What Can Quinine Cure?
Quinine sulfate is an antimalarial drug derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, which grows in Ecuador and Peru. Because of numerous severe side effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2007 banned nearly all prescription-strength quinine products, and reiterated that quinine is only to be prescribed for one use--treating malaria. The crackdown caused an uproar among people who had been using quinine to treat other problems.
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The Problem
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After accumulating 665 reports of severe adverse reactions to quinine between 1969 and 2006, including nearly 100 deaths, the FDA issued heavy restrictions on the drug's usage. Quinine can cause abnormal blood clotting, unusual bleeding and irregular heart rhythms, and has been linked to permanent blindness and hearing loss. Quinine can also cause delirium, fever, hallucinations, seizures and many other negative effects. Lawsuits are regularly filed over the problems people have experienced from taking quinine. Quinine can still be found in over-the-counter products in very low strengths that do not cause side effects, and it is also included in tiny amounts in tonic water.
Malaria
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Quinine kills the malaria parasite that is transmitted by mosquitoes and infects red blood cells. The hazards associated with quinine are considered acceptable in treating certain cases of malaria in combination with antibiotics, because malaria has high rates of permanent injury and death. Physicians usually prescribe quinine for malaria when other medications do not work.
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Leg Cramps
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As of 2007, the only prescription-strength quinine drug still approved in the U.S. is Qualaquin, which is produced by Mutual Pharmaceutical Company. Physicians previously had been prescribing quinine sulfate for the so-called "off-label use" to prevent and treat leg cramps resulting from vascular disease, as doctors commonly do in the United Kingdom and other countries. The FDA has stated that over 99 percent of prescriptions for quinine were for off-label conditions. It is not illegal for physicians to prescribe drugs for off-label usage, but many are reluctant to do so, particularly when the FDA issues strong statements about adverse medication effects.
Varicose Veins
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Another vascular disorder that quinine is effective at treating is varicose veins. These are swollen, twisted veins in the lower legs that bulge near the surface of the skin, causing pain and tired legs. One remedy for this problem is sclerotherapy, where the physician injects a chemical, such as quinine, into the varicose veins, a chemical that scars these veins so they can no longer fill with blood. Blood then returns to the heart through other veins, and the person's body eventually absorbs these non-functional varicose veins.
Babesiosis
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Quinine also can cure a rare malaria-like parasitic disease called babesiosis, which is spread by ticks. Symptoms of babesiosis range from mild flu-like problems to a life-threatening condition.
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