Page "Quinine" Paragraph 35

From 1969 to 1992, the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) received 157 reports of health problems related to quinine use, including 23 which had resulted in death.

In 1994, the FDA banned the use of over-the-counter quinine as a treatment for nocturnal leg cramps.

Pfizer Pharmaceuticals had been selling the brand name Legatrin for this purpose.

Doctors may still prescribe quinine, but the FDA has ordered firms to stop marketing unapproved drug products containing quinine.

The FDA is also cautioning consumers about off-label use of quinine to treat leg cramps.

Quinine is approved for treatment of malaria, but is also commonly prescribed to treat leg cramps and similar conditions.

Because malaria is life-threatening, the risks associated with quinine use are considered acceptable when used to treat that affliction.