Nocturnal Calf Cramps and Tonic Water
Up to one third of people get calf cramps at night.
So their official name "nocturnal calf cramps" is unusually appropriate. And their treatment is pretty easy.
But first you need to know that stretching exercises before bed have been studied in detail, and don't do much good.
The best treatment is quinine. Quinine is a naturally occurring compound that can be found in cinchona bark. The Quechua Indians, native to Peru, used to chew it for medicinal reasons.
Yup, the quinine that is used in malaria.
But it is sort of controversial, and sort of not.
It has been banned by the FDA ( in the US ) for treatment of nocturnal calf cramps. Because it decreases platelets ( something that helps blood make clots)
Yet, it simultaneously has been approved by all the experts as being safe to use for up to 60 days at a time. (Check the Cochrane Collaboration for this part. )
The usual treatment is quinine, 200 to 300 mg ( in tablet form) at bedtime. And it works quite well.
Quinine is also the flavoring agent in tonic water. Tonic contains 83 mg. of quinine in a liter. An eight-ounce glass or tonic would only have about 20 mg of quinine, considerably less than the dose that used to be prescribed for leg cramps (200 to 300 mg). And it works quite well for some people. (Gin is strictly optional, but may assist in sleep and general attitude adjustment. )
So their official name "nocturnal calf cramps" is unusually appropriate. And their treatment is pretty easy.
But first you need to know that stretching exercises before bed have been studied in detail, and don't do much good.
The best treatment is quinine. Quinine is a naturally occurring compound that can be found in cinchona bark. The Quechua Indians, native to Peru, used to chew it for medicinal reasons.
Yup, the quinine that is used in malaria.
But it is sort of controversial, and sort of not.
It has been banned by the FDA ( in the US ) for treatment of nocturnal calf cramps. Because it decreases platelets ( something that helps blood make clots)
Yet, it simultaneously has been approved by all the experts as being safe to use for up to 60 days at a time. (Check the Cochrane Collaboration for this part. )
The usual treatment is quinine, 200 to 300 mg ( in tablet form) at bedtime. And it works quite well.
Quinine is also the flavoring agent in tonic water. Tonic contains 83 mg. of quinine in a liter. An eight-ounce glass or tonic would only have about 20 mg of quinine, considerably less than the dose that used to be prescribed for leg cramps (200 to 300 mg). And it works quite well for some people. (Gin is strictly optional, but may assist in sleep and general attitude adjustment. )
