Little Bit of a Relapse - Limb Twitches

[birdlover3]

Lately I've had a little bit of a relapse but not sure why. I have been GF for many weeks now. I suppose some traces of gluten could have gotten through but I haven't gone off by any means. I noticed it first when I had a chicken salad at McDonald's with the vinergerette dressing, then that night I had a BRAT. Don't know if the combination was too much for that day but ever since things haven't been quite right.

I also noticed that I've been more Twitchy from the waist down. I notice this while sitting with my legs up watching TV both in the morning and at night. My doc says I have some restless leg syndrome but this twitching isn't only in my legs...it can be in my groin, hip foot, etc.

I'm wondering if there is any relation between the two things.

In multivitamins, is there anything GF people should watch for? I did change to another multivitamin.

Thanks for any insight. Barb

[Rosie]

I've been plagued with twitches and cramps for many years, mostly in my lower legs and feet, but also elsewhere in my body, like chest, back, hips, eyelids, etc. I have mostly gotten rid of them, at least for now, and have some insights as to what were the causes with me, in the hopes that you will get some ideas to try.

1. Electrolytes. This is the biggie, and I think that MC can play havoc with the electrolyte balances because of the impaired nutrient absorption and the watery diarrhea.
a. I finally discovered that if I don't drink at least 5 full glasses of liquid spaced throughout the day, and especially 2 glasses during the afternoon, I will have leg cramps/twitches. Spacing is crucial. If I neglect to drink enough during the afternoon, having more to drink in the evening doesn't count! Of course we all are different, and you may find that more/less liquid or the spacing out might be different.
b. Magnesium supplements. The magnesium is the biggie with the electrolytes, at least for me. Of course the double-edged sword is that too much magnesium can cause diarrhea by itself! I use the magnesium glycinate, which is less inclined to cause looseness than other forms. I started with just one 50 mg capsule in the evening and then added more. When I got to 2 capsules in the evening and 1 capsule in the morning, I was doing great, avoiding the annoying and sleep-disruptive leg cramps at night, and with minimal effect on my digestion. Some people rub the magnesium oil on their skin to get absorption through the skin and avoid GI issues, but I never found that to be effective for me. I imagine that I just wasn't getting enough. You can order magnesium glycinate from Kirkman, http://www.kirkmangroup.com
c. Other electrolytes didn't seem to be an issue with me, but potassium has been mentioned by others.

2. Thyroid. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism several years ago (Graves Disease) and noticed that while I was hyperthyroid my leg cramps totally went away! Then I had the radioactive iodine treatment to destroy most of my thyroid. It takes a while to get the dose of supplemental thyroid medication adjusted properly, and I discovered that when my thyroid hormone was low, I would begin to have leg cramps and twitches, and they would subside when my dose was corrected. So you might want to get your thyroid hormone levels checked if you haven't done so recently. However, when I get dehydrated or don't have enough magnesium, the leg cramps/twitches will occur, so thyroid hormone level is only one part of the issue.


Rosie

[birdlover3]

I've been plagued with twitches and cramps for many years, mostly in my lower legs and feet, but also elsewhere in my body, like chest, back, hips, eyelids, etc. I have mostly gotten rid of them, at least for now, and have some insights as to what were the causes with me, in the hopes that you will get some ideas to try.

Thanks Rosie, You have given me some good information.

I do take the magnesium from Kirkland. Someone (or maybe it was you) who recommended it so I have been taking one in the morning and one in the evening. Hasn't helped the twitching. Do you think I should increase the magnesium?

I used to have terrible leg/foot cramps but since I started the multi-vitamin, they went away, but the twitching is still happening. I'll try drinking more as you recommended....let's see if that helps. I'm not good at drinking alot of liquids like I should.

I don't THINK I have a thyroid issue as the doc usually will run this test with my blood work every so often if I have problems but I will keep it in mind.

Thanks for the ideas....I'm going to try drinking more and see. Barb

[JLH]

Magnesium can have a laxative effect. I use spray magnesium for that reason.

[birdlover3]

I guess this magnesium from Kirkland is not supposed to do that...

[JFR]

Magnesium glycinate does not cause d. You can get it from Kirkman (not Kirkland).
Pure Encapsulations also sells it.

Jean