I have been bothered by cramps for years, as was my mother. Mine take the form of nocturnal calf muscle cramps, as well as occasional cramps in the muscles of the lower abdomen. They hurt like hell. Quinine was my wonder drug for several years. Now I just put up with them. I have discussed them with several physicians over the 25 or so years I have had them, with absolutely no success. Aside from the quinine, all the advice I have gotten has taken the form of shrugs and “try drinking more water.” I have come to the conclusion that cramps are a medical mystery, and since they are merely painful, not life-threatening, they don’t get much love in the research world.
I used to get muscle cramps all the time and found the only solution for me was to make sure to drink at least one Powerade a day. (I don’t care for bananas, so this was my best solution.)
Since then, I’ve found a solution for the underlying problem (which was severe IBS) which means I no longer appear to suffer from muscle cramps.
So a combination of dietary-hydration changes plus a search for any underlying cause of the potential deficiency might be in order.
We are going to try and figure out if/how to get it in
Canada.
There do seem to be a few with nocturnal leg cramps where quinine works and it seems nothing else does.
Ask the doctor about a parathyroid screening and a possible referral to an endocrinoligist.
Parathyroids regulate the calcium balance in the body, even minor variations can cause muscle cramping (a symptom I had for years that was finally diagnosed as hyperparathyrodism by a very subtle change in blood calcium levels).
In the mean time, keep hydrated, take a multivitamin containing potassium and magnesium, as well as chewing a couple TUMS(for calcium) 2-3 times daily may bring some relief. As always, check with your physician before adding anything supplement-wise to your diet.
drinking tonic water with quinine works for me. I get cramps in my feet and in my calf muscles for overuse. I find if I get alot less of the cramping if I drink a glass of tonic water. I believe that while the medication quinine was a much higher dosage the lesser amount in the tonic was beneficial for me. If the the OP’s wife tries is and it doens’t work then little harm has been done. just check to make sure the lable says it contains quinine as not all tonic waters do.
Cannabis Indica?
Known to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
There appears to be several different categories of cramps. The cramps that occasioned the OP are called “Nocturnal leg cramps” and are quite serious. Probably everything mentions above has been tried, perhaps even Cannabis. So far only quinine has worked and it works quite well. Additional information on Canadian sources would be welcomed. I’ve nothing better to do than go to Canada if there is a solution to be found there.