Leg cramps, Charlie Horses wake me up

The past few months, I wake up with terrible charlie horses that take a long time to go away. I used to just stand up foe a short time and could go back to sleep, but these are worse. Sometimes I just have leg cramps. I must be deficient in something. I started eating banannas and taking potassium a few weeks ago, but I still get them. I don't go to the doctor until Nov. 21. Any ideas?

Just might be magnesium....I take 400mg of mag a day, helps with cramps, headaches and constipation. Mag citrate is absorbed best

Hi Bonnie, I get leg cramps in the middle of night occasionally too. I usually get up and walk around for a minute and then go take both a calicium and a potassium tablet. Drink them with a half glass of water and they should go away. Sometimes we get the leg cramps from being dehyrated as well as from the calicium and potaasuim being low for that day. At least thats what my doc says! Hope this helps! Lyn

You get legs cramps due to calcium deficency, just start taking more calcium the vitachews arent bad good luck.

For me, the key is potassium. Without it, I wake up almost nightly with cramping in my legs or feet. With it daily, no problem.

This is weird! I had a huge charliehorse in my right calf and arch of the foot last week Tuesday, and my calf has been sore since. I've been taking extra calcium, magnesium and potassium all week, and then yesterday the left leg starts to do it (although not as bad). Yesterday a soak in a hot bathtub helped to relax the muscles. Hope you get over yours soon, Sue O.

You may also be low in magnesium. I have always gotten leg cramps, since I was a teenager. The doctor told me to drink water rich in Magnesium like Fiji Water. Lori

It is not potassium it is dehydration - up your water and they should go away. That is what my doctor told me and i find that when I don't drink enough water the charlie horses show up in full force.

Hi, I'm 4 years out and about 2 years ago I developed bad leg cramps at night. I started taking more potassium and drinking more water but it didn't help. It sounds strange but someone told me about the soap under the bottom sheet trick and it works! I'm not sure why but if my legs to start cramping I just position the soap under them and the cramps stop. I know this isn't a scientific method but it's the only thing I've found to work good luck, susanne