Quinine and nocturnal leg cramps

Quinine for Leg Cramps.

Practice Pointers Muscle cramps affect between 50% and 60% of adults.1 Little is known about their pathophysiology, so many remedies are used empirically. A crystalline alkaloid powder extracted from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, quinine is well known for its use in treating malaria and providing the bitter flavor for tonic water. Quinine has been used by the Quechua of South Am...

Quinine: not a safe drug for treating nocturnal leg cramps.

Nocturnal leg cramps.

Up to 60 percent of adults report that they have had nocturnal leg cramps. The recurrent, painful tightening usually occurs in the calf muscles and can cause severe insomnia. The exact mechanism is unknown, but the cramps are probably caused by muscle fatigue and nerve dysfunction rather than electrolyte or other abnormalities. Nocturnal leg cramps are associated with vascular disease, lumbar c...

Quinine for nocturnal leg cramps: a meta-analysis including unpublished data.

OBJECTIVE With respect to the use of quinine for the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps, to determine whether the findings of a previously performed meta-analysis of published data are altered with the addition of unpublished data, and whether publication bias is present in this area. DESIGN A meta-analysis of eight (four published and four unpublished) randomized, double-blind, placebo-contro...

Meta-analysis of efficacy of quinine for treatment of nocturnal leg cramps in elderly people.

OBJECTIVE To assess quantitatively the efficacy of quinine (as quinine sulphate) compared with placebo in the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps. DESIGN A meta-analysis of six randomised, double blind, crossover trials. SETTING Randomised trials that were available as of April 1994. SUBJECTS A total of 107 general ambulatory patients who suffered from regular nocturnal leg cramps from six ...