My spouse and her doctors think that quinine is the best treatment to prevent cramp. She, and her doctors think the US law is silly and that the persons defending the US law are silly.
I have nothing better to do than go to Mexico to buy quinine if I can carry it back. Do you know what is involved? Is it even possible? Do you have reason to believe I could to it?
It used to be a simple process to walk over the border, purchase whatever at the farmacia, then walk back across with your antibiotics, etc. Then some crossings (and pharmacies) started requiring a prescription. Quinine is certainly not a drug of abuse or a big deal, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Personally, though, I have a problem with crossing to Mexico for any reason (a couple of miles away from me as I type). And for quinine? You gotta be kidding–you do know there’s a war going on over there, right? Buy her a bottle of tonic water on this side of the border.
Ummmm…tonic water. Perfectly legal.
I suffer from leg cramps and it really helps.
Better yet, gin and tonic. Feel no pain.
I make soda water at home, but love my gins & tonic, and so I’ve toyed with the idea of making my own tonic water. It seems that quinine is generally available in the Unite States for this purpose, and so I’m wondering why anyone would have to go to Mexico to acquire it?
Balthisar–the FDA fairly recently banned the prescribing of quinine for leg cramps. It used to be available over the counter, then it was available by prescription only. Now you’re SOL if you need it. I think the amount of quinine in tonic water is pretty much below the therapeutic level, though.
Not to mention tonic water tastes awful. I miss my quinine. My leg cramps seem to have responded pretty well to magnesium oxide and calcium, though.
Are you sure? I was looking for cramp bark (it’s good for menstrual cramps) and this came up instead. The company has been around for many years and as far as I know it’s based in the US, so…
It’s the quinine sulfate tablets that are banned–those other things are homeopathic supplements and most likely have less quinine than a tall glass of gin & tonic. But back to the OP–avoid Mexico if you can help it, especially for something so trivial. There are more alternatives available to treat leg cramps. If the doctors continue to insist, either have them go to Mexico & get some, or seek another opinion.
The patient has a rare autoimmune and neither the patient or the doctors like the side affects of the alternatives. The doctors are at the Davis and the University of Utah. To get another opinion where would one go?
We can’t dispense medical advice–I just would advise that you not go to Mexico, as it is dangerous in the border towns. Contact your physician for alternatives.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/prohibited_restricted.xml#Medication
So, Custom’s says it’s up to the FDA. I can’t find a hard list on the FDA website specifically about quinine purchased outside the U.S.
I know you didn’t want to debate the justification of the U.S. ban. But please be aware that going to Mexico and buying it there to bring back may not be advisable.
OK, the 50 dose limitation would make it not worth my time. Thanks.
I hope everything works out.