Medical Questions » Legs Questions » Question No. 558
| Question: | I have severe cramps in my legs at night. I have been told various remedies, including eating bananas at night (to increase body potassium), and taking large doses of magnesium tablets (up to six a night). What do you think of these remedies? Are they safe? |
| Answer: | Magnesium has been known for many years to help nocturnal cramps, and provided it is not taken in extremely high doses, is quite safe. The main side effect of excessive magnesium compound ingestion is diarrhoea, and it should not be used in the elderly who have poor kidney function. Bananas are, of course, quite safe—I cannot imagine anyone eating enough of them to cause any harm.
This is one situation where doctors have to use common sense. If the patient finds that a particular, unorthodox treatment helps, then the patient should be encouraged to continue the treatment—provided there are no long-term side effects or dangers of which the patient may not be aware. The doctor may even try the treatment on other patients, and if they also find the treatment successful, s/he may write a paper for a medical journal so that other doctors are made aware of the breakthrough.
In this way, apparently unorthodox treatments become accepted into mainstream medicine.
Keep peeling those bananas—the growers will love you!
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