Should people with nocturnal leg cramps drink tonic water and bitter lemon?
A literature search from 1993 to 1997 using MEDLINE and key-words beverages, muscle cramp, and quinine was performed. Three beverages containing quinine were examined in grocery stores. Analysis indicate that leg cramps are a common phenomenon associated with many comorbid disorders especially peripheral vascular and neurologic disorders. Thus, evaluation of a patient’s complaining of leg cramps appropriately includes vascular, neurologic, and musculoskeletal examinations. Laboratory investigation of the symptom of leg cramps warrants as a minimum, assessment of thyroid function and determination of platelet counts and serum levels of electrolytes, calcium, and magnesium. A few small studies suggest that quinine is effective in decreasing the frequency of nocturnal leg cramps but not their severity or duration. Quinine consumed in commercial beverages has been reported to cause potentially fatal immunologically mediated hypersensitivity reactions. The concentration of quinine in commer
