Leg cramp pills.

Muscle cramps - most often calf cramps - occur under the influence of various causes and factors, from water-electrolyte imbalance to serious vascular pathologies. Since there are many causes of discomfort, there cannot be any one universal pill for leg cramps. Medicines are different, they are selected by a doctor taking into account the diagnosis. In general, it is not difficult to eliminate cramps as a symptom: it is important to act on the original provoking factor.

Indications leg cramp pills.

Leg cramp pills can be aimed at getting rid of a specific disease, or have a purely symptomatic effect. Everything is individual, and most often the treatment should involve the impact on such diseases and conditions:

• thyroid dysfunction (in particular, convulsions often occur against the background of hypothyroidism, thyroiditis);
• diabetes mellitus;
• pathologies for the treatment of which hormonal therapy is used (for example, taking glucocorticoid drugs);
• avitaminosis, hypovitaminosis, mineral and water-electrolyte metabolism disorders;
• chronic renal failure, chronic vascular pathologies (varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis, etc.).

The list of indications for which pills for cramps in the legs and arms are prescribed is quite extensive. And only the correct impact on the underlying pathology can completely rid the patient of regular muscle twitching and spasms.

Release form

This form of release, such as tablets, is quite convenient for use in case of leg cramps. It is convenient to take a tablet with you on the road or to work, it is easy to dose and take. Less convenient in this regard are capsules and dragees, as well as tablets in an enteric coating: it is difficult to dose such medications, since they cannot be divided or crushed.

Leg cramp pills can be different, differing from each other in size, weight, shape, density, composition. Belonging to a particular group of drugs determines their mechanism of action and other pharmacological characteristics.

Names of pills for seizures

As we have already said, there is no one universal drug for any cramps. Depending on the underlying cause, only a doctor can help you figure out what pills for leg cramps are, their names and indications for their use.

If a person goes to a pharmacy and simply asks for anti-convulsant medication, the pharmacist will most likely advise them to see a doctor. The point is that medications called anticonvulsants are actually prescribed not for regular leg cramps, but for very serious illnesses, such as epilepsy. Anticonvulsants reduce excitability in certain areas of the brain where neurons are located. They are taken in cases of psychomotor and convulsive seizures. Such medications include Phenytoin, Carbamazepine, Primidone, Phenobarbital, Ethosuximide, Beclamide, Diazepam, etc. Such medications are dispensed in pharmacies only with a prescription from a doctor, since they are addictive and belong to the category of narcotic and steroid drugs.

If leg cramps are caused by such equally serious pathologies as neuropathies and neuralgias, the doctor may prescribe one of the special anticonvulsant drugs. We are talking about such tablets as Finlepsin, Pregabalin, Carbamazepine, Tebantin, etc.

The above-mentioned medications are prescribed only for the strictest indications and after a full diagnostic check. Taking such medications on your own is strictly prohibited.

If leg cramps are a consequence of other, less serious problems, then completely different pills are most often prescribed:

• For varicose veins:
  • Troxevasin capsules;
  • Detralex tablets;
  • Troxerutin tablets;
  • Normoven tablets.
• Multivitamin-mineral complexes:
  • Calcium D ₃ Nycomed;
  • Complivit;
  • Vitrum calcium;
  • Alphabet.
• Preparations for replenishing the deficiency of magnesium and potassium in tissues:
  • Magnicum;
  • Asparkam;
  • Magne-B ₆;
  • Panangin.

Which tablets to choose – neuroleptics, fibrinolytics, vitamin-mineral supplements or other drugs – the doctor decides on an individual basis, after conducting diagnostics and making a final diagnosis.

Pharmacodynamics

The pharmaceutical properties of tablets for leg cramps can be considered using the example of one of the most popular drugs - Magne-B ₆. This drug is a combination of magnesium and pyridoxine. Magnesium is an intracellular cation that reduces excitability processes in neurons and inhibits neuromuscular connections. In addition, the mineral is involved in a variety of enzymatic reactions and is part of skeletal bones. If the concentration of magnesium in plasma fluctuates from 12 to 17 mg / l, then they talk about magnesium deficiency, and lower values u200bu200bindicate a severe deficiency of the mineral.

Magnesium deficiency can be:

• primary, associated with metabolic disorders;
• secondary, associated with poor nutrition, improper absorption of the mineral, and its excessive removal from tissues.

As a rule, normalizing the mineral level in the body leads to the elimination of painful leg cramps.

Pharmacokinetics

If we consider the kinetic properties of magnesium preparations – a mineral, the lack of which most often causes leg cramps – they are quite complex. When magnesium salts enter the digestive system, their absorption is primarily carried out by a passive scheme, according to which salt solubility becomes the determining factor.

The degree of absorption of magnesium salts in the digestive system does not exceed fifty percent. The excretion of minerals occurs mainly through the kidneys.

Dosing and administration

The dosage of any pills for leg cramps should be determined by a doctor. However, the main groups of such medications are most often prescribed as follows:

• For varicose veins:
  • Troxevasin capsules are taken orally with food, one capsule in the morning and evening, for a long time - for a month;
  • Detralex tablets are taken 2 pieces per day, in the morning and in the evening, with food, for a long time;
  • Troxerutin tablets are taken 2 pieces per day for 3-4 weeks;
  • Normoven tablets are taken in the morning and evening, with food, for several weeks.
• Multivitamin-mineral complexes:
  • Calcium D ₃ Nycomed is chewed in the mouth, taking 1 tablet twice a day (preferably immediately after meals);
  • Complivit is taken 1 tablet per day for a month, with food;
  • Vitrum calcium is prescribed in the amount of 2 tablets per day, long-term - for 1.5-2 months;
  • Alphabet Classic is taken one tablet of a different color three times a day for a month.
• Preparations to replenish the deficiency of magnesium and potassium in the body:
  • Magnikum is taken regardless of food intake, with water, 2 tablets per day;
  • Asparkam should be taken after meals, 1-2 tablets three times a day;
  • Magne-B ₆ is drunk whole, without chewing, with a full glass of water, 6-8 tablets per day;
  • It is recommended to take Panangin 1-2 tablets three times a day, after meals.

Application for children

Leg cramps in children, unfortunately, can happen quite often. Children under nine years of age are especially vulnerable in this regard. There are many reasons for this symptom:

• high temperature – for example, with flu, acute respiratory viral infections, pneumonia, various childhood infectious diseases;
• reaction to vaccination;
• intoxication and poisoning (from solvent and paint vapors, household chemicals, poor-quality food products, medications, etc.);
• dehydration or blood loss (possible with frequent loose stools or vomiting, insufficient fluid intake, external or internal bleeding);
• excessive excitement, hysterics - also occur in children with a highly emotional temperament;
• Epilepsy is often a congenital pathology, a primary convulsive syndrome.

If leg cramps in a child occur due to a viral infection and fever, then no specific pills are required. All efforts should be directed to lowering the temperature, giving the child plenty to drink, and following the doctor's orders.

If the water-electrolyte balance is disturbed, it is corrected; in case of poisoning, appropriate detoxification measures are carried out.

If the child is suspected of having epilepsy, then regular anti-seizure pills will not help, since serious systemic treatment under the supervision of a neurologist is required. The dosage of medications is determined by the doctor on an individual basis, since it is necessary to take into account the child's age, body weight, duration of the treatment course, and the results of diagnostic procedures (in particular, EEG).

Use leg cramp pills. during pregnancy

If a pregnant woman has leg cramps, the first thing she should do is tell her gynecologist. He will determine the cause of the problem and prescribe appropriate tablets or other medications - for example, multivitamins, or calcium or magnesium-containing products.

Additional intake of any tablets should be agreed with the doctor, and treatment with calcium preparations should be completed before the 35th week of pregnancy.

It is unacceptable to “prescribe” any pills for leg cramps to yourself!

If the cramps are associated with fluctuations in blood glucose levels, the doctor may prescribe medications to correct these indicators, and also recommend a special diet.

In case of varicose veins, both tablets for improving the condition of blood vessels and external ointments and gels are prescribed. Both drugs, as a rule, help to cope with leg cramps.

Contraindications

The most important contraindication to taking any pills for leg cramps is the absence of a doctor's prescription. If a doctor has not prescribed medications, then you should not self-medicate and "prescribe" them to yourself. Cramps may not be a harmless symptom at all, and chaotic and incorrect use of medications can seriously aggravate the problem.

In addition, you cannot make your own adjustments to the treatment regimen prescribed by a medical specialist. The pills must be taken regularly and in the quantities recommended by the doctor.

Other contraindications may include:

• high sensitivity to any of the ingredients included in the anticonvulsant tablets;
• severe renal or hepatic pathology;
• hypervitaminosis conditions, excessive intake or impaired excretion of minerals;
• severe diarrhea, vomiting;
• intolerance to at least one ingredient included in the tablet.

To avoid additional health problems, pills for leg cramps should be prescribed by a doctor, taking into account possible contraindications.

Side effects leg cramp pills.

What are the most common side effects when taking leg cramp pills?

• Allergic reactions.
• Gastrointestinal disorders: diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, other digestive disorders.
• Hypersensitivity reactions of the skin: itching, urticaria-type rash.

If any such symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor: perhaps the tablets will be replaced with others with a similar effect, but a different composition.

Overdose

Overdosing on leg cramp pills is usually not accompanied by toxic reactions in patients, provided that the kidneys function normally. However, in people suffering from renal insufficiency, the likelihood of developing intoxication increases.

The degree of toxicity depends mainly on the level of a particular active component in the bloodstream. Most often, the problem manifests itself:

• changes in blood pressure readings;
• nausea and vomiting;
• CNS depression;
• disorder of reflex actions;
• pathological signs on the electrocardiogram;
• disorders of the respiratory system.

In severe cases, a comatose state develops, cardiac activity is impaired, respiratory paralysis and anuria occur.

Treatment of overdose of pills for leg cramps most often includes rehydration, forced diuresis. If renal failure develops, hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis is prescribed.

Interactions with other drugs

Leg cramp pills come in different forms, with different compositions and mechanisms of action. Therefore, their drug compatibility is completely different: this point must be clarified by carefully reading the instructions for a specific drug before using it.

In general, it is advisable to avoid taking several medications at once, and not to combine taking vitamin and mineral supplements with other medications that can inhibit the absorption of active ingredients.

Tablets for leg cramps should not be taken simultaneously with diuretics and laxatives, as well as with enveloping antacid drugs and antibiotics.

Storage conditions

Any medications, including pills for leg cramps, are stored in places that are inaccessible to children, away from direct sunlight and heating devices. Medicines should be protected from moisture: dampness significantly shortens the shelf life of pills.

You cannot take medications if their packaging is damaged, so you need to be very careful when storing medications. Spoiled and damaged tablets can cause serious harm to human health.

Shelf life

Typically, the expiration date of specific anticonvulsant pills is indicated on the cardboard box or on the edge of the blister pack of the drug. This date should always be given special attention: if the permissible storage period has expired, the drug should be thrown away, since it will no longer have the necessary therapeutic effect and may even cause harm.

The average shelf life of most tablet medications is about two or three years, but the length of this period should always be checked in relation to the specific drug.

Analogues

An alternative to pills for leg cramps can be folk remedies, as well as special exercises that relieve muscle spasms. For example, many patients are helped by the following action:

• sit on the bed with your feet on the floor;
• pinch the calves and feet a little, massage the affected area;
• stand up, do a light massage of the muscles again;
• lie down and raise your legs at about a 60´ angle.

In case of frequent cramps, it is recommended to massage your legs every night using essential oils of laurel, fir, eucalyptus, and orange. Contrast baths, which tone the blood vessels, are also very helpful.

If there is a lack of calcium in the body, it is necessary to make adjustments to the diet: add a variety of fermented milk products, sesame, honey.

Wetting your feet with lemon juice also helps. This procedure should be repeated every morning for 14 days.

An excellent remedy is medicinal chamomile. Take a tablespoon of flowers and pour 0.5 liters of boiling water, leave for about 40 minutes. Take between meals during the day.

Experts say that you can forget about leg cramps if you eat 1-2 baked potatoes daily. Raisin water has approximately the same effect; to prepare it, take 2 tablespoons of washed raisins, pour a glass of boiling water over them, leave overnight, and in the morning drink the resulting water and eat the berries.

Good analogues of pharmacy tablets for cramps are herbs - for example, shepherd's purse, couch grass, yarrow, mint, goose cinquefoil, knotweed. These herbs are used externally, prepare a decoction of 100 g of dried grass (can be in the form of a collection) and 200 ml of water. The resulting remedy is poured into a bucket of warm water, lower your feet into it for about 20 minutes. Treatment should be continued every day for 10-12 days in a row. You can also soak a bandage or gauze in the decoction and apply it as a compress to the affected area, holding it for at least 5 hours (it is optimal to fix the compress and leave it overnight). If the cramps still do not go away, then you must consult a specialist.

Reviews

Vitamin and mineral complexes are the first and safest means with which they usually begin treating cramps. For example, these can be drugs with magnesium, calcium, vitamins B and D. According to reviews, such pills for leg cramps help get rid of the problem for most patients, including women during pregnancy. It is no secret that very often night muscle spasms are associated with banal dehydration, a low-protein diet, a lack of minerals and vitamins in the body. Therefore, many do not advise immediately panicking and rushing "to extremes" in search of the cause of discomfort. It is better to visit a doctor: most likely, the cramps will be eliminated quite simply, using a complex multivitamin drug and establishing a diet and drinking regime.

In addition to taking pills for leg cramps, in most cases the patient will be advised to give up bad habits, drink enough water, avoid physical inactivity and excessive physical work, and diversify their diet with protein and plant foods.