Muscle problems at night

General
1

Hello all,

I have SCA 8 and every night I have moderate to severe muscle pain. It causes great difficulty sleeping. It doesn’t feel like spasms but it feels like a burning pain in the thighs and lower legs.

I have difficulty taking tablet type medication because the fillers and ingredients in the medications cause my ataxia symptoms to worsen but I need to sleep.

I would like to hear if you all have these symptoms and what you have done to relieve them.

Thank you,
Piper

2

I would like to add the only medication that I have been able to take is Lorazepam Intensol because it is a clear liquid with only propylene glycol as the other ingredient. It works but my physician hesitates to increase the dose since it is a benzodiazepine.

Does anyone have help with muscle relaxers that don’t have gluten, soy or dairy products in them? All three of these cause significant worsening of my ataxia symptoms.

Thanks,
Piper

3

I have SCA-6 and have gluten intolerance. I take Tizanidine (Zanaflex) 4mg at night. It helps as a muscle relaxant and also with my sleep. Other things that are known to help with muscle spasms at night is OTC Magnesium tablets or drinking plenty of water before bedtime.( I know it can make you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.)

1 Like
4

Thank you Shoaib.

Piper