Nighttime leg cramps that awaken a person from a sound sleep with sudden debilitating pain are common as well as supremely uncomfortable. Worse, doctors do not have much in their medical kit to offer for nighttime leg cramps. There are no prescription drugs approved for preventing or treating such muscle spasms.
What then can a person do? This reader found one popular solution very helpful:
Q. I have had severe nighttime leg cramps for years. My doctor used to prescribe quinine until the FDA banned it for that use. My pain got so bad I finally gave in and went to the doctor last week.
She ran a lot of tests and then told me to drink two glasses of tonic water with added lime slices daily. I’m happy to report I’ve been cramp free since that day! And I really like the taste of my concoction.
Tonic Water with Quinine to Ward Off Nighttime Leg Cramps:
A. There is a small amount of quinine in tonic water. Two eight-ounce glasses would contain about 40 mg, roughly one fifth of the dose of quinine your doctor used to prescribe in pill form.
Quinine Sensitivity Could Be Dangerous:
Others have also reported success with tonic water, but we must warn you that some people are super sensitive to this compound. If you experience headache, nausea, rash, dizziness, blurred vision or ringing in the ears, stop immediately. Blood disorders linked to quinine are rare, but could be life threatening if allowed to continue. You can read more about it here.
People who can’t tolerate tonic or don’t get relief may find our Guide to Leg Pain helpful. Besides tonic water, some people find that pickle juice or yellow mustard can stop cramps, while getting additional magnesium as a supplement can be a useful preventive measure against nighttime leg cramps.
