I had leg cramps at night when I was pregnant with D1, only occasionally other than that. So the rye wouldn’t have been an option. 
Here’s a weird one — One thing that used to help me is jamming my feet into my most uncomfortable and highest-heeled stiletto pumps, with my feet up on a high pile of pillows. Pretty weird to sleep in but they would keep my feet from moving and they’d be stuck at an angle where they wouldn’t cramp. (My worst cramps were in my feet).
@nottelling that’s one heck of an image 
@veruca Yes,thanks. But it would be cool if this worked.
“For similar reasons, I find it highly unlikely that any kind of drink or medicine could give immediate relief, because it has to get to receptors somewhere in the body.”
Not exactly true. Some things do not need a receptor to act. Monovalent ion absorption involves both passive and active transport in the gut, and such inorganic ions are absorbed much faster than other things.
If you are interested in potassium metabolism, here is a good source of info privided by the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU:
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this means that if you ingest something high in sodium or potassium, the effect on the body can be almost instantaneous?
“just an FYI - Dates are a wonderful source of potassium and magnesium.” - This was NOT helping me either, not a bit. there is nobody out there who consume more dates than me, I still do on a daily basis. I started experiencing GI discomfort after certain age and had to stop consuming most of the fruits. There are very few left that I still can eat. Dates are one of them, I go thru the big box (from Costco) very quickly all by myself. And I have at least 2 bananas / day and use to have coconut water and I do not even remember what else I tried. No consumption of any dietary / supplements that are supposedly heavy in whatever “cramps” helpful substance, ever helped me at all with my very severe foot cramps. If you are in the same situation, I would definitely try anything, soap, regular stretches or whatever.
5 cups of dates per day for the magnesium and potassium? 8 bananas for the potassium RDA?
5 cups of dates - that has a tremendous number of calories. I love dates, but c’mon now.
“Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this means that if you ingest something high in sodium or potassium, the effect on the body can be almost instantaneous?”
Not necessarily. Absorption is only one variable. My point is that even if a receptor is involved, the effect can be very fast if the drug is delivered in the right spot - reaction with the receptor is not the limiting factor (for instance, Epipen injection into the thigh is recommended because it is the fastest way to get the drug into the bloodstream that does not require any medical training).
Oral delivery is a crapshoot of sorts. Even if you eat a food high in potassium etc, it will not have an immediate effect; absorption of nutrients is a very complex process. It depends on the condition of the body, the type of food, and many other factors. If the high in potassium food is, for example, a banana, the potassium needs to be released from it first to be absorbed. If the food passes through the gut quickly because the person is suffering from diarrhea, there will be very little absorption. Remember the good old days when our kids would come down with “stomach flu”, and the pediatrician would recommend keeping a bottle of Pedialyte handy to rehydrate them? A salt pill or drink is the fastest way to deliver minerals, but if cramping is not related to electrolyte deficiency, those pills will not help. When I run, I do not run myself out of minerals - I take them strategically just prior to where I think I would need a boost, just like I do with sugar gels.
5 cups of dates will result in total explosion in my belly. I allow myself only about 4 dates / day.
I do not think though that the calories need to be counted, they will be out very quickly along with all other food that you ate before.
On the other hand, 8 bananas will have a totally opposite effect, which is not good either. I would not be able to consume any other food with my belly full of bananas for several days. However, I have 2 bananas almost every day.
Dates and bananas do not have any effect on my foot cramps, but they taste good and I like them. I do not have severe cramps anymore, very light ones very rarely, and they are very easy to get rid off. Several years of torture are behind, no more severe cramps.
I haven’t had calf-muscle cramps or foot cramps in several years, since I started salting my food to taste again. My blood pressure went down as I lost weight, and I stopped worrying about salt.
A lot of people try to drink 8 glasses of plain water a day and also eat little to no salt. It’s a recipe for hyponatremia (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/basics/symptoms/con-20031445) which can cause muscle cramps.
OK, so did the soap help anyone? Anyone?
Menstrual cramps–go to 800 mg ibuprofen for relief.every 6 hours. Not gonna kill you before the cramp pain does. Eat some comfort food.
Just know prescription doses go even higher.
Soap doesn’t help scientifically but if you think it does I will not argue with you. Love to hear how it worked out
I did it again and it stopped it. I have not actually placed a bar at the foot of the bed. I’m not sure where I’m to try it where I won’t kick it away.
“A banana a day. Worked for my dad.” - Works for me too.
It was a recommendation from my BIL (a doctor). Sometimes I end up skipping a few days, and then the night foot cramps return.
I’m going to try that too. I love bananas.
I read this when originally posted and kept a travel size bar of soap in my nightstand. I had a cramp about a week ago and rubbed the bar of soap on it and it worked - no more cramps! I told my family and they think I’m nuts but I am definitely keeping a bar of soap in my nightstand and will sing the praises of this home remedy…it really did work.
I think it’s the potassium in the bananas that keep cramps at bay - I’ve also been told to sprinkle salt in your hand ad lick it but keeping a bar of soap in your nightstand is so easy and always there.
This thread was timely, as my MIL was complaining of leg cramps at the time. She’s been using the soap and continuing with tonic water(quinine), and hasn’t had anymore cramps. Don’t know if it’s the soap, but don’t care as long as the cramps are gone!
Update:
So back in March I told my daughter about the bar of soap in the bed trick for leg cramps.
Daughter suffers from severe PCOS and has severe abdominal cramping. After telling her about the soap idea I promptly forgot all about it. Well, apparently it was working.
I had not heard from her for the last 2 weeks and was wondering what was up. Apparently she was struggling with her health including very,very bad cramping.
She had moved to a new place ,made the bed and totally forgot about the soap.
The night she put it back in…she felt immediately better.
So…whatever it is…it is working for her. This is so weird.