I was watching the John Elway documentary on Netflix the other night, cup of tea in hand and not thinking of work, medicine or research – not thinking of anything really, just John Elway.
Even after 30 years in healthcare, I still get pulled in by human stories. And this one hit me, because Elway talked about his twin sister, Jana, who died of lung cancer at just 42 years old. She never smoked. She was young. And according to John, one of the earliest signs she reportedly dealt with was leg cramps.
Leg cramps? You wouldn’t connect that with lung cancer. Most people think smokers’ cough, chest pain, trouble breathing, maybe shortness of breath – things such as this. Not calves seizing in the night. And yet… it can be connected, and knowing the information I have to share today might save or prolong someone’s life by getting you to the physician in time.
Here are two related articles:
Magnesium and CoQ10 Improve Leg Cramps
Drug Muggers Cause Palpitations and Leg Cramps
Before we go further: No, she did not officially die in an MRI tube. That line in the Elway documentary came from a personal recollection in an interview years ago. Official reports list lung cancer as the cause for Jana’s passing, not the MRI. But the part that struck me wasn’t where she passed. It was what she felt before the diagnosis. Because symptoms like leg cramps get dismissed every day. Many people self-treat these without realizing how serious they can be because they are a sign of something else.
Why Leg Cramps Can Sometimes Signal Something Serious
I’ve seen this pattern countless times as a pharmacist. Someone comes in and mentions they’re icing their leg, stretching, taking electrolytes… but sometimes, the cause is far bigger than hydration. Sometimes it isn’t fixed by B vitamins, calcium or magnesium. Probably 99% of the time, those supplements or a few others relieve the problem by restoring balance in the body.
But sometimes leg cramps signal something more serious. Here’s the medical connection, explained in plain English:
1. Blood Clots (DVT= Deep Vein Thrombosis)
Some cancers (lung cancer included) make a person’s blood thicker, or “stickier” might be a better word, and therefore a person becomes more prone to clotting. Did you know that a clot in the leg (or deep vein thrombosis) can feel like this:
- Cramping or heaviness
- Pain behind the knee or calf
- Swelling or warmth
- A sensation “like a charley horse that won’t let go”
This can sometimes be the first sign before lung cancer is discovered. Not a cough. Not breathing trouble. A cramp.
2. Electrolyte Imbalances related to a growing cancer
Low magnesium, low potassium, high calcium—these can all trigger cramps.
Why would those be off?
- Cancer altering metabolism
- Bone involvement
- Side effects of medications (drug nutrient depletion – look your medication up on drugmuggers.com)
- Hormone disruption
When electrolytes swing out of balance, muscles misfire. That can feel like cramps long before anything shows up on a scan. But to be fair, sometimes electrolytes are just out of whack from dehydration or laxative use. An electrolyte imbalance rarely means cancer, but I”m listing it here for completeness.
3. Nerve Pressure or Metastasis
If a cancer presses on a nerve, the signal gets scrambled. The brain says “walk,” and the leg says “cramp, seize, lock up.”
4. Low Oxygen Levels
If the lungs aren’t moving oxygen well, muscles fatigue faster. Less oxygen leads to energy failure in the surrounding tissue, and that causes local cramping.
Medications That Can Cause or Worsen Leg Cramps
Let’s talk about this for a minute because yes, I’m still a pharmacist. And sometimes the “mystery” is right in your medicine cabinet.
Common culprits include the following drugs which are drug muggers of nutrients that you need for healthy muscles. Some deplete ubiquinol, other deplete, calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, zinc and more. You can look up these individually on drugmuggers.com.
- Diuretics (HCTZ, furosemide/Lasix)
- Statins (atorvastatin, simvastatin) – Please read this: What to Take if You Take Statins: Restoring 8 Important Nutrients
- Asthma meds (albuterol can lower potassium): Breathe Easy: Understanding Prescribed Asthma Medications
- Steroids (prednisone can shift electrolytes)
- Some antidepressants
- PPIs for reflux (changing pH in the gut impacts electrolytes): Read this next: 5 Natural Remedies for Reflux and Esophagitis
This is worth noting because you are probably wondering. Cramps that are caused from medication use almost always improve shortly after the drug is stopped, or the dose is changed. Cramps from disease tend to progress no matter what supplements you take.
When to Take Leg Cramps Seriously
There’s no need to panic, but no need to shrug it off, either. A cramp deserves attention if:
- It keeps happening on the same side
- It’s paired with swelling, redness, or warmth
- It shows up with shortness of breath, chest tightness, or difficulty breathing
- It comes with unexplained weight loss or fatigue
- It worsens instead of improving with all the right interventions
You have to be aware and proactive. These are certainly times to call a doctor, not Dr. Google, and not a Facebook support group. What I say gently but firmly is: Don’t assume “just a cramp” when your body is whispering something louder.
If This Is Happening to You or Someone You Love
Here’s what a doctor may check, and some of these blood tests can even be self-ordered at your local lab or HERE if you don’t want to wait months to get in.
- D-dimer blood test or ultrasound, which evaluates for a blood clot
- Chest X-ray or CT scan if symptoms point upward – this is imaging (you can’t self-order)
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
- Magnesium, calcium, potassium levels
- Medication review (this one gets missed often) but a pharmacist will be your best bet to find out if a drug can cause a leg cramp or not.
My Takeaway as a Pharmacist
I can’t diagnose strangers through a screen, but I can say this: I’ve seen too many people treat a symptom like it’s small… only to learn it was the first domino in a much bigger story.
If I could rewind the clock for one person, it might be Jana Elway. She was way too young and dearly loved. If I can fast-forward knowledge for someone reading this article, maybe it could help get you diagnosed sooner, and that would prolong your time.
Most leg cramps are benign, I want to reiterate that. I used to get them myself after my parathyroid problem (read about that HERE) because my calcium/magnesium ratio was out of whack for a time. Most of the time, leg cramps are simply the result of dehydration, magnesium deficiency, tight calves, exercising vigorously, use of antacids or PPIs, even mild ones can be due to normal aging. Please shouldn’t leap to “cancer” in their mind when they get a leg cramp. That’s not the point of this article.
The point is awareness.
Sometimes a cramp is just a cramp. But sometimes it’s the first flare in the dark. The wisdom is in knowing when to ask.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
