Muscle cramps vitamin

Treatment Nonpharmacologic treatments of muscle cramping that occurs during hemodialysis include decreasing the ultrafiltration rate and accurately determining the dry weight. Pharmacologic measures include vitamin E, which is administered at doses of 400 IU daily. Other options that are not as well studied include oxazepam and prazosin. 

It is indicated in premature infants exposed to high concentration of oxygen, correction of established vitamin E deficiency, in patients at risk of developing vitamin E deficiency, nocturnal muscle cramps, intermittent claudication, fibrocystic breast disease, coronary artery disease and as an antioxidant. 

The main features of hypocalcemia are neuromuscular—tetany, paresthesias, laryngospasm, muscle cramps, and convulsions. The major causes of hypocalcemia in the adult are hypoparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, chronic kidney disease, and malabsorption. Neonatal hypocalcemia is a common disorder that usually resolves without therapy. The roles of PTH, vitamin D, and calcitonin in the neonatal syndrome are under active investigation. Large infusions of citrated blood can produce hypocalcemia by the formation of citrate-calcium complexes. Calcium and vitamin D (or its metabolites) form the mainstay of treatment of hypocalcemia. 

Individuals on long-term diuretic therapy may also experience elevated levels of homocysteine, an amino acid regulated by folate. High homocysteine levels increase the risk of heart disease. Thiamin, or vitamin Bj, depletion is another possible side effect of loop diuretics. Individuals with thiamin deficiencies are at risk for fatigue, heart enlargement, muscle cramps, heart rate irregularities, and impaired mental function. 

Vitamin E—Unfortunately, many of the studies of the use of this vitamin by athletes were poorly controlled. Nevertheless, vitamin E has been helpful in the treatment of some cases of muscle cramping. 

Intoxication with vitamin D causes weakness, nausea, loss of appetite, headache, abdominal pains, cramps, and diarrhea. More seriously, it also causes hypercalcemia, with plasma concentrations of calcium between 2.75 to 4.5 mmol per L, compared with the normal range of 2.2 to 2.5 mmol per L. At plasma concentrations of calcium above 3.75 mmol per L, vascular smooth muscle may contract abnormally, leading to hypertension and hypertensive encephalopathy. Hypercalciuria may also result in the precipitation of calcium phosphate in the renal tubules and hence the development of urinary calculi. Hypercalcemia can also result in calcinosis - the calcification of soft tissues, including kidneys, heart, lungs, and blood vessels. This is assumed to be the result of increased calcium uptake into tissues in response to excessive plasma concentrations of the vitamin and its metabolites. 

In a 6-month study to evaluate the effect of vitamin D and calcium on muscle strength in young Asian females deficienf in vifamin D, the most common adverse events observed were gastritis (2.3%), amstipation (10.2%) and cramps (3.6%). The frequency of adverse events was not significantly different between the intervention and placebo groups [57 j. 

Tetany—A deficiency of vitamin D may cause tetany, though it is not the only cause. Tetany may also result from insufficient absorption of calcium or from a disturbance of the parathyroid gland. Tetany is characterized by muscle twitching, cramps, convulsions, and low serum calcium—less than 7 mg per 100 ml. 

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