People have used quinine to treat malaria throughout the world for centuries. More recently quinine has been used for the treatment of leg cramps, although this is currently unauthorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Health risks associated with this medicine are numerous, and quinine should only be taken upon the advice of a medical doctor.
Quinine has been used to treat malaria for centuries.
History of Quinine
In the early 17th century, Spanish Jesuit missionaries realized that indigenous peoples of South America were using a medicinal tree bark to treat fevers. This bark contained the medicine that is now known as quinine.
Quinine later became available in tonic waters, then eventually in capsule form. Currently, the FDA only approves one brand of quinine for use in the treatment of malaria, known as Qualaquin. Quinine is not approved for other uses.
Malaria
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the disease known as malaria has been present for at least 4,000 years. The battle against malaria has continued throughout the centuries, and in July 1946 the Communicable Disease Center in America began its mission to eradicate this disease. The Communicable Disease Center later became the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although malaria has been mostly eradicated in the United States, the battle against this disease continues worldwide. Currently, eradication efforts have been mostly abandoned in favor of control efforts.
It has been determined that proper quinine dosing combined with antibiotics in the treatment of malaria is essential to avoid adverse health reactions.
Alternate Uses for Quinine
Quinine was formerly used in the treatment of leg cramps.
According to the FDA, quinine has been a popular drug in the treatment of nocturnal leg muscle cramps. However, concerns within the FDA were raised after studies were performed on the efficacy of quinine treatments for leg cramps. It was concluded that there was not enough data to determine the effectiveness of quinine for treating or preventing nocturnal leg cramps.
Health Risks
According to the FDA, using quinine in the treatment of conditions other than malaria can result in cardiac dysfunction, optic neuritis, myasthenia gravis or death. Other symptoms include severe skin reactions, thrombocytopenia, renal failure and generalized anaphylaxis. The drug has also been known to have negative interactions with a variety of other drugs. In December 2006, the FDA ordered a halt to the production of all unapproved quinine medications.
Cautions
In case of accidental overdose or unintended ingestion of quinine, contact your local poison control center immediately.
According to the FDA, trace amounts of quinine can be found in both tonic water and root beer. Root beer contains quillaia, a foaming agent. Neither drink should be ingested in large quantities.
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