Question:
I am 6 years out I have been experienceing tight muscle spasms

I was having iron and b12 problems and needed infusions now that I have seemed to get that under control, these painful spasms seem to be getting a lot worst I actually get stuck till they subside. I can't even sit up fast anymore. I wanted to see if anyone else has had the same problem.    — ANNAJEAN (posted on May 20, 2009)

May 20, 2009
YES! I have this problem frequently and for me it's chronic magnesium deficiencies. When I over work my legs which is most days...I will be also be paralyzed in screaming pain until I can get to my twinlabs Calcium citrate...I chew two of those immediately because they contain 250 mg magnesium (for two) and within a few moments the spasm releases my thighs, feet, calves from that horrible death grip...The other day I mowed the lawn and then went to work (I remodel old homes and that day I also started refinishing the wood floors on my hands and knees and doing a lot of stretching and using my leg muscles...By the time I sat to relax that evening...My muscles just totally lost it as they always do at the end of a busy day...I should have tken some magnesium all day to avoid this knowing I was working hard...but I forget...and I pay for it dearly. I ended up taking 800 mg of magnesium before they subsided completely...That was the worst spasm to date! ..I have read that anemia also causes these spasms and I have been anemic myself (I am to be retested soon, but last test I was good)...For me,magnesium ALWAYS ends the spasms...So I have come to rely on it and keep some form of magnesium near the TV, the computer and I keep some in my handbag for emergencies...Walnuts also have magnesium and I have been eating a serving now an then on desserts of vanilla yogurt w sliced apples, grapes and the walnuts...It's my fav dessert/snack of late! I order "Tender Magnesium" from Vitalady.com...She carries her own brand of magnesium citrate in capsules (hard to find anywhere else) in a GIANT bottle. I am out but it lasted me a year! Good stuff!...I open them 3-4 at a time at 3200 mg each and pour the powder on my tongue and swallow to get magnesium in my blood faster...For whatever reason, my body just will not hold magnesium for more than a few days without supplementing....It's scary too because I swim A LOT in the summer and I have to take a small styrofoam board incase I get a leg spasm in the lake...I have to swim with it atttached to my wrist by a cord so I do not drown...As you know those spasms are like having your leg in a giant vice grip or ran over by a mac truck! and you do not want that to happen in the middle of a lake! Generally though they happen mainly at night when I am relaxing...I also have magnesium tea which is quite sour but a nice way to relax and helps me sleep as well...I get it at Vitamin Shoppe...It's called "Natural Calm"...It is 615mg of magnesium citrate and helps balance your calcium intake. When you put it in hot water it almost smokes like dry ice or some weird science project for a second. It's kinda cool! (Don't forget to sweeten...it'll make your jaws clench and mouth pucker from the sour! LOL But it's good! I cannot take calcium without magnesium citrate...I even got some liquid at CVS (used as a laxative) But I keep it on my night table so I don't have to jump up for water or eat a calcium wafer in the middle of the night! YUCK! So I take a small sip and it takes care of those spasms that wake me from a dead sleep...Some people low on potassium will also have spasms...but too much potassium is not great for you either...Magnesium on the other hand is gentle for the most part but will clean your bowels if you take too much! It has a calming effect and helps you sleep as well... LOL I take about 800 mg daily...sometimes more... Good luck! Hope that helps you! It sure helps me!
   — .Anita R.

May 20, 2009
for me too it is a magnesium deficiency,i take 2000 mg every day to keep them at bay.had to work my way up to a dosage that would stop them .it took me quiet a while to find the right dose.good luck i know the torture they cause when i have one now i still have to sit in a tub of hot water to get thru them they are so severe.
   — Bette Drecktrah

May 20, 2009
I have a correction...Tender magnesium by Vitalday has 200 mg per capsule...and not 3200 mg...(That was a typo) You don't want to take 3200 mg of magnesium! TRUST ME! You'd be on the toilet for days!
   — .Anita R.

May 21, 2009
Hi Ann, Spasms are related to loss of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Magnesium can sometimes be found added to calcium supplements, and potassium can found in it's highest amounts in tomato juice or V8 type cocktails. With the juice being liquid, the minerals are delivered pretty rapidily to your body. This little formula worked for me! Good luck - Darlene
   — dadebrito

May 21, 2009
I find this when my potasium gets low. So have labs run to see if you are low in potasium or magnessium so you know what to add to your diet.
   — trible