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I've been on the elimination diet since March 18th. For the last several weeks I've had foot/calf muscle cramps if I stretch in the middle on the night. For the last week I get these random, severe, hip pains. One second it's fine, the next I can't put much weight on it. Today the same thing happened to my knee. Could this be some vitamin/mineral deficiency? I've been taking one Cleated Mag pill at night and some Mag spray along with one D3 5,000 mg/day. I've tried adding potassium tablets thinking that might be the issue. No help.
Any ideas? It's starting to make me nervous.......
Pain and cramping! Thoughts?
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Karen,
If you've tried potassium and it didn't help, the leg cramps are almost surely due to magnesium deficiency. It's possible for cramps to be due to a calcium deficiency, but that would be a rare situation. Almost everyone has more than enough calcium in their diet. Virtually all calcium deficiencies are caused by a deficiency of either vitamin D or magnesium, or both, and your vitamin D dose should be adequate for that.
After almost three months on the elimination diet, you should be getting close to seeing some improvement.
Tex
If you've tried potassium and it didn't help, the leg cramps are almost surely due to magnesium deficiency. It's possible for cramps to be due to a calcium deficiency, but that would be a rare situation. Almost everyone has more than enough calcium in their diet. Virtually all calcium deficiencies are caused by a deficiency of either vitamin D or magnesium, or both, and your vitamin D dose should be adequate for that.
After almost three months on the elimination diet, you should be getting close to seeing some improvement.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thank you Tex! Is there a particular potassium that is recommended? I’m afraid to take too much magnesium for fear of....well you know! I just read another reply of yours talking about spacing the magnesium out over the course of the day. I’ll try that.
Do you think the random pains I’m getting are part of the same deficiency?
Do you think the random pains I’m getting are part of the same deficiency?
Karen
I agree with Tex that you probably aren't getting enough magnesium. If I take less than 400 mg/day (200 mg in the morning with breakfast and 200 mg in the evening with dinner) I get leg cramps. How many mg of magnesium are in the pill you take?. Mine have 100 mg. Be careful when you read the bottle, because mine says there is 200 mg per serving, but a serving is 2 tablets, so each pill is 100 mg.
Of course everyone is different, but that's what works for me. Oddly enough, I've found that magnesium works better if I take it with Vit D, and also with a meal. Other factors also impact my leg cramps, perhaps by interacting with the magnesium. Dehydration is an important contributing factor. Alcohol also affects my leg cramps, and wine in the evening, but not beer (gluten free) will predispose me to leg cramps. Just pay attention to your body, and hopefully you will figure it out.
Rosie
Of course everyone is different, but that's what works for me. Oddly enough, I've found that magnesium works better if I take it with Vit D, and also with a meal. Other factors also impact my leg cramps, perhaps by interacting with the magnesium. Dehydration is an important contributing factor. Alcohol also affects my leg cramps, and wine in the evening, but not beer (gluten free) will predispose me to leg cramps. Just pay attention to your body, and hopefully you will figure it out.
Rosie
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
Karen,
It's good to see that you're seeing some benefits from the diet. While it's true that any type of magnesium can cause diarrhea if too much is used, certain types of magnesium carry a much greater risk than others. The safest type for us is magnesium glycinate. If that's what you're using, you should be able to handle more than 100 mg per day while on a recovery diet. But divide up the total dose and take it with or soon after meals.
I was potassium deficient a couple of times before I recovered, but the ER doctor gave me a prescription each time, and I don't remember what the formulation was.
Tex
It's good to see that you're seeing some benefits from the diet. While it's true that any type of magnesium can cause diarrhea if too much is used, certain types of magnesium carry a much greater risk than others. The safest type for us is magnesium glycinate. If that's what you're using, you should be able to handle more than 100 mg per day while on a recovery diet. But divide up the total dose and take it with or soon after meals.
I was potassium deficient a couple of times before I recovered, but the ER doctor gave me a prescription each time, and I don't remember what the formulation was.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
