I have been informed by my pharmacist that quinine (for muscle cramps) is to be withdrawn because of serious side effects for some people. It will be continued from existing stocks until no later than June. Medicare has ceased covereage now.

Yeah thats right, they stopped quinine a while back here is OZ, Wings told me about using magnesium & calcium for muscel cramps, they stopped my muscel cramps straight away, i haven't had one cramp since taken the Mag' and Calcium supplements.

Quinine was basically stopped in the US several years ago. We were only suppose to be able to get it if we had malaria. I truthfully did not think it was something we could still get. I remember my mom asking for it years ago and they had stopped selling it then. That was in Michigan--maybe certain states stopped allowing it.

What happened years ago was that over the counter quinine products
were taken off the market. Generic Quinamm was allowed to remain on RX
(260mg).

Now that has changed.

Here are more details:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ad.php?t=11926

One form of quinine is still available...it has FDA approval.

Because the market for quinine in this country is very small/limited, drug companies will most likely NOT pay the big $$ to have a new drug approval.

Quinine and its stereo isomer quinidine are no longer used commonly in this country.
Quinidine interferes with other drugs' metabolism in the liver, and prolongs QT which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. In the "old days" it was the only
antiarrhythimic available, but it was never safe.

Does this mean that my 'G & T' will now have a different taste?
No more 'Q' in the "tonic" ?