This is going around facebook

[annakalia]

facebook.com/JohnTesh/photo...

tells you to drink 6 oz of tonic water a night untill symptoms go away. i dont think the peopel know what there really talkign about!

[Hidden]

Its banned in the USA. It causes heart problems.

[Hidden]

Tried the tonic water with no effect. Apparently the Quinine in it isn't strong enough and you need to take the supplements.

[Hidden]

As usual alot of rubbish. No one should be taking quinine in any form for RLS, firstly it doesnt work for RLS and secondly its used for cramps, and thirdly it can cause heart problems. It should only be used for malaria.

[chrisjk]

Hi, I think that those people on facebook DO know what they are talking about, I have rls & leg cramps, and I was advised to drink tonic water for my leg cramps. I started with the tonic water in the evenings and my leg cramps disappeared & my rls was reduced significantly.

[Hidden in reply to chrisjk]

Hi Chris, tonic water helps one too many people to so readily dismiss it. My parents' generation grew up and grew old on gin and tonics (dad is currently in his late 80s) so I don't think you have to worry about quinine poisoning but never hurts to ask your doctor.

Don't you want to know why it works? It most likely is the quinine but there is a specific substance in the quinine called quinolone that is a dopamine agonist. There is a relatively new drug on the market called Abilify that is made from quinolone and is helping some people with RLS here in the US. See below:

neuro.psychiatryonline.org/...

[Hidden in reply to chrisjk]

And behind every silver lining is a dark cloud, so also read this article, ESPECIALLY, the comments to the article:

caring.com/questions/does-a...

[Hidden]

If only,tried it didnt work for me and hated the taste!

[chrisjk in reply to Hidden]

Hi, P1pp1ns. I must admit that I hated the taste of tonic water when I first started drinking it,but now I quite like it.It certainly is an acquired taste. what time of day did you drink it ? after a lot of experimenting I learnt that the best time to drink it was around 4 to 5 houres before going to bed.I also found out that I needed around a litre (2 pints) a day for the best effect,although I would start with around half that amount. Please give it another chance & do what I suggested( I suppose you can add fruit juice ect to disguise the taste, lol)