Muscle cramps are related to the duration of cirrhosis and the severity of liver damage.The exact reason for leg cramps is unknown. More study must be done in this area before we have a real solution for at least most sufferers. It's cause is probably multiple factors. So there is no one effective treatment for cramps. One solution may work for one person but not another.
Some Treatments Options:
* patients with chronic persistent leg cramps may benefit from treatment with magnesium.
I have had leg cramps for years. When I am in a flare they tell me its spasticity and spasms. When I'm not in a flare they tell me that it is restless leg syndrome since it mostly happens at night. I have taken neurontin for it but now take requip. They both seem to help a little. I have also been on the muscle relaxers baclofen and zanaflex, but neither seemed to make much of a difference.
You could ask your doc for Requip...it is used for restless leg syndrome. There are a few other meds that could possibly help...one of them being Neurontin. Talk to your doc about it....Other than that, I used a heating pad that wrapped around my legs for that wanting to move constantly feeling...it helped some...not alot, but some. Valium will not help for this.
klonopin/diazepam etc. are very addictive AND can be life threatening/fatal if CT'd. Don't go that route with an already addicted person. The Sub. doesn't get you a 'high' but you will become physically dependent on it. You can use it to taper down to no pills fairly comfortably. Google Suboxone and read up on it.
You could find your husband a Sub. doctor in the area. He could go on that and then taper off of it without all the WD's he is experiencing now.
In my personal experience, muscle relaxants are not very effective for acute leg cramps or rls -- they are much more effective for sustained muscle tension, spasm and limitation of movement. It depnds on the cause of the leg cramps, but most often mineral supplements are the most effective - calcium, magnesium and potassium. A banana (potassium source) at bedtime can work wonders!
RLS (restless leg syndrome) is a different matter.
our father who is 78 is starting to hallucinate he was hospitalized about a month ago for pneumonia.he was also taking requip for his restless legs,the doc. took him off of requip because of side affects 4 days ago. we dont know if that could be the cause of his condition or not,he also had a cat scan of the brain, it was normal.he sees people that are not there, he realizes later that it is not real. he is getting depressed and scared,we dont know what to do anymore.
Basically anywhere below the knees and this happens at least four to five times a week. My doctor says I have restless leg syndrome and has prescribed Requip and it worked for a while but now it seems that I've gotten used to the dosage and need a larger dose. Does anyone have any ideas. All responses will be appreciated.
My husband was on it for a while when he bagan to have strange leg sensations but it just didnt seem to work for him. His problems were actually lymes disease so that may have been why, but I took ultram years ago in the beginning of my abdominal symptoms and for a while it did a great job of lessing my symptoms! I grew a tolerance to it after a long while but so many people have found great benifit from it for so many differnt kinds of pain and conditions.
I HAVE RLS FOR MANY YEARS AND I AM ON 3MG REQUIP AND 1 MG KLONPIN, THAT HAS BEEN HELPING UP TO NOW. I DISCOVERED THAT MY THYROID IS VERY LOW. COULD THAT BE WHY MY RLS IS GETTING WORSE. I REALLY NEED SOME SLEEP!!! WHAT OTHER MEDS ARE HELPFUL. I REALLY HAVE ALOT OF PAIN IN MY LEGS ALSO. THANKS FOR AMY HELP.
Has anybody had success with requip? If so, what dosage of requip worked for you? They have .25, .5, 1.0, and 2.0.
Do you take the medicine at night only or during the day too?
I really appreciate your help. I made it 14 days off hydros last year, but the RLS was agonizing and I gave in. I want to do EVERYTHING I can to help ease this upcoming hell.
I was prescribed Requip for RLS, which I had so bad with my Tramadol withdrawal, I would rock and bounce for hours during both the day and night. I had RLS for at least 6 hours or more a day for almost a month.
I took the Requip for the first 40 days, now I take it 2x a week. My doc said after I hit 2 months or more off the opiates, we can talk about me jumping off the Requip all together.
I also get twitching in my legs, most of the time when I try to lie down at night, I have L2/3, L3/4 abd L4/5 herniated among other things. My doctor is treated me for restless leg syndrome with Klonipin and Requip. You should go in to your doctor they will be able to tell you exactly what's causing the problem and perhaps give you meds to control it. Good Luck and Feel Better.
There is no forum for this, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), so I figured this was probably the best place to post this question. I have had RLS for about 2 years, and it has gotten progressively worse. I take 1mg of Requip in the morning, and NOW (I just started) I take 1 mg. in the afternoon, and 2mg. at night.
My current sleep doctor feels that Sinemet, a dopamine replacement, should be reserved for use after dopamine agonists such as Requip and Mirapex are no longer useful.
I can give you a few hints on optimizing the effectiveness of your Sinemet rather than keep raising dose: No protein to eat unless long enough before dose for the food to have already passed thru the small intestine. Small amout of starchy food food can help when taking med, but no large amounts of food before taking the med.
I'm 52 years old male. I suffer from rls severe! Started what was thought to be growing pains as a teenager and from their it became known as RLS a long drive to mayo clinic in Rochester Minnesota, I've been on several medications to say and a couple have been helpful for some years its now that I've been suffering with the RLS that have led me to little sleep for the past few years. It's torture trying to be a father and husband and keep working on my of 27 years.
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