Tamoxifen and Leg Cramps~ what have you done about it???? OUCH!!!!

I have to get out of bed and
I have to get out of bed and stand on the crampy leg till it stops. I heard that bananas help if you eat them and I tend to have fewer if I drink milk. Although I haven't had any milk in a long time and not having trouble but I've been eating lots of yogurt.

I have the answer for you and it does work.
Go to Walmart and in the laundry section where they sell laundry baskets, hangers and trash cans go look for one of those mesh laundry bags that you wash bras in, then go to the bar soap isle and by a couple bars of Ivory or Dove soap and when you get home put the soap inside the mesh bag and sleep with it down by your legs. There's just some sort of reaction when your legs and the soap come in contact woth each other. No more cramps, I swear, my husband and I sleep in seperate rooms and we both have this soap in our beds, it really does keep charlie horses away.

my primary physician says it's due to low potassium
so the comments about bananas are spot on! i HATE bananas, but with this yucky ac chemo, i have charley horses and force myself to eat at least half a banana before bedtime.

heidijez said:

my primary physician says it's due to low potassium
so the comments about bananas are spot on! i HATE bananas, but with this yucky ac chemo, i have charley horses and force myself to eat at least half a banana before bedtime.

Charlie horses
I too have been using the soap in our bed. I'm also on Tamoxifen (over a year now)and have been having leg cramps really bad. I bought 3 bars (pack) of Irish Spring and I put one under my bottom sheet on my side of the bed. I doubt brands make any difference though. Haven't had any charlie horses for over two months now. It may not work for some people, but it sure works for me.

cindycflynn said:

Me too!
I haven't had them every week like you have, but when I do get them, man do they hurt! Much more than the cramps I used to get before. I hadn't made the connection to the Tamoxifen, but now that you mention it the frequency and severity did increase about the time I started on the Tamoxifen.

I might try that soap trick as well - I'd never heard that one before.

Hope it works for you Chenheart!

((HUGS))
Cindy

Me also...i never connected
Me also...i never connected mine to the tamoxifen...thought it was from the chemo. Mine wasnt just during the night...it was during the day as well. I would also get them in the arches of my feet and it literally made my toes curl...it hurt.
Ive been on tamoxifen almost 3 months now and now that i think about it, its been almost a month since ive had any...they just went away on there own. I love bananas and i was eating them all the time even during the cramping...so either they werent working or i was just that low on calsium that it took forever to work.
I hope you find relief with the soap in the bed thing.

jo jo said:

Me also...i never connected
Me also...i never connected mine to the tamoxifen...thought it was from the chemo. Mine wasnt just during the night...it was during the day as well. I would also get them in the arches of my feet and it literally made my toes curl...it hurt.
Ive been on tamoxifen almost 3 months now and now that i think about it, its been almost a month since ive had any...they just went away on there own. I love bananas and i was eating them all the time even during the cramping...so either they werent working or i was just that low on calsium that it took forever to work.
I hope you find relief with the soap in the bed thing.

I have had leg pain for some
I have had leg pain for some time now. I was told it is not a side affect of tamoxifen, well i find that hard to believe. Wow, just use soap. I will try that. Good luck chen.

My mother
swears by the soap but I didn't have any luck with it. I had it under my sheet for more than a year. No relief): I've been having toe, foot and leg cramps almost daily for almost a year and I haven't even started chemo yet, let alone Tamoxifen! My rheumatologist told me to drink a glass of tonic water at night before bed, which I've been doing for the past 9 months. Some of my cramps are so bad I have to get out of bed and bang my foot on the hardwood floor. I've actually cried sometimes the pain was that intense. I get the cramps in the middle of the night usually and sometimes while I'm driving! I eat bananas occasionally but around 9 months ago I stopped drinking milk with my dinner. My naturapathic dr told me to drink whole milk and not skim so I just stopped. Maybe that's my problem. If you're all suggesting that chemo and or Tamoxifen can worsen it I'm in serious trouble. If you think of any other remedies tell me:)
Char

cahjah75 said:

My mother
swears by the soap but I didn't have any luck with it. I had it under my sheet for more than a year. No relief): I've been having toe, foot and leg cramps almost daily for almost a year and I haven't even started chemo yet, let alone Tamoxifen! My rheumatologist told me to drink a glass of tonic water at night before bed, which I've been doing for the past 9 months. Some of my cramps are so bad I have to get out of bed and bang my foot on the hardwood floor. I've actually cried sometimes the pain was that intense. I get the cramps in the middle of the night usually and sometimes while I'm driving! I eat bananas occasionally but around 9 months ago I stopped drinking milk with my dinner. My naturapathic dr told me to drink whole milk and not skim so I just stopped. Maybe that's my problem. If you're all suggesting that chemo and or Tamoxifen can worsen it I'm in serious trouble. If you think of any other remedies tell me:)
Char

"Toxic water"
Hi, Claudia -

I've been on Tamoxifen for 8 months now, and haven't had any leg cramps myself, but my girlfriend swears by a glass of tonic water before bed.

Her 16-year-old daughter started getting leg cramps at night really bad, and doesn't like bananas, so Mom suggested the tonic water, and Daughter's leg cramps have pretty much disappeared now. But Daughter couldn't remember the name, and ended up calling it "toxic water." So that's the family joke now: "we're out of toxic water -- don't forget to buy some at the store!"

Of course, we don't give the 16-year-old any vodka with it....but I'm guessing YOU are probably of legal drinking age, if you wanted to get creative with the "prescription"!

:-) Traci

chenheart said:

Yes, I have had charlie
Yes, I have had charlie horses in my life ,maybe 2 or 3 ever, but now, since taking Tamoxifen I get them every week In both legs!! 5 weeks of Tamoxifen and 3 weeks of charlie horses~ It can't be coincidental! I am not sure what to do~ as I already do the things you have suggested! We eat bananas everyday, and I eat avocados even more often than bananas, which have an even higher potassium count. I drink water by the gallon; it is my all time favorite go-to drink, Reggie and I both drink Kefir or eat yogurt, and I exercise~ all things recommended. I read that a tablespoon of French's mustard (the yellow stuff my dad always called Barn Paint) before bed helps, as does upping calcium and even drinking quinine water. I just wondered if anyone else had this side effect from taking Tamoxifen, as opposed to the "regular" reasons we get charlie horses....

Grrrrrrr! LOL

My legs too
Yes, me too. I am at week 4 on tamoxifen and I have not slept through the night. At first, I wasn't sleeping due to my expanders....

Now, since starting the tamoxifen, I wake up every 2-3 hours and have to stand up.... (I thought I was going crazy). It has become my routine.... I just go get more water and go back to bed. I didn't want to complain.... I am worried about blood clots....

I am going to try the bananas and see....

Take care,

Merry (Sally5)