a difference...the lack of Potassium causes all

kinds of things to go wrong with my heart and causes excruciating pains in my

legs...it evens messes up my heartbeat....The doctors check my electrolytes

quite frequently.

I was looking for a cheaper way...but it seems that there is not one.

Eleanor

[Guest guest]

Eleanor..

I agree with what you said. But I have several relatives that get by

with just eating potassium rich food. In fact my husband is on the

same blood pressure meds as I am and his potassium is fine. Those

are people that are ok just watching that their diet includes

potassium.

Potassium can totally eliminate brainpower. It put my mom in a coma

where she was totally unresponsive. Later we brought her out of it,

but she was never the same. I have met several people in nursing

homes that are there because of a potassium screwup

On a positive note had the doctor that was treating me not known what

to do I would have died. He told my husband another 2 hours would

have been too late. They infused potassium directly into my heart

for about 3 days You don't want to try that. I take a slow release

one that is supposed to last 24 hours and my lab work shows it is

doing it's job.

Betty

> I have to take prescribed Potassium twice a day, when I was in the

hospital, I had to take it four times per day...the pharmacist and my

doctor has told me that there is no way that I could eat enought of

the foods that contain Potassium, to get the amount that I need.

They both, told me that there are no over the counter supplements to

replace the Potassium that diuretics remove from the system....I can

really tell a difference...the lack of Potassium causes all kinds of

things to go wrong with my heart and causes excruciating pains in my

legs...it evens messes up my heartbeat....The doctors check my

electrolytes quite frequently.

>

> I was looking for a cheaper way...but it seems that there is not

one.

>

> Eleanor

[Guest guest]

Betty wrote:

<< [re getting enough potassium] You always hear to eat a banana a

day, but potatoes are a good a source. These are problems I guess for

low carbers. >>

We diabetics can't choose *not* to spike after eating high-carb

foods. Diabetics will go high after eating certain foods such as

bananas and potatoes. So when we choose to avoid those foods ( " low-

carbing " is a description), we are using diet as a primary method of

diabetes control. Changing our diet is the simplest, safest, cheapest

way to improve our diabetes, I have found.

<< If you need a diuretic to help control blood pressure then don't

eat those foods then take medicine to give you the required

potassium. >>

Betty, I think I'm not getting enough sleep or something. Could you

explain this better to my poor, worn-out brain? Thanks.

Susie

[Guest guest]

Eleanor wrote:

<< the pharmacist and my doctor ... told me that there are no over

the counter supplements to replace the Potassium that diuretics

remove from the system ... I was looking for a cheaper way...but it

seems that there is not one. >>

Both too much potassium and too little can be dangerous, so over-the-

counter formulations are limited to 99 mg each. But if you need more,

you can save money by just taking more of the OTC 99 mg pills. Have

your electrolytes checked often, to make sure you are maintaining in

Normal Range.

Susie

[Guest guest]

I think the life threatening low potassium I had was due to an

infections.

Betty,

My dad was put in the hospital because he was so ill... he had lost a lot

of fluids, due to an illness. Tests showed that he was very low on

potassium, and he felt much better, after an IV with potassium.

Watching family members, all of which are old, I conclude if you are

taking the common HCTZ water tablet just watching the diet is usually

sufficient. You always hear to eat a banana a day, but potatoes are

a good a source. These are problems I guess for low carbers.

That's why I take a potassium supplement... I used to eat bananas and

drink orange juice. Now, I drink low sodium V8, and that has quite a bit of

potassium. I don't take the supplement if I'm drinking the V8.

Sandy H.

[Guest guest]

BTW my A1C done this month was 5.8 with diet alone.

Betty... Fantastic! :-)

Sandy