Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy

Research and experience tells us that usually neither hydration nor electrolytes are the major issues for cramping during exercise. Tums, pickle juice, etc., work because of the taste, nothing to do with the ingredients.

No, haven't tried aspirin but see no medical reason it would do anything. I don't recommend it because of the potential for post-injury bleeding. It was once advocated for possibly reducing the risk of heart attack, but it turns out that the danger of internal bleeding cancels that out.

I don't worry about ibuprofen and kidneys or liver because one has to take a heck of a lot of it to do any damage. However it's an anti-prostaglandin, hence women take it for menstrual cramps. Thus it suppresses inflammation, and inflammation is not a bad thing: it's how your body heals. Thus it suppresses natural healing. I've had injuries get better much faster when I stopped taking the stuff than while I was, so there's also anecdotal on that.

Both Tums and pickle juice work almost instantly to relieve cramps once they have started, since as I said, it's just the taste. That taste thing is a nerve stimulant and lasts quite a while, thus taking this stuff at the bottom of a big climb will ward off cramps during, again nothing to do with the ingredients.