Quinine and Night Cramps

Treating cramps with quinine associated with large number of adverse events.
The Los Angeles Times (2/23, Maugh) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Surprisingly, there are no really good treatments for" cramps, which "can be an indicator of kidney or liver disease as well as neurological conditions...or complications of diabetes," according to "new guidelines issued Tuesday by the American Academy of Neurology in the journal Neurology." There is, however, one last resort "treatment that should be avoided" -- quinine. Research has suggested "that it can reduce the incidence and severity of cramps by one-third to one-half," however, "as many as one in 25 cases, quinine can produce serious adverse effects, including blood irregularities." The Food and Drug Administration also "warned against the use of quinine for treating cramps because of the large number of adverse event reports it had received."