Quinine Sulfate Side effects

FDA Focuses on Off-Label Uses of Quinine

What is Quinine?

Quinine is a naturally-occurring substance that has been used for hundreds of years to treat patients with malaria with generally successful results. In recent years, however, quinine has also been marketed and prescribed for off-label uses including the prevention of leg cramps. However, several alarming statistics have been discovered that prompted the FDA to warn the public about serious potential side effects from the off-label use of non-approved drugs containing quinine.

How has Quinine Come to Be So Prevalent?

Quinine is a substance that occurs naturally in the bark of the cinchona tree, which is a species of plant that grows naturally in South America. Native South American tribes discovered the use of this tree bark hundreds of years ago for treatment of malaria, one of the most deadly diseases in history. In the 17th Century, European missionaries learned of the use of this substance and brought it to the "modern world." Since then, quinine has been in use all over the world for the treatment of this disease.

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Quinine Injury - Contact a Quinine Lawyer

If you have been taking quinine for any condition not related to malaria, the first thing you need to do is contact your doctor so that he or she can recommend a different treatment protocol. The next step you need to take is to contact a quinine lawyer who has experience representing the victims of negative drug reactions. You have rights, but only a certain amount of time to enforce them, so contact us today.

Quinine Side Effects, Uses, Problems:

In recent years, quinine has also been discovered to provide aid for those patients who suffer from chronic leg cramps, and thousands of patients have been using it for this purpose. However, recent statistics have revealed several potentially-serious problems with the off-label use of this drug.

Heart Attack
Stroke
Quinine Cardiac arrhythmias
Thrombocytopenia
Liver failure or damage
Kidney failure or damage
Hearing loss
cardiovascular problems
allergic reactions to Quinine

Side effects that have been reported include cardiac arrhythmias, thrombocytopenia (a decrease in blood platelets that can cause hemorrhage or clotting problems) and severe hypersensitivity reactions. Quinine has also shown to cause problems in patients due to its negative reaction with other drugs that patients are taking at the time. Hundreds of patients have reported these side effects, and nearly 100 people have died as a result of these off-label uses of quinine.

Quinine and optic neuritis, blindness

Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve. Many of theses cases result from demyelinating disease, and multiple sclerosis. Chemicals such as Quinine and others have been known to cause optic neuritis.

FDA Reaction on Quinine

Officially, the FDA has approved only one drug, Mutual Pharmaceutical Company, Inc.'s Qualaquin, for use to treat malaria. No other quinine-containing drugs have been approved, even though hundreds of these drugs are currently on the market. Many of these products are also specifically marketed for this controversial off-label use.

In December of 2006, the FDA issued a press release announcing that firms were immediately ordered to stop manufacturing and marketing quinine-containing substances for off-label usages, specifically for the treatment of leg cramps. The government agency cited the troubling statistics above as a basis for this order.

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Comments on This Topic: There are 18 comments related to:
Defective Drugs: News, Statistics and Legal Guide.

Dharini says:	2008-03-27 19:56:47
1 shot glass of pickle juice will get rid of leg cramps very quickly in most people.

Hannah says:	2007-04-26 14:56:47
i thought i was the only one.

Harry says:	2007-05-08 18:28:22
I hope they figure out something else for leg cramps

Howell says:	2007-05-29 15:43:54
I never knew that a Quinine prescription and leg cramps meant that some side effects like Thrombocytopenia was possible! I haven\'t had any cardiovascular problems.

Teresa King says:	2007-05-31 16:25:30
YOu need good magnesuim to help with leg cramps..bone spurs and things that you prob need more calcium for. Calcium cannot be used if you don\'t have magnesium I\'m not a doctor, I just like natural health products. I\'m here because my doctor gave me the wrong presription or pharmacist, so I looked it up........... THIS looks too dangerous to use.

Patricia says:

2007-06-22 10:16:50

I had really severe/extremely painful cramps in the sides and fronts of my legs..I\'d sit up at night on the side of my bed crying from the pain. I couldn\'t stand up. My geriatrics prescribed Quinine and it worked immediately. After taking it for 3 or 4 weeks, pain free, I passed out, hit the floor, and was in the hospital for 14 days. Irregular heartbeat and very slow pulse rate. No more quinine, no more slow pulse. Heart still beats irregular. No leg pains for a month but now they are starting again. I\'m tempted to take the quinine again but am not sure if it caused my problems or not. I know that Requip or Carbidopa doesn\'t help with MY pain (it does help with RLS though). I wish I knew what I could take for those really painful cramps.

dave says:	2007-07-13 19:44:16
I had heavy bleeding from both sides of my nose, doctors determined quinine to be the problem. Have been taking tizanidine, which is real effective, and no side effedts.

samantha says:	2007-07-18 04:12:32
I had been taking for over a year or two, high doses..my dr said it would help. I had severe nose bleeds, migrains, strokes...sorry to find out that I am not alone. Hope yall are getting better.

John Andrews says:	2007-10-18 11:32:27
I was prescribed 3 per week 750 mg chloquin phosphate..slow release..for the onset of Malaria in 1978. I have not been well since that date.

Katie says:

2007-11-04 13:53:55

My mother, 63 and in great shape has been on Quinine for a fews months due to leg cramps. Well, She had a stroke yesterday. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! The one she was taking is made by hyland\'s and right on the bottle it states \"Safe Pain Relief\" I don\'t call risk of death \"Safe\". Also, it does not list these possible side effects even though the fda has these findings. Luckily, my mother survived, but this could have been avoided had we known the effects this drug can have. Please advocate the pulling of this off of store shelves. IT IS NOT SAFE!!!

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