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Leg jerks
My husband has been having horrible leg jerks,spasms or whatever you call them. He is taking Baclfen but it’s not helping. He hasn’t slept in 2 days. So, I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on this. I feel so helpless and useless.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to everyone on this wonderful forum. -
10 Replies
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Like your husband, I suffer with leg spasms, but I also suffer with spasticity that keeps me awake at night. It’s hard to mentally relax in bed so that your body can relax. Baclofin helps, but I still have days where it’s difficult to sleep. What I have done (I don’t know if it’s healthy or not) is, I take an Aleve capsule occasionally when I have these difficulties. I take the Baclofin pill a couple of hours before bedtime, then the Aleve just before getting into bed. The Aleve relaxes my nerves and muscles. I don’t do it all the time, only when I have anxiety over not getting to sleep. Check with your doctor for any issues mixing prescriptions and OTC medications.
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Our neurologist prescribed tizanidine when my husband experienced this problem. It resolved the issue.
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I understand the more Baclofen you take the more muscle strength you lose, muscles get weaker. I find the fasciculations come and go, stronger for a few days than less. A single Baclofen once a day doesn’t seem to do much. Aleve some good, have had no problems with both, but who’s counting.
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Dear Wane
Taking Baclofen don’t make you lose muscle strength.
My wife taking it every four hour ,+ 900mg of Gabapeatin 3x a day .
Side effects of baclofen :
<b>Drowsiness</b>, <b>dizziness</b>, <b>weakness</b>, <b>tiredness</b>, <b>headache</b>, trouble sleeping, <b>nausea</b>, increased urination, or <b>constipation</b> may occur.
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Thank you for your suggestions. I am going to give him Aleve PM tonight.
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Hi Ann
Sorry for the delayed reply. You can try Magnesium cream . It is fast absorbed and can help for cramps. Also, make sure your husband is well hydrated. You know ALS patients tend to lose water through drooling. Also of natural supplements , GABA and Taurine powders are good options to supply routinely.
Wishing you and your husband the best .
Enjoy the holidays
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I also get Leg nerve twitching at night when I lay down. My pharmacist suggested taking 1/2 a clonazepam with a baclofen….I’m not a doctor so please do your own research but this combo I use when the twtiching is really bad, it does help..
also use CBD or essential oils at night before laying down…, also would say it helps a little…have tried magnesium life the brand “Calm” again it helps a little. I believe the trick like everything with ALS, it is the cocktail of treatments, drugs,supplemments that help you…
Stay safe
Jeff Derby
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I’ve had a bad experience with baclofen, so I never use it. I use Flexeril occasionally which helps me relax, especially before sleeping. My legs are very spastic.
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I would recommend talking to your doctor about trying Tizanidine (Zanaflex). My wife takes 4mg at bedtime, and another 4mg in the middle of the night when she wakes up to go to the bathroom. I would also look at either OTC sleeping pills (e.g. Aleve PM, melatonin), or prescription pills like Ambien- something to help him stay asleep even though he’s having spasms. Lastly, you might also want to consider trying something like Xanax or another b<span class=”aCOpRe”>enzodiazepine. My wife takes them occasionally to deal with anxiety, but they have the added benefit of helping her sleep very soundly, and she wakes feeling relaxed and rested. I haven’t seen much about Xanax and ALS, but considering how much it seems to help her at night, I think Xanax could merit being suggested by doctors.</span>
If we’re talking about cramps and not just spasticity, you can try a potassium supplement, and/or magnesium and Vitamin E.
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My doctor, a renowned neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic, prescribed me Mexiletine for my leg cramps. It has really helped me.
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