I have SCA type 2. I have been living with this for about 15 years. As I get older the symptom are getting worse. This past year the Muscle cramps/ spasms have gotten horrible. They are worse at night. In May they woke me up at least 7 time a night. During the day they happened at least 1-2 times per hour. Charlie horses in my cafe where I could not move my leg for about 30 seconds-a minutes the pain I could deal with. Muscle cramps in my neck and rib cage would hurt so bad it would take my breathe away. I am also a teacher so when these camps occurred I had to try to keep myself together and teach. In the state of Illinois SCA is on the medical marijuana list. I tried CBD oil and it worked mildly. Everything I read pointed me to get my medical card. I am currently taking a dose at night of RSO 10:1 (ratio CBD to THC). After 2-3 days the muscle cramps are completely gone. The THC does cause me to be more wobbly so I am working on the timing of the dose. 7 pm seems to be great because I can get through the night with it in my system but it is gone by the time I wake up. I know people are getting their cards to get high but the low THC RSO work on cramps without getting you high. I am sharing my story in hopes it help someone else.
Thanks,
Renee
That’s interesting Renee. I live in the UK, and it’s almost impossible to get Medical Marijuana here, it is prescribed for certain conditions, although ataxia isn’t one of them.
A lot of spasms/cramps are created because not enough water is being introduced to the body. The body gets “thirsty” even though you don’t feel thirsty. Because the body is thirsty, the different necessary chemicals don’t get to the muscles properly. You should or must drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day. Water is not coffee, tea or soda [pop] but it IS water, seltzer or club soda. Plain water is the best. Water also helps in the bathroom. 
Try just CBD oil you don’t need to have a medical card. This did help me too, just not as significantly as the one with THC. They also have CBD tea which I drank before bed and it did help me get through the night. Good Luck
Another help is rubbing on transdermal magnesium gel or spray. I use some every night before going to sleep. If I forget to apply some or still have a cramp in the right, I immediately rub some on and get quick relief. My source is www.rrsuperfoods.com Raw Revelations Magnesium Gel. Just be sure you’re not allergic to lemongrass. The spray is without it. jd
I agree on the CBD or if you cannot get CBD try Baclofen for spasms or Ropinirole for restless leg