Use of quinine
Of the 18 participants who reported having used qui- nine for night-time calf cramp, 14 responded to a follow up telephone call to provide more information. Six par- ticipants had stopped taking quinine between 18 months and 8 years ago. Of these, three participants were advised by their General Practitioner (GP) to stop using quinine due to safety concerns. Of the remaining three, one was notified of the associated risks by a chemist, one stopped experiencing cramps so discontinued using quinine, and one discontinued taking quinine to try a non-prescription treatment.
Eight participants reported current use of quinine for cramps. All eight received prescription from their GP. Three reported taking quinine daily, one reported taking quinine every second night, and four reported taking quinine only when cramps were particularly bad, ran- ging from ‘once or twice a week’ to ‘once per month, on average’. None of the eight had been asked by their GP to stop taking quinine. Only two had been told by their GP that quinine was not covered under the PBS. Six participants could not recall being notified of possible adverse effects by their GP. Of the other two, one reported being told that it could ‘affect the heart’, and one recalled being told that quinine wasn’t good for him, but the participant was not sure why.