Clairitin D causing cramps???
 

I lucked up and had the day off today. I decided I was going to do an impromptu solo century. I am pretty new to cycling (since April this year) but rode my first century in June (very slow time) and do a couple 100k's a month.

My normal ride is a 32 mile loop with 2 short but steep climbs usually averaging 19-21 mph. This is my mon, wed, fri, ride with either another lap on the weekend or a longer ride if I have the time.

I started out at about 11:00 today. The temp was 54*. I wanted to improve my century time but decided to start slow and build up the pace as I warmed up. I started great! The first 60 miles went without any problems at and I was keeping an easy 18 mph pace and really enjoying the ride. Then like someone flipped a switch the cramps started! I wasn't tired, I had no problem pushing the pedals just couldn't stop cramping! Several times I had to veer off the road and nearly crashed trying to get off the bike! The odd thing is as soon as I got off the bike and sat down the cramps would stop.

The only thing I can think of that may have caused this is I recently started taking clairitin D and was wondering if anyone else has had any issues with similar medication, or did I just have a bad day?

If you have bad allergies problems you should talk with a nose throat guy for some inhaler with steroids. If claritin take care of you allergies good for you because for me just doesnt work, i need to dope haha :)

As for your problem, never got it while using claritin or any other medicine like that. Maybe you need to train more???

One of the problems with having cramps is that they are inconsistent. So I've had cramps on a few rides, did other rides of similar type and difficulty and sweatiness and had no cramps. I would guess it is unrelated to the Claritin D.

I deffinately need to train more, no doubt about that! I am progressing nicely I think, considering it wasn't long ago I could barely hold 15 mph. over a 5 mile ride, not to mention I'm down 25 lbs! I do find it odd that as soon as I got off the bike, no cramps. Still hrs later since I finished no cramps at all and I really don't feel taxed energy wise. I came home and cut the grass, did laundry, and cleaned the house.

Possible.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/42...cts-claritind/

Claritin D also causes dehydration and restricts blood vessels. Any drug that is metabolized by the liver can cause cramping because of electrolyte abnormalities. I would consult your MD and ask to have liver enzymes checked just in case. Your body might not be tolerating that drug.

Thanks jdon! I guess I should've checked up on this myself! Ive been using the clairitin D trying to break my addiction to OTC nasal spray. I had a sinus infection earlier this year and got hooked on the stuff.

Guess I should go to the Dr. Huh??!!!

Those kind of adverse reactions are on the very rare side, also the majority of drugs one can take get metabolized by the liver in some way, shape or form - that's it's job.

Given that the OP notes that he is new to cycling, and only recently did his first century at a slow pace, I'll put a wad of cash on this being good old under training for the intensity/effort of the ride. Classic cause of cramp from what I've seen, read and experienced. Just ramp the mileage up and you'll become accustomed to riding longer and faster.

Rare, yes. Possible,yes.

That is the livers job. Unfortunately, when on occasion an element is introduced that the body rejects, the liver takes the brunt of it causing the downline side-effects.



This is probably correct but unusual symptoms should never be ignored. I did have a drug reaction that manifested itself in the same way and with sudden and severe leg cramps. Once you got off the bike they almost immediately went away. This is a known side effect of the drug. Rare or not, it is possibly ( Note the first word in my response to the op) the cause.

I've been taking Claritin D for years, and never had any unusual cramping. However, everybody is different. Talk to your doctor.

Don't get me wrong I'm not attempting to blame my lack of HTFU on a drug, but it does seem odd that a week ago I was able to go farther/faster without cramping or at least mild cramps later after a longer (50+mile) ride. The fact that as soon as my heart rate dropped the cramps subsided males me think they may have been related to a blood flow issue *Ie. the psudoephedrine acting as a vascular constrictor. When I used to lift in the gym I used a nitric oxide supplement to increase flow to my muscles and my veins would really pop with the stuff. Whether it actually helped or not I have no idea but it seems if my veins were being constricted it
definitely could have adverse effects. Regardless I'll go to the doc before continuing to use the clairitin, perhaps my body just doesn't like it.

Perhaps I just need to HTFU!

My point is that this is an Occam's Razor example. I suspect that the examples of adverse drug reactions to Claritin D are not happening to people after several hours of exercise, rather than under more sedate conditions. Of course, being the internet we should encourage the people not listen to either of us and should talk with their real life physician, but I still think that more miles in the legs is the prescription in this case. The OP has got a nice weekly routine going on, but 6months isn't *that* long for the body to adapt to longer distances in all reality.

Other points to consider for cramping are cleat position and whether you are riding with your toes pointed down - this last one is common and effectively keeps your calf muscles into a contracted state for long periods.

Impossible to prove, but my opinion is that your cramps were not caused by the Claritin D.

If this seems to be happening consistently, see your doctor about other treatment options for your allergies.

And that's my medical opinion.

I've taken Claritin of a number occasions, sometimes on longer hard rides, and never noticed any ill effect. I don't take any antihistamine or allergy medication regularly.

Thankfully I don't have allergy problems and have just been using it to help break my addiction to OTC nasal spray so I shouldn't need it much longer. However it does make me feel better that someone else has had a similar experience.

I agree, six months isn't a long and storied cycling career however it's not rare for me to ride more than 60 miles when the kids are at their grandmothers and I don't usually have any problems. That said I switched from SPD's to egg beaters a few weeks ago but feel my cleats are positioned well and I'm very happy with them. (no pain, numbness, hot spots, excessive or restriction of movement)

I did have an issue with pointing my toes down until a couple of months ago. I've since been working on my pedal stroke. I do still go toes down sometimes when spinning up hill.

Claritin is part of the 4-drug allergy cocktail that I've been taking every morning for years; and I've never had a problem from it.