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Will Tonic Water Cause Hearing Loss?

Q. I drink tonic water all the time. (Really it is half tonic water and half regular water to help with the cramps I get in my legs.) A friend told me the other day that tonic water has been linked to hearing loss. Is that true?

A. Tonic water contains quinine, which is why it seems to help with leg cramps. Quinine has been known to cause both hearing loss and ringing in the ears.
The dose you are getting is extremely low, however, so it is not clear that this would be a danger. Tonic water can contain no more than 83 mg of quinine per liter in the US. Since you are diluting your tonic water, you aren’t getting very much quinine.
Concerns about quinine toxicity (irregular heart rhythms, blood disorders and severe allergy) led the FDA to forbid its use for preventing leg cramps. When doctors prescribed quinine for this purpose, the dose was 200 to 300 mg a night.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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