What can help really bad cramps in hands and legs?

[daddyslilgirl91l]

One of the people my dad goes to dialysis with said pickle juice. My dad tried and it barely works.

[flip]

Tonic water, even better if you add a little vodka.

[breezysummerday]

From what I have learned, figuring out the dry weight at the beginning
of dialysis takes time. Ask the unit to start out with 2 kilo's at a time.

[KICKSTART]

Its usually a sign of de-hydration , so i expect drinking a little will help stop them . If i get them, i tend to drink about 1/4 glass of water and it seems to stop them.

[flip]

seriously, tonic water contains quinine which helps relieve cramping

[G-Ma]

The nurses in ND, in center would put hot clothes on my legs and instantly eased the cramps...they also tried massaging which just seemed to make the cramps worse and as flip says..the tonic seems to assist.

[jbeany]

Try adjusting dry wt up, or lowering the rate of fluid pull.  Do they happen at the end of the run only? 

I find that on days I have more fluid on, I'm more likely to cramp.  If I use a stress ball to exercise my hands and spend some time flexing my legs and feet in the chair about halfway thru the run, I'm less likely to cramp up.

[twirl]

anyone tried pickle juice and vodka

my doc gives me a script for something that is not as good as the drug that was banned but it helps

one tech used to rub our legs but he got fired

[skyedogrocks]

I gave Rob pickle juice once.  The reaction was not good and the cramps didn't go away.

I'm going to get some Tonic Water and see if it helps the next time Rob cramps.

[Wallyz]

seriously, tonic water contains quinine which helps relieve cramping

Quinine used to be proscribed to dialysis patients, and it really worked.  Listen to flip.  They stopped it because someone came up with more expensive anti cramping medication.

[BigSky]

 Regulation by the United States Food and Drug Administration

From 1969 to 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 157 reports of health problems related to quinine use, including 23 which had resulted in death.[10] In 1994, the FDA banned the use of over-the-counter (OTC) quinine as a treatment for nocturnal leg cramps. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals had been selling the brand name Legatrin for this purpose. Doctors may still prescribe quinine, but the FDA has ordered firms to stop marketing unapproved drug products containing quinine. As of 2008, Pharmacists will not sell quinine even if the patient has used a prescription for it in the past.[citation needed] The FDA is also cautioning consumers about off-label use of quinine to treat leg cramps. Quinine is approved for treatment of malaria, but is also commonly prescribed to treat leg cramps and similar conditions. Because malaria is life-threatening, the risks associated with quinine use are justified for that condition. But because of the drug's risks, FDA believes it should not be used to prevent or treat leg cramps.[11]-Wikipedia




**Legatrin PM - is acetaminophen and diphenhydramine---essentially Tylenol and Benadryl