Sleep & Leg Pain

[LynnR]

Over the last couple of nights, I have been getting leg pains in the middle of the night which wakes me up. It is so bad that I can't go back to sleep. I don't like to take Advil all the time so I just try to push my way through it.

Last night it started at about 2 AM. It was very painful. I tried turning to a different position, sitting up, walking around . . . but nothing helped. I didn't get back to sleep until about 4:30 - 5:00. Needless to say, today I feel like a walking zoombie.

Is this caused by celiac disease?

[plantime]

It could be celiac disease. What that would be caused by is the malabsorption of nutrients. Which muscles are hurting? Instead of getting up and walking around, try just stretching the muscles. I have to stretch my leg muscles real good when I go to bed, or I will be awake half the night with leg cramps. Exercise makes them hurt worse, and painkillers, muscle relaxers, and heat packs are only temporary fixes. I like the stretches best.

[judy05]

I read an article in the paper tonight about restless leg syndrome.

It said a lot of people have found relief by putting a cake of soap

in bed with them, for some reason it seems to help. I thought

I would give it a try next time.

[stargirl]

I also wake up in the middle of the night with leg cramps so bad I have to jump out of bed and stretch my calves because it hurts so much. I've been told that it is probably because I am calcium deficient (I gave up milk a coupld of months ago). I've been trying to remember to take a calcium supplement. I'm not sure if it is working or not but it is nice to hear someone else is feeling the same way.

[McDougall]

I'm not sure I can help here. I do have terrible leg pains at night, but I have a steel rod in there so it is different. However I think you are talking about that same deep down ache I have that can't be stopped. If it's more of a sharp, cramping pain I do think I can help, I have had those also and have a few helpful hints. The ache of bone repair is a pain I can't stand and I 'think' that pain is related to us celiac sufferers. About the ache (It's like when I was young about 3-4-5 the growing pains were unbearable!!!!!!) I take to much ibuprofen, walk around and stretch like has been mentioned. The ache is very unpleasant but it seems very related to celiac, so I'm hoping and thinking that leaving gluten behind will help alot. I know how leg pain at bedtime can be so unpleasant if you ever want to talk about it let me know.

[McDougall]

Star I have always been lucky dealing with the "jump out of the bed leg cramp pains" by being very careful with my water, salt and potassium intake, and over working your body, especially in the heat. Some people find relief with leg cramps with quinine(sp) but not with me. I have read that celiac can cause problems with water intake, I have always had problems with dehydration so the water/salt loss makes sense (to me). I am only representing my own experiences here though and may be waaay of base. My worst leg cramps are always after heavy use(of the legs).

[darlindeb25]

wow--just today i was telling my 2nd son that i think he should be tested for celiacs--he has trouble with his stomach too and always has aches and pains--i had read in one of the threads here about children who vomit in their sleep, mike did that when he was maybe 7--i tried to figure out what was going on and decided it was ice cream--he also had terrbile pains in his legs as a young teen--the doctor told me that he had my 3rd son's legs were growing faster then their muscles could keep up--of course they are 6'2 and 6'3 now, so i guess that was possible--hope he will be tested, as of now my kids just tell me, "no way and i giving up food"--hope they arent sorry someday deb

[plantime]

Deb, I hope they aren't sorry some day, too. Just about a week ago, my husband told me that if he had to give up all of the foods I have to do without, he would prefer to die. Funny, I gave them up because I want to live, and I want to it to be a wonderful life!

[darlindeb25]

dessa--i hear that all the time from people ---the thing is--they havent lived with what we have so they dont know what they are talking about --if they fell asleep sitting on the toilet night after night --if they rarely ever had a full night's sleep--if they woke in the night with hip pain so bad that it worked itself into your dreams and you woke crying then maybe they could say that to us, but until then--we had to let it roll off our backs like water on a duck --my daughter tells me all the time that if she cant have her chicken strips from KFC, then she would just die--i tell her she can learn to make them for herself---no way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like ialways tell them--walk a mile in my shoes before you place a judgment on me deb

[Rikki Tikki]

Back to the leg pains, restless legs. Good information regadring the calcium and vitamin intake. I had been taking Klonopin for restless legs and then found out that it wasn't on the gluten-free list. Neeless to say going off it was awful, my whole body went through withdrawls, my heart was about to pound out of my chest. I never would of started it if I knew that my body would become dependent to it.

I don't know if the legs are related to celiac disease or not, but it appears a lot of us have problems.

[cdford]

This sounds awful, but it isn't once you get used to it. Have any of you tried magnesium sulfate injections for the leg pain. I use them mixed with lidocaine in an insulin needle then place lidoderm patches over the worst pain spots around my knees and the sides of my hips. Sometimes it is the only way to get the muscle spasms and pain to stop. The endocrinologist described it to me this way...

When the muscles are already low in magnesium, they tend to spasm. The process of spasming uses the remaining magnesium so they keep it up. The legs jerk, the muscles ache, and the only way to fix the problem is to provide them with what they need...more magnesium.

He says you just can't get enough with an oral supplement nor can it get to the muscles fast enough. If you use this, be sure to give the shot very slowly over a 2-3 minute time span or it will hurt like the dickens. I use 70-100 units of mag sulfate mixed with 5-10 units of lidocaine and it works like a champ. I also know my daughter is having a really bad night when she wakes me up asking for a shot. Not too many kids will do that until they are desparate.

Bythe way...when you are dancing around your bedroom with leg cramps, be sure not to point your toes but to flex your foot. Pointing your toes can lock the muscles and make it harder to get rid of the spasm.

[luvs2eat]

My night time cramps are on the top of my foot near my toes... where it seems there shouldn't be enough muscle to cramp!! I should try the bar of soap thing... I've read that before.

[artmeg55]

I have had leg cramps too. At times so bad my leg (s) still hurt the next day. Have had fewer problems in the past few months. I also heard that leg cramps could be related to nutrients. So I think one or both of the following have helped-I eat a banana every day (supposedly the potassium helps) and take a vitamin every day. I also heard that it helps to eat the banana before going to bed.