Quinine Sulphate for leg pain

[chrisincontrol11]

Hi, I have just been prescribed Quinine Sulphate for leg cramps but my GP said my potassium levels were high and I should try cutting out bananas for two weeks before I start the tablets. I have been prescribed statins but have stopped these as they made the leg cramps worse. He wants to sort out the high potassium level before prescribing any more statins. Does anyone else have any experience of quinine sulphate or problems with high potassium levels? I have googled quinine sulphate and the FDA seems to have banned the prescribing of them for leg pain. I'm a bit concerned. We don't seem to be given much information on the drugs we are prescribed and sometimes I think the cure is worse than what they have been prescribed for. I am Type 1 for nearly 40 years and have good overall control, my HBa1C being 6.8. I have done DAFNE and think I have good control although I could do with losing some weight. Any opinions out there would help.

 

[WhitbyJet]

chrisincontrol11 - high potassium is called hyperkalemia. I was diagnosed with this condition some 6 years ago (I think, not sure of exact dates), there are various causes, google it for further information. It makes for scary reading, but your doctor has not admitted you to hospital, thats a good sign and hopefully this condition is temporary and can be managed on outpatient level. My symptoms were nausea, leg pain, leg cramps, fatigue.

Mine was due to blood pressure medication and CKD stage 3, I was advised to not to eat bananas, avocadoes, oranges, nuts and a whole host of other foods.

My bp medication was changed, kidneys remained stable, at that time I was still having problems with bg control.
Eventually the penny dropped, I realised that by reducing carbs in my diet I was able to lower bg levels, it went on from there, been lowcarbing for the past 4yrs. I have been able to stop all medication with agreement of HCPs, kidney function improved from stage 3 to stage 2, it has been stable at stage 2 for the past 3 years.
Potassium levels have returned to normal, I would not eat bananas and oranges, dried fruits, etc on low carb diet, avocados, nuts, hummous are low carb and high potassium, I can eat them.

Its a shame that its not possible to test potassium levels at home, I had to have fortnightly blood tests, in between I worried myself sick wondering what my levels are.

I hope you feel better soon.

 

[chrisincontrol11]

Many thanks for your reply WhitbyJet. I have had raised potassium levels for about 5 years now and have had various urine tests done at the hospital but nothing more has been said. I don't have any other symptoms at the moment apart from the leg muscles. I also did the low/no carb diet a few years ago under my own steam and must admit I felt a lot better on it. I was told it was dangerous and stopped doing it and have since gained a lot of weight. I have been toying with the idea of going back on it again and I think I will give it a go as I felt so good before. This all started because I was advised to take statins which made my legs worse and I want to avoid taking any medication, apart from my insulin of course, that is not absolutely necessary as I think they often cause more problems than they solve. Thanks again

 

[WhitbyJet]

I see you are Type 1, there are members with Type 1 following a low carb diet with no ill effects.
But since I am type 2 I better zip up and let others take over from here, wouldnt want to cause problems.
There are lots of good recipes in the low carb diet section, have a look if you decide to go down that route.

All the best to you x

 

[chrisincontrol11]

Thanks for that. I've done the no/low carb before and I've also done DAFNE and so I feel well equipped to deal with it and will take a look at the recipe section. Thanks for all your advice.

 

[susiegoo]

Hi just found this forum. If you are a diabetic, you may well consider a low carb diet. Dr. John Briffa, who writes for the Times, has published a book called Escape The Diet Trap where he discusses the benefits in general and for diabetics, of a low carb diet. He has collated a lot of research, which he references, that pretty much prove that diabetics should eat as little carb as possible.

Last week he took issue with DUK for not updating their diet advice in relation to carbs. He believes that their recommendations to include carbs in the diet are positively harmful. He also has a blog where he supports his theories and feedback from several diabetics confirm his belief. It seems diabetics lose weight, control their blood sugar much better and generally feel healthier by cutting out carbs.

My husband is Type ll and has started following this advice. So far he has lost nearly a stone, it would be more if he stuck more closely to it but a lifetime of bread, rice, pasta and potatoes is proving difficult to conquer.

I wish you all well.

 

[Defren]

I take 300mg of Quinine Sulphate each evening and have done for a while. I also suffer with horrendous leg cramps. I will say that since I started on Statins, I have had a little more trouble with cramps, but bearable at the moment. My Doctor proved to me to me he had checked my results after diagnosis by calling me to say there was a script for Vit D at the surgery for me, as I was deficient. He didn't mention anything else. The USA Food and drink administration are not always 100% reliable. I have many friends in the US and there have been times the FDA have approved medicines that have proved to be quite dangerous long term. I would always check the British Governments opinion on meds opposed to the US. I have had no problems with Quinine, infact for me they were a life saver as the nocturnal cramps got so bad I couldn't sleep, night after night.

I think it's wise to always be wary of medication. It's so easy to take it as a quick fix. Before I go to bed, I take 16 tablets, that is eleven different drugs for different issues. The number I take is really scarey, but I have decided to continue for a little while longer, before I ask my Doctor to start reducing the amount of medications I have to take. The drugs I take allow me to have a reasonable standard of living, but I think we all need to think of the effects of long term medication and it's effects on our bodies.