jppe

Hotshots is a liquid that's supposed to stave off cramps. It's pretty pricey but they were offering 50% off for the first dose so I jumped.

I had a free sample that I used last June on a hot, humid 100 miler with lots of climbing and I was pleasantly surprised how quickly and well it worked. I was beginning to cramp so I drank the bottle and within minutes I had total relief.

Today's ride was a metric century with lots of climbing with two really steep climbs. It wasn't particularly hot but very humid.Just as I was starting the last climb the cramps started for the first time all day.

I grabbed the single dose from my jersey pocket and downed it in a few swallows. It's spicey.......my stomach felt slightly irritated briefly, but it had also done that earlier in the ride. Within 1-2 minutes the cramps had greatly subsided. I finished the climb about 30 minutes later with no signs of cramping.

So, I've used it twice with similar results. Both positive. I have another really nasty hilly ride this coming weekend. I have 5 more bottles and will be sure to have one with me this weekend.

I don't know if it's for everybody but I'm happy with it so far.

JoelovesDot

My father used to get leg cramps out of nowhere. He wasn't a cyclist, but he heard somewhere about taking a spoonful of mustard to relieve them. It worked for him, and I've used it for post workout cramps a few times. I t works for me. I need to try it for cycling.

DaveQ24

How spicy is it? That's my concern, I don't like anything hot. Is it Jalapeno-level heat or less?

jppe

It's less than Jalapeņo hot. It's just enough to alert trigger the sensors to stop the cramps. The spiceyness goes away fairly quickly as well.

jppe

Yeah, I've tried mustard along with everything else. Pickle juice worked some for me for keeping cramps away, but I haven't found anything else that makes the cramps disappear and stay away as effectively as this.

Some stuff might work for others so I'm not saying it won't work unless you try it......just relaying my experiences.

JoelovesDot

Explorer
I appreciate your information about Hotshots. Cramps suck, so anything that might help is great to know about. I was not trying to minimize the information about Hotshots that you posted, just trying to add to the knowledge about what works for some people. I am new to this forum, so don't know what information is out there.

gabkr

Vinegar...... most cramps for recreational riders are caused by undertraining. Can be mileage,speed,or climbing. Train more,less cramping.

DaveQ24

I've been to see my friendly neighborhood cardiologist again, and am back on a diuretic called bumetanide, 2 mgs 1 to 2 times daily. It does a great job controlling edema, but the cramps can be a real bi-atch.

I've beem tinkering with ways to minimize the cramps. Best thing yet is to pre-load my body with K, Mg, Ca, a little Na and water. 2-4 hours ahead I'm taking a Kdur 20 meq (1500 mgs KCl), 2-3 OTC Mg gluconate, and a couple of Tums or Rolaids chewable CaCO2 plus about a liter of water. I let that all settle for maybe an hour, then I'll eat something with 300-400 mgs Na - soups, deli meats like ham or turkey - something easy to measure. Then I have a chaser of 2 ibuprofen (allegedly the best of the OTC NSAIDS for muscle pain, so worth a shot).

That reduces cramps from "it can be torture" to anywhere from virtually none to tolerably awful. Heat also helps, an electric blanket or heating pad.

I'm willing to try anything, so I ordered the 6 pack for the $17.50 trial price.

OldTryGuy

ALWAYS better to fuel properly before and during but if caught off guard, it sounds like a good quickie solution. Order going in.

THANKS for the review.

sch

From the web site HotShots is a bit of limeade mixed with 1.2 meq of Na and capsaicin, cinnamon and ginger. Might
try a gingersnap with pepper and cinnamon added chased with limeade of choice and a dash of salt.

No way could jppe be considered 'undertrained'.

jppe

Yeah I got a great chuckle out of the under training notion....today I did 101 miles with about 9000' of climbing in fairly humid conditions. LOTS of steep hills....some of those 11%-18% hills made up 2 and 3 mile climbs but there were lots of shorter ones throughout the route. I rode hard. Three other guys and me set the pace for several hundred riders for 40+ miles from the start. I sipped small amounts of pickle juice along the way and tried to drink plenty of fluids. While I had my hot shot bottle with me I didn't have to use it. I felt my left hamstring getting close to cramping near the end but it never did. Very thankful!!!

jppe

I've also tried pre loading and it seems to help but I still cramp. I've started several days in advance of an event at times. I also take potassium and magnesium supplements but I can't say they've helped. I take a diuretic for kidney stones but I'll stop taking it in advance of a long hilly rides and that also seems to help.

I was reading where too much potassium will kill you???? Labs are done to maintain proper levels but thought it interesting that too much is deadly!!!

I probably wouldn't have bought hot shot at full price but getting it at half price seems reasonable. Maybe they'll drop the price one day???

sch

OTC potassium additives rarely amount to more than a 1-2 meq of potassium per serving.
One exception touted to athletes is coconut water which has 1.5 meq per ounce. So
chugging 12-24 oz would give you 18-36 meq. Standard medical grade potassium
supplements are 10 or 20 meq/day. My experience with people with low potassium for
medical reasons is that dosing them with 20-40 meq orally per hour over 2-3 doses
(max ~60-80 meq) will bump serum levels from 2 to 3.5 or 4 meq/liter. So from
my POV only coconut water is potentially toxic, ie if one drank more than 16-24 oz
in a day you could bump your serum levels to uncomfortable levels medically, although
you may remain oblivious to this, us over 50s would be more susceptible to the higher
level toxicities potentially there. Even OTC potassium pills are in the 1 meq per pill
range, as are gatorade and all other sport type drinks I have looked at, ie safe at
any likely level of ingestion.

DaveQ24

Yes, too much K can be fatal - a strong KCL solution is what they usually use in euthanasia and execution to stop the heart after the barbituates render the subject unconscious.

KDur is a prescription K supplement that goes with my diuretic because it strips K. They already did a follow-up blood draw and my K level was good, about middle of normal.

nmichell

Thanks Jppe. I've gotten cramps before and I have a big ride coming up, so I'm a little worried about it. I think I'll pick up some, just in case.

jppe

Good deal. I'm driving out your way (CO) on Wednesday for RtR and BTC. There is NOT a rest day between the two rides this year. And the first day of BTC is not a short one!!

Old Dutchman

I'm not a fan of pickles, but we use lots of pickled banana peppers for pizza. So I've been saving the juice from those for an anti-cramping drink. Seems like you'd get the salt and vinegar side of the equation, plus a little of the heat that the HotShot promises. Basically for free.
I haven't had a lot of cramping problems to try this on, but I am doing a 130 mile ride for BikeMS this weekend and I plan to take some with me. Just thought I'd pass along the idea.

J.Higgins 

Do you take any creatine supplements? Creatine phosphate helps make a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy for muscle contractions. Perhaps you are aren't making enough ATP to support the thousands of contractions your leg muscles are making? Does this make any sense or am I pulling a Granny Clampett on you? Seriously though. You're hydrated. You're doing the right things. What is the source of the cramps?