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Medical Forum / General / General / October 2007Puzzling Leg Pain
I've now seen 3 doctors (two of them, specialists) for a chronic leg pain problem that affects me only at night. Basically, my left leg begins with leg in the calf about 30 minutes after going to bed. In the course of the night the pain spreads throughout the leg. Yet, in the morning, and once I'm standing or upright, the pain disappears until I again go to bed. Had an arterial scan as well as two apparently thorough examinations by specialists. So far, their prescriptions haven't changed the situation, so I'm wondering if any others have experienced similar symptoms, and how they've treated it. Any suggestions? Ed Thomas > I've now seen 3 doctors (two of them, specialists) for a chronic leg pain > problem that affects me only at night. Basically, my left leg begins with [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Ed Thomas are you taking any medications? Yup--I'm 70 years old and take atenolol, omeprazole, paxil, and univasc. At night I take 75 mg of generic benedryl for sleep. And, of course, a daily Centrum-type vitamin pill. Incidentally, the pain-problem only started when I began daily walks of about 45 minutes. Now, even without the daily walks, the problem remains. I've tried several different ways of sleep with--and without--bed clothing. So far, the only thing that seems to help is raising the setting on an electric mattress pad--the pain seems diminished at higher settings, though the problem remains. Any other thoughts? Ed Thomas ==================================================== >> I've now seen 3 doctors (two of them, specialists) for a chronic leg pain >> problem that affects me only at night. Basically, my left leg begins with [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >> Ed Thomas > are you taking any medications? > Yup--I'm 70 years old and take atenolol, omeprazole, paxil, and univasc. > At night I take 75 mg of generic benedryl for sleep. And, of course, a [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Ed Thomas Virtually all of the prescriptions medications you listed MIGHT have leg pain as one of their side effects. Or, you might have Restless Leg Syndrome. HMc > Yup--I'm 70 years old and take atenolol, omeprazole, paxil, and univasc. > At night I take 75 mg of generic benedryl for sleep. And, of course, a > daily Centrum-type vitamin pill. Morning or night, for each, and does paxil cause drowsiness? > Incidentally, the pain-problem only started when I began daily walks of > about 45 minutes. Now, even without the daily walks, the problem remains. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Ed Thomas I mentioned the meds I take daily--all in the morning, except for the benedryl. Have stopped my daily walking, but this puzzling pain remains. Now I'm wondering if the pain is related to cold vs. warm status, since the problem seems to diminish if I raise the setting on my electric mattress pad. The possibility of Restless Leg Syndrome is interesting, since I'd assumed this was a case of the drug company developing this med, then finding a medical problem for which it was helpful. Does Restless Leg Syndrome really constitute a valid medical problem? Ed Thomas ======================================================== >> Yup--I'm 70 years old and take atenolol, omeprazole, paxil, and univasc. >> At night I take 75 mg of generic benedryl for sleep. And, of course, a [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >> >> Ed Thomas > Yup--I'm 70 years old and take atenolol, omeprazole, paxil, and univasc. > At night I take 75 mg of generic benedryl for sleep. And, of course, a [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Any other thoughts? CT scan of your back. Sounds like arthritis or muscle spasms or sciatica in your back. Change your mattress if it's over 10 years old. Sleep on your side, with a pillow between your knees to see if that improves the problem. If so, It's probably coming from your spine. Change your shoes, particularly if you are walking on hard surfaces. If you have more than a few pairs, try each one and see if one is better than the other for walking. When do you go walking? Maybe wouldn't be so bad, if you walked in the a.m or after lunch? Skip caffeine after 12 noon. If it's restless leg syndrome, usually leaving the sheets untucked, they'll be all messed up in the morning. If no restless leg, they'll be as you started, neat. If messed up, get an overnight sleep study, or ask which medicine could be added to stop the restless leg. Might work if you move the paxil to morning, if it does not cause drowsiness, but I think it does? And use low dose clonazepam for sleep. No benedryl. I'm sorry. I don't how to solve the medicines if you need the paxil for sleep and a medicine for RLS. J OK, now this may sound crazy but your symptoms are very similar to a 92 year old man I know who comes to the fitness center where I work to use the treadmill. He was getting severe leg pains when he tried to sleep at night. Scans, etc...showed nothing. I have heard about an old wive's tale of putting a bar of soap in bed as a way to relieve these night cramps. He thought maybe I was joking, but he tried it that night and said it worked like a miracle. Now, he uses it every night and has no more pain. It seems hard to believe that the soap could be that good a placebo, but I have found no other explanation. Still, the good thing is that he sleeps now. Maybe it is worth a try. > I've now seen 3 doctors (two of them, specialists) for a chronic leg pain > problem that affects me only at night. Basically, my left leg begins with [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Ed Thomas |
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