Cramps and Medication

I've been doing LC for almost a month now, and over the past week or so I've
been experiencing muscle cramps a little more regular and BAD cramps. I
used to play football and workout a lot, so I've had my share of cramps,
these are right up there with some of the worst. I know the immediate
response is to take K pills, but I'm on a diuretic (Maxide) that I've been
told/heard that helps keep K in your body or something so taking additional
K could be dangerous. I guess my question is how do I apporoach this. I
had bought the Atkins vitamins, you take 1 with each meal, and stopped
taking them after learning about the K and Maxide. The amount of K in the
pills seems small, so how much is too much even though I"m on the diuretic
but its supposedly keeps the K in my body or most of it.

Thanks,

B-Worthey

You'll really need to ask your doctor to be sure about it.

DebH

"Brian Worthey" wrote in message
...
I've been doing LC for almost a month now, and over the past week or
so I've
been experiencing muscle cramps a little more regular and BAD
cramps. I
used to play football and workout a lot, so I've had my share of
cramps,
these are right up there with some of the worst. I know the
immediate
response is to take K pills, but I'm on a diuretic (Maxide) that
I've been
told/heard that helps keep K in your body or something so taking
additional
K could be dangerous. I guess my question is how do I apporoach
this. I
had bought the Atkins vitamins, you take 1 with each meal, and
stopped
taking them after learning about the K and Maxide. The amount of K
in the
pills seems small, so how much is too much even though I"m on the
diuretic
but its supposedly keeps the K in my body or most of it.

Try icreasing magnesium/calcium. The recommended daily allowance
(there is no official RDA for K) is somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5
grams a day (there is some disagreement). Most people on the typical
carb laden American diet get at least half that from starchy veggies
and grains. The pills are usually not worth the trouble for
lowcarbers because they are so low-- you can get all you need from
using salt substitute (granulated K). However if you are taking a K
sparing diuretic, that would not be advisable without your doctor's
guidance. Talk to your doctor about your potasium levels. Have them
checked, if you can, to see if they are lower than usual. But it's
probably one of the other electrolytes that is out of balance, either
magnesium or salt, and I'm betting magnesium.

revek

I had severe leg cramps that went away totally after I took
Magnesium Sulphate from a local health food chemist.



"revek" wrote in message
...

"Brian Worthey" wrote in message
...
I've been doing LC for almost a month now, and over the past week or
so I've
been experiencing muscle cramps a little more regular and BAD
cramps. I
used to play football and workout a lot, so I've had my share of
cramps,
these are right up there with some of the worst. I know the
immediate
response is to take K pills, but I'm on a diuretic (Maxide) that
I've been
told/heard that helps keep K in your body or something so taking
additional
K could be dangerous. I guess my question is how do I apporoach
this. I
had bought the Atkins vitamins, you take 1 with each meal, and
stopped
taking them after learning about the K and Maxide. The amount of K
in the
pills seems small, so how much is too much even though I"m on the
diuretic
but its supposedly keeps the K in my body or most of it.

Try icreasing magnesium/calcium. The recommended daily allowance
(there is no official RDA for K) is somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5
grams a day (there is some disagreement). Most people on the typical
carb laden American diet get at least half that from starchy veggies
and grains. The pills are usually not worth the trouble for
lowcarbers because they are so low-- you can get all you need from
using salt substitute (granulated K). However if you are taking a K
sparing diuretic, that would not be advisable without your doctor's
guidance. Talk to your doctor about your potasium levels. Have them
checked, if you can, to see if they are lower than usual. But it's
probably one of the other electrolytes that is out of balance, either
magnesium or salt, and I'm betting magnesium.

revek

The cramps in the leg that everyone talks about...I wanna know if mine is from
a lack of potassium, its like a tightness in the back of my calf muscle it
comes and goes, like I wont get it for a week or 2, then i'll get it all day,
maybe it's from something else?