Unlike leg cramps, RLS is a neurological disorder characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to keep moving your legs even when you are sitting trying to go to sleep. The typical dose of quinine used in studies to treat leg cramps is about 300 mg at bedtime.Īnd since only one prescription version of the drug is available in the U.S., you should consider the cost (the retail price for 90 324 mg capsules could run as high as $370), particularly since it may not be covered by your insurance for off-label use. Also be aware that the appropriate dosage for leg cramps is unknown, though it is typically much lower than that recommended for the treatment of malaria. If your doctor does, and you decide to try quinine, make sure that you're not at increased risk for serious side effects because of your health or other medications you may be taking (see risks and precautions below).
#Nocturnal leg cramps treatment medication trial#
Some doctors do suggest a carefully monitored four- to six-week trial of quinine for patients whose leg cramps are not relieved by other means. The FDA recently reiterated that "there are no data indicating that quinine is effective for the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps or other musculoskeletal disorders, and given the potential for life-threatening adverse events, should use extreme caution in off-label prescribing."
#Nocturnal leg cramps treatment medication plus#
Since longer use seemed to produce a greater reduction in the number of cramps, the authors concluded that quinine must be taken for at least four weeks on a regular basis before its effectiveness could be evaluated in a patient.īut the second meta-analysis, which included the earlier studies plus additional, unpublished research from the FDA, found that while quinine use did reduce the number of leg cramps, it didn't occur as often as previously reported-only 3.6 fewer instances in a four-week period vs. The first, from 1995, using published studies from 1964 to 1994, found that although taking quinine resulted in decreased frequency of leg cramps, it did not reduce the severity or duration of a given episode. Two meta-analyses (results pooled from a number of studies) were completed before the FDA ban addressed the lack of efficacy and safety issues of quinine for leg cramps. Not surprisingly, the FDA recently reported again that the risk of severe side effects from quinine outweighed any potential benefit for the following conditions: Studies of patients with nocturnal leg cramps have been small, were not randomized, controlled trials, and had other shortcomings. There is little convincing scientific evidence for prescribing quinine for leg cramps.
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