Here’s a link to a Q&A by Dr. Richard Lee of Harvard Heart Letter about medications - including statin drugs - that can cause leg cramps as a side effect:

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_10343721

Many individuals have had the experience of having a peaceful night of sleep interrupted suddenly and without warning by a ‘charley horse’ cramp in some part of their leg or foot, and to make matters worse there is often residual pain even after the cramping has disappeared. Although these cramps happen to people of all ages, two-thirds of those over age 65 have them at one time or another.

Possible reasons for leg/foot cramps may be: poor circulation, lack of enough salt, dehydration, abnormal mineral or hormone levels, pinched nerves, alcohol or tobacco use, partially-obstructed flow of blood to the legs, nutritional deficiency, environmental toxicity or chemical sensitivity. Read more

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05real.html?ex=1218600000&en=820377127aa89372&ei=5070&emc=eta1

THE FACTS

Leg cramps are especially jarring at night, when they can literally mean a rude awakening. They can strike suddenly, and they tend to become more common with age.

A popular remedy is quinine, which produces the bitter flavor in tonic water. But there are a couple of problems with that approach.

Quinine may be helpful. A large analysis in the journal BMJ combined data from several studies and found that people who regularly suffered nocturnal leg cramps experienced significantly fewer symptoms after taking quinine than did those who had a placebo.

But even if quinine prevents leg cramps, most types of tonic contain less than 1 percent of the amount found in a typical therapeutic dose.

Another problem, according to medical reports, is that in some people quinine causes allergic reactions, fever and even death. Since 2007, the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that it be prescribed only for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Better to rely instead on stretching exercises to flex the legs before bedtime, according to the Mayo Clinic, which also recommends drinking plenty of fluids and eating foods high in potassium.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Some studies suggest quinine can ease leg cramps, but the side effects may outweigh any benefits.

ANAHAD O’CONNOR scitimes@nytimes.com

If you are a chronic leg cramp sufferer or an expert in home remedies, you may have heard that putting soap under a mattress can help to prevent and relieve leg cramps and charley horses?

Many sufferers attest to its efficacy. But does it really work?

Readers at NoLegCramp.com are discussing it right now.

Click here to go to the conversation…

read more

There are some great resources that discuss the causes of leg cramps.  We will start you out with just a few - but send us your favorites and we will add them to the list!

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/legcramp.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_cramps/article.htm

In a survey conducted by NoLegCramps.com, we asked participants how confident they were in the leg cramp advice provided by various resources.  Here’s what they said on a scale of 1 (least) to 5 (most):

#1: Doctor:   4.30

#2: Website where many leg cramp sufferers advise what worked for themselves:  3.63

#3: Friend or family member who also experiences/experienced leg cramps: 3.56

It’s  not surprising to see Doctors come up as the #1 choice.  Leg Cramps are surprisingly complex – they are pervasive, linked to many different maladies, and medications, and have similarities to other conditions.

But as we have discussed with our recent discussion -  3 people to ask for help when you have leg cramps  – most people simply won’t get any advice at all, no matter how much they trust it.

NoLegCramps.com is here as a complementary resource —plus we have no waiting room.

Question: Who do most sufferers go to for help when they have leg cramps? Doctor? Family Member? Other fellow leg cramp and charley horse sufferers?

Answer: Often — none of the above.

Most sufferers consult …nobody.

Here were the top choices

1. Nobody (43%)
2. Family (27%)
3. Physician or other medical practitioner (18%)
4. Friends (9%)

By putting together the best ideas from a range of sufferers, NoLegCramps.com hopes that those looking for advice now have an easy, top choice.

Don’t suffer alone! If you want to see what others are asking about, go to our Ask & Answers section.

In a recent survey conducted by NoLegCramps.com, 74% of research participants said leg cramps are “preventable.”

But different groups feel differently about leg cram prevention. Those that say they frequently have leg cramps were twice as unlikely to agree with that assertion (no surprise there). Female leg cramp sufferers are more than 2x as likely as their male counterparts to say leg cramps cannot be prevented. One reason for that seems to be the prevalence of leg cramps and charley horses during pregnancy. We’re going to be doing a study on that, so stay tuned.

What do you think? Have you been able to prevent your own leg cramps? Go to our Share Section and give us your best ideas for leg cramp prevention.

We’ve received quite a few questions and comments about the best ways to deal with Leg Cramp pain with and without medication.

Check out what others have to say — and share your own ideas.

Welcome to NoLegCramps.com! We your one-stop source for leg cramp information. This site is a new forum for people to come and share their questions and answers, and their ideas for how to put a stop to leg cramps. Here are the key sections where you can find information:

• • Read - come here to read posts from leg cramps experts
  • Ask & Answer - if you have any questions about leg cramps, post them here and get answers from people just like you…or, see if there are any open questions that you can provide an answer for
  • Share - do you have solution that’s helped end your leg cramps? Post it here to let others know. See what other ideas are out there, and vote on each one to

Take a look around…hopefully you’ll find something that will put an end to your leg cramps. Don’t forget to come back often to check for updates and be sure and share your own thoughts and ideas while you’re here!