You are here

HH app

I am going to HH on the 29/11/06 is anyone else going on that day.
My gp has suggested I take quinnine for cramps does anyone else take it and does it react with glivec I'm not sure I want to take anything else
Yvonne

My wife takes quinine, as advised by the Hammersmith. There is no problem taking it with Glivec. For her quinine seems to work well controlling the cramps. I understand that medical opinion varies as to whether quinine is effective but if your cramps are bad, anything is worth a try. So I suggest that you talk to your Doctor at the Hammersmith about it when you are there, in particular the right dose. As to prescriptions for it, we have found the Hammersmith and our local hospital, Stoke Mandeville, are loath to prescribe it on their own drug budgets and we now get the prescriptions from the GP. It looks like you have a GP already on board to the idea, so that should not be a problem but I would suggest you ask the Hammersmith to write to your GP about the dose to be prescribed. Here's to you getting rid of the cramps! Good luck with it

David

I asked HH last week about this problem and Dr Marin suggested magnesium glycophosphate (which he prescribed) and calcium which he said I could get in a health shop. An alternative would be quinine.
Unfortunately I couldn't wait the hour HH pharmacy would take to give the magnesium and so my GP rewrote the prescription for me when I got home to obtain at my local pharmacy here in Wales. They tried for 2 weeks to get this it is usually only given in hospitals. Eventually, I told them not to bother and would try my local hospital in January for quinine. I have managed over 3 years without it, a couple of months more won't make any difference.
Prof Apperley suggested loads and loads of water, which does appear to help with cramps, but I sometimes feel I am drowning from the inside out!

On advice from my GP I drink Tonic Water, contains quinine, and it has proven to be very good at controlling the cramps.
PaulR

Hi
Quinine in tonic water, according to my GP is better than the drug itself. Supppose one could try a little gin in it as well ?
Worth atry, I have used it in the past, but without the gin I must say.
Have fun and keep smiling
Keith

My wife also gets cramp intermittently, but at present doesn't take anything.
In answer to some of the problems people have experienced in getting Quinine or Magnesium Glycerophosphate prescribed:

Qunine Sulphate can be prescribed in doses of either 200mg or 300mg taken at night, the alternative, as has been suggested before is to drink tonic water - it's quinine which gives it the bitter taste.

Magnesium Glycerophosphate is only available from a specialist supplier in the UK who deal in importing medications usually from other eu countries. There is no reason why community pharmacies cannot obtain it - although it may take several days.
Most hospital pharmacies would keep the drug and could advise local community pharmacies where to source it from.

Paul