Flavoring: Tonic water, quinine water, bitter lemon.
This drug can cure malaria and is used as a bitter flavoring in a few soft drinks. In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned quinine from over-the-counter drugs used to treat leg cramps, saying it was not safe and effective for that use. Then in 2006 FDA ordered companies to stop marketing unapproved products containing quinine. And in 2010 and 2012 FDA warned against using the only approved quinine-containing anti-malaria drug for any purpose other than to treat malaria. The higher levels used in drugs are more likely to cause adverse reactions than the low levels used in food, but to be on the safe side, pregnant women and the elderly should avoid quinine-containing beverages.
FAQs
Is there enough quinine in tonic water? ›
Tonic water contains no more than 83 mg of quinine per liter—a much lower concentration than the 500 to 1,000 mg in the therapeutic dose of quinine tablets. Drinking a few ounces of tonic water shouldn't be harmful, but it isn't likely to prevent your leg cramps. There are a few other things you can do, however.
Why is quinine not recommended? ›A variety of adverse effects can occur with the usual therapeutic doses of quinine, including cinchonism (marked by tinnitus, high-tone hearing loss, photophobia and other visual disturbances, dysphoria, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness and postural hypotension), hypoglycemia (from the drug's stimulatory ...
Why did the US ban quinine? ›Why is quinine banned? The FDA does not approve or recommend quinine as a treatment for certain health conditions, such as nocturnal leg cramps, due to the risk of adverse health complications, including: heart arrhythmias. acute kidney injury.
What is a safe amount of quinine to take daily? ›Adults and children 16 years of age and older—648 milligrams (mg) (2 capsules) every 8 hours for 7 days. Children younger than 16 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
What is the best drink to stop leg cramps? ›But sports drinks, oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte, and coconut water may all help ease leg cramps by replacing electrolytes lost from sweat.
Is it okay to drink tonic water every day? ›A liter normally has 83 mg of quinine. An eight-ounce glass would therefore have roughly 20 mg, about one-tenth the lowest dose doctors prescribed for leg cramps. Even three glasses daily should be OK as long as you are not sensitive to quinine.
Is quinine hard on kidneys? ›Among the most serious potential side effects associated with quinine are: bleeding problems. kidney damage. abnormal heartbeat.
Is quinine hard on liver? ›The hepatotoxicity of quinine is usually mild and resolves within 1 to 4 weeks of stopping. In many instances, jaundice and liver test abnormalities may worsen for a few days after stopping quinine, but fatalities have not been reported, and recovery is usually rapid.
What happens when you drink too much quinine? ›Quinine is known to have an extensive side effect profile of tinnitus, nausea, vomiting, confusion, acute kidney injury, thrombocytopenia, and most severely disseminated intravascular coagulation [3].
What does quinine do for your legs? ›The mechanism of this beneficial effect is obscure, however. Quinine appears to decrease the excitability of the motor end plate, thereby reducing the muscle contractility. Most patients consider quinine beneficial for their leg cramps, which is difficult to refute by scientific data.
What replaced quinine? ›
Quinine remained the antimalarial drug of choice until after World War II. Since then, other drugs that have fewer side effects, such as chloroquine, have largely replaced it.
What is a substitute for quinine in tonic water? ›To avoid this explicit declaration and also to offer consumers with a hypersensitivity to quinine, a possible substitute in tonic water is the dominant bittering agent in hops.
Who Cannot take quinine? ›Your doctor will probably tell you not to take quinine. tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a slow or irregular heartbeat; low levels of potassium in your blood; or heart, kidney, or liver disease. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding.
Who should not drink tonic water? ›Quinine in tonic water should be avoided if you are taking the following medications because they may interact with each other: Blood thinners. Antidepressants. Antibiotics.
Is tonic water the same as quinine water? ›Tonic water (or Indian tonic water) is a carbonated soft drink in which quinine is dissolved. Originally used as a prophylactic against malaria, nowadays tonic water usually has a significantly lower quinine content and is often sweetened.
Which tonic water has the highest quinine content? ›East Imperial Tonic Water is elegantly crafted and contemporary tasting, with the highest quinine levels available in the market.
What percent of tonic water is quinine? ›In the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the quinine content in tonic water to 83 ppm (83 mg per liter), while the daily therapeutic dose of quinine is in the range of 500–1000 mg, and 10 mg/kg every eight hours for effective malaria prevention (2,100 mg daily for a 70-kilogram (150 lb) ...
Is there a tonic water without quinine? ›Cushiedoos Scottish Tonic Water is a quinine-free tonic which makes for a naturally lighter tonic that does not dry the palate.
How much tonic water to prevent malaria? ›Meshnick says that this would have protected against malaria. Therefore, consuming 67 litres of tonic water would provide 1g quinine. That means a lot of G&T's, and there are definitely easier ways to prevent malaria.