5 months into Keto, Cramping, Night peeing?

(Troy John) #1

Someone who has gone through this please help. I am 5 months into Keto and now I have started with night cramps and frequent night peeing. My intake for sodium is 4gms (5 gms on workout days), mag 400, pot 1000. I am doing whatever I have read I need to, but cant stop the cramping/peeing during the night. What am I doing incorrectly? Thanks for any and all help.

(Tracy) #2

I am certainly no expert, but I’m three months in, and have been having the same problem with night cramping. I’ve been taking a magnesium supplement all along, and started on a potassium supplement when the problem started. I too have been getting plenty of sodium in my diet, but was still having problems. I had read that some people found relief by taking calcium, so I thought I’d give that a try. I started taking a calcium supplement yesterday and had no cramps last night for the first time in about a week, so I am hopeful this is what I needed.

(Troy John) #3

Thanks for letting me know your experience. I do take some calcium as I know it is good for cramps, but will increase it. Actually, some nights are cramp free but not others, so I wonder. How are you doing now?

(Tracy) #4

Second night cramp-free even after some intense exercise, so I’m feeling very hopeful that I’m getting what I need now. :+1:t2: I know there are some products out there to help to balance electrolytes, but I haven’t looked at ordering any yet. Any of the regular, non-keto products seem to have some form of sugar in them. This is one I’ve seen advertised: JIGSAW ELECTROLYTE SUPREME™ It’s just always more expensive having it shipped from the states, though supplements aren’t inexpensive either! :laughing:

(Troy John) #5

Thank you. How much calcium are you taking at night? Btw, I do take Electro Mix on workout days. Its a good combo.

(Lara Butler) #6

I’ve had cramping for years – chalked it up to statins until I got off them. My blood tests showed normal electrolytes. What HAS worked for me is eating bone broth with collagen (2 tbsp.) AND adding Himalayan Pink Sea Salt to my water bottles (1/2 tsp for 16 oz.). Dr. Adam Nally on Jimmy and the Doc podcast convinced me to do it. The salt by itself – even taking Hammer Extreme Endurance Electrolyte capsules during the night when the cramps would wake me up – wasn’t enough. But amazingly since I started the bone broth, no problem!! I like Bonafide beef bone broth from Whole Foods. My favorite recipe is to add 4 oz. of US Wellness braunschweiger, 2 tbsp of Great Lakes Collagen and 20 sprigs of fresh raw parsley. I hate liver but this is delicious!!

(Bob Weiman) #7

I found the 20 day Slo Mag treatment from one of the Phinnek and Voley books helped the last time I had a run of night time leg cramps. (Basically buy a bottle of it and take 3 a day.)

(Tracy) #8

I’ve been taking 650 mg twice a day and so far it’s been working. :+1::blush: I will see if I can find Electro Mix here. Thanks. :blush:

#9

Cramping is often a balance between magnesium and calcium. Don’t forget to figure in the amount you are getting from your diet, so everyone will not be on the same side of the balance equation.
Also, I’ve found magnesium glycinate to balance the calcium found in my almond milk works out well without laxative effect of magox.

(What The Fast?!) #10

Hi @carolT I would love some help with this! I just started zero carb and my cramps are awful! I’m a cyclist, drinking lots of water, taking sodium pills, eating lots of salt, magnesium and potassium. I’d love some guidance on this.

#11

I’ve never done zero carb, but you might want to try soaking the offending body part (calves?) in epsom salts or get a dermal magnesium spray to see if that’s the culprit.

(What The Fast?!) #12

I do both, thanks! I message Amber about it, I think she may know. I’m also looking for ZC athletes and cyclists who may have good insight!

(Teresa Driver) #13

I can’t supplement potassium because it knocks my sodium too low and the muscle spasms are awful. Try dropping it and seeing how much salt you crave at that point. YMMV.

(What The Fast?!) #14

Where I can find information on the relationship between sodium and potassium?

(Teresa Driver) #15

In my case, I have a metabolic tendency to pee out sodium at an alarming rate. So I don’t need much potassium in my blood before I’m hitting hyperkalemia and getting cramps and dizzy. Sodium and potassium balance each other out in the kidneys.

https://opentextbc.ca/anatomyandphysiology/chapter/26-3-electrolyte-balance/

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(What The Fast?!) #16

I wonder how I figure out how much I need. I use NoSalt and regular salt. I also take salt pills because I find it majorly helps with constipation and cramping.

(Troy John) #17

Andrea, I am the original poster of this thread and as everyone seems to agree, you have to find out how much of the electrolytes your body needs. It is a very tricky situation as per my experience. What I did was use the basic guidance of 4000-5000 mg of sodium, 1000 of pot and 500 of mag. Then you adjust accordingly. When I was taking what I thought was enough, I realized my calcium intake was low, so that also matters. FYI I take Lite Salt (sometimes NuSalt), sodium in the form of salt - I add it to my drinking water and as far as mag goes, I do the spray, Epsom salt foot bath, and some intake as well. You have to really find out how much to take, so adjust accordingly. Hope this helps.

(What The Fast?!) #18

Thanks Troy. I know that @brenda and some others were talking about too much potassium on another thread, so I want to make sure I don’t overdo it.

I also just went ZC and all the ZC groups insist that you don’t need supplements on ZC - not even salt! Ahhh!! There’s so much information that I’m a little overloaded and trying to dial things in for ME.

(Troy John) #19

I totally understand, Andrea. But I did a lot of research on this as I was going through a heck of a time.

(Daryl G Jackson ) #20

I just had my first leg cramps, 3rd week of keto. So now, the worst gout attack the 2nd week and just getting over that and now leg cramps 3r week, what will the 4th week bring? Lol, I know more weight loss and better health, I will up my supplements and see what happens, just bought fish oil to combat gout attacks. Hopefully once fat adapted cramps and gout will go away forever if I keep diet and supplements right.