FDA Crackdown on Illegal Quinine Marketing

December 13, 2006

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered firms this week to stop marketing unapproved products containing quinine to treat leg cramps, due to serious health concerns, including death.

Quinine is a drug used to treat malaria, but some firms have been marketing “off label” for treatment of leg cramps. This is an unapproved use of the drug, according to the FDA, because the risks outweigh any benefit of using Quinine to treat leg cramps.

Click here for more information from the FDA.

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Comments

5 Responses to “FDA Crackdown on Illegal Quinine Marketing”

Julie on September 27th, 2007 2:57 am

Thanks for the Crackdown!!!!My father in Law…almost died from this drug….was given to him for leg cramps. Took one pill and slept for a day and a half. and when he woke up…he was confused. didn’t even know who family members were..this happened only a year ago. when we carried him back to the doctor told us to discontiue the quinine and that he had some mini strokes and alztimers. from last year till present time the family had no idea what had happened now after seeing and hearing on cnn. Now I believe the wrong medication was given to him…Physicians should be aware what their prescribing to there patients. thanks
Tyler E Bosserman on May 12th, 2008 10:43 pm

I think this is stupid….Let me explain. My mother-in-law has been taking quinine for over 20 years for leg cramps due to M.S. Quinine seems to be the only thing that helps with the cramps. Now she is unable to get Quinine and she can bearly move because it hurts her so bad. I was told that Quinine has been taken off the market due to health concerns, however if you sit and think for just one minute you would realize that anything that a doctor can give to you is potentially dangurous and could result in death, wether you are talking about antibiotics, all the way to pain medications, ever excedrin for headaches OTC has caused a death, and this is still on the market.
colleen on November 27th, 2008 6:05 am

I too think taking Quinine off the market is crazy. If you read the side effects of all drugs you take alot of them say the side effect of that drug could cause a stroke. All drugs have some kind of side effect. It could be a mild side effect or a real dangerous one. My family has been taking Quinine for a very long time. My mother in-law has been taking Quinine since it first came out for her leg cramps. My husband and his sister take Quinine as well for their leg cramps for over 20 years. My mother in-law has high blood preasure and the Quinine has done nothing to her since she startend taking it what 40 years ago or more. My sister in-law has high blood preasure as well and other health issues and she too has had no side effects from Quinine in the 20 years she has been taking it. Now I question are these people who have seveer reactions to Quinine take Quinine daily? We only take Quinine when a cramp starts and the Quinine will make the cramp go away. Our family is a strong believer in Quinine. For those who have NEVER had leg cramps you would never understand the seveer pain those cramps cause. Not for the moment either they can last for minutes or hours and then the soarness will last up to 3 days after the cramp. My husband can take a HOT shower that turns his body RED and ;hot to touch and that shower doesn’t even make the cramp go away. The shower only feels good to the cramp but the cramp doesn’t go away. My husband can’t even walk when he gets his cramps. Now you must know my husband weight is about 280#. Now you tell me how the heck am I going to get him up off the floor when he falls. I am only 5 feet tall and weigh 120#. Talking about side effects I am taking medication for my osteoprosis and the FDA doesn’t even want a person to take this medication longer than 2 years due to it side effects. Sometimes the risk of a drug is worth taking. If I don’t take my medicaton then I can break a bone by just lifing more than 40#. In conclusion give us back our Quinine.
bill on January 6th, 2009 3:52 pm

try HYLANDS products , quinine comes from a t chinoia tree , FDA are assholes they care about money and the pharmacutical companies that are loosing dont want natural sources compeating with them for pain relief like oxycottin , percocets … (which are really bad as we all know)so they ban all of it . the fda cant be trusted !! , hell take a look at aspertaime and donald rumsfeld controvercey money is what this is about . pain management clinics would be out work if you could get you pain relievers with out them . HYLANDS ARE GREAT AND I SUFFER FROM FAILED BACK SURGERYS AND AM DISSABLED AT 46
Art Link on May 20th, 2009 2:04 am

I have never had really high blood pressure-130’s /80’s.
However, after a triple by-pass, the surgeon prescribed blood pressure tablets.
Since then, blood pressure is around 115/65.
Recently, I have developed severe leg cramps once in awhile at night.
A druggist told me some people get relief from Hylands Leg Cramps so I bought a bottle with 40 tablets. I had leg cramps one night & I took a capsule. It worked so I took one the next 3 nights before going to bed.
I woke up early this morning & felt rather odd-it felt as though my head was being held in a tight towel. I took my blood pressure & it was 165/95.
I took an extra 1/2 blood pressure tablet. A few hours later it was recorded at 157/87.

I took a quarter of a tablet of another brand and 2 hours later it was 145/82.

After dinner I took my regular dosage, a half tablet. Three hours later it finally came down to a more normal level of 115/55.

After searching the web, I am of the opinion that I must be alergic to the small dosage of quinine in Hyland’s tablet. It raised my blood pressure.

I will stay away from them for a week or so & walk when I get the cramps.
If I need them after a week or so, I will only take one tablet & skip
a few days.