Trick I picked up on The People's Pharmacy: mustard. Two teaspoons (Joe & Terry say one, but I say anything worth doing is worth overdoing) and a chaser of cold water calm my cramps in less than 30 seconds, much faster than trying to massage them out. One neurologist I used to work with didn't wait for the cramps, just took the mustard every night. He said it also helped with restless leg syndrome.