[Tom Van]

Revlimid and cramps

by Tom Van on Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:44 am

I am 55 y.o. on Revlimid maintenance.

I am a keen road cyclist and have had very few problems with cramps, but when I recently tried a bit of hiking I developed cramps when walking down steep hills, i.e. in those muscles that do not get a lot of workout on the bike.

Has anyone on Revlimid had a similar experience? There is not a lot of comment on the blogs about this side effect.

[Jan Stafl]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by Jan Stafl on Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:53 am

Yes, I too experience intermittent muscle cramps in muscle groups which have never spasmed before. I’m a 56 y.o. former marathon walker on 10 mg Revlimid maintenance, one year after ASCT. Recently I added calcium/magnesium supplements, and eat a couple bananas for potassium, which seems to help. Good luck to you!

[Nancy Shamanna]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by Nancy Shamanna on Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:33 am

I had cramping too when I was on Revlimid. In addition to what Jan has suggested, probably you should try to stay really well hydrated by drinking lots of water. Now I still have a lot of aches and pains, which is due to the bone damage and breakage I had, but not cramping as such. This month I started to use an ‘elliptical’ machine at the gym, since it involves the use of your arms also and in a way mimics cross country skiing. Cross country skiing is one of the best workouts! My shins were terribly sore…so I just won’t overdo it but am still trying to stay fit without getting injured again.

[Kevin J]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by Kevin J on Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:01 pm

I have had some issues with cramping in my calves, which typically occurs at night after I’ve gone to bed. Since I’m taking three different drugs, I cannot say for sure which is the culprit. I also get a Zometa infusion at the beginning of each cycle that definitely increases my cramping. I am also an avid bicyclist, walk/hike with my wife, and do some weight training, none of which have had issues with cramps. Similar to Jan and Nancy, I take some electrolyte supplements when exercising and I drink plenty of fluids – they definitely help, along with a couple of ibuprofen, on my Zometa weeks.

[Beacon Staff]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by Beacon Staff on Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:01 pm

There is another discussion here in the forum about cramps which readers may find useful. It's here:

https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/muscle-cramps-t930.html

[Nanwin]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by Nanwin on Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:28 pm

I have been on Revlimid for 2 months and started experiencing severe, painful cramping in my calves and feet. I spoke with IMF and was told this is a type of peripheral neuropathy. They suggested I try taking Alpha-Lipoic Acid. I purchased some at the local health food store and started taking 200 mg. once a day. It has worked really well. I spoke to my oncologist this week about it and he said they are prescribing it now for PN. Give it try.

[Dr. Jason Valent]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by Dr. Jason Valent on Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:26 am

I hear this quite a bit from my patients. It does not seem to equate to peripheral neuropathy. I think cramping is probably under reported in trials. It does not seem to be dangerous but certainly a bother.

I have people try tonic water and some improve while others do not. The quinine in the tonic can help.

[quillerm]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by quillerm on Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:39 pm

I have been on Revlimid for 5 years and my problems with cramps in the feet are getting worse. The less active one is, the more the cramping seems to develop, especially at night.

[wesley]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by wesley on Tue Oct 29, 2013 8:41 am

Pushing gatorade really helped me a lot with cramping.....

Wesley

[NStewart]

Re: Revlimid and cramps

by NStewart on Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:48 pm

I, too, had terrible cramps while taking Revlimid and Dex. When I restarted treatment a year ago with Rev and Dex the oncologist and I decided to go with a lower dose of Dex because I had had so many problems with it previously. I'm now taking 20 mg of Dex and 15 mg of Rev. The cramping started again, but it wasn't has severe this time. They still would awaken me at night and occasionally my hands would cramp during the day if I was using them a lot.

These are the things that I do that seem to help:
1. Stretch out my legs before I go to bed. This I do most religiously on the night I take the Dex and on the next night.
2. I've added a magnesium supplement to my regimen - 250 mg per day.
3. I take a 5 mg Valium on the night after I take the Dex. I take Dex before I go to bed so that I sleep the first night and then the next night is when I tend to have cramping and/or sleep problems.

Since adding the magnesium supplement I rarely have cramping any more. One of the things that it does is relax muscle tissue. Talk with your oncologist before adding anything to your regimen.

Nancy in Phila