leg cramps and quinine

[Marguerite53]

Hello all. I'm still way pre-op. Before I knew it was even going to be coming up, I was being plagued with leg cramps. So much so that I could not sleep through the night. I finally saw my doctor who gave me an Rx for quinine sulfate. That brought immediate relief. When we learned of my aortic stenosis, months later, I asked whether the leg cramps had anything to do with my heart condition. She said no. That really puzzles me. It would seem, somehow to be related. Anyone have thoughts or experience on the matter? Thanks!

 

[JimChicago]

One thing that can cause leg cramps is diuretics like lasix.

Have they checked your potassium levels recently?

 

[azpam]

yes low potassium can do it. also mineral deficiency especially of calcium/magnesium.

 

[Harpoon]

I'm not sure what quinine is for (I don't have my trusty PDR handy) but I suspect it might be blood pressure related....

A lot of times leg cramps can come from problems in the veins and arteries in the legs because BP is either too high or too low. It might not be that way in other places (related to stuff like coronary artery disease and other clogged vessel problems)


It's more common in older people, older blood vessels, but it can happen in anyone from time to time. As a kid I used to have little bouts of something similar. I would wake up screaming in the middle of the night with awful pains in my legs that usually went away after taking some aspirin. Chalk it up to BP problems, cold, or growing pains...

There are a few different things that can cause cramping in the legs. Usually mineral deficencies from being on diuretics and the like are in the muscle and can be fixed as simply as having a banana or some Gatoraide or even just relaxing your legs, bending at the knee as you lay down. Other problems in blood vessels may require medication or other alleviation.

Roto-Router????

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

Hi
I am an old soul to having leg cramps for years. Becarful with quindine it can zap your platets count in your blood. I had to go in the hosp. and have a platets tranfusion. After taking quinine for sometime thi can happen to you. Take care, by the waay I till have leg cramps.

 

[Bryan B]

Just to clarify, quinine and quinidine are two totally different drugs used for different purposes.

 

[geebee]

leg cramps

leg cramps

I ALWAYS get leg cramps when my potassium is low (usually caused by the Lasix I take every other day). Actually the leg cramps are how I can gauge low potassium. Since low potassium is so dangerous to a stable heart rate, I act quickly when I get leg cramps and immediately take potassium supplements. Talk to your doctor about potassium supplements so you can adequately regulate them (too much potassium can be just as dangerous). Additional potassium made be better for you than quinine.

 

[kurli]

leg cramps suck

leg cramps suck

Hi,
I have gotten leg cramps for as long as I can remember. Finally I'm not alone ..... not that I'm glad you are getting them.
Any way I took magnesium & potassium suppliments for a while but they didn't do a great deal of good.
Every Dr I saw had no explination for me so I just put up with them.
Although having a husband who can give good foot/leg rubs and give you panadine to kill the pain helps. Also raising them above the rest of your body with a cusuion tends to help me.
It's so nice being able to talk to people who know exactly how you feel without having to explain it isn't it. Thanks evry1.
Amy

 

[Gemma]

A nurse friend of mine suggested quinine (well, actually she told him to drink tonic water - more on that in a minute) to Jim a few weeks ago when he complained of leg cramps. I also went through a spell of getting really bad leg cramps at night for a few weeks, almost every night, last summer. Hope it wasn't heat-related, it's starting to warm up here again.
Tonic water is a carbonated drink with added quinine - not sure if it's available in the US. It was originally invented (I think) by colonialists in India as a tonic against malaria. There you go, that's my trivia for the day .
Gemma.

 

[hensylee]

I have always had leg/foot cramps - even as a child. I was the one at pajama parties who would suddenly leap out of bed and do a weird dance while the rest of the girls rolled with laughter at my so-called antics. The cramps became worse as I got older. When I took Lipitor, they were even debilitating. I tried quinine, but it makes you deaf! I don't know the causes. If you never had them before, there must be a lack of something. Try calcium if you can take it. It seemed to help me some.

 

[Marguerite53]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for all the reponses. Yes, as a child I did get what my father called a "charlie horse" quite often. He would slip his arm under my knee and bend my heel toward my buttocks to stretch it out. Never helped much, but the attention as a little girl was sure nice! And last summer I did dance in the middle of the night -- onto the closest cold floor. Cold on the bottom of the feet seems to distract and help.

I'm not on diuretics, I do know that Quinine is in tonic water (always one of my preferred drinks, anyway, for some reason, just with a wedge of lime -- okay, sometimes with gin or dark rum). I can't be potassium deficient because I drink at least a quart (probably more) of Odwalla fresh squeezed orange juice a day. Maybe I'm over amping on the Postassium. I'm due to start the South Beach diet (oh, let's open up that can of worms) soon and I think there will be no place for that much OJ (if at all) so maybe I'll notice a difference.

I do notice that there is a mild warning for ringing in the ears for quinine takers. I'll look into the causing deafness thing. Too many years of rock'n'roll concerts, don't need any extra help there!

Quinine is used to treat malaria, that it was developed in India makes perfect sense. I know when we returned from Africa we were given a month long peculiarly dosed quinine based perscription to ward off any possiblity of malaria.

I am curious about the circulatory possibility. Guess I'll put it on my list for the GP next visit.

Thanks for the reassurances that I'm not the only one doing this dance!

 

[ccrawford]

Marg - Anne touched on it, but I'll ask the question. Are you taking any statins for blood pressure control ? Many of us have leg cramps due to statins.

 

[hensylee]

Marge, I am sorry - I didn't mean you would literally become deaf; just that the awful ringing is so loud you can hardly hear above it. It goes away with cessation of the quinine.

 

[Marguerite53]

Thanks

Thanks

No, no statins. No blood pressure meds yet, but I'm purchasing a home device to start monitoring my blood pressure as per cardio's advice. Good to know that statins can cause leg cramps. If I do need blood pressure meds I'l have that info tucked away. Thanks.

And good!! I'm glad I won't be going deaf!! I don't have problems with my ears ringing. Maybe my dose is low, or I'm just not sensitive to that. Thanks for clarifying!!

Marguerite

 

[Bunny_Rabbit]

I work with a woman who gets awful leg cramps at night and her doctor said it was related to fibromyalgia.

I hope it's nothing, take care.

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

Well apeaking of leg cramps. I was up all night with mine. It is in both legs and it fells like someone is twisting them so tight. I tried heat, soaking in warm water . If not for my big tub I would have killled someone my now. I have electrial study, doppler off the veins. Till nothing. I have thought I had stopped all the meds. I thought were doing it. But that seems not to be the case I have restless sym & fibromyalagia too! How did I get so lucky and of course it could be one of the two rupture dics pressing on the nerve in my back. Last night with muscle relaxler & klonpin I till was up three times in the tub to get some relief but it didn't happen. I think tonight is not going to be much better. If any of you have theses problems my heart goes out to you. Most doctor look at you as if you were crazy