Is quinine in tonic water dangerous or bad for you?
I drink a little tonic water every now and I was wondering if that quinine stuff can really hurt you because I hear a lot of people with medical issue who have taken the pill form.
Theoretically, you can overdose on quinine, and it can have serious side effects, including pulmonary edema and heart problems.
However tonic water has so little quinine,that you’d have to drink about 50-60 bottles in a single day to have any serious side effects. It is not stored in body, so you don’t have to worry about accumulation over time.
You only have to be careful if you have severe kidney problems or if you’re pregnant.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Quinine is helpful in some cases, but in normal amounts would not do anything to you. If you were to consume a ridiculous amount of quinine in pure form you could cause hemolysis which is when your red blood cells burst. But this is very very rare.
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December 14th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I don’t think so. But, I love, love, love tonic water with quinine …… I could drink an entire bottle daily; but I don’t. Everything in moderation you know. Cheers!
References :
December 14th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Theoretically, you can overdose on quinine, and it can have serious side effects, including pulmonary edema and heart problems.
However tonic water has so little quinine,that you’d have to drink about 50-60 bottles in a single day to have any serious side effects. It is not stored in body, so you don’t have to worry about accumulation over time.
You only have to be careful if you have severe kidney problems or if you’re pregnant.
References :