Tonic Water

laurenmdrn16

I have been having horrific foot and leg cramps at night that cause me to literally leap out of bed (which is becoming quite a feat at this point, what with my growing belly and fortress of supportive pillows). I bought 2 liters of tonic water at the store, not giving it a second thought. I used to drink it all the time to help with leg cramps, but just read somewhere that it isn't safe for pregnant women. Anyone know if this is true? I could call my OB, but figured I would check here first. When I Google, all I get is other pregnancy boards like Baby Center etc.

gamommyx3

If tonic water is the same as seltzer water, I drink it all the time.  I actually mix it with cranberry or grape juice to try and pretend that it's a delicious alcoholic drink.  I've never heard that it wasn't safe.

kbrands7

Quinine (in tonic water) is category C because it's known to cross the placenta. However, I'm not sure if the occasional drink of tonic is a high enough concentration to possibly cause problems or not. I'd imagine not, but to be on the safe side, I'd probably abstain and go the increased potassium/magnesium/calcium route instead. 

epc5027

I had a bad experience drinking expired tonic water once & now won't touch it with a ten foot pole when not Pregnant, so I can't speak much to that.
For leg cramps however, I take cal/mag every night. It helps. I had them horribly with my first pregnancy, started getting them in my second, took the cal/mag every night & they went away. Now it's just what I do during my pregnancies & have never had another leg cramp. Its great!

TunieBee

It's probably totally fine to drink some tonic water here at there although there may be "safer" alternatives for your cramps.  Quinine can cross the placenta and in very high doses can cause uterine contractions. Although it's doubtful the amount contained in a small amount of tonic water is going to cause any issues, to be safe you could try something else.

Clauni27

I used to get terrible leg cramps and after having blood work done I found out I was low in vitamin D which means my body wasn't absorbing the amount of calcium I should be.
I was told to up my vitamin D and calcium and as long as I remember to take that along with my prenatals I don't have a problem but if I skip a day or two I regret it.
This is something I had done before I got pregnant but find it more relevant now that my little one is taking a good portion of my nutrients.
Now I'm learning it's a common enough deficiency in pregnancy that some of my friends have been taking extra vitamin D during their pregnancies too.

That's my only perspective on leg cramps though. I don't know anything about the tonic water.

ayeshaohara

Pharmacist opinion: You shouldn't be drinking it if you're pregnant. Yes correct there are small amounts of quinine but it'll add up. I personally haven't touched it since I got pregnant. You're probably just dehydrated. Drink plenty of water. Cramps are a normal part of pregnancy. I wouldn't worry about what you have consumed thus far just don't keep drinking it. Agree with PP about trying a calcium/magnesium supplement. Magnesium especially can be very useful for cramps!!

doozer1345

I've never heard of tonic water helping with leg cramps or that it's bad for pg. I will say that bananas are supposed to help immensely with leg cramps though. That and Tums.

yogahh

If you're having any muscle cramps drink regular water (op I know you are having trouble drinking it- add crystal lite) or coconut water as it has electrolytes.

laurenmdrn16

Thanks everyone! My attempts at drinking water have reliably ended up in me throwing up unless I add a little flavoring. I may try coconut water though for the electrolytes. I guess tonic water doesn't go bad so I will just keep the bottles I have until I am no longer with child.

TheThornBird

Tons of good advice here; I just wanted to add that stretching the heck out of my calves has helped me with my leg cramps. I try to stretch them at least three times a day, with one session right before bed.

nerdymama15

Eating bananas and drinking orange juice will help some too.  I used to get leg cramps a lot prior to pregnancy. 

jumpy57

I would get foot and leg cramp attacks while curling (not ideal when walking on ice) so bad that I would have to sit out. My doctor said to drink Gatorade/Powerade because the electrolytes would help. Worked like a charm

cgg0707

I was drinking tonic water when pregnant with my first one. When my OBGYN found out she told me to stop drinking it, this is one of those things you need to stay away from while pregnant. She told me not to stress about the fact that I drank some, but to not do so any longer, as such, my advice would be to not drink any.