I've been having severe leg cramps (and upper back, between the shoulder blades) since I was a little girl. Many times I have to get in the tub with extremely hot water to try to relax the muscles. They get so tight the bone feels like it will snap. For the past 5 years this has been almost nightly. Doctors have run all kinds of tests and everything is fine (no deficiencies of potassium, magnesium, etc) and I am not dehydrated. My cardiologist told me emphatically to NOT TAKE ANYTHING WITH QUININE IN IT.
I have started taking a CO-Q 10 tablet and 2 citracal calcium pills about 1 hour before going to bed. I also bought a heated mattress pad that I turn on low every night, even though I live in the south. This has made a world of difference. In the 3 months I've been doing this, the cramps have been almost non-existent. The times I do get them is when I forget to take the pills. CO-Q 10 is found in every cell in your body, and the cardiologist told me that as we age less is produced and we do need to supplement. All I know is that it seems to work.