(I think)
disclaimer: to the best of my knowledge, the causes and cures of painful muscle cramps are unknown. Researchers have studied nearly every electrolyte & metabolite in people who don’t get cramps, people who get cramps, people who get cramps while they’re actively experiencing a painful muscle cramp, and when they’re not.
Conclusion:
¯\_(?)_/¯
This is about idiopathic painful muscle cramps. Pregnancy, dialysis, and cirrhosis-related cramps may be completely different.
It happened to me. Here’s what I did.
Day 1: I first banked on the electrolyte & quinine theories. Had some homemade broth & various store-bought stocks (20% off Kettle & Fire’s awesome broths HERE!). Ate more seafood (for a lot of things, but also minerals). And diet tonic water for the quinine.
Day 2: Rx for 2g potassium BID and Doc recommended 400 IU vitamin E at night (I had no idea why at the time).
Cramping seemed to exhibit a circadian component, worsening as the day progressed but totally gone in the morning.
Day 3: pickle juice. Gross, I know, but I was getting desperate. (And it was regular pickle juice, not these cool pickle juice shots.)
Same symptoms as day 2, except in the evening I took 5mg diazepam (Valium) and 500 mg naproxen (Aleve). That was the first thing that actually provided relief.
Day 4: went to a new doc for a second opinion; he knew I was on potassium & recommended tonic water. So I started drinking a lot more tonic water… was getting sick of pickle juice anyway.
… 400 mg magnesium glycinate … topical spray-on magnesium …
And you can still get 20% off Kettle & Fire‘s awesome broths HERE. I actually recommend this for just about everyone. Broths are very nutritious, and in the case of K & F, pretty delish, too.