I have RA and Lupus and what I have found over the years is that most specialists can't see beyond their own specialty. Go to an internal medicine specialist and tell him what you've told us here. If he can't help you, go to someone else until you find someone who can see beyond the end of his nose. Sooner or later you'll find the answers you're looking for. Hopefully sooner. It took me 9 years of being treated for gout and various imaginary illnesses with no results. This was 30 years ago so, hopefully, you will have quicker results.

I think you may be having deep muscle cramps. I used to get them all the time. They usually came in the middle of the night and woke me up. There was no getting rid of them unless I got up, walked on it and used the heating pad. In fact I have been plagued by leg cramps all my life until recently.

I did some research and they said it was a lack of some vitamin. They said with most people it was a lack of calcium, But I have been taking 1500 MG of calcium for Osteoporosis so I knew it couldn't be that. Then I found that lack of Vitamin C might be the culprit. I examined my diet and yes I wasn't getting enough Vitamin C. I started taking 2-- 500 MG tablets of Vitamin C a day. Now I seldom get leg cramps.

I would say to you--Examine your diet. See what vitamins you aren't getting enough of. You will have to do some research on what the daily requirements are. I would suggest you have a talk with your pharmacist--he can help, because too much of a good thing may be harmful.

I realize you are young and this might not be your problem, but I had really bad leg aching, especially at night, and I discovered it was my feet! I went out and bought some "Walk-fit" orthotics at Target (for a foot problem I was having), and it took away my leg aches! Make sure you don't have a foot problem that's causing it. Many times feet problems show up as knee/leg problems.

It sounds like it could be fibromyalgia. That is often first diagnosed as "growing pains" A rheumatologist would also be the one to see about that.

I don't think much of the treatment you have been offered so far, but I suppose your doctors were ruling out the easy to diagnose possibilities.

I do think that you should take magnesium and see if that helps. You can also buy epsom salts if you enjoy soaking in the bathtub. It isn't enough magnesium to solve your problem, but if you do that in addition to taking magnesium orally, you might get a good result. That's a cheap thing to try before seeking out specialists.

I have suffered from leg pains for over 50 years and don't have a perfect solution yet. I take cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxant) and Lyrica. For years I was prescribed a lot of ibuprofen which then gave me acid reflux and the treatment for that gave me osteopenia. Can't win!

Night-time leg cramps are hard to diagnose and treat.

1 - Try calcium/magnesium supplements.
2 - Try a mild muscle relaxant at bedtime (valerian root capsules, 2 of them)

3 - Ask your doctor for a prescription for quinine sulfate. It's an old remedy for them.

According to my MD, doctors can't prescribe quinine sulfate anymore. My husband drinks tonic water instead.

There are also otc pills you can get. I forget what they're called, but they have quinine in them. They didn't seem to help my leg pain though........although wearing orthotics did.

try eating a pickel kosher it well help you with in a few minutes

You do not say if you are engaged in strenuous sports or overweight etc. Could that be a contributing factor? Sometimes low potassium can cause muscle cramping.
You have my sympathies and I hope your doctor finds the cause soon and prescribes a satisfactory remedy.
Good luck!

I have a lot of leg pain I found keeping them warm helps.

I've been having these pains for the last 6 years now. (I'm 25 now), and have had no luck with finding out the cause. It is a deep pain dead center in the back of my calves. I haven't experienced any twitching or throbbing, just a constant unbearable dull ache that is most noticible when at rest, and of course while I'm trying to sleep. The only relief I have found is massage and using a tens machine which shocks the muscles. Doppler, MRI, and nerve tests were all negative. NSAIDS, Darvocet,Tramadol other pain killers, and Lyrica don't help one bit. If anyone gets a diagnosis that helps please let me know. I'm getting pretty desperate nowadays. ;)
Shebataboo@hotmail.com

I started working very young for neighbor that opened a drive-in place so I was the carhop & cook,so lot of running, he was just opening so couldn't afford 2 people. I worked 7 days a week 12 hr days. I was 14 at the time. I cried myself to sleep. Way before that I was only kid in school with "growing pains" my legs hurt a lot. I was very active, hung by knees from trees, rode bike 11 miles around lake we lived at lot of afternoons in summer.Had younger bros. helped take care of as mom sick a lot. Ice skated on frozen lake in winter. Then started working at young age. Well, fast forward to about 40, I had been a stay at home mom & became widow so had to do odd jobs & all the work at my house including yard. Leg pain was back. I started on 800 I.U. Vit. E. It worked & has for 29 yrs. My MIL had tried everything for leg pain & even had veins stripped & other treatments. I told her to try it. Worked for her. She went in to her dr. for something else & he wanted to know why she was walking so much better. She was in her 70's at the time. He said seeing was believing so he said he would tell his patients to give it a try. A yr or more ago news had report out that Vit. E was worthless. I thought I would try stopping it & see what happened. I survived the 1st night but felt kind of lousy all day, wasn't sure what was wrong. Went to bed that night & pain was so bad I had to get back up, I remembered that I had that pain before I started taking the Vit. E so I took it & laid legs on heating pad & had a rather miserable night. By the next night after having had 800 IU in morning, I was back to normal & slept all night. Some of these reports I wonder about, I think a lot of people in health care are interested in making money for themselves & don't want people to actually get well & put them out of business. (Drs. call it "politics") I"ve used Nature Made or Your Life & lately found Sam's club works just fine take 2- 400 IU at breakfast. Bottle has 500 in it & I think under $12. Give it a try & hope it works for you!

When I was around the age of 18 I had throbing cramps it was almost so bad I couldn't walk many doctors could not find the problem .finnaly a doctor said I had areothemeanima (not spelled right).he gave me pergnazone (not spelled right )(steriod pill) for about three months, never one more problem.might help might not